I have to say I am also displeased with the store mainly because they don't support Husky's. I've purchased accessories from them, gear bags, goggles etc. however when it comes to parts, they have to order it and have even told me..."no guarantee's." It's been a few years since Husky "got back into the game" (so to speak) however MS has yet to pick up on that. Their KTM support is stellar from what I've seen and heard!
This sounds like the case where MS has hired the wrong help at his store and is not aware of it yet ... Maybe Malcolm himself will get wind of this and correct the issue before it baggs him too much ... This is one of the reasons I like bikes shops owned and run by current bike riders and not a salesperson so much ...
Well, so far they still haven't gotten back to me about the turn signal they were supposed to order (I was supposed to get a call 2 days after I took it in), or called on the o-ring I had on order weeks ago. I will not be purchasing anything from them in the future if at all possible, if I am in the area and REALLY need something I will drive the extra 10 miles to Chapparal.
malcolms they must run hot and cold. i had bough ta bike years ago, great set up. a gentleman named mark was in the service dept. let me know all the hype stuff, quick shot,etc was not needed. and proved it. parts supply is poor, but have had to go there when george can't get parts. The parts situation with husky as a hole is still piss poor. partial orders, basic stuff like gasket sets are B/O no rod kits. BMW might have money but things are still run poorly back east....
Wow, I feel pretty fortunate to be living where I have a good dealer I can trust. It is called absentee owner and I have never seen this work in the motorcycle business for very long. I am sure Malcom is not aware of everything that goes on. It has been so hard for dealers to make it in this economy but resorting to those kinds of tactics are only short term before disaster.
In fairness MS may have just left his name on the business and otherwise have been bought out. Ben and Jerry's promised to keep CEO pay at a certain ratio to the lowest paid employee. After they sold the company that promise disappeared
I'm not sure about that though, cause I've seen him (MS) in there looking at displays and the way bikes were setup like he had a reason to care. Later in the same day I also got a crappy attititude from a service/parts guy when I asked about a Husky part. "you'll just have to wait, if MS, the guy who brought Huskies to the U.S. can't get the part, you really think anyone else can?" is exactly what he said to me barely without lifting his nose from his magazine. Well, I did get it the next day from George. Just for disclosure this was like a year and a half ago, so things could be better there now.... or worse....I wouldn't know, cause even if I was on the left coast again I wouldn't walk back in that place ever.
My name is Alexander Smith. I am the new service manager at Malcolm Smith Motorsports and as you can guess by my last name, my father is Malcolm Smith. After going through numerous service managers in the last few year my father asked me to take on the responsibility about 7 weeks ago. First off I would like to set the record straight with regards to Malcolm being an absentee owner. Malcolm is in the building more than most managers and personally signs every check and hears about every customer complaint. Malcolm IS the dealership, his direction is important to every manager and employee. Malcolm is the one and only owner of Malcolm Smith Motorsports. Secondly I would like to thank everyone for responding to this post, positive or negative. Feedback is always appreciated; I take all of your concerns very seriously. I am aware that there were some issues in the past and I can confidently say that we have corrected these issues. I challenge each and every one of you to give us a try and not be totally satisfied with the service you receive. If you have had an issue in the past or have an issue in the future please call me personally at (951) 687-1300 and ask for Alexander, or email me at Alexander@malcolmsmith.com That being said: I will respond to each reply in this post in order: nocontrol: "scrapes on the bottom of the frame from them dragging the bike around before prep" - Huskys come in the crate with the rear tire and front forks attached (no way for the bottom of the frame to touch the ground), they are lifted out of the crate and set on a bike stand, the front wheel is attached and the bike is put on a lift for assembly. At no time is it possible for the bottom of the frame to contact the ground. LrPct: "Too bad his employees don't follow his lead." - I agree and I'm making every effort to make sure every employee acts accordingly. Cbreakin: "He told me the 510 I was looking at was the "last one." After I bought, I returned a few days later to puck up some oil ect. and what do I see?...Another 09 510 prepped and sitting on the sales floor" - Again, I agree. Dealership inventories are in a constant state of change. What might be the last one on any given day can become one of ten the next day when a new shipment arrives. RaceMX904: "To be honest even back in the 80's he really didn’t have too much to do with the shop..he came by every now and then and called...but i am sure if you could find a way to inform him he would not be happy and he would fix it..." - I can assure you that Malcolm puts in more time being physically in the building than most of our managers, employees or family members. He is on location six to seven days a week, overseeing all managers, signing every check and attending every meeting. Complaints like this NEVER go unreported to MS. nocontrol: "Well, so far they still haven't gotten back to me about the turn signal they were supposed to order (I was supposed to get a call 2 days after I took it in), or called on the o-ring I had on order weeks ago.” - NoControl, Please call me or send me an email and I will get it handled for you ASAP.
Good stuff and way to step up and earn the customer back. We don't like dealer bashing here and do want to see shops, especially good ones like MSR do well. This is a great example of how a web forum can influence positive change in a dealership and restore confidence.
