hinds motorsports

[bigbluebird]

i agree they have good prices but when i had problems with them after the sale they just did not meet my expectations.

i also cant see myself telling anyone to buy from a place like that did not take the time to properly prep the bike prior to the sale and then charge someone prep on the bike even after it is clear that the only prep they did was the bare minimum to get it off the floor. plus i cant see my bike being the only one to suffer from critter/rodent damage while in their hands

instead of them trying to make things right their representative come onto the forum to intimidate me.

Originally Posted by madisonriley

Phillip has contended that bits of his story were "fabricated" to express his anger. He is entitled to it. But using actually people's names is slander. It is illegal. I have heard through the grapevine that legal action is being taken against him for publicly using an employee's name. He breached privacy laws and libel laws. Good luck with that. I think all that "documentation" talk will back fire on you, because that employee has tons of "documentation" due in part to your tirade.

even their most ardent supporter agrees that their service department is somewhat lacking

We have already all agreed the service there is not MMI, but it's all they have. Maybe you bike wasn't fixed the three times you took it there because the mechanic was ignorant to what was going on....the last place you took it wasn't. It happens.

so on the whole the most reasonable advice i can offer is if you do buy a bike from them decline their service plan and bring someone who knows what they are doing to look the bike over before you buy it.

[R1Limited]

Over 2000 people have viewed this thread. I wounder how much business they have lost?

Edited January 26, 2009 by R1Limited
2000

[kawi kid]

on average a satified customer tell roughly two to three people. an unsatisfied customer tells around ten. this thread went above and beyond

[3SkeetPete]

Hinds is an authorized Polaris shop. Right?

So they should know what their doing when working on a trail boss 250 2stroke. Right?

If you know anything about Polaris you would know they have been making that engine since the 80's.

My ATV sat for a while with old gas and old oil. Simple issue that should be a simple fix. Clean the carb clean the oil injection.

Well after weeks with no reply from Hinds, they say its fixed. we bring it home, run it down the street and park it.

the next day there is a big puddle of gas under my ATV. I take off the seat and find the fuel line was routed right over the exhaust pipe, thus melting it. If this were done to something that is street legal, couldnt there be criminal charges, it could have caught fire. imagine a 400lbs bike/ball of fire crashing 70mph into a station wagon. all because some idiot at Hinds routed a plastic fuel line over the exhaust.

Like the sucker I was, I take it back to Hinds, for them to keep it another couple of weeks. Then for some reason Im told the engine is "hosed" WHAT!! no way. So I decide to pick it up(still in parts) and take it two towns over to Vally ATV. Vally had to fix what they did wrong, wrong oil in the oil injection system, incorrect rebuild of the carb(hinds used wrong needle and jets) , rerouted fuel and oil lines, jerry-rigged battery bracket, with incorrect battery, and Vally had to replace the gasket for the head as hinds took apart the top end and used the old gaskets when they put it back together. Vally told me the original starter could have been rebuilt, did Hinds offer that, Hell no! They made me pay for a new one. Long story short Vally ATV had fixed what Hinds did wrong and had my ATV running in two days. In original condition with correct factory parts. Something Hinds could not do in the 6+ weeks they had my ATV. How hard can it be to service a 250cc 2stroke. Hinds is the most incompetent shop I have ever dealt with. Check BBB and you will see I'm not the only one to have problems with them. They have refused to refund the $600+ dollars, So I will be taking them to court. Vally ATV even wrote me a long report of what was done wrong and what they had to do to fix it, to help me in my quest to recover my money and file my complaints. I filed with the BBB, and the BBB received no response from Hinds. I also filed a complaint with Polaris but I'm not sure what good that is going to do. I wish they could loose all factory authorization.

Save yourself the trouble, avoid Hinds like the PLAGUE.

[jagr]

Welcome I guess. Glad you got your dragon wagon fixed.

[3SkeetPete]

Welcome I guess. Glad you got your dragon wagon fixed.

Dragon wagon? what does that mean?

I know a trail boss 250 is a cheap econo ride, but that thing is a soldier. its put up with a lot of abuse over the years and has always run strong. but sitting for a year with old gas would keep even a honda from running. After all the abuse for the past ten years it still has great compression and has never had the top end rebuilt. It at one time was rolled in to a lake (long story dont ask) but ran fine after a got all the water out of it. but I forgot to flush the gear box when that happened and it ran for a year with water in the fluid before it started to shift funny. then I flushed it with new fluid and have never had a problem with the gear box after.

