Beware Barcelona Chiang Mai!

[Ian Bungy]

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I Agree with David! Bravo BMW, well done for taking action! Now lets see if anybody who do have any issues or problems actually have the Fortitude and B**ls to actually contact them and tell it like it is instead of just bleating about it and doing nothing! I do not Own a BMW but I recognize it as a Premium Marque and as such Would expect Great service which I am sure that BMW would supply! They Can't help if they don't know so now is Your Chance if You actually have a legitimate issue?
Congratulations BMW. By the Way I love Your Bikes especially the New G650GS. I will be looking forward to checking them out at the Motorshow!

[CBR250]

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Dear BMW Riders,

Our attention has been drawn to the thread on GT-Rider, which has been the subject of internal investigations and subsequent discussions between Barcelona and BMW Thailand.

First of all, we would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused to you, and like to assure you that we are highly concerned to learn of your frustration with the service of Barcelona in Chiang Mai.

We are concerned that Barcelona customers have first class treatment at all times. It will always be necessary to first visit your nearest Barcelona dealership should you have a mechanical or warranty issue.

However, if you are still unsatisfied, and in order to facilitate your inquiries and complaints we have created a special unit, Customer Relations Management [CRM] Team, to resolve any outstanding issues. Please do not hesitate in contacting our Team if you have no success with our dealership.

Customer Relations Management [CRM] Team, Barcelona Motors
Phone: 02-938-6388
Email: crm2@dealer.bmw.co.th

Similarly, if there are persons who feel the need to question Barcelona’s standing as a BMW authorised dealership, they may call BMW Thailand direct, on 02 305-8888 to confirm Barcelona’s status.

Please be assured that the Barcelona Group follow closely the regulations applied by BMW Thailand and that we always endeavor to give good service to our BMW riders and customers.

We would like to thank those who have had problems for bringing them to our attention, as they will help us to serve you better in the future.

Sincerely yours,
Customer Relations Management [CRM] Team

Have any policies been implemented to ensure that original parts aren't taken and then replaced with cheaper ones, as claimed, by the local staff?

[Davidfl]

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Have any policies been implemented to ensure that original parts aren't taken and then replaced with cheaper ones, as claimed, by the local staff?

CBR250 I believe any valid complaints should be taken up by the individuals concerned direct with BMW Thailand via the contact details provided.
What has happened on this thread is a lot of hearsay by 3rd parties not directly involved; which has not helped any of the parties involved.
BMW should be commended for responding.
Whilst I believe there are some valid complaints that need to be addressed by the parties concerned, airing other people's dirty laundry in public will not help the situation. but only inflame the urban myths & rumour mongers.

So please let the parties involved sort out the issues involved, or this thread could very easily fly out of control.

[Ozjourno]

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I feel that it is as a result of the comments in this thread, that some action appears imminent. It seems that previous attempts to have this problem addressed have met with little success. GT Rider has become a representative body of the riding minority in Thailand (those on bigger bikes and predominently foreigners) and we should embrace this.

I commend both BMW for their response, and the members of the forum for eliciting this response. An open dialogue can only benefit the entire riding public.

[Rhodie]

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Barcelona should be commended for responding to what is a thread almost entirely lacking from actual BMW riders' direct input.
With the notable exception of John Gooding, they have been hamstrung with their investigations by an inability to discern which are the riders who have had issues in Chiang Mai by trying to work from forum posts posted by third parties and second-hand CM scuttlebutt.

The CRM Team in Bangkok need and are keen to hear from BMW riders what their experiences have been with their dealerships.
So I would strongly encourage those who have had problems in the past to contact the CRM Team direct, with a concise and simple email explaining what has happened when, and accompanied with scanned copies of bills where possible.

The cases regarding used parts is an issue they are partially aware of, but they do still need to hear from all riders who have had cause for concern to gauge the actual scale and nature of the problem.
In their minds they have assisted a brother BMW biker get back on the road quickly.
Controversially, I am led to believe, they have resorted to sourcing parts off either demo bikes -and possibly from bikes awaiting repair- rather than having a rider wait 3 weeks for parts to come from Germany.
Were all parties aware of what was happening? Most probably/definitely not.
But from my limited experience here, a lot does get lost in translation and Barcelona now appear willing to address this, if they are given facts from unhappy customers.

Having been a customer of theirs in Bangkok for 6 years now, I have seen a gradual change from what was total indifference, to begrudging service and to what is now a reasonably reliable service but with the added bonus of an apparent interest to get things right, albeit at eye-watering prices.

I urge all BMW riders do take them up on their challenge by reporting poor or bad service to this team and giving Barcelona a chance to redeem themselves and BMW biking in Thailand. Then please post an AAR here to see if there has been an improvement.

