Riders Insurance, Ask Powersports

[Hoblick]

ok here is the run down.  I bought my 14 Arctic Cat wildcat trail about 5 weeks ago or so.  a week later we went to wayne to ride with some people on the forum.  We ended up hitting a stump on the trail with the right front that did a lot of damage, then that shot us head on into a tree.  

 

Called riders insurance up to start my claim.  they don't have an adjuster in ohio, so i told them the closest shop was marysville honda.  just so happens they are a preferred estimated which would help move the process quicker.  took it down as soon as i could and gave them my claim number.  2 weeks later it was finally done.  Let me just say the copy of the estimate they gave me looked pretty badly done, hand written part numbers and dollar amounts, some without a description.  they sent that off with 3.. yes 3 photos to riders insurance, they told me to go ahead and just take my vehicle home, because it will probably be totaled, and even if its fixable they are like 3-4 weeks out.  3 days later i have an email from marysville saying that insurance wants more pictures, and if i could just go ahead and take some and send them to them.  i called marysville honda immediately and told them, i don't know what pictures they want me to take, so ill load it up and bring it back down.  got it down there, and they didn't even want me to take it off the trailer.  just snapped a few close up pics of stuff and sent me on the way stating "i don't know what they want pictures of".

 

so a few hours later i get a call from the insurance auditor who is in charge of looking over the estimate and photos and deeming if what is wrote up on the estimate is correct and how to go from there.  he's telling me they only sent a total of like 6-8 photos, and only close ups.  he needed a lot more and full shots of it so he can see all the damage.  he asked me if i could take photos and send them.  well at this point i was over bringing it back to marysville to take pictures, because they probably wouldn't have sent as many, or what they needed yet again, prolonging the process.

 

so i spent a good hour or so going over the machine, and taking detailed photos of everything that i could and what he wanted.  on top of that i found quite a few huge things damaged that marysville honda didn't right up the estimate, sun as the steering rack was damaged, body deforms on the left side, radiator pushed back into frame bolts, front drive shaft looked crooked because of the twist in the frame, so it or the front differential could be damaged, the steering shaft looked tweaked.

 

so after i got all my pictures i sent riders the email with the description of things i found that was not on the estimate.  the ended up totaling the vehicle out.  CoParts will be here friday to pick the machine up.

 

so after some thought of if i was gonna get another wildcat, i accessed some other options, and decided that i wanted a Can Am Maverick 1000X XC, its 60" wide, 1000cc Vtwin 101hp.. might not be able to ride at wayne, but i think ill have a little more fun with this one, and the build quality is better on this machine in my opinion.

 

Went down and talked to Sandi at ASK, and she gave me an insane price on a 14 Maverick XXC.  doesn't have the one i want in stock, so she had to order.  should be here in a week or less.  Sandi has taken care of me every time i have been in there.  ill be a repeat customer for sure.

 

Marysville Honda needs to get there shit in check.  I understand they don't sell arctic cat, but they are a preferred estimator, and i wanted to give them business.  and if it was fixable i was originally gonna have them do the job.  thats a nice chunk of change swapping a frame and stuff, but yet again i got let down.

 

Riders Insurance handled the claim great, and if it wasn't for marysville slowing the process down, it wouldn't have taken anytime at all for this to be dealt with and over.  so if you were ever wondering how they handle claims, i give them a huge thumbs up.  everyone i talked to during the process was great, very nice and understanding.  more than one phone call from them i got asked if me and the wife were ok from the accident.

[JackFlash]

.. more than one phone call from them i got asked if

me and the wife were ok from the accident.

 

I don't know if they cover any medical, but they

want to make sure they have you saying several

times that there are no medical issues so that an

injury later can not be pointed to your accident.

 

I don't think their towing offers much.  Ten miles,

I think.  Ask Isaac's Papa about that.

 

.

Edited July 30, 2014 by JackFlash

[Bad324]

glad to hear a good report about Riders!

[MidgetTodd]

Still waiting to hear anything good from anyone about H of M. Pretty sad since they are a sponsor here

[TwiztedRabbit]

good to hear about the cat and new mav... im an trying out H of M currently myself as they are working on my Honda Generator... unfortunantly I couldn't pinpoint the problem myself  nor could  some of my friends and after many dealer calls later... they were the only ones to take it on.. originally they stated they wouldn't get in till next week and hope to have it done before GP.. but after talking to mike literally 5 mins ago they have already got it diagnosed and will most likely have it done by Friday! so There's a plus. i'm holding my breath of course haha

[Josh1234]

I don't know if they cover any medical, but they

want to make sure they have you saying several

times that there are no medical issues so that an

injury later can not be pointed to your accident.