I googled Hinds and found numerous forums with all kinds of negative posts. I just wanted to add my 2cents. I am in the market for a bike an I sure as hell will never go to Hinds for anything not even a spark plug. I will happily drive 30 miles out of my way to avoid them. Besides Im gonna have to buy from a private seller to find what I want... Honda CB 750 SOHC or CBX

[jagr]

It was a compliment to your 4 wheeler. I like Polaris too.

You see Cb's every once in a while. Good luck with the hunt.

[bigbluebird]

good luck on finding a bike. and really did you just not see the lake or were hi jinks involved

[cmoosego]

sounds to me like hinds should be avoided at all costs....

[bigbluebird]

sounds to me like hinds should be avoided at all costs....

also my personal opinion

[3SkeetPete]

good luck on finding a bike. and really did you just not see the lake or were hi jinks involved

no I was stupid and parked it facing the lake, and went fishing. bout an hour later some guy yells "hey your fourwheeler!!".... I turn arround to watch it splash land right where there was about a 8 foot drop off and watched it sink. I guess the parking break went out, I could have sworn I tuned the wheels too, but I guess not. luckily the guy that yelled to me had a wench. So I went snorkeling to latch the cable to the frame and the dude pulled it out with his truck. I took the spark plug out, gas cap, oil cap, and the air box off. let it sit upside down overnight. the next day, replaced everything, new gas and oil and it started right up.

[cmoosego]

Maybe they should get into the fertilizer business.... they got enough shit going around here!

[ahrma120]

First let me say that to those of you reading this, this post is to be SOLELY DIRECTED at those that have slandered, misrepresented, twisted facts and have told numerous falsehoods regarding my dealership. I will be the first to admit that we have made mistakes. Some worse than others, I have made things right to the best of my ability with all customers that have any sense of fairness. But, we have over 18,000 customers in our data base, we do 3500 RO's a year and sell 1700 motorcycles a year. We are never the most expensive shop and we are not the cheapest. We have a tremendous repeat business and have sold over a dozen quads to one family in the last three years as an example. We have grown bigger and faster than any other shop in central Ohio and are one of the largest in the state and nation. Our first year in business we sold 39 units. I never wanted to get this big. In fact my goal was 250 to 300 units a year, originally. There were problems with that. In a major city it was grow or die as my two closest competitors at the time vowed to put us out of business. I have several principles by which I operate my business. One, is to stay in business and give my customers the best value we can. Second, is to keep employees and pay them a living wage. Third to do no harm. My greatest fear from the beginning is that someone gets hurt because of something we do either in service or sales of a new bike. The cynics of you I am sure will say that is my greatest fear because it would be bad for business. So be it for those. But it is not.

I want to say something about the internet. The internet was not prevalent when I first got into business. I use it a lot in business. The problem is the anonimity it provides for those people that want to throw stones and don't have the guts to say something to your face. Worse are those people that tell you one thing to your face and then you find out it is that person that is posting something completely different. Of the thousands that are on this site, most are very good people and sensible. To about six that have posted repeatedly about my dealership, negative and downright mean spirited responses, here this is your response, from the owner.

