california cycleworks ban

[evo stevo]

This just a FYI. I have been in the ducati world a long time and have never been treated in such a humiliating manner as from these people, both Chris and the bimbo that answered the phone. I know they are well respected in some circles, but they are out of mine. those of you who know me and those that do not, should take heed in doing business with this company. Those of you who know me, I would appreciate it if you would discontinue all business with CCW. Those of you who don't know me, I am on the cover of the Desmo Leanings issue present. these are not nice people, and i am just giving you fair warning. the shops and teams i deal with have already discontinued business, i hope you will do the same so that we can rid the world of CCW. thank for taking the time to read this important message.

[duc1036]

I think it would be fair to the community, based on your request, to follow up with some detail.

[evo stevo]

Ok, that is a fair request. i have purchased several parts from them, but have never requested assistance. When i asked a simple question re the yamaha relay wiring, i was treated in about the lowest manner possible. as in, if you can't figure it out (no instructions or wiring diagram included), then you need to take it to a shop that can do it. Uh, I am the shop, and I don't need those kind of insults. All I was asking was re 2 wires, just to be sure. After all, the bike is a one of one 999s Marlboro by Scott Moore. Chris said just hook it up any way you want to, it will work. that may be true, but we are talking starter relay here, big current. that is not the way to respond. maybe i should of known any connection would work, but he could of just said that, instead telling me i was a dumbfuuck, especially considering the amount of parts bought and the credos given to CCW in the SS900SP article in Desmo Leanings. Whatever, I am done with them, will never deal with or recommend. you can do what you wish, all shops here are done that i know, and will further the death knell through the rest that will support me. All i can say about it is that there is no call for that kind of insulting verbage from someone who doesn't even know who he is talking to. unfortunately for chris, he did it to the wrong guy this time. i have a feeling he has insulted many before me, but he made a big mistake in assuming i was a jerkwater guy from alabama. And, I am glad he did. Because, the entry level ducatista would probably take it and go on hoping for more respect someday from people like CCW that are supposed to be some kind of gurus in the Ducati world. But, you know what, it's the people that make ducs run, not the people that sponge off the riders that are just trying make it faster around the next corner. enuff said, sorry to run on. I needed to finish this bike by tomorrow for a customer and I just couldn't keep working on it. People like Chris make everyone want an R1. If the rest of the duc world was like him, i would certainly choose another brand.

Stevo, '92 851SPT, '93 888SPO, '94 SS900SP, '99 VH/FBF 996, '97 M900, '01 M900, '04 ST4s, '04 M1000S, (4) '04 999s, KTM 950SM, '03 gas gas 280TXTpro, '07 gas gas 200TXTpro, and last but not least, '66 CL77...........and the best of all, my new xmark quest lawnmower!! ;-) It's all good, just have to get rid of the bad people, that's all I have to post.

[Old Fart]

evo:
Not trying to come off as a dick you gotta admit that a starter solenoid is about the simplest electrical device on the planet. *Unless I'm missing something here... It's a clone of what was standard on any bike. From a dealers perspective I can see their reticence in providing details. The fat posts are obvious and can be location copied from the bike. The two little wires are power and ground.

I wouldn't feel compelled to bash a dealer over this. Heck, just look at the schematic from your bike and wire it the same way.

[evo stevo]

you're missing the point. it's not the mechanicals, it's the attitude. simple to you, but maybe some other customer has questions. The relay is a simple coil, but anyone who has worked on electricals has learned that assuming is not a good procedure. a simple yes or no is all it took, no effort, no need to be a jerk. I didn't need Chris to tell me i was incompetent, just reassure. Maybe you have made no mistakes in your life, but i have a list to keep track of. i am selling a bike to a guy that i have to explain the open clutch to. No problem, he doesn't know, so i am kind to him. Condescending only works when you are god, and that doesn't work on me ever as i am an atheist.

