Sounds like a bad folk song. Today was the wrap-up of the situation with the BMW scooter we ordered for Joan. The dealer has had it in for a while but has not been able to complete the sale to us due to a "stop sale" from BMW.
We called them this morning and asked if we could come up today for a face to face visit to see how we could resolve the situation. We arrived at the 1:00 time we said, and Pat (brother of the owner and the one handling this sale) motioned for us to sit down at his desk and spun the computer monitor around. On it, was a notice from BMW, letting them know that parts for this situation will not be available until well into October and will be delivered to dealerships with sold and delivered unit first.
BMW did what I consider a crappy move: they shipped the bike to the dealership but did not issue the paperwork until August 13th. The "stop sale" became effective on August 12th. Any bike sold and delivered before the 13th would be under the recall, but could be ridden by the customer while waiting for the recall parts. Had BMW given our dealer friend the paperwork, we could have completed the sale before the stop sale. So, essentially, they knew they were shipping him a bike he could not sell.
We were told that it could be "after the first of the year" before they would get the parts necessary to complete the recall, since this would be the last of the bikes on that recall. At this point, no dealer would place an order for a bike they cannot sell.
"So, what do we do?" I asked.
"We give you back your deposit, and we'll keep you posted on how things progress. We know you are leaving in a couple weeks - if you come back next summer, there may be a rebate on this 'last years' bike by then. We will still do the same deal, regardless of how many miles you put on your trade-in between now and then... if you still want to do the deal."
Needless to say, we are disappointed. Joan has a "noteworthy" birthday coming up in the not too distant future, and this was what she wanted.
They have the bike sitting on their showroom floor with a "sold" sign (SOLD - Do Not Sit On) on it.
Joan is being her usual "meant to be" self. She still has a great scoot with the PCX, and we will get more fun riding in while we're here.
When we left the dealership, we talked about the timing: we ordered the bike immediately after taking a test ride - that was as soon as that could have happened. Had the bike not had a "stop sale" on it, we would have had plenty of time to get the break-in service done and still get lots of good riding in while we're here.
Once we get back to Texas, our riding changes: the roads are straight and moderately boring... mostly, we ride to lunch or breakfast, then go for a short ride in the "country" before going back home. The riding in Phoenix is actually better than at home. Now, don't get me wrong - we have lots of great water, a spectacular beach, and beautiful swaying palm trees in a sub-tropical climate. The weather we have in late fall, winter, and spring is nicer than many parts of the country have in their summer. We just don't have great motorcycle roads.
So, we move on.
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