Sounds to me like you are looking to get a "delayed" discount on the deal, otherwise the bike would have gone back. Just saying like.
Nope. Don't care about the money. It was always about the expected standard I have come to be used to over the last six years with Ducati dealers. Why would I want to send back such a stunning bike? You wouldn't and neither would I. Hands off El Toro!
I'm sorry but you've not convinced me. You're argument and protestations are flakey at best. Good luck.
Haha! So, you think we both sit at home with nothing better to do than chase for cheap handouts! Clearly, you think that it is fine to turn out a second-hand bike in that state with un-recognisable service history?! And you would have kept the whole experience to yourself, despite what forums are for? You're the flaky one!!
I agree its unacceptable for the bike to be delivered in a unfit state or not as described. I had a similiar situation with Manchester Ducati but it was resolved via the owner in the end. Mine was the fault of one single person , not the whole business. But I don't understand what you wanted them to do in this situation? They offer your money back, and you say no. They offer to fix the bike , you say no. Do you expect a blank cheque book to sort the issues without dmc even without looking at said issues themselves? You say you are in the building trade. If a customer wasn't happy with your work would you offer to put it right? I assume so. But if this customer said you wasn't allowed to see the faults or fix it but they expected you to believe their word and pay a third party to do whatever they want? There's lots of 1098s for sale , so if this one isn't as you expected just send it back. At least they gave you the option as most businesses would simply offer to fix first.
this is why in the last 18yearsi'v never bought a car from a dealer or of the street. i can only take from what i.v read. but i would also be reluctant to take it back, you would have to if requested but a good dealer would cover all expenses, held ,until they get the chance to confirm faults with no delay. unfortunately there is a lot off chancres out there just ready to screw. like it or not you have to take it back. get it independently checked every time when your buying stuff with used wheels, it will give you a measure of your own mechanic/dealership also.
Yes, d8mok absolutely you make some good points and we considered them. But keeping her was the best option for me, which is my choice and having her serviced by someone we trusted was the best option. Hence the £700 wasn't the issue. Why is money always the issue? Not in my world. We flagged this experience as, had we not taken her to our mechanic (who by the way runs his own motorbike repair business, specialising in ducati's and indeed, races and rebuilds ducati engines) for a simple wiring repair, I may well have had a cam-belt failure and this could have happened at any time, any speed. That chills me. There was no recognition of their failure to produce good expected levels of workmanship. None. Not an apology and the closest we got was an explanation that an apprentice had done the work and his work was not checked. You only get one chance to make a first impression. One chance to sell a bike. One chance to give a good impression and a good job done. Just sharing an experience as many others have done under this section. Nothing more, nothing less.
Everyone can make a mistake. It's how they deal with said mistake that matters and I think they gave 2 perfectly reasonable options to you. The fact you didn't want to accept either is your preference but next time when you have a unhappy customer just imagine this situation the other way around. How can they acknowledge or apologise before they have seen what is wrong themselves? What proof do they have? The part you seem to struggle with is how can they believe what you say ? Otherwise every tom dick and Harry would be calling them asking for money. I'm not suggesting your not trustworthy but look at it from their side. As a lawyer would you expect a business to admit they've sent a dangerous bike to a customer? Leaving themselves open to a massive court case when said bike fails and someone gets hurt. Come on. They should of been given opportunity to see the faults first. Then if you wasn't happy with them doing the work , agree a alternative solution. They aren't going to admit to sending a dangerous bike out over the phone to a lawyer are they?
I thought you were a lawyer? Even flakier than I thought. Ps. d8mok and many others have made excellent points on how this could and should have been resolved, all of which seems to have been offered by DMC. You chose to ignore them all.
