Well I try to keep my costs down and so I am able to charge just £40 an hour...but tho that sounds a lot, I still have a workshop to pay for, stock to hold etc....and the other day I had a cursory note from the solicitor dealing with my Mum's affairs, that they were, with IMMEDIATE effect, raising the hourly rate for the LEGAL EXEC ( No, NOT a qualified solicitor !!! ) from £195 and hour to £210 per hour PLUS VAT !!!!!! I think we should think ourselves lucky......
That is cheap compared to Essex......had one recently quote us for sorting out my father's and stepmopther's affairs at £305/hour. To think that I work professionally for between £10 - £20 / hour..........one day I'll be a miwwionaire......Not. AL.
My friend took her mondeo back to the local dealer she bought the car from with extended warranty. She had a really bad whir from power steering belt which they diagnosed. When they rang to see how the car was they told her that her grill was broken and so was the bonnet lock and that it would cost her an extra £90!!!! as they couldn't get into it and that they noticed the grill was broken Obviously this wasn't the case as she had checked the car before it went up The grill had been broken when they broke the bonnet lock and couldn't get into the engine. A talk with them on collecting the car in no uncertain terms she came away with apology new grill and lock and £90 still in her pocket Happens everywhere unfortunately Perhaps like hiring a car a checkover and marks etc noted before leaving would stop this practises and photos too
But suppose a 'fault' like you mention in relation to the bonnet lock had been far more serious....say, they damaged it and said nothing and your friend had been involved in a major incident becasue the bonnet whipped up, say, a fatal......What good would have 'a talk' been to the dealer then? AL.
I'm sure it happens Al and on the whole the garages get away with it as most wouldn't check such things as bonnet locks or even any part of the servicing etc. The only reason they told her was that someone had to pay for the new parts otherwise like you say they would have kept quiet if it didn't involve money Perhaps being found out and confronted may make them think twice next time.
A lot of people describing how bad Ducati main dealers are. Somebody says you have a high percentage of a poor mechanic working on your bike So why is it so important to buy a second hand Duke with a service History?
Exactly - my Ducati 996 had full service history from Ducati Manchester - the alternator came off - if anyone had touched that part during servicing I will eat my head. Doesn't mean a thing. FDSH - my arse.
k'inell Dave, you should have a chat with my woman. Somewhat of a dimwit, but she does what she's told.
This is very interesting for me, I live in between these 2 dealers and I am debating which one to buy a new Ducati from, or whether it is wise to venture further afield where I can get same bike quite a bit cheaper.
There are quite a few independants like Moto Louigi, Nog, Ducati John who provide outstanding service at much more reasonable prices than the main dealers, we should support them and we should say why in this forum. These folks are almost always enthusiasts for the marque, know them inside out and have the touch gained over years of fixing and driving them. Most of the main dealers are usually pretty good and we should be careful about blaming dealers for issues that simply occur on Ducatis (like some of the electrical issues, coolant tanks cracking, crank plugs and alternator nuts loosening). However one or two keep coming up in the forums for providing average or poor service, they are the ones who need to up their game and will only do so if they are losing business and know why. Let them have a chance to sort the problems out, if they don't do so name and shame them.
The ONLY dealer I have never heard a bad word about is Cornerspeed, Nottingham way. Otherwise, they have all had the occasional bad story. Some justified, some not, but you know what they say about pleasing all of the people all of the time....like it amazes me some expect to be brought back from the continent because of a puncture?!!
I've emailed Neil@Cornerspeed just recently. I've never used him, but I shall be. He is very patient and most helpful, taking the time to not just send a standard reply but go into some depth about things. Seems like a top bloke.
Nelly ( aka the Ducati Smurf ) is the only mechanic who works on my bike and has done so for about 10 years now. You won't be disappointed using Cornerspeed.