[madjbs]

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I took my bike in to get repaired at Barcelona BKK and they did absolutely nothing to fix it for 3 weeks. After one week I got a phone call asking what was wrong with it, so I explained the problem again. Second week I rang up to check up on progress and it turned out they still had not done anything to it, so I explained the problem for a 3rd time. By the 3rd week I was completely sick of waiting so I went to pick it up to find they still hadn't done anything to it as they claimed nothing was wrong with it, although they hadn't bothered to inform me. They still had the cheek to charge me for the 2000 baht recovery vehicle (which picked it up, broken down at the side of the road) and 1000 baht for checking the battery (something I told them repeatedly I had just replaced).

I went back to using Dynamic Motors on Wisut Kasat road, which is much better and a lot cheaper too. They found the problem (faulty ignition switch) and had it fixed within a couple of days for less than Barcelona charged me for doing absolutely nothing.

If you don't have a brand new bike bought directly from Barcelona BMW, Barcelona couldn't care less about you or their service.

[LivinLOS]

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Whilst I believe there are some valid complaints that need to be addressed by the parties concerned, airing other people's dirty laundry in public will not help the situation. but only inflame the urban myths & rumour mongers.

Surely it was precisely the airing of dirty laundry in public that pressured them to take a public stance on the issue.

[Admin001]

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Surely it was precisely the airing of dirty laundry in public that pressured them to take a public stance on the issue.

Have to agree that that makes some sense. Selling and servicing motorcycles must be a public business, not a private family matter.
However I think it is more useful if posters are talking about their own washing, not somebody elses. So anyone else have really dirty washing, which for some reason they have been reluctant to take to the Barcelona laundry?

[nikster]

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Surely it was precisely the airing of dirty laundry in public that pressured them to take a public stance on the issue.

I agree with that. What's wrong with discussing these things in public. Afraid someone might get "angry"? I think it's good to discuss both as a warning and as a chance for improvement. Criticism can induce change, and that would be in the best interest of both riders and BMW.

If there were obvious trolling going on on this forum, it would be pretty apparent and swiftly dealt with. As far as Barcelona CM is concerned I was only there once and wasn't impressed - I was seriously considering getting an F800GS instead of the Versys, the reception at Barcelona CM pretty much immediately convinced me that that would be a bad idea. Finding a sales rep took about 15 minutes of me searching the building, and when the guy arrived he didn't seem interested in selling anything. So that's a personal experience.

I've also heard things from various people - these are second hand experiences, maybe just rumors, who knows - but I did find it interesting that they were all negative. From a Thai friend of mine who got a VW instead of a BMW solely because of the service he had received on his previous BMW by Barcelona CM. I took his word for it. Price was not an issue, at one point he was cruising around in a VW CC which probably costs more than a basic 3 or 5 series. And from some Farang.

BMW's response in this thread is exactly what I want to hear - that they're aware of it, and hopefully taking care of it. Impressed with them doing this all in English even though farang customers surely are by far in the minority at BMW; and a CRM phone number - wow. Let's hope they keep at it.

@Rhodie You should get the "customer of the year award" by Barcelona BKK - 6 years of bad service and you're still around 5555... when I get bad service I don't usually complain - I just don't come back...

[Rhodie]

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I agree with that. What's wrong with discussing these things in public. Afraid someone might get "angry"? I think it's good to discuss both as a warning and as a chance for improvement. Criticism can induce change, and that would be in the best interest of both riders and BMW.

BMW's response in this thread is exactly what I want to hear - that they're aware of it, and hopefully taking care of it. Impressed with them doing this all in English even though farang customers surely are by far in the minority at BMW; and a CRM phone number - wow. Let's hope they keep at it.

@Rhodie You should get the "customer of the year award" by Barcelona BKK - 6 years of bad service and you're still around 5555... when I get bad service I don't usually complain - I just don't come back...

Nikster,
The response of Barcelona has been exceptional in a Thai context, by openly owning their CM problem [unheard of IME] and then putting in place a reporting system.
However, the onus is still on them to perform and improve, as other big bike players are entering the market, their failings will be others' opportunities.

Though the dearth of good Thai M/C mechanics available effects all bike brands and hinders the opening up of more regional dealers. This will leave many with learning curves & teething troubles to overcome for the immediate future. And with all Marques, the problem will continue to be the service side of any operation & after-sales QC.

Those of us who have persisted with the Bavarian behemoths have had to look elsewhere because of Barcelona's & BKK's failings, and have ended up using Joe's in CM, or, on one occasion ending up riding all the way to Singapore for a service!

Barcelona still say the farang business is important to them, as we make up 40 percent of there business - they now need to back this up with remedial action.

Nikster your experience of trying to get someone to sell you a new bike in the first place is not unique and doesn't give one confidence in their after-sales service.
Those of us who have invested in BMW have little reason to jump ship quite yet, as Kawasaki is deluged by their success in sales, as are Ducati, with the resultant backlog in servicing that does not always get high marks either.

