Britbike Triumph at the Kafe tomorrow night

[Pikey]

This is mostly of interest to CNX riders. I just spent the past couple of hours with Dom Hetrakul who is the MD and driving force behind Britbike Triumph and in an effort to improve customer service, he'd like to meet as many expat bikers as possible to gather feedback about what we want from a bike dealership.

He, along with others from Britbike will be at the Kafe from 8pm tomorrow evening. Dom's a passionate biker so it should be a good night!

Hope to see you there!

Cheers,

Pikey.

 

[Rhodie]

Good on yer Pikey.
This is a most interesting development to hear.
For if Britbikes are to survive against the increasing bigbike competition they need not only to meet, but to surpass the big Jap companies, in terms of customer service. This can be done without expending vast sums of money but by tough & determined management keen to meet their riders' expectations.
To hear of recent shenanigans at BMW VVP - an experience that I have encountered with BMW in some form or other - then K Dom needs to learn of these and give customers a better service than what is on offer at present.
It is not just the acquisition of an expensive bike that riders want, it is a comprehensive after sales service that will ensure customer loyalty, and thereby a growth in the brand.
K Dom is very fortunate to have K Yut on his staff, who has been the glue that has held the company together and is the service 'face' of the company. K Yut has gone out of his way to assist fellow bikers with problems, even though they are not Triumph owners. Some of his colleagues however have not been so keen to meet this high benchmark.
Good luck tomorrow.
I hope, as a result of your Kafe meeting, Britbikes come forward with a positive plan of action in providing their riders with a better and more reliable service in which they can trust.
Thereby enabling Britbikes to emerge triumphant, in what is going to be a very tough marketplace.
K Dom should be applauded for taking such an innovative approach - actually wanting to hear what both his existing & potential customers have to say.

 

[DavidFL]

Count me in. See you all there 8PM Friday.
GT Riders please wear a GT Rider shirt.

 

[Ian Bungy]

After Wasting My Entire Morning Waiting For a Meeting with Dom that He didn't Turn up for it is Safe to Say I won't be Stood up a Second Time therefore won't be there!!! What Pisses Me off is His Office Called a few Times to make sure I would Be Here!!! I have No Idea What the Meeting was For or About??? Anyway i have More important things to Do!!! :evil:
Practising Customer Service maybe???

 

[JohhnyE]

Ian I got an exact same call on Tuesday from Brit Bike asking me for an appointment with Dom for yesterday. No mention of why or what would be discussed.
I had to phone them several times to confirm what time but couldn't get a time.
They didn't show either.
Now Dom being who he is, his expected visit had all my female staff excited and they too were disappointed.
So this style of Thai service needs to improve.
In my case they were probably reluctant to face me because earlier in the week they had also called to tell me my new Street Triple had "missed the boat" from England and was now not available. They blamed the factory for forgetting to load it into the container. I don't believe this to be the real reason as I've been in Thailand too long and know whatever they tell me there must be another real reason! But it's easy to blame the facory isn't it?
I mean I only ordered it in December at the grand opening of Triumph Chiang Mai. Strangely enough they have another one but not the colour I ordered available right now if I want it??!!

 

[Pikey]

For what it's worth, BritBike showed up last night and a good night was had by all. I queried them not turning up for Ian's appointment and they said that it was scheduled for today, saturday, not yesterday as yesterday was spent with Niyom addressing QC issues. Now Johnny posts that he too was asked for an appointment for yesterday, it does make me question things.....

As for Johnny's bike "missing the boat", I have already stressed to Dom that if he is to be successful here (and I sincerely hope he will be), he has to re-educate his people against the use of "face" as his farang customers appreciate straight talking above all else. I also emphasized the concept of "under promise and over deliver" rather than the current situation which is exactly the opposite ("face" again! :x )

For the practicalities, Richco have been appointed to handle some of the finishing on the bikes so now I will get the satin powdercoat on the Bonnie's fork legs rather than Niyom's 2-pack gloss! Dom is also looking to appoint some kind of service manager and also retrain his technicians by having selected ones go back to the UK and then cascade their knowledge to the other mechanics. I understand also that khun Andy will be spending more time in CNX to oversee things.

I believe that Dom wants to be the best, but as they are a young company, they have a very steep learning curve. Couple that with the sometimes lacksadasical Thai work ethic, and you have an uphill struggle!

Dom informs me that he reads this board, as does khun Yut, so I hope they take note of comments made here as constructive criticism and build a successful organization that customers want to buy in to as the product is 100% tip-top and sells itself but is currently let down by lack of quality customer service.

Cheers,

Pikey.

 

[Ian Bungy]

I had a Reply to Post But have been Warned Off It and Seems I am already in the Bad Books for a Previous misunderstanding so for the Sake of Diplomacy and Saving Face i will leave it as Is :wink:
Seems Telling the Truth or Speaking Your Mind isn't appreciated? Don't Rock the Boat or upset the Wrong People! :wink:

 

[David Learmonth]

Have read these comments & other comments on Britbike Triumph posts. Can only speak as I find - rang K.Yut last month & made appointment for 6000 mile service & warranty work re. weep on rocker cover gasket. Arrived at workshop as arranged at 11.30 on 12th March & K.Eak was waiting for us.Made a night of it in CNX with wife & for first time found The Kafe (met up with "the snail"). Collected Bonnie morning after, clean, sounding better & no complaints. Its done over 1000 miles since,no return of oil weep & is running well. That is my only experience of the workshop in CNX but on that occasion I was quite satisfied.

 

[Pikey]

Hi David,

Glad you had a positive experience at Triumph CNX. My opinion is that both Yut and Aek are top flight guys and if either of them are present to oversee things, stuff gets done properly. However, if the Niyom guys are left to work alone, that's when problems arise and is what Dom and his crew need to address.

Post or PM me next time you are in CNX as it would be good to meet up with a fellow Bonnie rider

Cheers,

Pikey.