Never using BikeBandit again!

[almarconi]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Don't deal with them anymore. There are plenty of other vendors to purchase from. If BB or any other vendor continues to offer poor service they will eventually go the way of the dinosaur. Business is not that plentiful that they can afford to lose customers.

I've never used BB before but have had bad experiences with other vendors (Cycle Recycle II, Motorcycle Superstore) and will not buy from them again. I usually use Z1 enterprises, Dennis Kirk, Babbitts and Newenough for gear.

 

[feelergaugephil]

Mike, sorry about the whole mess.
I would be pee'd off if I was told what you were told.
I've spent over 5k with BB and no issues, BUT! I have never returned anything, well! I tell a lie! I ordered something (I cant remember) from them and they sent a Honda R/R! so I called them and asked should I send it back? they advised that they accidently shipped it to me by accident and instead of sending it back to them could I send it onto the original person! they gave me his address, they sent me a credit and a free t shirt!!!

 

[Colorado85gs550]

I would contact the American Motorcycle Association to see what they can do to help! (even if you're Euro!)

When I paid my dues this year they sent me a BikeBandit gift card as they are one of the "recommended" sites through the AMA.....sometimes a letter is all it takes!

 

[Calvin Blackmore]

Mike, sorry about the whole mess.
I would be pee'd off if I was told what you were told.
I've spent over 5k with BB and no issues, BUT! I have never returned anything, well! I tell a lie! I ordered something (I cant remember) from them and they sent a Honda R/R! so I called them and asked should I send it back? they advised that they accidently shipped it to me by accident and instead of sending it back to them could I send it onto the original person! they gave me his address, they sent me a credit and a free t shirt!!!

They gave you another customers addressing info?

That is an appaling breach of privacy...
tell me they at least did not give the guy's name.

 

[ReTread]

Another reason I try to suppport the local dealer. A good one that is.

Ours in Sarasota ordered an OE speedo cable for the Skunk and called me 3 days later. Granted, it's a $20 part, though they treated me as if I spent a bunch more money.

Expert service means something to me and I'll patronize them accordingly.

 

[Baatfam]

They gave you another customers addressing info?

That is an appaling breach of privacy...
tell me they at least did not give the guy's name.

Actually I've had this happen too...can't remember the place, but it was motorcycle parts....

The sent me an email attachment to print out, which was a UPS label to the other guy...
They did the same for him with my stuff....

I sent him his stuff, he sent me mine...

 

[UncleMike]

For some reason, they sent the boots back to my old, old address in NY....

...the one I haven't lived at for seven years or so.

Luckily the postal guys knew my parents who used to live there, and knew that my brother was living in my old apartment, and forwarded it to his place.

F*ckin' hell.

 

[blokv1100]

Last time I called BB, I got a terrible echoing VOIP connection and a polite gentleman with a Hindi accent named "Victor". (Yeah right... ) -- all hallmarks that a company has officially jumped the shark and outsourced support to India. "Victor" was cheerful and polite, but completely unable to deviate from his script or do anything at all useful for me.

We all sound alike.
There's a whole group of us down here in my basement answering the phone and eating thai food. Hee Hee Hee...

 

[feelergaugephil]

They gave you another customers addressing info?

That is an appaling breach of privacy...
tell me they at least did not give the guy's name.

I don't see an ISSUE with that atall! not really a privacy issue, you can go on the internet and find anyone's detail, hell! I'm writing this on my police computer, I can pull YOUR picture, home info, arrest info, and driving history!!!

Anyway, I actualy thought it was decent of BB in doing that.

 

[Griffin]

They gave you another customers addressing info?

That is an appaling breach of privacy...
tell me they at least did not give the guy's name.

If they had contacted the customer beforehand and he ok'd it, there's nothing wrong with that. 95% + of addresses and home phone numbers in North America are public record anyway.

Just for giggles, I typed in "C Blackmore, NB" in an internet database search anybody can use and got this:

C Blackmore
Fredericton, NB
(506) 4**-*185



I don't know if this is you or not for sure (I have the rest of the address and phone number digits, just didn't want to post them on the forum), but it is the only "C Blackmore" I got a hit on in NB.


There is essentially no privacy anymore, at least not in the developed world.

 

[Tarsyn]

Maybe there is some truth to the name of their company, hence the "Bandit" in the title. Maybe their customer service mantra is "we screw the other guy and pass the savings on to you."

 

[feelergaugephil]

I contacted BB yesterday about the issue with them on this site, here's the reply.....

Hello Phil,



Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We would be glad to look into any issues the members of your forum may be have/had with our services. All they need do is send an email titled ?Attn: Management? in the subject line of their emails and we will look further into any issues they may be having and do our best to resolve the situation quickly.

George.

 

[UncleMike]

I contacted BB yesterday about the issue with them on this site, here's the reply.....

Hello Phil,



Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We would be glad to look into any issues the members of your forum may be have/had with our services. All they need do is send an email titled ?Attn: Management? in the subject line of their emails and we will look further into any issues they may be having and do our best to resolve the situation quickly.

George.

Yup, that's what they told me to do too, and I did...

...over a month ago.

Still nothing. I forgot to mention this in my original post - when I called after a week to check up on the email, they told me that I was out of luck again because at that point it was past the return period. I explained to them that it was past the return period because they told me to send an email about the situation. They apologized and told me they'd annotate my account so that I could still return the boots, even though it was beyond the return period.