To Phillip Haley. I am sorry a mouse got into your air box and made a nest. I am sorry a new air filter (even though your air filter wasn't damaged) was not good enough for you and a free full service and offering to pick up your bike for FREE, was not good enough for you. The rest of your tirade was filled with misrepresentations, embellishments and bull-shit. First your bike and 80 per cent of the motorcycles sold sit in one of six giant warehouses near Lima, Ohio. The mouse could have secretly entered there. Or on a ship or train in transit. It could have even entered at our warehouse. Nevertheless it happened. Get over it, it didn't damage or hurt your bike in any way. You twisted what my wife said to you to make your story sound better, you didn't get what YOU thought was fair, so you come on here and whine and whine. So, take us to court. Let me tell you what the judge would say, "So you offered to fix it? Yes. Thats it" We check every unit that has a problem. Nothing leaves until it is has been gone over twice. Your bike ran fine when it left, so no, we didn't take the tank off and inspect the air cleaner. Do you have any idea how many customer bikes come in with mice nests in them? The little devils have a mind of their own sort of like an act of god. Next, we pay to have all of our bikes built and prepped by custom assembly. Then we go over them again before they leave. Tanya never rode your bike down from the warehouse. She was six months pregnant and under my orders was not allowed to ride anything at that time. The employee that rode it down from the warehouse evidently didn't notice that the clip on was not in the right position or it changed or you moved it. Contrary to what Mr. Wizard says we don't get paid to prep bikes by the manufacturer. We get a supposed credit that is about 1/3 what it actually costs. Let me explain. At one time the factories paid a cash payment of about 10 bucks a bike. I am talking about 25 years ago. The dealers got together and sued a certain manufacturer, Honda. Honda lost or negotiated a settlement and agreed to pay more. So they upped the cost of the bike to the dealer, but not the retail price, and gave them a credit for building and prepping the unit. The other manufacturers followed suit. That credit hasn't moved in ten years. But it is really none of your damn business Mr. Wizard. Phillip I know since you got your motorcycle you have been on here daily, finally found some people that will listen to your compaints. I liked the "cold acid running down my spine" comment my self and take your picture of your air cleaner and post it wherever you want or I can tell you where I will help you put it. The only thing that would have made you happy was to get the bike for free which is about the price we sold it to you for.

To Brian Healea. You sir, are a pompous a$$, know it all, who posts on here against anyone you think you can make look small. For all of you that don't know Brian Healea he is a fast guy in STT. Thats it. Thats the extent of his being. With that he is a know it all. He lives in a palatial estate in Mount Gilead, (Home to the Stars) and shills for Iron Pony. Spends most of his waking hours posting on websites of the motorcycle variety expounding on all aspects of the motorcycle business with a half ass understanding of it, all the while holding himself out as an industry insider to all his little minions that hang on his every word, which actually just causes him to spew some other bullshit fact he makes up to make himself self grandiose important. If only the dealers in his territory he was hired to service actually ever saw him they might order some fox or shift gear from him, but he hangs out most days at the one vendor he can sell stuff to. But, he is on here bashing me, whom he has never met, as far as I know and Joyce who does work at the shop every day as do I. Contrary to what you think our growth has been 10, 20 and 30 per-cent a year. Your constant harrassment on every aspect of our business is out of line and off the mark most of the time. It is interesting to note, because you won't, that you are basically a paid shill for Iron Pony. Everyone elses sales practices are shit. I notice you haven't brought up their sales practice of quoting cost or below for a Rhino and not having one, at least one you can see, without big wheel kits, nerf bars, roofs and cages already installed but you can buy it for 13,000. Guess your OK with that and that IS illegal according to the Attorney General. If you offer a price out there you must sell that unit for that price. You have issue with us offering buddy packs. Yes we do, thats what customers asked for all the time because of the Michigan dealers. So we gave it to them also, but not for the crazy numbers they were doing and not delivering the units in the middle of the night. What mud do we sling at other shops? Who says it. Give me some names. Talk about slinging mud, you have the arrogance to make a statement like that? Have you read your posts? Your comment that Iron Pony doesn't try to trick people, but we do? I just sold two tubes to a guy for six dollars and nine dollars, suggested retail yesterday, that he said he bought the same tubes there for 20 and 22. Suggested retail is just a baseline for current stuff, most of their small stuff is way over suggested retail. Do I care? No more power to them. I am glad you make a living off of selling them Shift. Just don't come on her like some F**king white knight. The thing is they buy the bikes for the same price we do. They aren't going to get Yamaha to sell them units for less money than other dealers the way they buy left over apparel for five bucks a jersey and ten bucks for pants from you rag merchants. The best thing you can say about any shop in central Ohio is Honda Northwest isn't a piece of shit. I know almost all the dealers in the State. There is only two that I know of that don't try to do their best and really enjoy their customers and business. Contrary to what you believe most of us do this because we love it. At an industry average of 3 to 5 per-cent net profit, on a good year, is not worth the time we put in. There are other things that make a lot more financial sense. For you to come on here and present yourself as an industry insider is an insult to the dealers association in this state.

