Moike
Shit Magnet
Well kids... my saga has finally come to a close.
Kurt Delsack was able to get Ducati to purchase
my 2003 999S back under the CA lemon law.
Now before everybody with a sputtering 999/749
rushes out to get a lawyer, let me describe the
process flow you need to follow BEFORE you even
think about calling a lawyer. Hi, read this part.
First...
1. You need to make sure your bike qualifies.
That means within the first 18 months or 18
thousand miles you've taken the bike back to the
Dealer to repair the same or similar problem
over four times or only two or more times if the
manufacturing defect results in a condition that
is likely to cause death or serious bodily
injury (hello stalling in the middle of
intersections when you're trying to make a left
hand turn), or if it was out of service for a
total of more than 30 days within that
18 month/18k miles timeframe. And it helps if
the problem is still not fixed.
Then...
2. Keep in touch with your dealer.
Don't let them slack or slide on your bike. Make sure
your Dealer is putting pressure on Ducati NA
to address the issues with your bike. Make
sure they are using all methods of communication
and escalation with Ducati NA, not just calling up
'Alex' in first level Dealer support and leaving a
voicemail. You honestly shouldn't have to do
this at all in a perfect world, the dealer would
know to do this on their own. But, heh... Make
sure you hear back from your dealer "Ducati NA
told us to do (foo) to fix it." And make sure you
get the names of who they talked to at Ducati
NA. Keep a logbook and keep good notes and
warranty repair paperwork. You don't want Ducati
NA to claim later that the dealer never told them
there was a problem or that they were unaware
there were issues with your motorcycle. And this
makes sure your Dealer is doing what they are
supposed to be doing in the customer to mfgr.
communication area.
No Results? Then...
3. Contact Ducati Customer Service.
File a formal complaint with Ducati Customer Service
if you feel your Dealer is not doing their job or
communicating your warranty issues to DNA.
Have all your information handy before you make
that call, they're going to want your VIN and
all kinds of stuff.
Still no Results? Then...
4. Contact Mike Norman, Customer Service Manager
for Ducati NA.
Mike seems like he honestly wants to help resolve
the issues that people are having with the 999/749 units.
I spoke to him a bit before the lawyer axed that and
informed me that I was not supposed to be communicating
directly with DNA. Mike is a nice guy, he's got his
work cut out for him, and I honestly hope he can change things.
Now... If things are still hosed, you're getting
no results, your bike is still broke, and neither
your Dealer or Ducati NA is calling you back to
give you a status update, and your warranty
expiration date is looming close on the horizon...
Call Kurt Delsack, tell him Mike in Santa Cruz
says hi. http://www.delsack.com/contact.html
I am not going to go into detail about my
settlement aside from saying that I am satisfied
with the amount I am getting back from Ducati NA.
I dropped of the 999S yesterday at Moto Italiano
in Santa Cruz, finished all the DMV transfer
paperwork, did a visual inspection with the
Dealer (to my satisfaction it was leaking oil
right where I parked it), and I turned over the
keys. The Dealer and I then faxed off the
paperwork to my lawyer, and Ducati NA. I should
have my check by the end of the week if things
go as planned.
Had I to do it over again, I'd probably have
called Mike Norman first before calling a lawyer.
But honestly, I shouldn't have to. If Ducati NA
had their crap together, and Ducati Dealers were
given good access to a customer service network
I wouldn't be posting here.
What should have happened is that I should have
brought my bike back a few times for warranty problems.
The dealer should have expressed to Ducati NA "Hey,
this guy's bike is just screwed up, and we can't fix it."
Ducati NA should have sent out techs to assess my bike
and make a decision. Ducati NA should have offered a
solution to the Dealer. And my Dealer should have been
communicating Ducati NA's solutions to me. My bike
would have either got fixed, replaced, or bought back.
In a perfect world that's the way it should have worked.
But the way it currently works is as follows. I take my bike
in many times for many warranty problems. The Dealer
communicates these problems to one guy at Ducati
NA. That one guy overloaded with work does not
bother to contact the Dealer with a fix or proposed solution.
My Dealer gets fustrated and applies what they think is
a fix based with communication with other Ducati shops.
That fix breaks. Ducati NA still does not contact my Dealer
regard my bike. This whole time nobody is contacting
me to give me any clue as to what is going on. I'm
never made aware there is any chain of escalation
outside of my dealer that I can use to contact Ducati NA.
The customer service number is unlisted. When you
find it, a machine answers and nobody returns the
messages you leave. You have to hunt down mktg.
reps at the Ducati booth at the bike show and beg them
to tell someone about the problems you're having with your
bike. This still gets you nowhere. Your bike is still broke,
your warranty is nearly up, you haven't even put 3000
miles on your bike. You get a lawyer and sue the crap
out of DNA just to get your money back.
This sucks... I only got paid for the bike and crap that
went with it, not all the time and hassle I lost over the
last year. That can never be paid back to me.
I'm going to take part of the settlement money and buy
another late 90's Monster 900. I'm going to prep it for
racing and track days, and enjoy the hell out of it.
No mechanic will ever touch it other than me, and I'll
never have to contact Ducati NA regarding a problem.
Oh, and I took one final shot before I dropped the 999 off.
Kurt Delsack was able to get Ducati to purchase
my 2003 999S back under the CA lemon law.