[916duc]

Excuse me, but what I read seems like a lot of ego bruising. Everyone is entitled to a bad day, maybe you both had one on the same day........

Overall it doesn't seem to warrant this response. No one cheated you out of any money or bad product, just an otherwise improper response, maybe at worst.

Certainly not enough to attempt to destroy someone's business.

[evo stevo]

i did not choose this bad day, he did. day over. i'll roll on. I realize he has more disciples than jesus. not trying to prove anything, just don't shoot at me and not expect to get shot back. i won't post anymore on the issue, just thought I should get it out there. and, as i said before, i have a funny feeling there may be others that feel the same way, but haven't said anything. I have ducatis to fix and will see yall on the flipside. issue done.

[foggy123]

If I were to ban all dealers or people for this I wouldn't have anyone to buy stuff from. You had a bad experience over a small purchase. Big deal, don't use Chris again if you feel slighted but I've bought lots of stuff from CC w/o issues and with great service. In the end, you look bad and CC will still sell parts.

[chris_k]

Wow, that's amazing.

• I will admit that the only talking down I gave this gentleman on the phone today was when he started off the conversation by throwing 2 insults at my *very* dedicated staff. Actually, his questions about the starter solenoid confused me. I was trying to assess evo_steve's knowledge and I very politely said that if this is something beyond his experience, he should have a motorcycle mechanic do the work for him. He snarled back that he IS the mechanic. Honestly, I didn't have a reply; I was lost for words. We've been selling those for over 10 years and about once a month get a "which way do the wires go" question and I always say "either way" to the caller's satisfaction.
• He had already asked another Ducati expert whose advice he was disregarding and then needed to talk to me. Hey that's cool. In the last 5 years, I've scaled back my technical advice and troubleshooting experience to the level of an advanced do it yourself home mechanic. When I'm asked how to locate spark plugs and the like, my usual response is that the person seeking my advice should have a trained technician help assess their situation. I'm not there to see how the battery cables are routed, so I'm not going to tell you what to do with the red one or black one -- who's to say they're even OEM?
• I only go two-thirds of the way that AMi or MMi go to help someone understand what's happening. My philosophy is that it is irresponsible of me to give much more knowledge than that else I enable the caller cause more harm than good.
• After Mr evo_steve sent us a nasty email, I called and apologized for his inconvenience and asked that he return the relay for a full refund, including shipping.
• I care less about him spewing his vitriol here than his insults to Candice. She is universally praised by our customers as being the most polite and helpful person on the phone ever. Insulting her efforts is truly beyond my comprehension. She's very nice and rides a Ducati Monster 620 -- so she actually knows quite a bit about the parts we sell.
• So, Mr evo_steve, I'm very sorry you're upset but I'm more disappointed that you needed to be so angry and rude about it -- and upset that you chose to be such an asshole to a lady. The offer for the refund is still open; however, beyond that I see no positive outcome to continued business or communications.
• Best regards,
• Chris

ps - how the heck do I make paragraphs in this forum?? It looks all bizarre to me.

• --
• Chris Kelley
• President,
• California Cycleworks, Inc
• 619/501-2466

[marvin]

OK, I now feel compelled to weigh in here.
I have been buying some things from Chris for quite a few years and have several times had some questionable dealings with him. I always just let it roll off thinking that he must have been a Drama Major in College.

It was at my suggestion that Stevo call Chris. His schematic was not at his shop, the only one I had that is close is a S4RS manual which shows different color codes on the wires in question. And yes we did discuss the fact that it probably wouldn't matter how it was connected as it is a simple coil. Stevo just wanted to be sure and know that it was correct for the customer. And yes he could have plugged everything back in and checked the polarity with a VOM which we also discussed. Calling Chris seemed to be the quickest. He didn't know that Chris was having a bad day and would act in a very unprofessional manner. A simple answer or an "I don't know" would have been sufficient.

BTW Chris did you really call to apologise or to threaten to sue him if he posted anything on the www!??

