BMW Roadside assistance causes chaos & $$$$$$

I really wanted to share my recent experience w you all in regards to damage done to my 2014 K1600 GTL. On March 17th I called the local dealer and BMW roadside assistance for pu for a flat in my rear tire. The dispatcher called me to get details and since I wasn't home my wife would be there to open the garage for access. The dispatcher after some instructions from myself to be careful assured me I was in good hands and that she will send an experienced driver! 3 days later i got a call from the dealer saying the damage will be excessive, in the thousands! knowing nothing about this I hit the roof! The driver ratcheted the left handlebar to tight and snapped it off thus causing damage to the speaker cover, clutch assembly, fairing, gas tank and the lists goes on. An experienced driver!! Here's my angst... its now been six weeks and we are still awaiting parts from Germany, I had a conversation w Roadside and they sympathized however they will escalate this to a higher white shirt as he cannot make the call on this at the moment, now 5 weeks later i have received no return call, zippo! A few days later I emailed BMW Canada customer service saying since the bike was purchased in Oct and now has only 823 kms on her I am asking for a new bike, compensation and possibly a loaner! Through no fault of my own i now have over $6000 damage and a dec on the bike now and all of this stemming from a pu for a flat tire! Other than the standard reply that my letter has been received I have not heard one word form BMW Canada. I know of no worse customer service than BMW Canada, this is absolutely ridiculous and I am pretty steamed! On Friday I went to the local dealer and spoke my mind to a few ee's including the GM, he stated that he will be in contact w the National Director but we'll see where that goes..... I haven't a good thing to say how BMW has handled this and will be passing more on to others to peel back layers and look into customer service w BMW because it very possible the worse I have ever encountered! I am so disgusted that will be moving on to another ride later this year, great bike but the talking heads are pitiful! by the way should you need a pu in Vancouver BC stay away from Mitchell's towing!!
Any one else have this experience? Legal doesn't think I have much to stand on as i have to prove that I have lost $$ on a sale transaction. thx for listening!

Wow!

That sounds horrible. I question who is responsible for the repairs though. My guess is that you need to get the towing company. Normally the a small tow business is contracted by BMW roadside assistance, so your only recourse would be through the tow company itself. Or rather, their insurance company. I am sure roadside assistance, your dealer, and the BMW mothership would not pay to fix your bike.

What a horrible story, especially when all you had was a flat. The tow company must be nearby, go to their offices with receipts and estimates for repair perhaps?

I would expect that the towing company would have insurance that should compensate you for the driver's ineptness. I hope that your luck changes quickly.

Paul_F said:

I would expect that the towing company would have insurance that should compensate you for the driver's ineptness. I hope that your luck changes quickly.

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Good day, insurance has been cleared through the tow co however because of the repair bill I now have a dec on the bike which is only 800 km old, 500 miles! What bothers me is BMW reluctance to return contact and possibly step in to keep the dec off or even contacting me to see what they can do! Poor PR and I intend to keep this going, I have a list of people who will listen to me and spread this! Thx

Korotro said:

Good day, insurance has been cleared through the tow co however because of the repair bill I now have a dec on the bike which is only 800 km old, 500 miles! What bothers me is BMW reluctance to return contact and possibly step in to keep the dec off or even contacting me to see what they can do! Poor PR and I intend to keep this going, I have a list of people who will listen to me and spread this! Thx

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Spread what? That you had a bad experience with a road service company? From my experience, any roadside assistance plan has contracted regional tow services and "negotiated" a "discount" rate to take care of roadside assistance calls whether it be BMW, AAA, Good Sam or Joe's roadside plan. The payments on these plans are frequently less that it costs to operate the tow vehicle and personnel- so, you can fill in the possibilities.
From your post, it seems your real trouble is with the tow company and further up the chain would be the administrator of the "sold to you" (in one way or another) roadside plan.
This kind of thing happens, it's not a plot. It will get fixed and you can get back to enjoying your bike.
OM

Sorry, I don't know the terminology. What is a "dec"? My addled brain can't seem to figure it out.

2bikers1collie said:

Sorry, I don't know the terminology. What is a "dec"? My addled brain can't seem to figure it out.

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I'm assuming he is referring to a "declaration" report...maybe something similar to a CarFax report that is attached to the VIN#. That in turn would show that it has had prior damage and could affect the re-sale value???

AirBender said:

I'm assuming he is referring to a "declaration" report...maybe something similar to a CarFax report that is attached to the VIN#. That in turn would show that it has had prior damage and could affect the re-sale value???

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Exactly, thankyou, since it is only months old and just 500 miles on it, it affects re sale and appraisal value!

Omega Man said:

Spread what? That you had a bad experience with a road service company? From my experience, any roadside assistance plan has contracted regional tow services and "negotiated" a "discount" rate to take care of roadside assistance calls whether it be BMW, AAA, Good Sam or Joe's roadside plan. The payments on these plans are frequently less that it costs to operate the tow vehicle and personnel- so, you can fill in the possibilities.
From your post, it seems your real trouble is with the tow company and further up the chain would be the administrator of the "sold to you" (in one way or another) roadside plan.
This kind of thing happens, it's not a plot. It will get fixed and you can get back to enjoying your bike.
OM

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It's about accountability, discount or not, can't do the job or ur confused get the ... Out! Fill in the possibilities!

