Motorcycle Dealership Lost My License Plate on a Post-Service Ride. Won't Replace It

• 

  iNeed2Pee on 09/07/2021 - 19:22

  +12

  I would say bikies….but they probably own the place.

  • 

    tetsuma on 10/07/2021 - 11:53

    This still makes me laugh after years of seeing it here.

• 

  dandosr on 09/07/2021 - 19:46

  +1

  I kind of side with the dealer on this one. The number plate screws would have had to have fallen out for the plate to come off, which means that nyloc nuts weren't used. I have owned bikes for years and have never had a plate come off.

  • 

    pegaxs on 09/07/2021 - 22:57

    +1

    I’ve never had a plate come off, but I have had bikes that break number plates. They just vibrate that much it fractures the plates.

    • 

      dandosr on 10/07/2021 - 08:58

      That can happen. Good thought.

• 

  brotherfranciz on 09/07/2021 - 19:46

  +11

  File a police report. As far as you know, they stole it. Sure they could say it fell off, but they are lying because licence plates don't simply "just fall off".

  "it could happen at any moment and it was just bad luck that it happened while we were on it"

  Lol what BS…

  • 

    BraggingRights on 09/07/2021 - 19:54

    Recently had a bike stolen, plates removed and bike recovered. New plates cost $47 regardless of them being stolen or not so you are still out of pocket.

  • 

    Third_Gear on 09/07/2021 - 21:00

    +2

    I had a plate fall off of one of my bikes once. I also had a bike that nearly snapped it in half due to all the vibration. So yeah it absolutely happens.

  • 

    Tech5 on 10/07/2021 - 11:21

    +1

    Wrong mate, my plate has fallen off of an old car before. It does just "fall off". Vibration loosens screws.

  • 

    tetsuma on 10/07/2021 - 11:55

    I filed a lost property report the night it happened and went out yesterday to pick up a new one. It's my only vehicle and the lady I spoke to informed me that it was ok to drive to TMR to pick up another, and to show any cops the report number. Thanks for the advice.

• 

  Peter Enis on 09/07/2021 - 19:49

  +9

  Did they have to remove the plate to do the work they performed? If so, they should replace.
  If they didn't go near the plate and it happened to come off because the screws were already loose, I'd say thats on you.

  • 

    tetsuma on 10/07/2021 - 12:00

    They took the inner and outer primary off. My service request was just the outer primary and check behind the compensator and clutch hub for any signs of either witness marks from the chain, bearing damage, compensator wear, or rotor damage - as I had some shards on the primary plug. They went further than I approved and that was also my problem somehow. Communication isn't their strong point. I explained all of this to the original tech and he was super helpful. I assume he didn't leave clear notes.

• 

  Tech5 on 09/07/2021 - 20:22

  -1

  If they didn't touch the plate during service, it's on you. So what, if you want some new suspension springs, you cut most of the way through it and let it break when they test ride it?

• 

  pegaxs on 09/07/2021 - 22:52

  -8

  aNd LeFt A bAd ReViEw

  Nice one, Pam. Did it get your license plate back? Do you feel better now? As soon as I see bad feedback from a customer, I consider the transaction to be completed. A lot of companies don’t like the “leave bad feedback as leverage” approach. That might have some bearing on why they can’t be bothered talking to you.

  As everyone else has asked, did the work that was required involve them removing the rear number plate?

  And they didn’t charge you 2x the quote. They would have called you and said “we took the case apart and found that the muffler bearing is full of blinker fluid and needs to be replaced…” and would have given you an idea on the extra cost. At this point, you were well within your right to say “no, just put it back together how it is, I’m not paying you a cent more…” buuuuuut, yah didn’t, did you?

  Again, another example of why companies need to be able to leave reviews of customers.

  • 

    SF3 on 10/07/2021 - 00:25

    +1

    left a bad review asking for a return call

    A lot of companies don’t like the “leave bad feedback as leverage” approach.

    Double edged sword.

    • 

      pegaxs on 10/07/2021 - 12:19

      +1

      Meh, kind of. It should be a "last resort". I agree that there is a time and a place for leaving negative feedback (when all other avenues are exhausted and you want to burn that bridge), but using negative feedback as leverage doesn't usually end up working well. Most negative feedback is because some Karen didn't get their way and carried on as such. I've found that most businesses are willing to sort out customer issues if they are dealt with in a polite manner. It usually devolves into a "We are done here" when the customer is being unreasonable.

      Ironically, OP has this to say about the matter of how to handle disputes…

      Boomer tactics are embarrassing and get you nowhere. Don't do this.

      Send an email as they're heavily tracked internally and need to be actioned or go in and have a civil conversation with the store manager. They want a good experience as they want you back in the store and thinking of them when you need something. They'll arrange some solutions and figure it out or they'll get the area manager involved if they need to do anything critical.

      Carrying on and embarrassing yourself is the worst thing you can do. No one works hard for (profanity).

      And I am sure if it got to this point, where OP left bad feedback as leverage and is here asking what else they can do to gain more leverage, that they had that "civil conversation", OP didn't act "like a boomer" or "embarrass themselves", because if they did all that, then the dealership would "want them back" when OP needed something.

      I am pretty sure that there is more to this story than OP's side. A replacement plate in Qld. is $32. This is peanuts for a dealership… unless they really really don't want that customer back for some reason… (You know, carried on like a boomer, wasn't civil, embarrassed themselves and dealer doesn't want them back)

• 

  MS Paint on 09/07/2021 - 23:31

  +4

  had my bike in to diagnose a noise

  The noise was probably the number plate vibrating violently in preparation for departure from said motorbike

  • 

    tetsuma on 10/07/2021 - 11:56

    Ha, no it was a clutch hub bearing. They did do that part vigilantly.

• 

  brad1-8tsi on 10/07/2021 - 00:19

  Did the work involve the number plate?

  Yes? Then they should replace it.

  No? It's just bad luck and a coincidence. It's your problem.

• 

  Euphemistic on 10/07/2021 - 06:31

  First thing I would have done is to retrace the route of the test ride to look for it, but probably too late now.