The part I like is about certain financial issues. Oooh that certainly is nebulus. (Don't buy from Hinds buy from Iron Pony because they have certain financial issues.) Do you get commission from them for unit sales? You want to show me a shop in the U. S. that doesn't have financial issues, ESPECIALLY NOW. If they say they don't they are lying. At last count over 100 Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamah, Honda shops each have went under this year. (Evidently, they didn't rape the customer enough.) The first five Harley stores since 1990 filed for bankruptcy in January. Our sin is we tell our employees what is going on and try to be upfront with everyone. Excuse us. We appreciate those that have continued to come in and spend their hard earned money in our store. Your comment about certain items not being able to be ordered from my store. What do you want Feldsheer, Fox, Shift, Sidi, what else and from whom? Come on in lets order it up. What a pissy statement. You don't know sh-t but you say it anyway. Yes, we will sell for less than Iron Pony on most stuff, but we may have to order it. Tires are the same price.

[ahrma120]

To Michael Griffin. Yes I said we were going to continue to carry and work on Aprilia's to your face. You called me a liar. Thats not nice. The actual fact is, Steve the service manager refused to work on Aprilia's unilaterally because he couldn't get half the parts he needed to work on them. This was during their period when they were in bankruptcy negotiations. The real problem you have is that we didn't give you what you wanted for your trade in. Believe me, I would have stretched as far as I could to sell a B-King. Nice looking bike, I am glad you got it and you actually made out on the deal because they gave you a lot more money for it. You should be happy. They'll treat you fine and service it well for you too. Where did you buy it? I guess they made just a few too many good deals. To Mr. Jagr. Never had an 06 aprilia Scarabeo 500 in stock, new or used and amazingly they are priced on the floor at 6299 and on sale for 5799. We skipped two model years of Aprilia's 06 and 07. So unless it was an 08 ABS, special order model, I think your wrong. Definately never had an O6 in inventory though, new or used. Would this be the shop that told a customer that 250 chinese chopper thing for $3,995 they are selling could be fitted with a 105 cubic inch S&S motor when he wants more power than the 250 Virago engine thats in it? True. This just happened a couple of weeks ago. I know it is true because the young man didn't even know what an S&S motor was. Like to see that engine in that conduit frame twisting the thing in half like a pretzel. That was the best new whopper of the new year. We sold him a xv650 for his first bike, instead. We told him we would slam a Road Star Warrior engine in it for him next year. Just kidding.

In closing to Mr. Wizard, I am sad that you are SAD we are still around. After talking to a few of your fellow instructors, I can see why you are just a miserable human being. So many stupid people around you, when you are so bright, must make for a miserable life. I personally am proud of my shop and business. I have the best mechanics around and good people in my store. Troy Smock my head mechanic used to build all the engines for MSP. Our drag bike, with Richard Gadsen aboard went 8.32 on its first run at Talledega. So I think Troy or Brian or Bo are quite capable of taking a compression test. (See post on Raptor forums) or any other work. We are fully capable of any service work necessary. I have made many friends in the industry. I can name Jimmy Felice, Doug Polen and Scott Russell as friends to name a few. Riders not in your caliber to be sure. I have raced against some of the great legends like Springsteen, Nixon, Aldana on my vintage junk. Maybe if I would just stay at my shop and sweep the floor and clean the toilet more, I could meet your expectations. But evidently almost 20,000 people have bought motorcycles from us don't agree.

To 50znfty that finance program was a special program for special people. For those of you that don't know. There is a national finance program called RideNow that will provide financing to special people with special needs. There are huge fees associated with the loan based on risk. We don't get those fees. Those fees are sent to the originator. I do not recommend them, if after the reading the disclosure form you still want to purchase the product, you can. Thank-you for having the AG come and check on this program. Sorry but it is a legal program. Like I said for those special needs people.

To those of you that say we will sell anything to anybody I could tell you several stories where I have refused to sell a bike for several different reasons. But I will tell you one, not because I want you to believe I am a wonderful person but because it is true. We had a customer from southern Ohio who came in when the Rocket III first came out. He wanted one. Never bought a new bike. Between him and his wife they made less than forty thousand a year. Lived in a trailer that was worth less than this bike and had several other payments. They didn't have any money down, but they had stellar credit. They were approved. When I got involved Josh was telling them their payment, I can't remember exactly, but we didn't see how they could make it. I told them to go home and think about it and if they still wanted it on monday we would hold it for them. Josh concurred with me. Monday morning 10 am, they wanted it. The point is you can't be Mom and Dad for everyone. Everyone makes their own decisions.

