+1 on not understanding what the problem with dealers is.
You make of it what you want to. The only thing that could possibly make me not want to go back would be rude service. That has only happened once to me and it was at a parts counter.
I know a bit about it, since I am a service manager myself, although it is for a truck dealer, not a motorcycle dealer. There is no need for rudeness on the part of employees, those that are I have run down the road. Think bikers are a hard bunch to deal with? Try having to learn punjabi and spanish just to be able to keep customers happy. In my case, I have to carry a sharp pencil. In todays economy it is all about price and fast service. Yet, good workmanship takes a good technician and it takes time to do a job right. I went in thinking I could find a way to satisfy every customer that came in the door, then I found that it isn't going to happen. If they come in with a chip on their shoulder because their Freightliner isn't all they thought it could be for a $120k +, then they look at the independent dealer as the designer, manufacturer of the chassis, body, drivetrain and start taking it out on people at the dealership level, that sell, service their brand of truck. That starts out with hard feelings before a service order is even written up. Pricing of labor has held steady at the place I work, but parts have been driven way up by EOM. There is nothing at the dealership level that can be done and still survive and keep the doors open, if you cannot pass on the increases to the consumer. Tough I know. About all I can do to help keep customers coming in to my service department is start out with a smile, give them attention and an ear to what their problem is and try to get the truck back on the road in a timely manner.
If you can possibly do your own work and can obtain parts reasonably, then by all means do your own work. Not everyone is blessed with mechanical ability and need to rely on dealerships for service, repairs and warranty service. The dealer should have someone you can talk with and explain any thing at all that you are uncomfortable with. That would be a service writer, foreman, service manager. Seeking out a general manager or owner should only be after you have run into a dead end with all the others in your quest to get proper service or warranty work performed.
Sorry I cannot elaborate as well on sales and parts departments, as I have never worked in them, although yes, I do know how they operate. The bottom line is, if you walk into a dealership, they should recognize that you are there as a customer to spend your money and when you do you should leave feeling all the dealings were satisfactory, pleasant and that you will not hesitate to return in the future. If you leave feeling anything other than that, then that dealership is destined to fail somewhere down the line and that would be the fault of the management.