 

I don't think their towing offers much.  Ten miles,

I think.  Ask Isaac's Papa about that.

 

.

 

Where's he been, lately?

 

glad to hear a good report about Riders!

 

I've heard they're cheap... I should probably look into them, instead of "foremost," which is who my Farmer's insurance contracts out to.

[JackFlash]

Where's he been, lately?

 

Last Active Post:  Jul 03 2014 02:10 PM

 

I think he owns a business.  He may have taken a well needed holiday.

 

.

[Bad324]

Where's he been, lately?

I've heard they're cheap... I should probably look into them, instead of "foremost," which is who my Farmer's insurance contracts out to.

This is the first season I decided to try them out due to my whole work situation. Was always hesitant because I never knew anybody that had actually dealt with their claims process. My VFR on full coverage I think is $120/yr and Allstate had me at $400

[smccrory]

I switched from Progressive last month to Rider. Saved $150/yr on 2 bikes. Glad to hear they handled your claim fairly!

[MidgetTodd]

good to hear about the cat and new mav... im an trying out H of M currently myself as they are working on my Honda Generator... unfortunantly I couldn't pinpoint the problem myself  nor could  some of my friends and after many dealer calls later... they were the only ones to take it on.. originally they stated they wouldn't get in till next week and hope to have it done before GP.. but after talking to mike literally 5 mins ago they have already got it diagnosed and will most likely have it done by Friday! so There's a plus. i'm holding my breath of course haha

Can use my genny if not, it will run all our warmers and then some its a 5500

[jdonn]

Can use my genny if not, it will run all our warmers and then some its a 5500

Man, I need to get me one of those...

[2talltim]

I switched to Riders this year from the lizard with my Connie, the wifes Vstar 1100 full coverage and 2 atv's with comp coverage for $350 a year. Only thing i dont like about Riders is their web site sucks ass, but when i called then to add the second atv they were very helpful.

[jbot]

if you have an FZ1, don't bother with rider insurance (at least, for me).  my insurance went from like $125 a yr to 500~600/yr JUST for the FZ1.  For reference, my 998s was 250/yr.

 

i switched and saved a gazillion dollars at progressive.

[Bad324]

Man, I need to get me one of those...

You can pick up the same one he has from me for $500

[Moto-Brian]

In defense of H of M, what may have been the case was that since they are not a dealer for Arctic Cat, they may have just been sending enough pics knowing what they were showing was going to total the machine.  Or, they may have figured they were not going to get the job on the unit to repair it and decided that they would do a quick overview and run it through fast and be done.  The point is that ASK is a discount dealer and the only reason they are getting a positive review is because they beat anyone else on price.  Price alone isn't what makes a dealer good.  Not saying they suck, but H of M may have had a few mistakes made on a machine they do not sell and between the insurance company possibly saying take pics of this or that and needing more from the pictures sent, it could be legit and nothing intentional.  Rather, not a lack of quality work...

 

That being said, every dealer gets bad reviews only on the website forums out there.  So, when you hear "Dealer ABC sucks", think that only people on average complain rather than support or provide positive feedback. 

 

And again, don't take it wrong.  I think walking out feeling like you've been treated great is awesome and glad to hear a positive review.  I just want it to be known for all the dealers that maintain margins, provide solid customer service and maybe not the lowest price are out there and shouldn't be evaluated poorly because they don't give things away...  It is a business and maintaining margins is something that isn't a bad word.  Otherwise, dealers fade away and that's never good.

 

I've no horse in the race, but feel that sometimes dealers get an unfair shake because of price only and not a true evaluation of customer service and experience...

[dustinsn3485]

Brian, I will generally agree. However in this case, Ryan is pretty unbiased and gives good reviews and bad reviews fairly equally on OR. He's a stand up guy and often posts that he's given dealer ABC multiple chances and changed his mind, good or bad.

My point is Ryan is a solid reviewer with a good reputation. I put a lot more weight into his reviews than I do many other people or the random yelp review.

[max power]

Where's he been, lately?

 

Riding bicycles and getting skinny.

[fizzer]

I've no horse in the race, but feel that sometimes dealers get an unfair shake because of price only and not a true evaluation of customer service and experience...