To Walter Petty or 3skeetpete. Who really caused this response because, we went way above and beyond for you. Bo put in three times the work that you were billed for and Steve actually bent over backward for you. If you had been honest with us up front things would have went much better. By not telling us the whole story you caused more time and trouble than would have been necessary. I am not going to waste anymore time here because I posted my response to him on Yamaha Raptor forum for anyone that wants to see it. See you in court and I will countersue for the piston and other work done that was not charged to you. I would like to say that of all the people mentioned here its real simple there are two sides to every story and if you don't like us, don't come in. To those of you that actually want other people and businesses to fail, I am sorry for you. I have known many business people in many businesses and virtually all of them do their best that they can. Why wouldn't they? I have also found those few people that whine and complain are always the same people that get screwed all the time by all kinds of people and businesses. Or are they the ones that are just never happy?

[g35tonv]

:bow:

[Disclaimer]

[jbot]

epic

[knicks360]

Now that was some good reading..

[The King]

Post deleted

Edited March 27, 2009 by The King

[rusty 996]

i want buy last year duc.they have one ,but the bike dont start.they say need recharge battery.i go back 3 days later bike stil dont start,they say need new battery, so i buy my 996 somewhere else.they have other bike i was interest but the bike have flat tire.the sale department is joke.

[Disclaimer]

I went by Hinds last year to potentially purchase a Ducati. They had one, but regretfully informed me that the bike did not start. When inquiring why, they said that the battery may just need recharging. Not yet deterred, I went back a full 3 days later and witnessed that the bike still did not start. Once again they stated that it was probably a battery issue (maybe needed a new one). Dismayed, I went elsewhere to buy my 996.

Hinds did have other bikes that I was interested in, but they had other issues - including one having a flat tire. It's my personal opinion that the Sales department at Hinds is a joke.

Holy hell - it took forever, but I fixed it for you. Please take your medication and try harder next time - we believe in you. Yay!

Edited March 27, 2009 by JRMMiii

[Zorro]

To ahrma120:

I bought my 2005 r1 at your shop. While looking at ASK and Honda Northwest, Hinds offered the best price on the bike and on my trade in (1997 Honda CBR F3). The sales guy (forget who) told me he'd give me 3k for my trade, sight unseen. So, I brought it up there...and he tried to give me just 2.7k. After some haggling and letting him think I'd walk out, he gave me 3k. Deal was done. I bought the service plan as well.

My bike now has 17+k miles. All service (except mods and tire changes) have been completed by your shop. The bike runs fine...no real problems. After my first oil changed, I noticed there was a scratch on the oil cap. I let it go. I cared then...but now...I don't. After my 16k service, I noticed a fairing bolt was missing. I called the shop, they ordered me another, free of charge. They called a week later stating my free bolt was in. I was lazy...I didn't pick it up for over a month. I finally stopped in, and they still had my free bolt. Good service.

Anyway, I enjoyed your post. When it comes to buying my next new bike...Hinds will be the first place i go.

[V4junkie]

I bought a helmet there once. After that EPIC long post (which it is entirely too early to read) I really want to go check it out again.

Now, can we all just get back to

[SJC1000rr]

:???: I want the last 8 minutes of my life back. To each there own I guess.

All I can say is GL in the court of claims if it needs to go that far. /sigh

Edited March 27, 2009 by SJC1000rr
retraction

[Casper]