Thanks for posting and answering each concern brought up Alexander. I wish you guys the best with turning things around. Sounds like you've got the right focus and want to head in the right direction.
I stand corrected on Malcolm's interest in the dealership and his involvement. It will be a good thing for them to get better at customer service.
alexander...nice to see the family name keeping it going...always been a fan of MS...still remember the days behind that parts counter in 87-88...eating of the roach coach that stopped by...in and out around the corner...I think the parts manager back then was "john" i bleieve...my uncle is Ron Bishop and my dad rode with yours a ton back in the 60's and 70's... well good to see you in it and i would shop there if i wasnt 2200 miles away...
Alexander: First off I would like to welcome you to Cafe Husky. It's really good to see that you are taking an active interest in gorwing the business and keeping you're dad's reputation up. Malcolm is one of the most endearing people I have ever met and it always made me sad that so many people were having less than stellar experiences at the dealership because I knew it wasn't the way Malcolm would do business if you were dealing with him personally. I for one am more than willing to forget about a couple of past experiences and give the delership another try. Actually I'm confident that with more family involvement such as you're that the dealings will be great.
Regardless, my brand new bike had scrapes through the paint on the bottom of the frame. Perhaps your staff should take care when handling the bikes and use even a rag (what an idea) when tossing them up on stands. There is absolutely NO excuse for hidden scrapes/scratches/defects on a new bike, regardless of what it will be used for in the future. Not to mention all the untorqued bolts etc, and the general cluelessness when it came to the tuning tools in your service department. Thanks for the effort, but you aren't changing my mind about your dealership. I'm sure Malcolm is a great guy, but obviously doesn't have the time to supervise his incompetent and careless employees. All I ask for when I buy a bike is that it is NEW, I HATE finding scratches/screwed up parts from what should be simple prep, etc. It is really not that difficult, I worked at a dealership doing the same kind of thing for a while and would never put a scratch on someones bike.
Hi Alexander, Welcome to the forum! Appreciate you taking time to come in here and answer all of these points diplomatically and professionally. I bought my TC450 '05 and have had almost nothing but great success with MS .... both the shop and your father. Mark Decker was very helpfull and went out of his way to help all of the Husky guys that came in. I understand he is no longer with the company for a while now. Your father has personally helped me, held my son Logan and played with him when he had a very nasty diaper on at age 2 and never even batted an eye. He personally corrected one of your young service guys at the time, spoke with me at length about my Husky and offered tips, advice and a cheaper part alternative than the young guy that was helping me offered up. All that being said, service from the rank and file has not been as great as what your father offers up. I personally too have had a bad experience and walked out the door in frustration, with cash in hand, not because of the dealership but the attitude from the sales person ( all after we had already negotiated and agreed upon a price) . As such,my son is riding a used Honda 50 now instead of the new Yamaha 50 that my wife and I had picked out for him.I am glad to see you stepping in. I'll plan on stopping in more often now. Tim Borth Vintage Moderator Cafe Husky
I also bought my husky from Malcolm Smith's and had nothing but great experiences. Went in there thinking I was gonna buy a KTM and came out with a husky (glad I changed my mind). Everyone was super friendly and even when I go in now my sales guy remembers me and always asks me about the bike. I feel very confident in referring people there! Of course it helped that I got to meet Malcolm and shake his hand
Its funny because my post is the last one and I was defending Macolm Smiths, but I just want to say that for sales I would 100% recommend Malcolm Smiths, But for service and parts no way. I have been sold the wrong product for my bike twice and I live 3 hours aways, so going to return the products is a pain in the ass. I have also had to have both my bike and my brother's bike serviced there and it is always a pain in the ass and a fight to get things done efficiently. And the last time my bike went they destroyed my battery and told me I brought the bike in with a bad battery... umm not so much. For all my service and parts needs I will no longer be going to malcolm smiths unfortunately.
"If you have had an issue in the past or have an issue in the future please call me personally at (951) 687-1300 and ask for Alexander, or email me at Alexander@malcolmsmith.com" Alexander did say to contact him directly for any issues. Did you try that yet?
my .02 got an 06 510 SMR from MS. sales team, parts guy, top notch and super freindly. tech's that prepped it were out to lunch though. wont go into details but i called the dealer and let them know what i found. they went WAY out of their way to make up for it even though i fillet my bikes before they go into service. guess what i'm trying to say everyone makes mistakes and no one can control every aspect and stuff gets through. and when it does it's what happens after the sale when there's an issue that can make or brake a rep. alex sounds sincere and mirrors the response i got when i had an issue and it took some guts to come here and say what he did. welcome and keep up the great service sir. i've heard WAY more good about MSM than anything. if one gets a sour apple, dont go back to the barrel, go to the tree. that tree is alex. i'll bet good money he'll make it right if there's an issue and he know's about it.