It's like you didn't even bother to read his whole review. HM had shitty service, end of story. When you take a bike in for a repair estimate, you assume it will be properly inspected and written up. Anything else is just plain lazy, and speaks to the level of service said dealer provides.

[Hoblick]

The point is that ASK is a discount dealer and the only reason they are getting a positive review is because they beat anyone else on price.  Price alone isn't what makes a dealer good. 

not only does sandi always take care on me price wise, but she makes my buying experience good down there.  me and my wife go down and we have a good time while we are in the shop.  They are always super busy too, but the staff is friendly and will chat it up with you.  i don't know a lot about the service department at ask since i haven't used them yet, but one of the techs i talked to the last time i was there, when i still didn't know if it was gonna be totaled out or not, i brought my estimate that HM did and said that after the poor estimate job that they did i was probably gonna take it to them.  He said they were a few weeks out as well, but since i have bought my machines form them he'd take care of me and get me in quicker.  he also said he wanted to look things over before he got started incase there was anything evident missed by them right off the bat that would need resubmitted.

[Hoblick]

Brian, I will generally agree. However in this case, Ryan is pretty unbiased and gives good reviews and bad reviews fairly equally on OR. He's a stand up guy and often posts that he's given dealer ABC multiple chances and changed his mind, good or bad.

My point is Ryan is a solid reviewer with a good reputation. I put a lot more weight into his reviews than I do many other people or the random yelp review.

i appreciate that.

 

i really do try to give unbiased reviews, and i also try to give places more than one shot.  and yeah sometimes its works out and other times well it ends up going worse.  

[Hoblick]

In defense of H of M, what may have been the case was that since they are not a dealer for Arctic Cat, they may have just been sending enough pics knowing what they were showing was going to total the machine.  Or, they may have figured they were not going to get the job on the unit to repair it and decided that they would do a quick overview and run it through fast and be done.

 

thats not a way to do business.  they advertise they work on all makes and models.  they are also a preferred estimator for Riders Ins. so act like.  they got paid to do the estimate, and in the end i had to finish the job.  

[Hoblick]

I think walking out feeling like you've been treated great is awesome and glad to hear a positive review.  I just want it to be known for all the dealers that maintain margins, provide solid customer service and maybe not the lowest price are out there and shouldn't be evaluated poorly because they don't give things away...  It is a business and maintaining margins is something that isn't a bad word.  Otherwise, dealers fade away and that's never good.

 

maintaining margins and selling for MSRP + destination and prep are different things.  I've honestly never seen a dealer so unwilling to budge off of sticker + prep, destination.

 

i have wanted to buy so many things from HM, i want to support them, i want them to be my local dealer i can go to.  I wanna tell people to go there.  they are just making it hard for me.  hell i still stop down there like once every 2 weeks just to say hi and bullshit.

 

if it was a difference of $200 - $400 of price, id probably buy from HM.  but when i can go get great service, great attitude, great atmosphere and pay $2000 less, ill choose the other guy every time.

 

I'm sure you pay retail for everything so this probably doesn't bother you, but for me its an issue.  its not just about saving money, its the fact that I'm not being taken as a sucker.  I'm not stupid, i have bought a lot of bike, atvs, etc.  i know profit margins are a lot bigger than they like to say and when many other dealers are willing to sell you the same unit for a better price its kind of obvious.

[Moto-Brian]

Hob-

 

The review you first gave on ASK was started with the price.  Your quote exactly and how the thread started:  "they knock it out of the park every time.  I have bought 3 different units from them, and every time the kill the price.  no one can touch the deals they gave me.  I deal specifically with Sandi down there.  She is a bit loopy, and not great at calling you back, but price wise, killer.  She will beat the pants off any other price you can get, really don't know how she is making any money down there."

 

What I was saying was that it sounds like they won your business based on price only.  Poor at calling back (customer service) but, beat anyone's price, so you go there.

 

I understand that H of M probably didn't do the best job.  But, being from a dealership, it is very possible what they thought would be enough to photograph and report was going to total the machine and get you handled was simply not enough and had to do more.

 

You also may not know that Rider's Insurance is at a cross roads on costs and payouts right now.  Especially on sportbikes and their premiums are changing.  When they have something that is looking totalled, they probably want to get more pics, more details and really dive in and make triple sure it is not at all salvageable.  I've talked to the rep for here and what they are going through is that they've paid out a lot without question (Could also be why H of M did a quicky estimate) and are now looking a lot harder at these things. 

