[wvtrvlr]

I'll try to make this concise.

Wanted a new 2012 Suzuki Vstrom 650 adventure. Emailed/talked with local dealers. Found one in stock. Also found one in a neighboring state for sale/less. Emailed local dealer asking if they could match the price, they agreed.

Saw the bike last Wednesday in the showroom. Looked fine. Under the impression the bike had 2 miles on it (the paperwork I signed gave the odometer reading as 2 miles).

Had to leave town Wednesday night, they agreed to deliver it to my house on Monday. Couldn't wait to get home.

Bike is delivered on Monday with, not 2 miles on it but, 37 miles on it...AND it had been dropped during those 37 miles, resulting in damage to the right aluminum case, engine guard, brake lever, and turn signal.

I email the dealer and ask "what's the deal" and they say "that's why the price was discounted, because it had been dropped."

I was not told in the showroom it had been dropped, if not wrecked (I swear I looked over the entire bike, didn't see these scratches.) AND I was lead to believe it had 2 miles on the bike.

What would you do if you were me? I have no doubt the delivered bike is otherwise in perfect condition, I did get a good price on it, but I was expecting a bike in perfect condition for that price.

Are there any legal ramifications to being dishonest on paperwork with odometer readings? And how can they not disclose that the bike had been dropped? Isn't that something you have to say before you sell a "new" bike?

(yes, the bike is in my possession now, yes I rode the bike some and it seems to be in normal working order)

 

[Buddy Shagmore]

I would have refused delivery. I would ask them at this point to repair the damages. If they don't, Yelp is your friend.

 

[drydock]

Woh, bad break, hard lesson. I would always pick up a bike myself
on the day I bought it, never have it delivered.

Anyway I would keep after the dealer to fix the bike,
and maybe split the difference in the repair price or something.

Let them know they need to make it right and that you aren't
going to let it go ever if they do not, and that you will be
putting the word out about their crappy business practices
on every motorcycle forum you can find if they don't.

Let them know you are serious. What I would do.

 

[hogcowboy]

Don't know about your state but we have a 72 hour buyers remorse law. Plus since you're here it may be too late for you. But I number 1 would have refused delivery. And at the very least I would use the law to get out of the contract. Don't understand why you didn't take delivery at the dealership though and had it delivered. Unless of course if you're still snowed in.

 

[wvtrvlr]

The reason I accepted the delivery option was because the dealership is around 40-60 minutes from my house. I had to leave town Wednesday night, the day I bought it, and didn't have a ride arranged that day. I told them I'd need to pick it up Monday, giving me time to arrange a ride, and they said "we can deliever it to you Monday morning" I thought, this is a dealer, they want to charge me for delivery "how much?" "no cost" well, that was what I thought to be icing on a cake.

Looking back, yes, I should have refused delivery. But I didn't have the...peace of mind to do so, if that makes sense. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, assuming maybe the sign on the bike did say "Manager's Scratch and Dent Special" or maybe I missed something in my initial email correspondence. And I hadn't.

I'm going to ask they replace the parts, that shouldn't take them much time. And if they pull the perfect condition parts off the bike on the showroom floor now they can put my damaged parts on that one and give them a second chance at being honest and upfront when someone shows interest in that bike.

 

[murphyshuman]

The reason I accepted the delivery option was because the dealership is around 40-60 minutes from my house. I had to leave town Wednesday night, the day I bought it, and didn't have a ride arranged that day. I told them I'd need to pick it up Monday, giving me time to arrange a ride, and they said "we can deliever it to you Monday morning" I thought, this is a dealer, they want to charge me for delivery "how much?" "no cost" well, that was what I thought to be icing on a cake.

Looking back, yes, I should have refused delivery. But I didn't have the...peace of mind to do so, if that makes sense. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, assuming maybe the sign on the bike did say "Manager's Scratch and Dent Special" or maybe I missed something in my initial email correspondence. And I hadn't.

I'm going to ask they replace the parts, that shouldn't take them much time. And if they pull the perfect condition parts off the bike on the showroom floor now they can put my damaged parts on that one and give them a second chance at being honest and upfront when someone shows interest in that bike.

I think you mentioned earlier in the thread that the paperwork you signed stated 2 miles. If that is the case they have fraudulently filled out state DMV paperwork or at minimum the sale paperwork. The buy/sell agreement is a legal binding contract. Check what you signed thoroughly and also check the VIN number. If the paperwork if filed incorrectly then you should not be bound by the contract.

 

[Kaz71]

I think you mentioned earlier in the thread that the paperwork you signed stated 2 miles. If that is the case they have fraudulently filled out state DMV paperwork or at minimum the sale paperwork. The buy/sell agreement is a legal binding contract. Check what you signed thoroughly and also check the VIN number. If the paperwork if filed incorrectly then you should not be bound by the contract.

Plus 1. Great Advice!

 

[Inn_Keeper87]

Plus 1. Great Advice!

I 100% agree.

Call a lawyer, just to have one on hand, in case there are paper work discrepancies. It not about money, but bad business needs to be dealt with swiftly and without mercy.

I advise you do it fast before the business finds any sort of legal loop holes.