To Michael Griffin. Yes I said we were going to continue to carry and work on Aprilia's to your face. You called me a liar. Thats not nice. The actual fact is, Steve the service manager refused to work on Aprilia's unilaterally because he couldn't get half the parts he needed to work on them. This was during their period when they were in bankruptcy negotiations. The real problem you have is that we didn't give you what you wanted for your trade in. Believe me, I would have stretched as far as I could to sell a B-King. Nice looking bike, I am glad you got it and you actually made out on the deal because they gave you a lot more money for it. You should be happy. They'll treat you fine and service it well for you too. Where did you buy it? I guess they made just a few too many good deals. To Mr. Jagr. Never had an 06 aprilia Scarabeo 500 in stock, new or used and amazingly they are priced on the floor at 6299 and on sale for 5799. We skipped two model years of Aprilia's 06 and 07. So unless it was an 08 ABS, special order model, I think your wrong. Definately never had an O6 in inventory though, new or used. Would this be the shop that told a customer that 250 chinese chopper thing for $3,995 they are selling could be fitted with a 105 cubic inch S&S motor when he wants more power than the 250 Virago engine thats in it? True. This just happened a couple of weeks ago. I know it is true because the young man didn't even know what an S&S motor was. Like to see that engine in that conduit frame twisting the thing in half like a pretzel. That was the best new whopper of the new year. We sold him a xv650 for his first bike, instead. We told him we would slam a Road Star Warrior engine in it for him next year. Just kidding.

In closing to Mr. Wizard, I am sad that you are SAD we are still around. After talking to a few of your fellow instructors, I can see why you are just a miserable human being. So many stupid people around you, when you are so bright, must make for a miserable life. I personally am proud of my shop and business. I have the best mechanics around and good people in my store. Troy Smock my head mechanic used to build all the engines for MSP. Our drag bike, with Richard Gadsen aboard went 8.32 on its first run at Talledega. So I think Troy or Brian or Bo are quite capable of taking a compression test. (See post on Raptor forums) or any other work. We are fully capable of any service work necessary. I have made many friends in the industry. I can name Jimmy Felice, Doug Polen and Scott Russell as friends to name a few. Riders not in your caliber to be sure. I have raced against some of the great legends like Springsteen, Nixon, Aldana on my vintage junk. Maybe if I would just stay at my shop and sweep the floor and clean the toilet more, I could meet your expectations. But evidently almost 20,000 people have bought motorcycles from us don't agree.

To 50znfty that finance program was a special program for special people. For those of you that don't know. There is a national finance program called RideNow that will provide financing to special people with special needs. There are huge fees associated with the loan based on risk. We don't get those fees. Those fees are sent to the originator. I do not recommend them, if after the reading the disclosure form you still want to purchase the product, you can. Thank-you for having the AG come and check on this program. Sorry but it is a legal program. Like I said for those special needs people.

To those of you that say we will sell anything to anybody I could tell you several stories where I have refused to sell a bike for several different reasons. But I will tell you one, not because I want you to believe I am a wonderful person but because it is true. We had a customer from southern Ohio who came in when the Rocket III first came out. He wanted one. Never bought a new bike. Between him and his wife they made less than forty thousand a year. Lived in a trailer that was worth less than this bike and had several other payments. They didn't have any money down, but they had stellar credit. They were approved. When I got involved Josh was telling them their payment, I can't remember exactly, but we didn't see how they could make it. I told them to go home and think about it and if they still wanted it on monday we would hold it for them. Josh concurred with me. Monday morning 10 am, they wanted it. The point is you can't be Mom and Dad for everyone. Everyone makes their own decisions.

To Walter Petty or 3skeetpete. Who really caused this response because, we went way above and beyond for you. Bo put in three times the work that you were billed for and Steve actually bent over backward for you. If you had been honest with us up front things would have went much better. By not telling us the whole story you caused more time and trouble than would have been necessary. I am not going to waste anymore time here because I posted my response to him on Yamaha Raptor forum for anyone that wants to see it. See you in court and I will countersue for the piston and other work done that was not charged to you. I would like to say that of all the people mentioned here its real simple there are two sides to every story and if you don't like us, don't come in. To those of you that actually want other people and businesses to fail, I am sorry for you. I have known many business people in many businesses and virtually all of them do their best that they can. Why wouldn't they? I have also found those few people that whine and complain are always the same people that get screwed all the time by all kinds of people and businesses. Or are they the ones that are just never happy?

I have to say bravo. I'm staying as neutral as possible on this, but I have to give props for actually signing up and posting your reply to everyone. No other shop owner in Ohio has done this on our board. Major kudos. With that said, I'm not believing any side over the other. I don't really care. I hope all parties involved come to a mutual resolution.