Woods Fun Center in Austin

5924 Views 34 Replies 9 Participants Last post by TexasRider, Apr 12, 2016

msdss

Discussion Starter · Apr 5, 2016

Long story short, I got a better offer from another dealer, but it was several cities away. Woods beat their deal, but didn't have the inventory. They promised a Tuesday delivery. I got a text today saying the warehouse was closed, so they couldn't get the bike, and that they had no ETA on when they would even be able to get the bike to Austin.

They already had me sign all of the papers. I stupidly didn't think it was going to be an issue. One of the papers in particular said no refunds or returns.

Am I just at their mercy until they happen to get a bike in? If they can't get me the bike, or even an ETA on when it will arrive, do I have any right to back out of the deal?

The paper I signed clearly stated no refunds or returns, but isn't that on the condition that they actual give me something to return?

Normally, I would just be patient and wait, but due to life circumstances, I really need this bike asap, and this whole buying process has been dragged out for about a month now, and I am sick of dealing with it.

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msdss

Discussion Starter · #2 · Apr 7, 2016 (Edited)

After it all, my final thoughts on Woods...

Pro's:
- They sold me a motorcycle.
- The salesperson, Becky, was really nice to me and would correspond frequently to my questions via text message.

Con's:
- The sales manager (Troy?) was very cold. Was not very friendly at all, and disappeared in the middle of me signing my papers. I waited an hour after I had signed the initial papers for him to come back with my copies.
- They tried to charge me brand new R3 prices, for a year old R3 with heavy wear and tear, no warranty, and nearly 10,000 miles on the OD.
- They charged me for assembly, when they got the bike from another dealership who had already assembled the bike.
- The bike was late in arriving, supposedly because the dealership they got it from was closed on Monday (huh?).
- They charged me higher than average prices for the bike.
- They offered to sell me a 2016 for nearly $2,000 over MSRP.
- The first service was not complimentary, instead it is nearly $300 (shocked at this, but apparently no one does?)
- The guy slanging helmets was not very knowledgable on sizes or fitment.
- They only had about 6 shoes for sale
- They had no leather jackets to speak of. Only textile. (Thankfully Ducatti is next door and have some really nice gear and Revzilla prices)

--- Go somewhere else, if you can. Unfortunately this was the only place in Austin that had R3s. =/

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CBRpilot

· #3 · Apr 8, 2016

So you bought a USED R3 with 10,000 miles on it from a DEALER?

Welcome to OUR world. Dealerships SUCK!
I have dealt with a bunch of them over the years, and not ONE of them was honest. Not ONE!
It's a scumbag business, unfortunately. To change it, the manufacturers are going to have to completely change how they supply and warranty their products. Because the current "system" isn't working at all. It's just an open door for con-artists to prey on the consumers. And that's pretty much all they ever do.

Reform will need to happen on the manufacturing level. Companies like Honda and Yamaha will have to PULL their franchises away from these shyster families who control them now, and replace dealerships with their own facilities where people just "work" for the manufacturing companies. Motorcycle dealership owners are too greedy, and too corrupt. The consumers suffer because of it.
Riding is fun... dealing with a motorcycle dealership is NOT fun.

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msdss

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 8, 2016

Nah, I bought a brand new bike for a few hundred more than what they were trying to sell the used and abused one for. Con artists.

I agree completely though, I can't stand dealerships. Cars, trucks, bikes, it doesn't matter.

Also, I just found out there is a huge scrape on the bottom of the muffler. I looked back at the pictures I took when it was in the show room, and they were there also. I showed the pictures to my salesperson, I'll give you one guess on which way they'll go on that one... /sigh

Stirz

· #5 · Apr 8, 2016

You know, Tesla tried to do just that (direct customer sales) and have run into a wall.
Not all dealerships (bike or auto) are bad - but there are certainly dealerships I will not give my business to.

CBRpilot

· #6 · Apr 8, 2016

Stirz said:
1.) You know, Tesla tried to do just that (direct customer sales) and have run into a wall.
2.) Not all dealerships (bike or auto) are bad - but there are certainly dealerships I will not give my business to.

1. - I am interested to know more about that.

2. - True, but an honest moto dealership is about as rare as a purple unicorn eating a 4-leaf clover out of the hand of a naked leprechaun.