Bottom line here is that the customer is always right and you blew it, now trying to camoflage it with more drama about your employee. Just my

[DesmoWorks]

I have nothing to do with this conversation at all, but I cringe when I see this statement, "customer is always right". The customer is not always right and when they are wrong they should own up to it just like a business should when they are wrong.

That statement has turned into an attitude that customers can do whatever they want with no consequences - maybe this one is a good example - but I don't really know what happened so I won't go there.

[chris_k]

Originally Posted by marvin

BTW Chris did you really call to apologise or to threaten to sue him if he posted anything on the www!??

Bottom line here is that the customer is always right and you blew it, now trying to camoflage it with more drama about your employee. Just my

• Seriously? You weren't on the phone and you didn't receive the threatening email (I'll include it below). Yes, I did apologize and am sincere about a full refund. And I was under the impression that he was going to make a malicious posting. For whatever reason, people get a lot of enjoyment out of proving me wrong. Oddly, it doesn't really happen that way, as I've tried and screwed up about everything imaginable on my own bikes and learned through experience what does and doesn't work.
• I spend my time working on future products and helping people who appreciate pragmatic advice. Neither me or my staff are whipping posts; be rude to us and you get a polite chance to be an adult and then if that doesn't work, you're fired. If I had a call center with 20 or 30 trained phone operators, that would be a different story. Need to vent and abuse someone on the phone? Call up Geico or your Mastercard bank, not us.
• Seriously?? I didn't know that evo_steve was anointed Ducati royalty. I didn't call him a dumb ****, I nicely suggested he seek a mechanic's advice. People name drop all the time -- I honestly didn't know him from Adam. I said that and he got bent.
• Yes, if you want to call someone who is operating a business and treat them rudely and sub-human, please call one of our competitors. evo_steve's self entitlement has already caused a day's delay on my work on the Monster Track Tank mold. So in a small way, yes, he is impacting my business.
• Here's that email...

• from Steve Ehrnst <stevoharpo@yahoo.com>
  sender-time Sent at 1:17 PM (GMT-07:00)
  reply-to Steve Ehrnst <stevoharpo@yahoo.com>
  to Ca Cycleworks Orders <orders@ca-cycleworks.com>,
  date Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 1:17 PM
  subject Pre Sale: other ... stevoharpo@yahoo.com
  
  Subject: Pre Sale: other ... stevoharpo@yahoo.com
  
  f*ck you and the horse you rode in on. We will NEVER trade with you
  again and recommend that to all of our customers. This is the result of
  talking to some bimbo who cannot write or relay a message and some
  asshole named Chris who seems to know more than every other f*cking
  mechanic on the planet. Chris, if your stoned brain cannot remember, I
  asked you a simple f*cking question about your f*cking relays and your
  f*cking condescending attitude made go throw up. Your f*cking dick
  must be really small. Nothing you can do can correct how I feel about
  that conversation and furthermore, you will pay dearly for being a total
  asshole somewhere somehow someday. Karma will get you if I don't
  first. You need to get a job with Ducati North America Spa where other
  assholes like you seem to flourish. If you don't think I'm intelligent
  enough to work on a simple f*cking ducati motorcycle, consider these
  bikes I have owned and worked on with great care: '99 996 (Vance
  Hines/Fast by Ferraci privateer setup), '92 851SPT, '93 888SPO, '94
  SS900SP (current cover of Desmo Leanings, with credits to CCW, the
  last you will ever get. In fact, we will be sharing this shit on the web in
  an attempt to run your worthless shop out of business, where it
  belongs), '01 M900, '04 M1000S, '04 ST4S, not to mention 4 trip 9's. In
  addition, I have 3 college degrees, ridden and worked on bikes for 55
  years, played harp for many of the greats including the just passed,
  Koko Taylor, Pinetop Perkins, Willie Dixon, Tinsley Ellis, and countless
  others from Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Nashville, San Francisco,
  and Atlanta. And what hurts the most, is I am best friends with Marvin
  Jensen, who I also will recommend to stop trade with your POS shop. I
  mentioned that to your bimbo bitch, but unfortunately, you didn't get the
  message.
  
