Big Gun vs. Little Me
#11
09-14-2006, 06:05 AM
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 966
RE: Big Gun vs. Little Me - Part 8
At Big Gun, "Customer Service" is an oxymoron ...
... and its not hard to figure out where the "moron" part comes from.
... and its not hard to figure out where the "moron" part comes from.
First of all, I found Phil to be very ... he's a bit of a ... umm ... I don't want to say "Loud Mouth", but I can't think of a better term at the moment.
Phil is not an idiot, though. He was very adamant about pointing out (a few times, actually) that he graduated from college. (3 cheers for Phil ... *yawn* [sm=smiley6.gif])
We had a big pissing match, took turns insulting each other, and brought things back to a more civil tone quite a few times.
Phil admitted that this incident is due to a mistake on Big Gun's behalf ... a simple human error.
He also admitted the following incompetencies of the Customer Service rep I was dealing with throughout this ordeal:
- He has trouble communicating in written English (Note: As far as I can tell, English is his first, and probably only language)
- His problem solving skills are lacking (Phil thanked me for "stepping up to the plate and showing Kyle how to work through the problem ... hopefully maybe Kylie learned something from the experience.")
- Kylie is not forthright in giving out information or details, and that I should keep prodding him to tell me everything that I need to know.
- He doesn't know his products very well, but he'll learn that over time.
- Kylie should probably be more responsive to customer requests (Note: I guess not too much, though ... wouldn't want that customer interaction to interfere with his JOB!)
So basically he summarized that a bunch of mistakes were made on Big Gun's behalf, but that's no big deal because all it meant to me was that it was taking up my time. But that's all behind us now, so let's move on. Send in my pipe, and after they receive it, they will send me a replacement.
As a consolation offer, however, he said this incident has cost me nothing but time, but that was Ok, because he was here for me now, and I can take as much of his time as I want. [sm=WTFsgign.gif]
I said that I didn't want anything unusual, or put out Big Gun in any way, all I want is one thing to achieve customer satisfaction:
Instead of Big Gun waiting to receive the mislabeled pipe (which incidentally was sent within about 3 hours of my getting the RA#), let's cross-ship the replacement pipe to minimize any further delays.
"Nope. No way. Not gonna happen. There is no way that I am going to let that happen. That's not our company policy."
(I guess one can only assume that mislabeling products is covered in a company policy?!??)
So I asked that despite numerous mistakes made by Big Gun, which caused me, the customer, undue torment, aggravation and frustration, you aren't going to take any steps to help offset those mistakes and expedite a speedier resolution?
(Here comes the GOOD part ... )
Phil said: "Bottom line is that we will handle the problem my way, because that's our company policy and nothing you say is going to change my mind."
Then I paraphrased to summarize and make sure I understood everything he was saying:
"So, Big Gun's Customer Service philosophy is that 'Sometimes we make mistakes, and our customers have to suffer because of it.' Is that what you're saying?"
Phils answer: "That's the way it is. Get over it and move on."
To be continued ...
#13
09-14-2006, 07:33 AM
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 966
RE: Big Gun vs. Little Me - Epilogue
The End?
Hopefully, someone will benefit from my experience, and if they choose to purchase a Big Gun product, they do so with the understanding of what may be in store for them if they need to engage with Big Gun's Customer Service.
In my case, the problem was clearly and undeniably due to a mistake on Big Gun's behalf. What would the outcome be if it wasn't so clearly defined, or I was unable to prove my claims? Phil assures me that Big Gun's Customer Service would have resolved the problem one way or another ... although I have yet to see any evidence of service to substantiate that claim.
Have I achieved "customer satisfaction"?
No, not yet. I expect that it will be at least 3-4 more weeks before this incident is over. (Just about when the weather here starts turning really crappy.)
Is the hard part over?
Well, I find it hard to believe that the replacement pipe will show up on my doorstep without having to engage with Big Gun's Customer Service rep. And in this regard, I can confirm all of the incompetencies that Phil itemized ... so its fair to assume that more undue frustration and aggravation lies ahead.
Will I ever achieve any customer satisfaction?
I'm still hopeful that eventually, I too will have a kick-*** Big Gun exhaust system on my bike. But now I might have to wait until next season to find that out.
In the meantime, I'm finding that writing this experience down for others to learn from to be very calming and therapeutic. I seem to get a very slight degree of satisfaction every time I click on the "Submit" button. Thanks to Big Gun's Customer Service, I'll have a lot of time on my hands, so perhaps I should find more forums and web sites where I can click on a "Submit" button ...
To be continued?