Anyway,
How does the bike ride ?

 

[ralphlong]

It's an adventure bike. It's supposed to be kind of beat up, if you ride it the way it's designed to be ridden. IMO, you should have looked at the bike more carefully before you signed the papers. You did not and got a little less than you thought you were getting. Looks like the dealer won that little game.

Still, you say you got a good price and it sounds like you are happy with the bike overall. And the vstrom is a great bike.

You sound like Jeep owners who complain when their vehicle gets a little dinged up or scratched. It's a JEEP for goldurn sake! Go out and get it muddy and scratched up. Have an adventure!

With all the hundreds of thousands of stories floating around the Internet of people who get burned by dealerships, there is little excuse for naivety.

Now, get you helmet on and all the rest of the gear and have a nice ride. It's nice out. And, remember... It's an adventure bike. Find a gravel road you have never ridden and go see what is at the end of the road.

 

[z9nine]

I would hold all payments, but show proof that the money is set aside, until it is resolved. If you have proof that what you bought is not what was delivered then they are in the wrong. I don't care if it is designed to get beat up, that is not what you agreed to buy.

 

[chet8625]

I think you mentioned earlier in the thread that the paperwork you signed stated 2 miles. If that is the case they have fraudulently filled out state DMV paperwork or at minimum the sale paperwork. The buy/sell agreement is a legal binding contract. Check what you signed thoroughly and also check the VIN number. If the paperwork if filed incorrectly then you should not be bound by the contract.

If you ;live 40-60 minutes from the dealer and the bike was delivered, couldn't they have driven the bike 35 miles to you? Was the bike trucked or driven?

 

[markk53]

I'll try to make this concise.

Wanted a new 2012 Suzuki Vstrom 650 adventure. Emailed/talked with local dealers. Found one in stock. Also found one in a neighboring state for sale/less. Emailed local dealer asking if they could match the price, they agreed.

Saw the bike last Wednesday in the showroom. Looked fine. Under the impression the bike had 2 miles on it (the paperwork I signed gave the odometer reading as 2 miles).

Had to leave town Wednesday night, they agreed to deliver it to my house on Monday. Couldn't wait to get home.

Bike is delivered on Monday with, not 2 miles on it but, 37 miles on it...AND it had been dropped during those 37 miles, resulting in damage to the right aluminum case, engine guard, brake lever, and turn signal.

I email the dealer and ask "what's the deal" and they say "that's why the price was discounted, because it had been dropped."

I was not told in the showroom it had been dropped, if not wrecked (I swear I looked over the entire bike, didn't see these scratches.) AND I was lead to believe it had 2 miles on the bike.

What would you do if you were me? I have no doubt the delivered bike is otherwise in perfect condition, I did get a good price on it, but I was expecting a bike in perfect condition for that price.

Are there any legal ramifications to being dishonest on paperwork with odometer readings? And how can they not disclose that the bike had been dropped? Isn't that something you have to say before you sell a "new" bike?

(yes, the bike is in my possession now, yes I rode the bike some and it seems to be in normal working order)

Time for an attorney - you signed for a 2 mile bike and unless it is 35 miles to the dealer and it was ridden out to you, you didn't get what you bought! They sold you the same color bike with crash damage.

 

[wvtrvlr]

Thanks again for all this advice.

The bike was trucked down.

I swear I looked the bike over in the showroom, to the point where I was suspicious that they may have had the damaged parts back in the shop, then after I bought the bike they swapped the damaged parts and then delivered as such.

RalphLong, I do appreciate your insight. However, I was under the impression I was buying a bike in perfect condition.

Here's what I've done. I emailed the dealer asking for two things to make the situation right. First, the mechanic who delivered my bike said they already have another 2012 650a on the showroom floor. I asked the manager to take the undamaged parts off that bike, bring them to my bike and swap the parts. Then they have the opportunity to sell the bike on the showroom floor honestly, saying "yes, this bike has damaged parts, and that's why we're selling it as a 'manager's special'"

Second, I asked for an official letter from the dealer explaining how the bike was laid down and what was done to ensure that it was restored to perfect working order. If I sell the bike in a year or 10 years and someone asks me "did you ever lay it down" Lord willing I'll say "No, but it was laid down while still in possession of the dealer. Here's the letter from them explaining what happened"

 

[Castle81]

The more i read, the harder it gets to feel any sympathy. Sorry bro, just is. Let's recap:

We know the mileage is different then what we signed for, but we don't know if the "2 miles" we signed for was ever accurate in the first place.

Upon delivery, there was new damage. Rather than stand up for ourselves, we accept delivery. Goodbye legal recourse...

And now, we expect the dealer to not only replace damaged parts, but to also deliberately damage an otherwise intact motorcycle for us to feel we've been made whole.

I'm not saying the dealer didn't do anything sheisty. On the contrary, I'm pretty sure your bike went on an extended test-ride of doom between Wed & Mon. You've just managed to undermine both your legal footing and your credibility nearly step so far. Let's change that trend, yeah?

