[zoo00oom]

Iron Horse should really try to get Bruce back in the fold. I called up around a month ago and ordered a set of bushings for a 2001 G-spot. Sean took all my info, said they would get them out. Well they didn't come yet. I called yesterday to Tim's answering machine and asked for info if they had shipped yet and if they didn't just cancel the order and please call me back and at least leave me a message. No one ever called back. I just called and talked to Sean, he said "yea, you wanted to cancel the order." I said if they haven't shipped yet I need to do something even if it's aftermarket and to modify the bike. The response was less than enthusiastic. The conversation was over.
You are welcome to flame me and say "what did I expect" and all the canned responses, but the point is I have dealt with Bruce in the past and he would have never left a customer hanging like they just did. It makes me want to throw the G-spot in the trash.
One thing you guys are going to say is "you should try to talk to some other manufacturer". That may be the case but I own an Iron Horse and would like to keep my bikes on the trail. I can't afford to buy a new one every two years.
I don't have anything but a local crappy shop to deal with, the closest "real" dealer is Epic Cycles (excellent, I might add) but he's over 2 1/2 hours away.
I will stop my rant, but riding season is on and I can't ride one of my bikes the way it is and that sucks!

 

[MMcG]

Did this Bruce person leave Iron Horse or something and these other guys you talked to are left in Customer Service?/

I'm confused.

 

[zoo00oom]

Don't know

The only thing that was on this board was that he was gone. End of story.
To bad Todd can't handle everything there, he has helped me greatly on this board, with the setup on my hollowpoint.

 

[Speedub.Nate]

I hope IH takes note. Exceptional customer service goes a long way, especially when introducing new folks to an an otherwise unknown brand name.

A good case in point is what Dennis and later Lonnie did for Avid a few years back. I began having trouble with my Shimano V's, and the numerous reports of excellent Avid customer service caused me to give their products a try. I'm positive that's one of the reasons their mechanical discs were so readily accepted when first introduced.

Another example is White Brothers & Eko Sport. I would never have considered a White Bros. fork for my new bike, except that their customer service has been flawless while I've just had a bunch of headaches with Manitou and Rock Shox/SRAM. It's a lot less risky to try something new when I know I'll be treated right and be able to get parts if needed.

When my sister rode my Hollowpoint last year and wanted her own, her boyfriend was skeptical of the "mysterious" IH until I showed him all the great customer service posts and explained the up-front way they handled the 2003 warranties. That convinced him (even so, he bought an Enduro for himself).

So whatever is going on with Sean and Tim, I hope it is quickly corrected. Even if the part isn't available, keeping the customer in the loop is key to keeping things from getting dramatic.

 

[zoo00oom]

agreed

That would have went a long way for me, just to know the status. They could have said because it's an older bike the parts are not readily available and will take 4-6 weeks, or anything. Keep the customer informed, that's the ticket.
I run a small business myself and personally know that when you can't deliver something, the customer's normally understand as long as you call them before they call you.