After a slow start Triumph in BKK have got their act together, which I understand is good in CM as well.

KTM have slightly different issues - boutique prices aimed at a small niche indigenous demographic and continued plate problems with the inability to pass the emissions tests on certain models. The MV Augusta is a welcome addition to their portfolio of brands, but until I see a legit plate on one I would steer clear.

So for those of who continue to own a Bee'EmTroubleyou I believe we should look to Barcelona's CRM Team to resolve any service or warranty related issues by simple clear emails copying in both BMW Germany & Thailand and with follow-up calls that are also documented.

Expecting US/UK/EU service in LoS imo is still some years away and maybe end up being led by the emerging Japanese big bike brands.
Cheers
Rhodie

[Ian Bungy]

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Some Good Facts there for People to take note of Rhodie. Very true about Triumph. It was a Hard start here in CM but now with Tuk running things it is the Best Service available from any of the Dealers! I just had My 40.000 km service done and Top Notch! I can't even get into Kawasaki unless I book in advance! Big Sales and Small service! If the others can follow Triumphs example We will all benefit!

[Changnoi1]

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Although I have no experience at all with Barcelona, except that I was once in their showroom, I think the main problem here is that Thai companies like this are still used to the old fashion Thai style of monopoly in their business in combination with the thought that giving service costs money.

But the Thai market is changing as well are the new upcoming Thai business people. They do realize that it are the customers for are paying their salary.

The change has to come from the top, and I do think that also the top management of BMW Thailand and Barcelona are realizing this.

And there is only one way to help and that is to make the top-management notice all the problems. It did work for me, both at Kawasaki Thailand as with Toyota Thailand. And it seems it also starts to work at BMW Thailand.

Chang Noi

[KZ25]

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I read the whole thread and it reminded me of the time when I owned BMW bikes more than ten years ago in Honolulu, HI.
I had only Japanese bikes until then and never experienced any problems at any dealership, but funny enough the only BMW dealer in Honolulu was run by crooks.
Several other BMW riders told me their negative experiences; one rider actually flew to California and ordered a GS there because of better service and it was cheaper!
One of the BMW mechanics managed to drop my bike, damaged the fairing and broke the aftermarket screen. Instead of owning up to it they offered me peanuts and I had to haggle with them over the extent of reparations.
Why do I mention this?
Because today I wish I had taken it up with BMW North America and maybe these crooks would have been out of business then or would have been forced to change their ways.
Insofar I think it's a good thing that substantial complaints are made public, no matter if it's by the owner of a Beemer or his brother or friend.
BMW is a reputable company trying hard to do their best and if customers get screwed by certain outlets action should be taken.

[nikster]

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Some Good Facts there for People to take note of Rhodie. Very true about Triumph. It was a Hard start here in CM but now with Tuk running things it is the Best Service available from any of the Dealers! I just had My 40.000 km service done and Top Notch! I can't even get into Kawasaki unless I book in advance! Big Sales and Small service! If the others can follow Triumphs example We will all benefit!

I'd say Triumph is pretty safe from the problem of "big sales" given their prices :P

Kawasaki service definitely has suffered as a result of selling tons and tons of bikes that now all want to come into the same garage and be serviced by the same three mechanics. Still OK service but yeah, have to make an appointment.

[Captain_Slash]

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I'd say Triumph is pretty safe from the problem of "big sales" given their prices :P

A classic nikster

[Cliff]

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At this time I won’t go into all the details of my problems with Barcelona but suffice it to say that my 2005 R1200GS has been at Barcelona Chiang Mai waiting for parts and repairs since April 2011. One week ago (Mar 2) I sent the following message to the CRM Team but have NOT received a reply. So much for the Customer Relations Management Team!

Dear Customer Relations Management Team;

It has come to my attention that this email address was on the Golden Triangle Rider Website and I am writing to ask the name of the individuals on the CRM team and your authority and location as this information was not in your post.

I fully agree with the negative posts on GT-Rider and may eventually post a message about my experience with Chiang Mai Barcelona as well. But first I want to get my motorcycle back in good condition as I have been waiting since my accident in April 2011 to have it repaired.

Regards,

[madjbs]

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So they have had your bike for a year without fixing it, that is disgraceful. Why on earth don't you pick it up and take it somewhere that can fix it properly? Barcelona BKK had my bike for 4 weeks without doing anything once and I thought that was a long time...

[LivinLOS]

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Funny to see how the praise they got for 'taking action' turned into an email account that no one responds to..

[TonyBKK]

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That sucks, but we all know how bad many (most?) Thai companies are about replying to email.

Did you try to reach them by phone at the numbers provided? 02-938-6388 & 02 305-8888

Best of luck!

[Cliff]

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It is difficult for me to talk to a Thai person on the phone. I'll give them another week or so.