d8mok: "How can they acknowledge or apologise before they have seen what is wrong themselves? What proof do they have? The part you seem to struggle with is how can they believe what you say ? Otherwise every tom dick and Harry would be calling them asking for money. I'm not suggesting your not trustworthy but look at it from their side." You kidding me?! The bike left them in that state the day before?! They saw it like that! DMC took that bike and put it on the delivery truck for the 190 mile journey, straight from their service department. When we asked whether it had even had a service, they argued it didn't include changing the fluids (which more black). Admittedly they wouldn't have known at the time the reason for the discharging battery but any cursory look over the bike would have shown up the other faults pretty quickly. Now we're not expecting the 'Vauxhall car second-hand 100-check promise' treatment on a second-hand bike but at £8,500, we would have at least expected it to be in a better condition leaving their service area. As I said, you get one chance to give a good impression. As for the "full service history" which, as you all know is vital when buying a duc, that was all incorrectly filled in. Even the invoices didn't match this bike. The evidence is on their own books! You telling me that's another mistake? Believe me, they know what is wrong. They have all the evidence and it's in their hands. However, four months later, I'm still awaiting my "full service history" to be returned correctly attributing to this bike. I cannot believe any of you guys would be thinking "what a great bunch" if you have experienced a similar situation! What they offered to do or not do is irrelevant. That's beside the point. The damage had already been done and I for one, would never trust a main dealer again. The irony is that we have brought our three other Ducati's privately and you couldn't have wished for a better buyer experience. And yes, finm, I'm with you on that one. Plus, as we lived so far away from Preston, we did get it independently checked - I was planning on going to my boys at Ducati St Neots who have serviced my previous 1098, but understand it isn't the 'done thing' to go to another Ducati dealer and do a critical analysis of another Ducati dealer's work, so yup, went to a complete independent Ducati specialist. DMC even spoke to him about the bike. However, they discounted his assessment. But they were quick enough to rely on his assessment a few weeks later when he later discovered the voltage regulator was the problem of the discharging battery, saying "well, your mechanic didn't initially pick up on this problem either". No sorry, we reported this experience, not because we wanted a kangaroo court or a resolution through a ducati forum. Not because we wanted a retrospective discount or even sympathy. We put it up as a review of our experience of buying a second-hand bike from DMC who have, in our humble experience, absolutely no pride in turning out a second-hand duc. The clue is in the title of this section 'Dealership Reviews'!! Ironically, it would have been left there as an old story by now if there hadn't been so much commentary on it, keeping it refreshed up there as a new story. I would love to come back sometime in the future with the news that DMC got in touch or sent me the correct service history books but I'm not holding my breath. What a sad review.
Ive never said, that i think they are a great bunch etc. The bike should of been roadworthy and as described but i wasnt aware we live in an ideal world? 190 miles isnt far to travel in my opinion when spending £8500. Ive fetched cars from france / banff in scotland, and spain. You could of inspected the bike on handover and addressed any issues. Failing that, just take a refund and buy a bike from a company that you trust. Services dont always include fluids (apart from Oil) . If you had let them collect the bike and sort it out im sure you wouldnt be 4 months on still with outstanding problems. They have tried to be reasonable and rectify the problems which you have rejected. If youve mentioned the fact you are a lawyer to them , they are probably are playing it by the book now. They have offered repair/refund which you rejected . case on hold as far as they are concerned until they recieve formal written communcation. You are correct that the section is for dealership reviews, but you will also notice that forums operate on the basis of people giving their opinions to what you post. Some may agree with your course of action, and some will not. I personally feel there is more to this, and feel it could of bee sorted ages ago if both parties were to be willing to be flexable and help each other. However i do hope you get it sorted as i know how frustating it can be when there is outstanding issues. Have you tried contacting the Dealer principal/ owner to get their views ?
"If you had let them collect the bike and sort it out im sure you wouldnt be 4 months on still with outstanding problems." Based on what we had already seen, I wouldn't have let them service my mower! Yes, resolution is the key I think, but a simple letter returning all the correct paperwork and service book would leave me happy - and just as happy to report that here.
Stunning looking bike! Is it a common problem for the cats to ignite and fire the bike or was it a one off? I ask because I have a 1098 and 848. Love em both!
Cheers Andy. No, it isn't a common problem but perhaps one to keep an eye on especially if you do a lot of track days. In my case, the bike had been running rough for a few weeks. This in itself isn't unusual but one that I'm not used to as I give her a spring and pre-winter service each year. So new spark plugs, etc. After a few days, started running rough again, sometimes on one cylinder. She sounded like an old Harley! So the coil-pack was replaced. All seemed fine until the morning I was setting off for a 2,500 round trip with friends across to the Pyrenees. On the way to Plymouth about 20 miles in, she started to misfire, and there were some fumes coming through the joints of the exhaust. So I turned back home to meet the mechanic with a new set of exhausts but two miles from home, the cats caught fire under me. I stopped the bike immediately and had flames all around me as I leapt off, to watch her burn through for 20 minutes before the fire engine arrived. It seemed the cats had acted like sponges and soaked up all the unburnt fuel when running roughly the week before. So either take the cats out or put after-market exhausts on and then always make a point of checking the wadding inside, which I did on this new bike to find they had burnt through to the external carbon. So keep an eye on them. Before and after......
No, it started in the exhausts and I stopped as the flames were shooting out the exhaust. I was able to get my tank bag off, but lost the tail bag. It quickly spread though. This picture might show it a bit more clearly. At least I have the dubious kudos of saying I jumped off a flaming Ducati and lived to tell the tale!
Halfords have 3 for 2 on T-cut and polishes at the moment - just a weekends work....... Glad you got off of it ok!
certainly a hot fire,thats for sure. still unsure how flames would be on the outside of the pipe if the cat inside has gone up,wouldnt the flames just come out the back of the pipe. or did it explode rendering the pipe open down below?. when zoomed right in,the pipe in the picture appears still clean and sealed under the engine. certain it wasnt an insurance job?.can of petrol would give that type of result and burn area,leaving the bottom pipe seemingly intact,even the sensor still there. ignore moi,related to miss marple me and suspicious of everybody. doesnt seem instantly clear to me though.