#14
09-14-2006, 02:06 PM
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 12,584
RE: Big Gun vs. Little Me - Epilogue
man that sucks dude... i know how frustrating that crap is.... i ordered my big gun directly from big gun over the phone, took 10 mins and had the correct pipe in about 2 weeks, then emailed the guy i talk to on the phone about a missing screw in the end of the muffler, and he mailed me out a whole set of screws... i would have nothing bad to say about big gun, i talked to a guy by the name of tyler, i saved his email just in case... Tyler@biggunexhaust.com, he was very helpful and fast.
#15
09-14-2006, 03:26 PM
RE: Big Gun vs. Little Me - Epilogue
Mike,
It goes without saying that I hope this situation gets resolved quickly and results in you at least having a great exhaust system.
For what it is worth, it looks like you have handled this in an extremely patient and professional manner. I think at this point you are doing exactly the right thing by getting the word out about your own experience. I am absolutely sure that folks will read your account and still buy a Big Gun system. As well they probably should since it sounds like most folks have had good experiences with them. But if you don't speak out, then no one will ever hear anything but the good. If there are others out there that have had experiences similar to yours, I hope they will speak up. Only then will we have a clear picture of how good or bad the Big Gun business practices are.
Cheers for handling this so well. Good luck to you.
I am sure you will wear that Big Gun t-shirt with pride! [:@]
Sorry - couldn't resist. That is the first thing that I thought of when I saw that they were throwing that in for you. How much you want to bet they forget to include it in the box with your replacement header pipe. Then if you submit a followup request, they will want you to pay shipping and handling.
Chris
It goes without saying that I hope this situation gets resolved quickly and results in you at least having a great exhaust system.
For what it is worth, it looks like you have handled this in an extremely patient and professional manner. I think at this point you are doing exactly the right thing by getting the word out about your own experience. I am absolutely sure that folks will read your account and still buy a Big Gun system. As well they probably should since it sounds like most folks have had good experiences with them. But if you don't speak out, then no one will ever hear anything but the good. If there are others out there that have had experiences similar to yours, I hope they will speak up. Only then will we have a clear picture of how good or bad the Big Gun business practices are.
Cheers for handling this so well. Good luck to you.
I am sure you will wear that Big Gun t-shirt with pride! [:@]
Sorry - couldn't resist. That is the first thing that I thought of when I saw that they were throwing that in for you. How much you want to bet they forget to include it in the box with your replacement header pipe. Then if you submit a followup request, they will want you to pay shipping and handling.Chris
#16
09-14-2006, 05:12 PM
Guest
Posts: n/a
RE: Big Gun vs. Little Me - Epilogue
Sorry you're having such a hard time. I'd be pissed as well. But it sure sounds to me that you're crying for some compassion on the 'net. I mean posting pics and going into detail every little tidbit is a bit overkill imo. If it were me, I would be getting hold of an attorney and instead of posting all the ridiculous info and pics you just did online, I'd be preparing it for my lawyer and letting him/her handle it. We all understand when a bad situation arises and can understand when someone types "I got the wrong pipe and now they're being ******** about it and giving me the runaround. Even the bigwig is an ******* about it." That's all it would take instead of posting the whole odyssey. I understand you're pissed, I would be too. But reading your story, it seems that you always talked to the same people about resolving your issue at biggun.
IMO, it's bikebandit's fault anyways. They're the company you ordered from. It's up to them to replace your pipe, not biggun. Everyone knows the us/canadian version of the bike is the same. Why would you have to pay for a restocking fee when you needed an exchange? I know this isn't the response you wanted from me but imo, you're desperate for a little comaradery about this or want other people to bash biggun too. I had a problem with a couple screws vibrating loose from my biggun EvoX tailpipe and sent a simple email to customer service and had a reply within an hour and had the whole set of screws overnighted to me, now I have extras. I can't say enough about biggun, their product, and their CS.
Also, ever think about posting with the better business bureau? Companies do not like that and they have to reply. If they do not resolve the issue it gets left on them. They do however have a chance to make things right and the complaint stricken if both parties are satisfied with said resolution.
Here's what bikebandit.com's policy is on returns- I really don't see why you don't try and resolve this with them. Seems easier than going thru a big company to get them to admit they were wrong.
Determine your Return Number
If you ordered an item by mistake or just don't want it anymore, your Return Number will be the same as your Order ID. When you use your Order ID as the Return Number, BikeBandit.com will credit you for 100% of the merchandise value (including sales tax for orders shipped within CA) on all aftermarket parts and accessories that meet our return conditions above. Returns on OEM parts (from Polaris, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) that meet our return conditions are subject to restocking fees of 20% of the merchandise value when you use your Order ID as the Return Number.