That was another reason that they returned the package, (again to the wrong wrong address), because it was beyond the return period. I guess that CSR decided annotating my account wasn't really important.

 

[maro]

Well ive been trying to avoid this thread becuase i like them ... Until today... I ive been waiting 2. Weeks for superbuke bars and bar ends. Packaged arrived today... All banged up... Taped crappily.... Bars was there, bar end package was there.... Minus the bar ends.. Wtf!!!! The package doesnt even look open, its just empty.... And yes i triple checked the box. Im done with them toi. My last order i bought a cargi nrt that ripped immediatlely. Ill be all over the phone with them tomorrow for sure. They might br good for oem parts. Thats it


BTW, my spelling sucks here because I posted this from my phone.....

 

[TheCafeKid]

I dunno -- there are a lot of riders with big feet (make of that what you will...) desperately searching for boots. If he can figure out what size they really are, they'll sell instantly.

If BB's automated systems work as designed (which they do most of the time), they're great. But if there's a problem or if you have a question, they're terrible to spotty at best.

Last time I called BB, I got a terrible echoing VOIP connection and a polite gentleman with a Hindi accent named "Victor". (Yeah right... ) -- all hallmarks that a company has officially jumped the shark and outsourced support to India. "Victor" was cheerful and polite, but completely unable to deviate from his script or do anything at all useful for me.

However, the next time I had a problem with an incorrect part (Suzuki packaged the part wrong, so it wasn't entirely their fault), I used their online chat function. To my astonishment, within five minutes, the problem was solved, and three days later I had the correct part in hand.

I haven't ordered Suzuki parts from BB for quite a while, although I've taken advantage of a couple of gear clearance sales in the last year or so.

For Suzuki parts, I order online through a couple of local dealers, either Flat Out motorcycles or Westfield Yamaha Suzuki. Westfield doesn't charge shipping on orders I pick up in person, and their prices are nearly identical to Flat Out, so I've been using them lately:
http://www.westfieldsuzuki.com/

It's really nice to stand there at the counter and go through my order to make sure it's correct right there in the store where there's a human being to take care of any problems.

For gear, it's http://newenough most of the time, and also http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/ . Both have great deals and excellent service.

BB is convenient when you need parts for other brands -- they have online fiches for everything from Harley to KTM. Just don't get in a hurry or in a position where you NEED that part before you go. As they clearly warn, don't disassemble your vehicle or render it inoperative until you verify that you received the correct part...

I have used their CSR chat function with great success as well. I used to use Bike Bandit for just about everything. However, the last THREE times i have ordered from them, I have received the wrong parts (valve cover gasket was for a 20 bolt head, not my 24 bolt head, which i MADE SURE i ordered) got TWO of one item instead of one of each that i needed ( sent me to contact cover emblems instead of a contact and stator emblem) or in the last instance, I ordered fork springs, and didnt receive a shipping confirmation untill AFTER the damn things were here. At this point i go out of my way to NOT order from them if at all possible. Babbitts is great, but i find that their shipping is a bit pricey, and they also, as Steve pointed out to me, seem to have a "minimum price" for things. Nothing is cheaper than $1.85, even if its a 10cent washer. Z1 is my first stop, but they dont always have everything, and sometimes i just dont have the time to call them and find out if they can get it. They are SUPER awesome tho, so i try to go to them as much as possible. I cant personally stand Flatouts "signature required" policy, so I cant say ive ever ordered from them (im simply not home frequently enough, and i work odd shifts so its horribly off putting to me) It seems to me BB has started to go down hill after the last couple of years....I shant be ordering from them again after reading this however...

 

[Baatfam]

I cant personally stand Flatouts "signature required" policy, so I cant say ive ever ordered from them (im simply not home frequently enough, and i work odd shifts so its horribly off putting to me)

Chris from flatout posted a while back if you ask for "no signature required please" in the notes section of your order, they will wave that.

Please check with them before you do it, but I've done it and it seems to work...

 

[dpep]

I am certainly sorry to hear these tales about Bike Bandit; they really seem to have gone downhill. I had just about decided to use them as a default because of their 15% AMA discount. I just bought a Plexifairing 3 from them less than a month ago and everything, including delivery and discount, went as expected. But I've heard enough that I will be forgoing any further purchases with them for now anyway. If they look to get their act together later on, perhaps I will revisit.

 

[1978GS1000custom]

i gave up on BB also a while back. these guys seem to get it right every time and they actually answer the phone when called. http://www.alpha-sports.com/suzuki_parts.htm

 

[bwringer]

i gave up on BB also a while back. these guys seem to get it right every time and they actually answer the phone when called. http://www.alpha-sports.com/suzuki_parts.htm

I'm sure they're wonderful, but their prices make my eyeballs bleed.

I guess there's a tradeoff here. Then again, BB's prices are 15-20% higher than other places (still not nearly as high as Alpha-Sports, though) and their service has entered the Land of Suck and taken up permanent residence in Incompetown.


Just an aside to the above -- Z1 Enterprises is a FANTASTIC vendor, and they can also source OEM Suzuki parts at good prices as well as lots of other things that aren't on their web site. Email or call -- like many other places, the web site only covers a fraction of what they can do for you.

 

[marvinsc]

Chris from flatout posted a while back if you ask for "no signature required please" in the notes section of your order, they will wave that.

Please check with them before you do it, but I've done it and it seems to work...

It does indeed work, on my last order in the "shipping comments" box I stated that it was OK to leave the package on the porch and that's exactly what happened.