Experience with Ducati dealers in Thailand

[eisfeld]

Hi, since I got interested in the Ducati Scrambler and put a deposit down on it, I also tried to check the dealers a bit since this would be my first Ducati.

During a recent trip to Chiang Mai, I went to the Ducati dealer there and asked a few questions. The sales guy halfway spoke english which I don't mind but he gave me completely wrong information on basically everything I asked him. I asked how many HP the Hypermotard had to which he answered after 15 seconds staring into the air "95hp up". He also wanted to tell me that the Diavel weighs a mere 200kg with fuel. He had no idea about service intervals and costs. Asked him in the beginning and the end about test rides for the Scrambler and he gave me two different answers to the same question (once March, once April)!

They only have a Hyperstrada for testrides (same situation in Phuket) but that one was broken. Bunch of bikes in the yard in not so great condiition (dusty and no protection).

I shot Ducati Thonglor (BKK) a mail to both their general sales contact as well as directly to the guy who took my deposit about the current state of expected deliveries and test rides. A week has passed and no answer whatsoever.

All in all my very limited experience with Ducati dealerships so far was not impressive at all. Add to that the worrying stories in the Triumph thread about the owners of the distributor of both Triumph and Ducati...

So, what's the experience of actual Ducati owners? How's the service?

Oh and I would love to find out the servicing costs for the Scrambler but noone seems to know. Wonder if it's the same as for the 796 Monster and what's the costs there?

[H1w4yR1da]

In my experience, most Thai companies are awful at answering emails in English.

If you're in Bangkok, speak in person to the sales guys at Thonglor. They usually have very good English.

Or better still, talk to Jay at the Vipawadee branch.

Edited January 26, 2015 by H1w4yR1da

[ll2]

Their service area was looking top notch at viphavadi branch. dont know how they run it though.

But they expect you to pay the service costs without any questions asked as ducati buyers are richer guys for them. Some of their staff is really nice but some i found arrogant.

[dave_boo]

I know on another thread I was back and forth with people about this being Thailand and learn the lingo...but if service is poor at one branch and you get information that it's good at another, use that information. If you want to take the time to send feedback up the chain that you only went to the second branch because of _______, than there is a chance that word gets around.

A lot of times we as humans only make ourselves heard when we complain. Enough of it becomes background noise that companies just suppress to stay sane. So constructive criticism that they can trace to changes in behaviour, may just result in better service for all.

[RubberSideDown]

I stopped into Ducati CM recently- I don't know how their service department is, but I couldn't have been less impressed with their sales team- I guess Ducatis sell themselves, because the salesmen sure don't try to sell them.

[JonnyF]

I went to Rama 3 to buy a 796 and left without one as they showed little interest in selling the bike.. Quite an arrogant attitude, not sure if that was because I turned up on a Ninja 250 or not but pretty unprofessional in any case.

A few months later I bought the 899 and dealt with Vibhavadi branch and they've been good. Got the bike a week early, they sorted a 'lucky number' plate for me which I got 8 weeks after collecting the bike, along with green book as promised. No issues with the first service (received the bike and returned it on time), they called me the other day to offer me a discount on the second service if I do it before the end of next month etc. Invitations to launches, ride days etc.

Sales girl speaks pretty good English and answers all my queries within a couple of hours via Line message. Nice complimentary coffee and sandwiches when you're in the (very pleasant) branch. No problems so far but I think it depends on the branch. I also found Rama 9 to be great with the Kawasaki and then I was disappointed with Real Motorsports who messed me around with the service (didn't want to do the 24,000 km service early, told me it would be ready at noon then kept me waiting until 5pm, delaying one hour at a time so I couldn't go and do anything else with my day etc). So I guess it depends on the branch for a lot of companies, not just Ducati.

[monty1412]

My experience with Ducati Thailand has mainly been with Ducati Thong Lor... although I have dealt with Ducati Khon Kaen/ Phuket and CM.

Ducati Khon Kaen are great speak to Khun Frank there.. great English and most helpful and attentive.

