Curious

spinkick said:

how anyone can defend ...... customer service is beyond me. This isnt 1990, there is this thing called the "internet" and rfid tags could make it easy as pie to track stuff. People want to know where their 20,000 ....... dollar motorcycle is at. If you want to live in the dark ages and be happy for it, buy a harley.

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ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!! Fact!!!

I will say I wasn't upset, just anxious. Now that I have the bike, things are A LOT better!
This is my first Duc, but it is my understanding they excel in other areas of customer service, like Ducati only parking at MotoGP, Hospitality tent, place to keep you gear, etc.

The waiting makes you crazy? I know it did me.

I do wish they would step up in the pre delivery area.

Chris

Hi Guys, This is a little bit off topic here but still relates to how you are all feeling, and I hope you will take it in the spirit it is meant. I haven't ever dealt with Ducati NA so can't comment.

For me it's quite a bit of a revelation, and to be honest, a little amusing how you are coping with the wait.

In just about everything that is produced, the US has priority over the rest of the world. Whether it's movies you get first, sometimes 6 months or more before they show up in the cinema where I am. The latest Apple gadget first, actually being able to buy music from i tunes(doesn't work here) or the latest new car(most brands). Even in Europe many products come out a week, a month later than in the US. The rest of the world has to wait long periods to get "anything"!

I appreciate that the US is a large market for any manufacturer and that's why it get's #1 priority. I think most of us not in the US have over the years learned to live with "delayed gratification" and actually consider the anticipation part of the fun in buying something.

I know Ducati consider the US very important and you have priority in many respects but at the same time I'm very happy to note that for once, perhaps due to increasing importance of other markets, some of us actually got served in what seems to be roughly the order of having actually placed the order. So I'm thankful for that. Personally I waited for nearly 7 months for my bike.

To be fair though, we all know and love Ducati, but you also have to remember that it's actually a very small company. Marketing/Brand wise it punches well beyond it's weight. However they don't actually employ that many people or have that much production capacity, last year, their best year ever they only made 42,000 bikes world wide. Compare it to Honda's 13 million and it's insignificant. Buying a Ducati is only an order of magnitude away from buying a full custom one off bike.

Anyway I just hope the above brings some "perspective" on your wait. I absolutely sucks to have to wait but Keep the faith, it's going to be worth it.

Delta One:
I agree; the wait was worth it and, quite frankly, the 6-to-7 month wait was not an issue for me - not at all. Sure; sooner would have been nice; but it was nothing more than a couple of months longer than I expected and Ducati did a very good job at using that time to pump up the volume on the buzz, etc.

My comment is an observation about the delivery of the product and the way the people in charge of working with the dealers and, in particular, customer service, are doing a piss-poor job and as a result are actually destroying shareholder value that the design, engineering, manufacturing and marketing departments create.

This should be an issue of priority for the CEO, since it is incongruent with the expectations of the brand that they have cultured at great effort and expense.

I love my bike enough to wait 6-to-7 months, and I value the dealer to drive past one that was two hours away, and another that was three hours away, to get to a dealer that is six hours away.

(EliteSoldier357, sorry we've buried your original thread in this self-indulgent and pointless discussion.)

@ Styler Like I said I've never dealt with Ducati NA, so don't know. I do know that they function as a sort of self styled subsidiary of Ducati itself, so maybe you are right perhaps the problem is there considering you are happy with your dealer. From all I've read though almost no one had much advanced notice. Basic story seems to be dealer let's you know it's been put in a shipping container, and next notice is that it's arrived in the showroom.

My situation here is very different, effectively Ducati Dubai functions both as Ducati NA(importer/Distributor) and dealer all in one. Ducati here have (or will soon have) 3 shops (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Ferrari World AD) plus a Ducati Caffe they will also be the agent and open dealership(s)in Oman. So I'm guessing that the communication is simpler and more direct.

My apologies, Zaster and elitesoldier, for hijacking the thread.
Thanks Styler for explaining.

I think the problem is lack of information, not where the first bikes go. Whether the bike comes in April or July, keeping the customer informed along the way keeps them engaged and satisfied as opposed to pay me now and sometime down the road you'll get your bike.

And for those that say I didn't pay for anything, I paid for mine in full months before delivery.

Chris

turnone said:

I think the problem is lack of information, not where the first bikes go. Whether the bike comes in April or July, keeping the customer informed along the way keeps them engaged and satisfied as opposed to pay me now and sometime down the road you'll get your bike.

And for those that say I didn't pay for anything, I paid for mine in full months before delivery.

Chris

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Genuinely curious, why would you pay in-full months in advance?

I've had a great experience. Quick delivery, no issues, easy communication with my dealer, two months from reading here about it to riding it out of the showroom. My dealership didn't have the long waiting list of pre-orders that others did. If I would have ordered from AMS in Dallas I'd be at the back of a long line.

consolidated said:

Genuinely curious, why would you pay in-full months in advance?

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To minimize the chance I would change my mind.
I sold my 2006 Lancer Evolution IX MR and I found it easier just to take most of that money and send it directly to Ducati for this bike.

Who knows what I might have done with the money, waste on hookers and blow, or race bike and nice trailer, or pay down mortgage, etc.

Chris

turnone said:

To minimize the chance I would change my mind.
I sold my 2006 Lancer Evolution IX MR and I found it easier just to take most of that money and send it directly to Ducati for this bike.

Who knows what I might have done with the money, waste on hookers and blow, or race bike and nice trailer, or pay down mortgage, etc.

Chris

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Good answer!

I'm personally not minding the wait. But, on the other end of the information spectrum, I bought a BMW M3 in 2010 and was able to track it from the date I ordered it (exactly as I wanted it, not one off the showroom optioned how the factory wanted it), was informed when it was scheduled to begin production, track it through production, to inspection, transportation through Europe, onto the ship (I could actually get a live feed of the shipyard!), track the ship across the ocean through GPS, and then when it was received in the States, and through to my pick up at the BMW plant in SC. It was awesome!!! All in all it took about 2 or 3 months as I recall from the time I placed the order to an incredible delivery at the South Carolina factory that included half a day of track instruction. Maybe with Audi, Ducati will be able implement a system like this and really take it the company to the next level.

In Ducati's defense, I did receive great warranty customer service on my 1198. Had the radiator and gas tank issue a couple weeks before the expiration of the warranty and they fixed the issues with no questions asked, the dealer just had to be able to replicate the problems as I described them to them.

turnone said:

To minimize the chance I would change my mind.

Who knows what I might have done with the money, waste on hookers and blow

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Now you are talking my language... I spend exactly half my income on hookers & blow then completely waste the other half on frivoulous items.