Why does BikeBandit.com charge restocking fees on returned OEM parts? We return all OEM parts to the manufacturer and in doing so face two charges: the cost to return the item to the manufacturer and a restocking fee charged to us by the manufacturer. BikeBandit.com will cover this return shipping expense but we pass on a portion of the restocking fee charged to us by the manufacturer.
If you'd like to return an order for any other reason, please contact the BikeBandit.com Customer Service Team for a Return Number. If you need to return an item because it was damaged during shipping or because of a mistake made by the manufacturer or BikeBandit.com, please contact us and we will assist you - in these cases no restocking fees will apply and we will cover the return shipping expense. Go to www.BikeBandit.com for Live Online Support or send us an email at returns@bikebandit.com and we will reply to you in one business day or less.
Parts of this post are just Iowaguy's opinions and if you don't agree with them, that's fine. Move on to the next post.
IMO, it's bikebandit's fault anyways. They're the company you ordered from. It's up to them to replace your pipe, not biggun. Everyone knows the us/canadian version of the bike is the same. Why would you have to pay for a restocking fee when you needed an exchange? I know this isn't the response you wanted from me but imo, you're desperate for a little comaradery about this or want other people to bash biggun too. I had a problem with a couple screws vibrating loose from my biggun EvoX tailpipe and sent a simple email to customer service and had a reply within an hour and had the whole set of screws overnighted to me, now I have extras. I can't say enough about biggun, their product, and their CS.
Also, ever think about posting with the better business bureau? Companies do not like that and they have to reply. If they do not resolve the issue it gets left on them. They do however have a chance to make things right and the complaint stricken if both parties are satisfied with said resolution.
Here's what bikebandit.com's policy is on returns- I really don't see why you don't try and resolve this with them. Seems easier than going thru a big company to get them to admit they were wrong.
Determine your Return Number
If you ordered an item by mistake or just don't want it anymore, your Return Number will be the same as your Order ID. When you use your Order ID as the Return Number, BikeBandit.com will credit you for 100% of the merchandise value (including sales tax for orders shipped within CA) on all aftermarket parts and accessories that meet our return conditions above. Returns on OEM parts (from Polaris, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) that meet our return conditions are subject to restocking fees of 20% of the merchandise value when you use your Order ID as the Return Number.
Why does BikeBandit.com charge restocking fees on returned OEM parts? We return all OEM parts to the manufacturer and in doing so face two charges: the cost to return the item to the manufacturer and a restocking fee charged to us by the manufacturer. BikeBandit.com will cover this return shipping expense but we pass on a portion of the restocking fee charged to us by the manufacturer.
If you'd like to return an order for any other reason, please contact the BikeBandit.com Customer Service Team for a Return Number. If you need to return an item because it was damaged during shipping or because of a mistake made by the manufacturer or BikeBandit.com, please contact us and we will assist you - in these cases no restocking fees will apply and we will cover the return shipping expense. Go to www.BikeBandit.com for Live Online Support or send us an email at returns@bikebandit.com and we will reply to you in one business day or less.
Parts of this post are just Iowaguy's opinions and if you don't agree with them, that's fine. Move on to the next post.
#17
09-14-2006, 06:09 PM
Join Date: May 2006
Location: White Rock, BC
Posts: 881
RE: Big Gun vs. Little Me - Epilogue
You should send Tyler @ biggun an email and point hiim at this thread... That way he can see how they're **** poor customer service affects consumer opinion.
#18
09-14-2006, 06:18 PM
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 12,584
RE: Big Gun vs. Little Me - Epilogue
maybe i should, might be a good idea, let him know that its not just one customer its affecting, word of mouth is very strong.... who says i should?
#19
09-14-2006, 06:21 PM
Guest
Posts: n/a
RE: Big Gun vs. Little Me - Epilogue
I agree. Talking to someone different will probably help instead of rehashing the same crap/new day with someone else. They tend to sweep you under the rug when you keep on talking to the same guy, thinking you'll eventually go away. Look, I didn't want to come off too harsh in my earlier post but that's just the way I feel. We can't help you here on this forum by getting you a new pipe, so I really don't see your point in providing us step by step accounts of the situation other than a pat on the back and some encouraging which I think you are after. IMO, you should tell it to someone who can help get your problem resolved which isn't us. Like someone else said, it doesn't matter what you post, riders will still buy the biggun system because when you do get the right parts there is no other exhaust out there that matches the performance imo and others' opinions.