  Steve Ehrnst, former WERA #88
  Associate of Scott Moore, Fast Finish Painting, painters of Road Racing
  Worlds Chris Ulrich, Austin Ducati, M4, Valvoline, and others.

• So, yes, I repeat: I was polite and evo_steve must have mistaken that for challenging his authority. When experienced mechanics disagree with me, I will make a note of their reasoning and then drop the subject. I actually thought the caller didn't know much at all about motorcycle electrical systems. I never claim to know it all -- I've learned a lot and enjoy learning more all the time. Thing is, I don't see any learning from this experience other than some people live their lives differently from other people. I don't believe in being mean, condescending, or disrespectful to anyone.
• And I don't smoke. Neither weed nor tobacco. Never did the drug thing - bikes always gave me the rush I needed.
• Oh and here's Candice's reply to his vitriol:

  Steve,
  
  I'm sorry for offending you by not giving Chris your exact message. I
  tend to condense messages down to the most important bits such as your
  starter relay question. I do this so his message list doesn't get too
  long and to be more efficient. Hopefully, we can all get past this and
  enjoy the weekend
  
  Thanks,
  Candice

• This kind of why I don't frequent this forum and prefer not to lend advice here. I try to help people with ideas that have worked for me in the past (and the same way I share advice with other forums) and usually get yelled at here for giving bad advice.

[duc1036]

I have dealt with Chris when I was into Ducati and found him helpful, not the most patient but willing to lend advice. Did business with him. No problems.

Evo's rant reminds me of someone, can't put my finger on who though. I seem to recall he is a colorful guy with a colorful name.

[marvin]

Wow! Great response Chris! Well thought out, very well done, even to the very end with the "poor me"! You must have studied more than drama in College!

The sun has long ago passed over the yardarm and I make it a point to never delve into these pointless threads after having a wee bit of the malt.

Later! Or, maybe never!

[DucMarauder]

+1 for California Cycle Works....years of wonderful service and advice.
+2 for Candice for being the wonderful person that she is and taking this crap.

Evo Steve is a "Punk" only Punks yell at women!
He's no better than pond scum in my eyes.
Passed the above email around the shop, lots folks think steve is a special person.

[ducxl]

WOW.As a machinist i delighted in building a 996 engine.

California Cycleworks sold me parts to facilitate that.
I spent a bit of time on the phone to a piston distributor tho

[marvin]

Originally Posted by DucMarauder

+1 for California Cycle Works....years of wonderful service and advice.
+2 for Candice for being the wonderful person that she is and taking this crap.

Evo Steve is a "Punk" only Punks yell at women!
He's no better than pond scum in my eyes.
Passed the above email around the shop, lots folks think steve is a special person.

Wonderful! Another helpful, well thought out, articulate response from a SZ member!

[shoeman1952]

Chris_K, if you could pass along:

Candice, just spoke w/you last week. You were really nice, professional, and very customer service-oriented even tho my order was probably had the lowest profit margin of the day. Really, almost not worth the time of the transaction. My small order was placed, and components received without drama. Many thanks, always a pleasure to order from you folks.
bobp

ego steve seems to be an asshat

[ducman491]

Wow Steve, from that email you seem to be a class act. I really don't see how Chris and his staff could have misinterpreted you.

[Old Fart]

Not my battle but having managed a dealership for 13 years I have to side with CCW. In this business or any business for that matter we see all types of customers.

The most difficult are the self serving sanctimonious types who feel that their abilities are tops and their needs must be absolutely catered to on a gold platter. When their shortcomings are realized by the store as well as that customers psyche, it is the stores responsibility to protect their fragile ego.

Eventually the store can no longer provide that time consuming babysitting. Phuuuuuk that, find a different hobby and whinge elsewhere.