CBRpilot

· #7 · Apr 8, 2016

msdss said:
1. ) Nah, I bought a brand new bike for a few hundred more than what they were trying to sell the used and abused one for. Con artists.

2. ) Also, I just found out there is a huge scrape on the bottom of the muffler.

1. - Yup, they do that. They want just as much for a beater, as a new one costs. Because they actually want you to buy the NEW one. Remember what I said about the "profit-margin" on new bikes!

2. - Just get some flat-black hi-temp spray paint and touch it up. Nobody will notice it anyway. The bottom gets scraped up because they loaded/unloaded it with a ramp that had too much angle. Happens all the time with sportbikes. Sportbikes have lower ground clearance. Never happens with motocross bikes.

Stirz

· #8 · Apr 8, 2016

CBRpilot said:
1. - I am interested to know more about that.
.

Sorry, off-topic, but here you go:
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blo...-consumer-auto-sales-its-not-just-about-tesla
Google Tesla direct sales ban for more.

Bird

· #9 · Apr 8, 2016 (Edited)

msdss said:
Also, I just found out there is a huge scrape on the bottom of the muffler.

Both my bar ends were scraped down to the metal. On both sides, same thing. Looked at pictures at the dealer it was already all scratched up. That is the only reason I bothered replacing them. They try to be careful but with bikes everywhere and people messing with them, they definitely take some licks before they get to you sometimes.

I think some kind of shipping straps wore all the paint of my bar ends, too much heavy paint was gone and it was all smooth. Same on both sides.

Homyality

· #10 · Apr 8, 2016

CBRpilot said:
1. - Yup, they do that. They want just as much for a beater, as a new one costs. Because they actually want you to buy the NEW one. Remember what I said about the "profit-margin" on new bikes!

2. - Just get some flat-black hi-temp spray paint and touch it up. Nobody will notice it anyway. The bottom gets scraped up because they loaded/unloaded it with a ramp that had too much angle. Happens all the time with sportbikes. Sportbikes have lower ground clearance. Never happens with motocross bikes.

Doubt it on this one. Woods has a loading/unloading dock.

CBRpilot

· #11 · Apr 8, 2016

Homyality said:
Doubt it on this one. Woods has a loading/unloading dock.

Do you honestly believe once the bike leaves the freight truck, it never gets moved around? Bikes are constantly moved. Sometimes several times in one day. New bikes get un-crated, and they all filter through the service department for PDI. Some of them get transported in trucks or trailers before they are sold. They can be moved from one dealer to another dealer. The "loading dock" is only one small step in their long journey to your garage.
:nerd:

CBRpilot

· #12 · Apr 8, 2016

Stirz said:
Google Tesla direct sales ban for more.

You KNOW all the franchise owners will lobby like crazy to prevent "direct-to-customer" sales paths.
This would put them out of business.

THIS quote says it all:
"Like Tesla, Elio Motors does not intend to establish an independent dealer network, but rather plans to pursue a direct customer sales plan to keep down the price of its products."

This one single change would revolutionize the industry.
Owner-robbers will tell you it would kill tons of jobs. But the peasants working for them don't make much money anyway. The peasant workers can work in the direct-sales-chain for the manufacturer, instead of the shyster families that own the dealership franchise in the area. Owner-robbers are filthy rich. They do not share their profits. It's the standard business model in America, unfortunately.
It guarantees that the rich get richer, and the poor stay poor.

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mitdr774

· #13 · Apr 8, 2016

Unlike Tesla, Elio is establishing independent service centers to take care of warranty and out of warranty repair. That is how Elio intends to get around the same sales issues that Tesla is running into. Most of the laws requiring a dealer network have nothing to do with rich dealer owners but instead have to do with consumer protection against greedy manufactures. The same rules are what is keeping countries like China from dumping a bunch of crappy low cost cars on this market and not having any service facilities to honor whatever warranty they may have. So in a way those laws do also protect jobs.

msdss

Discussion Starter · #14 · Apr 8, 2016 (Edited)

