This really isn't about a Kawi. Actually it's about a parts order for my KTM. However, I think it fitting to let you guys know about some of my favorite, and not so favorite, suppliers. This might get rather long winded. But it is important to me so I?ll do it anyway.
First off I live and work in Alaska. I am preparing for my annual trip to my native Alabama where I will race a couple of hare scrambles and enduros while visiting with friends and family. This is my annual get away from the Alaskan tundra and is always fun racing with the people that I grew up with.
My KTM 300 EXC at my sister?s house needs a new chain and sprockets. So it?s no big deal to just order some new parts and have them waiting on me when I arrive right. Wrong!! (Please note that I have done such things through
Rocky Mountain MC/ATV in the past.) So I go to the Rocky Mountain web site but they are sold out of the parts that I want. Not surprising since these are about the most popular parts for one of the more popular woods bikes at a supplier who has customer service at competitive prices that is second to none.
Now begins my www search for another supplier. After an extensive search through chain and sprocket threads at the web sites that I routinely visit I come up with a list of suppliers that others have used. So I go to the web site of one of the largest suppliers and order my parts. My shipping address is in Alabama and my billing address is a P.O. Box in Alaska. Oh, and I paid with my credit card. Everything checks out when I place my order and I get an order confirmation number. I figure my parts should be on the way.
The next day I get an email from the supplier that says my order is on hold and for me to call them at their ?888? number. After several attempts at the ?888? number it is apparent that I can?t get through to them from Alaska. So now I type up an email that explains what I do, where I live, and why I would like my parts shipped to another address. I also included that I couldn?t reach their ?888? number. I would think they should understand about racing since they are a leading dirt bike supplier and have a race team of their own that travels around the country. Later that day I get a message on my voice mail from the supplier that states they can ship only to an address within the state where my credit card billing address is and that they cannot ship to a P.O. Box.
Not being able to ship to a P.O. Box is always a pain for me. What this means is they do not ship anything via the postal service as shippers like UPS and Fed Ex deliver only to physical addresses. Up here the majority of people have to use secured mail delivery like P.O. Boxes due to the winter conditions, vastness of area, and the fact that snow removal equipment plays havoc on mailboxes. Since I live alone and work remotely the chances of me being at home when my parts arrive is slim to none and of course they must be signed for. Then when I finally get home I have to play the tracking number game with the shipping company who has an unlisted phone number and is only open from 8 ? 10 am Monday and Wednesday, all the while hoping they have not sent my parts back to the supplier. And what do I get for the pain of having to play this game? I get to pay international shipping rates which are often double what they are in the lower 48! This international status also necessitates the signature part. I guess I have to pay to live in paradise but at last account Alaska was still a US state!! I realize the shipper determines the shipping rates and not the supplier. However, I wish that I could count the number of times that I have paid $20 in shipping and when my merchandise arrives the documentation says the shipper charged $11.
Now just why can?t my merchandise go to my sister in Alabama? I realize there are hundreds of internet scams out there but I?m not one of them. I thought an email explaining what I was doing in detail might have some bearing. Rocky Mountain understood when I sent a similar email to them. And you know Dan at
Dirt-Bike-Gear shipped stuff to my P.O. Box although he normally didn?t do it that way. Furthermore, he didn?t charge me international shipping rates either! Okay so now we?re two or three days into this and I?m still being patient because I haven?t talked to anyone yet. I send another email and tell them that I can?t reach their ?888? number from Alaska and ask if they have another number I could call. Two days later I get an email with their local phone number. Then to their credit there was a message on my voice mail with the same phone number.
So I call long distance to see if we can get this order accomplished. I give them my order number and they take a few minutes to find it. Then they again tell me that my parts must be shipped to Alaska. I go through the essay of why I want my parts in Alabama. Then I was told to hang on a minute while they go talk to their manager. When they finally get back I?m told that I can fax them a copy of my driver?s license and credit card to get my order shipped. Well at least this is a method. But then it dawns on me that these people don?t trust me. Now wait a minute, I have already given them a credit card number that is valid, a P.O. Box address that is valid, a physical delivery address that is valid, an email address that is valid, and two telephone numbers that are valid. If they don?t trust me why should I trust them? Furthermore, this is one of the larger offroad supply companies in the USA and I do believe that I stand to lose a great deal more on any scam than they do based simply on the amount of information that I have already given out. I ask them if they can just cancel the order. They said they could but they didn?t wish too. Then I explained that I felt as though I had gone about as far as I was prepared too and I wasn?t going to fax them a copy of my driver?s license and credit card. Also, there was entirely too much competition for my business for me to jump through these hoops for $120 worth of merchandise. Needless to say the order was cancelled. Throughout this entire exchange I did not encounter anyone who was rude with me. Therefore, I was not rude with them. However, I just could not bend over for all of their policies and procedures. I feel that since I am trying to do business honestly please at least give me the benefit of a doubt.
So now what do I do to get my parts? I could wait and go to my dealer when I get to Alabama or I could go to my KTM dealer up here in Alaska and then ship them myself or take the parts south with me. I prefer a particular chain and sprockets which are non OEM. However, the dealers would have something that works although I might run the risk of them having to order it and being delayed.
I give the internet one more try before I go to my dealer here or call me dealer in Alabama and see if they can get me some nonstandard parts which will probably cost a great deal more. It gets expensive when you buck the system! However, I send an email to Kevin at
erider explaining my situation and what I want. He replies and basically says ?Dan, just tell me what you want and where you want it?. Now is this ever a refreshing change! I have since ordered my parts and I expect they will be showing up in Alabama very soon! Thanks Kevin!! You saved me potentially a very large headache. Not to mention maybe missing a race.
If you have made it this far in this post I must congratulate you for your fortitude. At the end of all of this I have two lists that are growing. Suppliers that I do business with and suppliers that I do not do business with. I?m just one man and probably won?t impact anyone?s business greatly alone. However, I do own three motorcycles, two ATV?s, and three snowmobiles, all of which need parts and service from time to time. Not to mention riding gear like helmets and boots. I also communicate with a lot of people at places just like this one. Furthermore, my girlfriend has decided that she would like to get back into dirt bikes to go with me and I am taking her and her daughter to an MX race that I am working next Saturday. Her daughter his all bummed out because she can?t find a 60 ? 85 cc pink dirt bike on the internet. And just to go a little further the MX racing sanctioning body here has contacted me about laying out a hare scramble course. They have no idea what to do to get ?cross country? type racing started up here. Henceforth, they asked if I could help them get this started. So yeah, I?m just one man and I have a list of businesses that I deal with and businesses that I don?t! Right now for sure I will send all of the business that I can to these folks:
http://www.rockymountainmc.com/home.asp?sid=0004157300http://www.dirt-bike-gear.com/http://www.erider.ws/home.htm
