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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 43
CASHTON, WI United States | AS A POLARIS DEALER (ATV/RANGER/SNOWMOBILE) I AGREE WITH MY VICTORY DEALER WHEN HE SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO BE VERY SURPRIZED THAT THE VICTORY PRODUCT IS COMING FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURER OF THE PRODUCTS THAT I GET FROM THEM. FIT AND FINISH, RECALLS, AND GENERAL PROBLEMS WITH THE BIKES ARE CONSIDERABLE LESS THAN THE OTHER PRODUCT LINES.
SO CHANGING THE COMPANY MINDSET WILL BE AN UPHILL BATTLE. THE 95% APPROVAL RATING IN THE ADVERTISING DID COME FROM JD POWER, NOT PSN WEBSITE. PSN IS A COMPANY THAT IS RECOMMENDED TO THE DEALERS TO HELP THEM WITH THEIR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITE.
EACH DEALERSHIP IS OWNED AND OPPERATED TO MAKE MONEY. IF YOUR DEALERSHIP IS NOT MEETING YOUR EXPECTIONS THE OWNER IS THE PLACE TO GO. LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU ARE UNPLEASED WITH. IF THEY CAN/WANT TO KEEP YOU AS A CUSTOMER THEY WILL DO SO. TO MANY DEALERSHIPS HAVE THE FLOOR TRAFFIC TO FORGET ABOUT THE CURRENT CUSTOMER AND KEEPING THEM HAPPY. DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP AND THE DEALERSHIP EXPERIENCE WILL IMPROVE.
THE OWNER HAS TO DEAL WITH POLARIS (YOU NEED TO ORDER X BIKES, AND THEY ARE YOURS NO MATTER WHAT... OH AND PAY FOR THEM OR PAY INTEREST TO US). THE CUSTOMERS AND THE EMPLOYEES. GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO EARN YOUR BUSINESS. IF THEY DON'T TELL THEM AND GO ELSEWHERE. THE INTERNET IS FULL OF DEALERS THAT WILL SELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED/ WANT.
QUESTIONIARS ARE GENERATED BY WARRANTY CLAIMS. THE MAJORITY OF THE QUESTIONAIR IS A WAY FOR POLARIS TO RATE THE DEALERSHIP. GENERALLY ONLY 5 QUESTIONS ARE EVALUATED.
SORRY FOR THE RANT BUT MIES HAD SOME GREAT POINTS AND ULTIMATELY THE ONLY CHANGE THAT WILL BE MADE IS WHEN THE MONEY STOPS FLOWING.
KEVINX WOULD BE MORE ABLE TO ANSWER THIS, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ALOT OF SERVICE DOLLARS GENERATED FROM VICTORY SERVICE. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | Do you think Victory wants dealers to treat customers poorly? That just does not make sense. Is Polaris/Victory hard to deal with, yes, I've talked to two owners dealers over the last three years, one quit, one has found a way to stay in it, it's tuff.
I think they have too many dealers and that is why some of us get poor service for your Victory. In the Houston area there are 4 million people, how may Visions were sold in this 100 mile radius in 2008. I'm going to say based on conversations with dealers, less than 40, and there are 4 dealers, that is not a lot, some dealers here only got 5 Visions for the whole year. So, with the low sale volume for Victory and high sales in other motorcycles, ATV, Watercraft, Lawn mowers, chain saws, generators,......, to make ends meet, then Victory is back seated. Then when folks like us thinking they should be like flipping over backwards for a few bikes and Victory giving them a hard time, they are less interested. Good service for us is not going to happen often or quickly. We are going to have to suffer through this and pick the dealers that work with us the most, and there are a few. Write a letter if you think it will help, it may!
Edited by VisionTex 2009-06-17 9:38 PM
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Cruiser
Posts: 177
| Well i'm 34 and i've owned 9 Polaris products, 2 Victorys, 1 Sportsman and 6 sleds. I never ever had one single bad expierence deling with the quad or my sleds, and let's face it sleds are WAY MORE high maitenence than any motorcycle is. I t saddens me that this branch of Polaris...... well......basically SUCKS to deal with. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I guess we all wish for a lot things when it comes to Victory Motorcycles, but they must be doing something right. They sell enough to continue the product and dispite the preceived numbers of dissatisfied customers here on the forum, (which by the way is a very small percentage in comparison to the rest of the Vision and Victory populus) Polaris and the investors still stand behind Victory as they have for the past 10 years and even in a tough economy.