CBRpilot said:
Do you honestly believe once the bike leaves the freight truck, it never gets moved around? Bikes are constantly moved. Sometimes several times in one day. New bikes get un-crated, and they all filter through the service department for PDI. Some of them get transported in trucks or trailers before they are sold. They can be moved from one dealer to another dealer. The "loading dock" is only one small step in their long journey to your garage.
:nerd:

Here is a picture from when I picked up the bike Wednesday morning. If you zoom in on the muffler, the scrape/scuff is clear as day.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_Fv7ssR1p7XVnRqSXkxY0JjZTA

And here is the picture they are using to try and prove that it was fine (taken the day before pick up, at night, in their service shop)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_Fv7ssR1p7XTUlieTVtQzc2T28

Though, the picture they are using is irrelevant. Anything could have happened between then and when I picked it up. And the time stamp is pretty clear that it was before I had even sat on the bike.

Tal

· #15 · Apr 8, 2016

I must have one of the good dealers over here,a week after i picked my bike up i spotted a huge ding in the front wheel not just the paint but gouged into the metal.I took it back and said to the manager(who sold me the bike at a £400 discount because they had to register it to the shop so i could have a test ride and it was secondhand when i bought it back with 40m on the clock hence the discount) if anything had hit that while i was riding not only would i have felt it it would have hit the fairing and damaged that and it hadn't,anyhow he said leave it with me and i'll see what i can do.When i picked it up after it's first service a couple of weeks later he said oh by the way we stuck you a new wheel in,Happy Days.

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msdss

Discussion Starter · #16 · Apr 8, 2016

Update to the issue with the scuffed muffler.
Woods has offered to give me a new muffler off the next R3 they get in, or get me a discount on an aftermarket one.
It sounds kind of shady to give me one off a new one, doesn't that **** the next guy? Or maybe there is more to it than that.

I'm going to text them now and ask them what kind of aftermarket parts they have access to, and what kind of discount rates.
I know the factory muffler is just over $200 before shipping. I think I'd almost rather just have the stock muffler and get out with 0 cost to me.

TexasRider

· #17 · Apr 8, 2016

They're probably going to just swap it with the new bike they get it. You're not really going to get that good of sound or performance from a slip on exhaust on a 320cc parallel twin. Take it back and swap it if it bothers you that much. There's much better things to spend money on than an exhaust IMO

msdss

Discussion Starter · #18 · Apr 8, 2016

TexasRider said:
They're probably going to just swap it with the new bike they get it. You're not really going to get that good of sound or performance from a slip on exhaust on a 320cc parallel twin. Take it back and swap it if it bothers you that much. There's much better things to spend money on than an exhaust IMO

I agree. The only exhaust I really want is the Yoshimura R77.

But I've had the bike for a total of 2 days, so that is really one of the last things on my list.

The best mod I can do to my bike, is to learn to ride the f***ing thing.

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Tal

· #19 · Apr 8, 2016

msdss said:
The best mod I can do to my bike, is to learn to ride the f***ing thing.

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Data

· #20 · Apr 8, 2016

msdss said:
Here is a picture from when I picked up the bike Wednesday morning. If you zoom in on the muffler, the scrape/scuff is clear as day.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_Fv7ssR1p7XVnRqSXkxY0JjZTA

And here is the picture they are using to try and prove that it was fine (taken the day before pick up, at night, in their service shop)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_Fv7ssR1p7XTUlieTVtQzc2T28

Though, the picture they are using is irrelevant. Anything could have happened between then and when I picked it up. And the time stamp is pretty clear that it was before I had even sat on the bike.

First, did you read any customer reviews on Woods before trying to deal with them ? The last time I considered getting a bike from Woods the ratings were so bad that I didn't feel I could trust them. I just checked on Yelp and they still get awful reviews.

Second, there are many good and honest motorcycle dealers everywhere. Some are terrible, some are wonderful, and most fall somewhere in the middle- buyer beware. Austin City Powersports is a great place to get work done- they do not sell new bikes but they are very honest and competent on service work.

Third, from what I can see in the pics you posted, the scrape on the muffler doesn't look too bad ( maybe it is worse that the pics show . . . ) - if it was my bike I would just spray some hi-temp black paint on it and forget it. The more times you go back to Woods to get things done- the more frustrated you will become.

Lastly, nice bike- have fun with it !

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