 

What I am getting at is that I agree you tend to have unbiased reviews for the most part.  But the reviews for ASK are somewhat because they had the best price.  Which, I understand...  People are that way in the US.  They value less the atmosphere, service, customer relationship and technical aspects than the price.  People buy for nothing at one dealership and then get their bike serviced at their local dealer because they don't want to drive that far. 

 

You mentioned how great the experience was at H of M based on how you were treated and how the atmosphere there was nothing like a typical dealership in terms of the sales staff.  That you felt there was focus on personal experience and bonding.

 

That's what I am getting at.  The shop I worked at was always having to compete against known discounters.  BIG discounters.  We couldn't do that and wouldn't do that.  People believe that frieght and prep and things like that are rip offs.  But, truth be told, they are factual and they are costs.  Yes, there is a reserve.  Yes, there is some additional points to be possibly earned.  But at the end of the day, if the average margin is below 15%, there isn't a lot of wiggle room like people think.  There just isn't. 

 

The last thing I will say is that I don't have any buying experience with either dealer.  None.  But I have been around more dealers than I promise anyone on this site has.  I have seen the details, I have worked as a Sales Manager, I have worked with some of the best dealers in the Midwest.  The guys that are successful are making strong and solid margins.  But the one thing to me that makes a shop worth going to is so far above price that I will pay a higher price to get better customer service and a better experience.

 

Again, your experience may have been great and I think that is awesome.  I said it before...  But, it just comes across that when you do a review that starts the way it did and as seen in this one, it is more because they gave the unit away vs. another dealer.  You also may have seen $2k off, but I am willing to bet that they used incentives to get some margin that allowed that price.  Your review of H of M when you bought the Grom was more positive than the review of ASK in my opinion...  But, the guys and gals on here will search for a dealer on price before anything else so, ASK probably will win out.

[Steve Butters]

"customer service and experience" isnt worth $2000 for me.

 

an hour or two of good service isnt going to pursuade me. ill be riding the bike for countless hours, whereas ill spend 1-2 in the dealership. dealership i bought my bike from i spent 2hrs there and i havent been back since. why the hell would i pay $400-2000 extra for that 2 hour experience....if im paying 100-1000 dollars an hour, its going to be on a top tier hooker and some cocaine to snort off her snatch, not talking to a bunch of uninformed employees at a stealership.

 

not "because I'm American", because not everyone is a rich bitch who doesnt mind paying sticker to hang out with their boys for a few hours.

[Hoblick]

Brian, 

  when i bought my from i had a decent experience with HM, it was the one time i could actually make a deal with them. I got a chance to actually sit down with the manager there and talk with him, and like i said before he listened to what i had to say about their dealership and was taking notes.  i was giving him insight on things i thought needed changed to better his place from my perspective.  he did take some of my advice, and some i haven't seen him them do.  they are still not where id like to see them at yet.  I'm sure there are some people who really enjoy the experience there.  and they did hire a new sales person.  Drew Brenner's girl actually, and she is super cool, and knows here stuff when it comes to bikes, which is a breath of fresh air down there.  When i go in i always stop and say hi to her, cause she is really cool to talk to and we chit chat about bikes.

 

Ive said it before and ill say it 1000 times more.  if bike shops wanna be at the top of their game they need to figure out what Harley and ducati dealerships are doing and follow that to a T.  the best buying experiences i have had have been at ducati and harley dealerships.  its not ran like a used car dealership.  they aren't trying to rush a sale out the door.  a motorcycle is a passion purchase. this isn't something you need, its something you desire, its a lifestyle.  and they deliver the best buying experience in spades.  its not all about numbers, its about you and the hobby, the passion for riding.  

 

sorry to say 90% of other brand dealerships don't get that.  I'm not saying ASK is on that level, but the sales people do try, and it feels like they do generally get that idea.  when I'm in the shop we talk bikes and it feels like a pretty friendly atmosphere.  they too are still a little on the used car sales side, but i just get more of that feeling from HM.

 

Sandi is loopy, and she does take a while to call you back.  is it because they are super busy all the time, or just because she is forgetful, i have no idea.  when I'm in the shop she is very attentive, and delivers on everything.  brought my dog in there the last time i went in, and she had no problems with it, and got a water bowl out for him and stuff. i have sent a few people to ask, and sand thanked me for the people that have stopped in, sale or no sale she was thankful for the foot traffic.

 

ill give HM credit that they seem to be trying, i just sometimes feel like they think they don't have to because they are a "powerhouse" dealer, and the only honda dealer around marysville.  so they think all the honda people will just gravitate there anyway.