Managed to get hold of DM's Panigale for the afternoon - and the weather gods are smiling - looking forward to having a play on this bike - will report later!!
In my humble opinion the sales staff of Ducati dealers in the UK are complete wankers. Despite expressing an interest at two dealers, requesting an invite to the Panigale launch from the dealer principal, having the available funds and attending a roadshow, nothing, not a jot, no call, no letter, no invite, not even the offer of a ride. Despite owning 3 Dukes in the last 5 years, spending over £60K with Ducati, think I'll sit quite happily on my funds. Tossers who in Audi ownership will have to up their game.
In all my years of buying cars and bikes, i have only come across one who genuinely wanted to give me the best possible buying experience both before and after the sale...and they are a Triumph dealer.
I'm not sure what more they would like me to do to make the sale easier for them, perhaps I should just give them my bank card and PIN? In truth I'm not sure even then that they could sell me something.
I had a good luck round one last night. i truly didnt think id like it, but i do. Problem is that the "s" is £20k. Thats too much for me on one bike. Im hoping the baby version is £11- £12k ish and is the same bike without the big engine if it gets released.
I've never bought new, but it's amazing how often you hear this. Esp in a market which is struggling, dealers are amazingly inert. It's certainly standard practice never to return calls: I've more than once been promised a return call over a parts query at probably the top-ranked UK main dealer, and I know I'll not hear from them again. I was kicking the tyres on an S4 a while ago, which the chap was selling for a Diavel. He only lived a few miles from the Essex dealer. He'd gone in, spoken to them, left calls, gone in again with his S4 to get a trade-in price, was twice told they'd get back to him. Nada. He gave up, hired a van, and bought it from the other side of the country. I think it's endemic in the car and bike industry though, and not particular to Ducati. On that basis, not sure Audi ownership will make a deal of difference (they are much the most notoriously arrogant dealership around my way).
You have to wonder what they spend their training budget on Ned, cause it sure aint sales, keeping customer records or following up with leads. I think they just hope someone will walk into the dealership. If they dropped their Newsletter, expensive roadshows and went back to simply calling people who had bought from them 2 or 3 years previously they'd find lots of potential.
Have you tried calling a dealer and asking to arrange a ride? Email enquiries and other similair forms will often go unnoticed. For every one serious person they will have to go through 100 that arent. People that call , or come into the dealer are always more likely to buy . Also if what i have been is true, they have sold themselves and dealers dont need to chase so much.
Personally I would rather walk into a Ducati dealer, when I feel like it, and let the bike sell itself. The last thing I want is someone ringing me at home, particularly when I`m watching re-runs of Crossroads, because they`ve decided it`s time I had a new bike. The experience I have with my local Ducati dealer is excellent, from sales to service and parts. Having said that I have not had the same great experience from the next nearest Ducati dealer. So I guess it all depends where you live.
I actually attended one of their roadshows and called into the dealer on my new Aprilia explaining I'd be happy to buy a Panigale as well, they had deliveries not fully sold arriving in May. It might be that dealers don't feel the need to chase, but surely they want me to buy it from them and not from some other dealership. After a Desmosedici a 1098S and a Buell Ullysses they know I'm not a tyre kicker and if they don't they fucking well should do!!
This isn't just my local Ducati dealer, it's them and two of the UK's larger dealers, one in the Midlands and one up North. So it's not isolated to a one off.
It could be something as simple as the salesman lost your number, or has left the site etc. Just give them a call, and ask for a demo ride with a hope to purchase. If you were a salesman, and the item you was selling was selling itself with people calling you to make appointments, and walking in to your showroom. Would you start calling everyone thats on your mailing list or that visits variuos roadshows? Or deal with the people who are a sale with least amount of effort? There could be other factors at play that you dont even realise too. Most dealers pay salesman on a very complicated pay plan which works on percentages taking finance/ GAP etc. You might have told him its a cash sale , which could mean its going to cost him money to sell you a bike!
It could be something as simple as the salesman lost your number, (I checked he had it) or has left the site etc (I met his boss at the roadshow). Just give them a call, and ask for a demo ride with a hope to purchase (I did that at both the roadshow and in person at the dealers). If you were a salesman, and the item you was selling was selling itself with people calling you to make appointments, and walking in to your showroom. Would you start calling everyone thats on your mailing list or that visits variuos roadshows? (I'm not everyone, I've spent a huge amount with them over previous years and they know that) Or deal with the people who are a sale with least amount of effort? (if you read below I've all but given them access to my bank account, how easy do they want it?) There could be other factors at play that you dont even realise too. (I think I recognise shit service when I receive it) Most dealers pay salesman on a very complicated pay plan which works on percentages taking finance/ GAP etc. You might have told him its a cash sale , which could mean its going to cost him money to sell you a bike! (really, after buying 3 bikes from them, you think so?) I spent £30K on a new Audi in 2007, guess what happened when the A5 was launched, yep I got an invite and a phone call! We live in hope.
In my experience the roadshows are a complete waste of time. Last year after ringing to confirm my time of attendance at the Moorland Pub in Yorkshire, as the dealer in Sheffield requested, we arrived in the morning to find out there were no bikes available to much later that afternoon. 100 mile round trip for nothing!