2bikers1collie said:

That sounds horrible. I question who is responsible for the repairs though. My guess is that you need to get the towing company. Normally the a small tow business is contracted by BMW roadside assistance, so your only recourse would be through the tow company itself. Or rather, their insurance company. I am sure roadside assistance, your dealer, and the BMW mothership would not pay to fix your bike.

What a horrible story, especially when all you had was a flat. The tow company must be nearby, go to their offices with receipts and estimates for repair perhaps?

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It's BMW roadside assistance and BMW arranged it. They should be helping out more and communicating with him. This doesn't look good for BMW.

I have been fortunate. (Knock on wood) I only got towed once in Mexico in a mountainous area for 50 miles.
I supervised everything they did. They did it my way. And they offered some insight.
After I was delivered safe I said it's a miracle. No, they said, they know what they are doing.
When things go wrong, even when little things go wrong, more things can go wrong.
And thus it is always good to be involved. Or do it yourself.
Some years ago I had a flat. In front of a tire store. I had to pay $12 to have someone put a worm into the tire and inflate it.
Some months ago I had a flat in Rancho Cucamonga, 75 miles from home.
Not being one to lightly spend $12, I had my own worm kit, and a little air pump.
And fixed it and got home.
Trusting other people is always dangerous. Sometimes they goof up. It's all just part of the adventure.
dc

I don't get it either. The tow company screwed up. Your insurance company pays you and then they go after the tow company. If you think you got the short end from either, your recourse is legal action. Its not unusual that neither the tow company nor BMW are not jumping up and down yelling " HERE! Take this cash!" As far as the "dec" goes, how is it any different than if your bike was parked at the restaurant and someone backed into it with their car?

Yes, it started out as bad luck, and now you're getting treated shabbily and unfairly. But unfortunately, its not a terribly unique situation.

Just like the bikes they produce and sell, roadside assistance is also a product which BMW profits from and just like you wouldn't go after the particular worker who may have screwed up the assembly of the bike and thus create a lemon for you, it shouldn't be customers' responsibility to run after the towing-company-of-the-day BMW may have used. It is an end-to-end product and should be owned by BMW.

I am sorry for what you are going through and I can sympathize with how infuriating it must be.
Good luck with all.

Bugra


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Sigh, I have to say it. Why would you have bike towed for a flat, when it was in your garage??????

On the road in the middle of nowhere, when you have a large slit that you cannot plug, I understand. Just because it is free doesn't make it smart.

pffog said:

Sigh, I have to say it. Why would you have bike towed for a flat, when it was in your garage??????

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...says the guy with a bunch of light motorcycles.

The reason he had it towed was not the problem. Perfectly functional bikes can get transported for a variety of reasons.

Some people are not mechanically inclined, in the least. Some others have the money to not deal with it themselves. Personally My K16 was in pieces this winter, all over my garage, but I know some of the aforementioned people.

pffog said:

Sigh, I have to say it. Why would you have bike towed for a flat, when it was in your garage??????

On the road in the middle of nowhere, when you have a large slit that you cannot plug, I understand. Just because it is free doesn't make it smart.

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I would have either one of my bikes towed because at my age I am not going to wrestle with removing a wheel.

pffog said:

Sigh, I have to say it. Why would you have bike towed for a flat, when it was in your garage??????

On the road in the middle of nowhere, when you have a large slit that you cannot plug, I understand. Just because it is free doesn't make it smart.

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I'm not saying you have to wrestle with a K1600, but it is unfortunately a fact of life that towing a motorcycle should always be a last resort. Waay too many tow guys just don't know how to do it right, or think they know a better way, or some are just ignorant. I owned a towing business many years ago and prided myself in getting it right, but it takes time, patience, and some knowledge to do it right. You need all 3. Two out of three is still not good enough. Too many guys are in a big big hurry because they're already late for their next tow job, or, since this bike tow is not due to a crash, so there's no chance of the body shop part of their business making some $$$, so they want to rush and get rid of the bike as fast as they can.

I guess I'm confused. The bike was damaged, not by BMW. Repairs are being covered. The OP's complaint is that his bike will now be noted as having been damaged. Well, it was damaged and I doubt if BMW can hide that from the government body that oversees those things. If the resale value has dropped on the bike it is in no way the responsibility of BMW. The OP would have to seek compensation from the tow company and I doubt that is possible.

Reality is, bike was damaged, it is being fixed, there is really not much more a person can ask for than that. The damage report can not be hidden (that would be unfair to the potential next owner) and I have never heard of compensation to a vehicle owner because their vehicle might be worth less after repairs.

It is a shame it happened. i hope the bike goes back to the owner in great shape.