Stop expecting more than parts replacement, and maybe a free service or two. DO ask for a copy of the *incident report* on how the damage occurred. DO NOT be afraid to move up the chain of command (don't bother asking for a manager. EVERY salesman is a "sales manager". You want the General Manager.) And MOVE QUICKLY on things. The longer you wait, the worse it reflects on you.

Email is ignorable, calls can be put on hold. A loud, angry person in the lobby gets EVERYONE'S attention.

 

[wvtrvlr]

I'm glad the entire discourse has gone down in emails between me and the dealership, that way I have proof they knowingly sold me a bike with more miles than the sales contract states as well as proof they never informed me that the bike I was purchasing had been laid down.

When the mechanic delivered the bike and I pointed out the damaged parts he said "let me call the manager and see what they're going to do about it." He was under the impression they were going to fix the parts at some point. He called right in front of me and the sales manager told him that's why we sold the bike at a discount to you"

Again, yes, I should have refused the delivery. 20/20 hindsight. At first I wondered had I really overlooked that damage in the showroom? But regardless...they should have pointed it out. The salesman initially tried to bend the truth and say "that's why the sign on the bike said "manager scratch&dent special" and I promptly replied to that email with a photo of the sign I took while it was on the showroom floor that mentioned nothing about "scratch&dent" unfortunately the photo doesn't show whether or not it was damaged.

 

[Hawkeye]

Either pick it up yourself or make sure it is perfect before you accept delivery. Those are about your only options. Hard lesson to learn, sorry. Not much else you can legally do at this point besides be nice and hope they make it right for you.

 

[ralphlong]

Either pick it up yourself or make sure it is perfect before you accept delivery. Those are about your only options. Hard lesson to learn, sorry. Not much else you can legally do at this point besides be nice and hope they make it right for you.

Yep.

Now you can spend a lot of energy and time and cause your stress levels to go up trying to make them conform to your view of things.

Or you can get out and enjoy the bike. After all, all everybody rides a used bike.

 

[Kaz71]

What I don't understand is when one is interested in purchasing a bike after seeing it, one makes deal with dealer. One then calls insurance company ad gives vin number from said bike one is buying and gets it insured. You bring hat insurance card or tell them over the phone this is my policy number so that they can complete the sale and send info to DMV so you get plates set to you in a week or two.

So my question is: Does the damaged bike that was delivered have the same vin number as the bike you looked at when you went there to see it?

Also I had 3 dual purpose bikes, they were all ridden off road, seen plenty of mud, rock gravel roads, and only imperfection on one of the 3 was the crank shaft area paint was scuffed up from my boot heel when riding. They all cleaned up nicely and looked to be in perfect condition. They all had plastic fenders so rocks that got kicked up did not scuff up the finish. A little elbow grease to clean the wheels and spokes and they shined up like they were brand new.

 

[wvtrvlr]

How can these sales people sleep at night? Being, at the core of who they are, a dishonest, misleading breed. They confirm the stereotype of sales people. They've attempted NOTHING to mend the situation at all.

I can't enjoy a bike that is the result of blatant dishonesty.

I still feel like they're trying to cover up what happened. They haven't agreed to give me a letter of how the bike was damaged.

I think I'll go to a competing dealer tmrw and ask what steps I should take. If anyone would be happier than me to see this dealership suffer for wrong doing it would be their direct competition.

"Honesty is the best policy" "The customer is always right" "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

 

[Castle81]

How can these sales people sleep at night? Being, at the core of who they are, a dishonest, misleading breed. They confirm the stereotype of sales people. They've attempted NOTHING to mend the situation at all.

Oy. Careful where you point that statement. You'll put someone's eye out. Some of us either currently work in sales or have previous. That stereotype don't cover all of us.

Also, they are under no legal obligation to mend the situation. You. Accepted. Delivery.

See, there's a reason that keeps coming up. From a legal standpoint, when you accept delivery, the mc enters your posession. By accepting delivery and entering a vehicle into your posession, you also accept liability for any damages not covered under warranty. You can ask nicely, but that's about it really.

Who all have you been in contact with. The GM? Dealership owner? Suzuki corprate? Literally anyone OTHER than the (un)kind sales rep that put this over on you? S*** rolls down hill. Use that to your advantage. Also look into consumer advocates in your area. No one wants to be "that" sales rep that got his dealership in the news. (In the trade this is known as "unemployment.")

I don't know what advice they'll have for you, but by all means find another dealer for your service work. Capitalism is a democracy, and we vote every time we spend $$$. Time to vote for the other guy. And get whoever you can to "vote" elsewhere also.

I know I may seem kinda harsh on some stuff, as there are some things here you need to know as a comsumer in order to protect yoursef in the future. I want to get them across as clearly as possible so that if there IS a next time you have that "peace of mind" to stand by your rights. But don't misunderstand, having seen how this is playing out I also believe this particular sales rep picked you out as a rookie buyer, knew the system better than you, and used that to his advantage for whatever reason. Legal or not, still inexcusable.

And you missed one: "Buyer beware."

I should also add: Don't let this deter you from riding, or even riding this particular bike. She's a good ride and an eager dance partner. None of this is her fault, and she's as much a victim in this as you are. Go. FROLIC. Enjoy the ride together and don't dwell to much on her past.