I for one absolutely love this machine, and I don't say that about my stuff ever, but Victory got it right with the Vision in spite of a few quarks. I have a rode road machine and it does exactly what I wanted it to. If I had a show piece I'd sock another 20 or 30K into the bike and make it that.
I'm hoping by the weekend to get my popping issue resolved, but I just don't know. According to about 90% of the folks here says that it is gizmo related, I think it is because it has leaks, but I'll see by the weekend. From that, I'll be happy as a pig in mud in town as when I'm on the open road....
....now where did I put that stinkin' wheel spacer......
Edited by varyder 2009-06-18 4:59 AM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | VisionTex you hit on something that I've not thought about before. Polaris, I'm assuming works a targeted marketing stradegy based off of there other product lines. I think that may be a carry over to Victory as I see concentration of Victory dealers in certain areas and not others. Now, I'm not saying that Victory itself is necessarily doing this as I agree as well as Miles Victory has no dealers, just resellers. They look for where they think the market will prevail.
This may sound like 101 stuff, but I don't think that Polaris/Victory is applying motorcycle selling stradegy, but sports vehicle selling stradegy at this point. That is, they are leaving up to those who want to sell to determine if they have the market, this is a franchise mentality where the actual parent company has no risk. Ridersville in Berkley springs has Polaris lines to include Victory. Their market is ATVs and the such, but they seem to have some sucess with Victory, but is the only game in town for miles. Their show room consist of one row of Victory motorcycles and a sea of ATV' with about 1:20 ratio.
Just about an hour away, what I thought to be a sucessful Victory Dealer, Motosports of Winchester, no longer sells Victorys. Well, while they did sell Victory, they were also selling the cheaper Triumphs and other bikes. So if you want to ride and can't afford a Victory, what do you get? To me, Victory often becomes AVON to some "dealers" as it sits on the shelf and they hope you'll buy it because they have paid for this stuff already.
If Victory would do a market analysis, and I'm sure they have, and apply it to a motorcycle market stradegy, I think we would have Victory dispersed more logically and with an increase of popularity would begin to pop up more across the country in a more even fashion. I have one of the few true dealers in this nation right next door. They do not sell anything but Victory. They no longer work on Harleys and if there is another bike in there it is on consignment. To me when it comes to Victory this is very rare. Yet, despite their absolute loyality, they too have trouble with Victory but they are trying harder to become experts in what they do.
I think as owners who really love our Victorys, is do your best to support the dealer from a customer standpoint. When they are getting it from both sides, disgruntled customers and lack of response from Victory they throw up their hands and say forget it.
I wish I knew otherwise how to crack the Victor nut, as I sent a letter once requesting some information and they returned with a letter response that was totally unrelated to what I was asking. It's sort of like Oz where no one get's to see the wizard. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 204
guelph ontario | I have written to Victory (Polaris) on many occasions-what do you get back-the go talk to the dealer letter. Seems that all are pointing the finger is a giant circle. Makes me dizzy-not that its too hard to begin with.
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Tourer
Posts: 548
Mount Vernon, WA United States | It is so sad to read that Carl (Winchester) no longer sells Victory. That's a statement-and-a-half on so many levels. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Miles - 2009-06-18 1:40 PM
It is so sad to read that Carl (Winchester) no longer sells Victory. That's a statement-and-a-half on so many levels.
I've only stopped in there about maybe 3 times, the last time is when I found out. But I understand he was one of the first to take on Victory when they first came out. If so, that is a sad statement. |
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Tourer
Posts: 548
Mount Vernon, WA United States | He was one of the VERY first. He invested in the signage, the floor space etc... nearly a year before he saw the first bike. I could tell some stories about what he had to put up with for the privilege (sarcastic) of selling their bikes. hwy27guy hit the nail on the head (even if it was in all caps and hard to read). All of letters in the world to Victory, while may make you feel better, are NOT going to where the problem is, nor are they going to anyone who can do anything about how someone else chooses to run their business. |
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Let me pee in everyones morning coffee.