Now before everybody with a sputtering 999/749
rushes out to get a lawyer, let me describe the
process flow you need to follow BEFORE you even
think about calling a lawyer. Hi, read this part.
First...
1. You need to make sure your bike qualifies.
That means within the first 18 months or 18
thousand miles you've taken the bike back to the
Dealer to repair the same or similar problem
over four times or only two or more times if the
manufacturing defect results in a condition that
is likely to cause death or serious bodily
injury (hello stalling in the middle of
intersections when you're trying to make a left
hand turn), or if it was out of service for a
total of more than 30 days within that
18 month/18k miles timeframe. And it helps if
the problem is still not fixed.
Then...
2. Keep in touch with your dealer.
Don't let them slack or slide on your bike. Make sure
your Dealer is putting pressure on Ducati NA
to address the issues with your bike. Make
sure they are using all methods of communication
and escalation with Ducati NA, not just calling up
'Alex' in first level Dealer support and leaving a
voicemail. You honestly shouldn't have to do
this at all in a perfect world, the dealer would
know to do this on their own. But, heh... Make
sure you hear back from your dealer "Ducati NA
told us to do (foo) to fix it." And make sure you
get the names of who they talked to at Ducati
NA. Keep a logbook and keep good notes and
warranty repair paperwork. You don't want Ducati
NA to claim later that the dealer never told them
there was a problem or that they were unaware
there were issues with your motorcycle. And this
makes sure your Dealer is doing what they are
supposed to be doing in the customer to mfgr.
communication area.
No Results? Then...
3. Contact Ducati Customer Service.
File a formal complaint with Ducati Customer Service
if you feel your Dealer is not doing their job or
communicating your warranty issues to DNA.
Have all your information handy before you make
that call, they're going to want your VIN and
all kinds of stuff.
Still no Results? Then...
4. Contact Mike Norman, Customer Service Manager
for Ducati NA.
Mike seems like he honestly wants to help resolve
the issues that people are having with the 999/749 units.
I spoke to him a bit before the lawyer axed that and
informed me that I was not supposed to be communicating
directly with DNA. Mike is a nice guy, he's got his
work cut out for him, and I honestly hope he can change things.
Now... If things are still hosed, you're getting
no results, your bike is still broke, and neither
your Dealer or Ducati NA is calling you back to
give you a status update, and your warranty
expiration date is looming close on the horizon...
Call Kurt Delsack, tell him Mike in Santa Cruz
says hi. http://www.delsack.com/contact.html
I am not going to go into detail about my
settlement aside from saying that I am satisfied
with the amount I am getting back from Ducati NA.
I dropped of the 999S yesterday at Moto Italiano
in Santa Cruz, finished all the DMV transfer
paperwork, did a visual inspection with the
Dealer (to my satisfaction it was leaking oil
right where I parked it), and I turned over the
keys. The Dealer and I then faxed off the
paperwork to my lawyer, and Ducati NA. I should
have my check by the end of the week if things
go as planned.
Had I to do it over again, I'd probably have
called Mike Norman first before calling a lawyer.
But honestly, I shouldn't have to. If Ducati NA
had their crap together, and Ducati Dealers were
given good access to a customer service network
I wouldn't be posting here.
What should have happened is that I should have
brought my bike back a few times for warranty problems.
The dealer should have expressed to Ducati NA "Hey,
this guy's bike is just screwed up, and we can't fix it."
Ducati NA should have sent out techs to assess my bike
and make a decision. Ducati NA should have offered a
solution to the Dealer. And my Dealer should have been
communicating Ducati NA's solutions to me. My bike
would have either got fixed, replaced, or bought back.
In a perfect world that's the way it should have worked.
But the way it currently works is as follows. I take my bike
in many times for many warranty problems. The Dealer
communicates these problems to one guy at Ducati
NA. That one guy overloaded with work does not
bother to contact the Dealer with a fix or proposed solution.
My Dealer gets fustrated and applies what they think is
a fix based with communication with other Ducati shops.
That fix breaks. Ducati NA still does not contact my Dealer
regard my bike. This whole time nobody is contacting
me to give me any clue as to what is going on. I'm
never made aware there is any chain of escalation
outside of my dealer that I can use to contact Ducati NA.
The customer service number is unlisted. When you
find it, a machine answers and nobody returns the
messages you leave. You have to hunt down mktg.
reps at the Ducati booth at the bike show and beg them
to tell someone about the problems you're having with your
bike. This still gets you nowhere. Your bike is still broke,
your warranty is nearly up, you haven't even put 3000
miles on your bike. You get a lawyer and sue the crap
out of DNA just to get your money back.
This sucks... I only got paid for the bike and crap that
went with it, not all the time and hassle I lost over the
last year. That can never be paid back to me.
I'm going to take part of the settlement money and buy
another late 90's Monster 900. I'm going to prep it for
racing and track days, and enjoy the hell out of it.
No mechanic will ever touch it other than me, and I'll
never have to contact Ducati NA regarding a problem.
Oh, and I took one final shot before I dropped the 999 off.
ewww ahhh oohhh.....quack! quack!
@ parting shot.
Well, I'm glad that your ordeal is over...no one should have to put up with that sort of gross customer service incompetence. You did a good thing by going legal on their ass; Perhaps they will start to shape up soon. And I know what you mean about the 2-valvers
