Expensive First Service

Before I bought my Tiger Sport 660, I checked what I would be paying on the Triumph website - I used it to send a list of required optional extras to my local dealer.

On checking the price, a dialogue box pops up, explaining exactly what the customer is paying for in the price of the bike. This include labour charges for the first service as long as the bike is presented for servicing at the dealer where it wa spurchased, and that is what I did.

However, instead of the expected £65-ish that everyone else seems to be paying, I was charged £149. I asked about the labour charges, (£85 on the receipt) and referred to the notice on the Triumph website. The workshop said they had no knowledge of any such thing and they always charged for labour on first servicings, but did reduce the 'proper' charge of £199.

£199 for a 1st service at 600 miles?

I was very angry about the misleading information on the website, but they stuck to their line and insisted they were doing me a favour.

I've belonged to a couple of Tiger 660 groups and in both the only people who paid more than £65 (some paid less) were those who either took their bikes to a different dealer for the servicing, or those who were being led up the garden path - and of those, several got their labout costs refunded by Triumph when they sent their complaints "upstairs", or threatened to do so.

I only just paid the deposit 2 weeks ago, and had I known how much they were going to charge, I would have waited longer before taking the bike in. Really disgusted and won't ever go to that dealer again - though tomorrow I will phone the salesman and see what he has to say (not that I expect him to reimburse me). Next step will be contacting Triumph UK, though I've currently no idea how, I'll find out.

Great way to spoil what had been up to now a great purchase experience and a happy customer.

 

Thanks for replies - I'm trying to contact the sales guy right now but so far no-one is answering. First time that's happeneed, must be on his own and busy, as he often is.

I just looked back and found that I paid the same amount exactly for my Street Scrambler service two years ago. If this is the right price that's one thing, but something needs to change - either the info on the website needs removing or changing, or customers need to be advised that it will not apply, along with the reasoning, when they buy the bike.

I returned a Bonnie Scrambler on PCP early and had the remaining debt paid by the dealer. I bought a new bike (on HP) and got a credit of £319 'equity' on the old bike.

I also requested that I be charged the price of the Tiger when I paid my holding deposit, as it had since risen by £300 when the bike was actually delivered 4 months later. The price the salesman came up with was a complete mystery to me - about £9225 iirc - and the whole deal as far as exact amounts is still a mystery to me.

Also wasn't happy when Black Horse sent me a settlement figure and told me to subtract any payments I'd made in the meantime - of which there was one, but the dealer told me they would pay the original settlement figure and I should wait for a refund (which I now have). This to save them redoing the paperwork.

Another thing (sigh...) was that I wanted to add another optional extra to the purchase, but again this was refused as the guy didn't want to have to redo that paperwork, either. I already had 6 items on the list of extras - and that's a lot of writing! So now I'll get that gear elsewhere. It'll be cheaper, so maybe he did me a favour!

 

Yeah they charged me £50 for 4 litres of oil, £1.08 for the washer, £9.55 for the oil filter and 2.50 for "sundry parts".

The oil is a bit steep, but not beyond what I would expect for a dealer service, same with the filter. The only real quibble is that labour charge of £85

PS - plus the fact everyone else seems to be paying £65, of course

 

I went through the paperwork again this afternoon and all I have is a bill of sale for the PCP bike and another for the new Tiger. Not even the extras listed, just the complete price, though there are individual till receipts for the extras.

I didn't realise I don't even have the customer copy of the purchase contract I signed. On Monday I'll email the guy brown mouse mentioned.

 

Rode it again today for the first time since the service and found they had left the rear tyre overinflated as well! (2.68 Bar instead of 2.5 - and it's colder today than it was when serviced 2 days ago).
I must admit, I didn't like the mechanic and the things he came out with whilst I was there, including trying to make me feel responsible for the trade plate on the courtesy bike falling off when it was not my fault. Said it's the second one in a week - obviously not bright enough to work out he's not securing it well enough (two rubber bands 1" wide and a rag stuffed behind the plate to take up the slack).

He insisted that changing the drive sprocket by 1 tooth would mess up the quickshifter. I don't know - that's why I asked - but many people who own this bike say it doesn't, so might just go ahead and do it anyway. I got the impression he was a 'junior' mechanic and seemed to look to the older guy for gen, though he didn't ask him about this. I'll have to look into it more before going ahead, I guess.

 

Thanks for your explanation - I was aware how it works, but it is an up & down shifter as I mentioned in the tech thread.

The intent isn't better acceleration - there's no problem with that and I also got used to the TSA very quickly and like it.

The issue is how ludicrously close the gears 1 to 4 are. Seriously, most of the time I'm in 4th or 5th going through twisty road villages at 30mph. 4th is about 4,000rpm and 5th 3,500-ish.
5th gear has a nice spectrum and can cover 30 to over 60mph very comfortably (i.e. not racing or such like). The Trident has the same engine and gearbox and the same issue with 1-4.

 

Thanks - yes, there are a couple of others, though they are a quite a way away but I've used one in the past.

Normally this local dealer has a good rep (but not always) and up to now I've been happy with them over the last 21 years. They've always been a bit on the pricey side, but not excessively so.

I haven't received the survey yet, but the rep did mention wanting a good result. I'll see what he says today - but I'll still get in touch with Triumph about the misleading info on their website.

 

Thanks for that contact info - Triumph have given me a case number and are investigating - I'll post what happens.