Thong Lor are very good... speak to Khun Noppadol ( Mr T) very very technical and great customer focus and in service Khun Sam...I have no hesitation in recommending both of them.

With regards to service costs Ducati do have a fixed prices schedule and it should be displayed on the wall at the dealer... it is or was at Thong Lor.

Truth be told when it comes to big bikes I get better service from Ducati than I do from Yamaha Thailand ( have FZ1 as well).

If you take the time to invest in relationships with key people at the dealers then it becomes much more of a rewarding experience in all areas.... don't ride in and expect teams of mechanics to come rushing out like a GP pit crew.... take time , have a coffee and discuss your needs and issues with them, they come to know you and the whole process becomes much more enjoyable and friendly.....

[H1w4yR1da]

Some of their staff is really nice but some i found arrogant.

Yeah. Some of them can be If you're not a 'hi-so' Thai Chinese.

I know on another thread I was back and forth with people about this being Thailand and learn the lingo...

I agree!

But when the lingo is retardedly tonal with no spaces between the words and has 20 million letters, I can understand some being averse to learning it.

I went to Rama 3 to buy a 796 and left without one as they showed little interest in selling the bike.. Quite an arrogant attitude, not sure if that was because I turned up on a Ninja 250 or not but pretty unprofessional in any case.

The Rama 3 branch also deals in high end cars like Bentleys so they can be shockingly snobbish. Also they did a piss-poor job servicing my bike a few years back.

I'd avoid this branch.

[ToddinChonburi]

Problem with Ducati is getting good service after the sale. If the sales staff is that bad imagine trying to get proper or warranty service on the bike.

[In Search of Space]

Had two Ducati's, both reasonable experiences at the dealer in Pattaya, don't expect expertise but friendly service with a smile - more than I get with my Ducati in UK !

Been minor misunderstandings on delivery dates etc, only a week late, but overall ok.

[RubberSideDown]

^^^

I would have thought that walking into a dealership as a potential buyer of a bike that will cost a minimum of 450K would entitle me to a modicum of courtesy and attention- I didn't realize it was my job to court the sales staff, but, rather, I expected it would be the other way around.

My mistake, I guess.

[schietkop]

There is a HUGE Ducati dealer near Phahonyotin, massive building on the express road

[f0xxee]

I bought an 1198 new from Thonglor several years ago. The service was pretty below par: lots of "Suptars" sitting preening themselves on Monsters, and not much service for falangs with cash.

The big big issue I had with Thonglor was when I wanted to upgrade the bike to a Multistrada 2 years ago. They refused to do a trade with the 1198 I bought from them. This to me is both bad business and nonsensical... its how most bike shops keep the business rolling.

Of late I have had reason to visit Ducati HH. There is a good young fellow in there who has good English and is a truly nice guy, and who lives and breathes Ducatis. (He also rides bikes, making him unusual in my experience.) I was looking again at a Multistrada, but in the end went with a BMW R1200GS simply for the service and reliability.

[CNXTim]

I walked in and out of the glossy CM showroom without so much as a good morning from the self-absorbed poseur staff. about time Ducati looked at just who they let represent their company in the LoS...Ditto Honda BigWin CM

[nikster]

Whiners will be whining!

If you compare Thailand with the USA, I am sure there will be the odd US dealership with a biker guy who actually knows something about the bikes he's selling. But I am willing to bet they're going to be as rare as hen's teeth. Because the usual is that the sales guy wants to figure out what you want to hear, then will proceed to tell you that, so as to make a sale. Sales people aren't technical gurus, or bike racers. That's because technical gurus and bike racers do not tend to go into sales. I bought more computers than bikes while I was living there but I never ran into a sales guy who knew even half as much as I knew. None of them knew more than I could just pull from the internet within a minute. In the best case they'd say they didn't know. In the worst case they'd make stuff up. And that's in the USA.

So don't ask the sales staff tech questions. They don't know. They know the price, and they know the financing (although for that they usually have to fetch the back office staff too). They smile and they can provide you with a price list and info on promotions. That's it. They're not getting paid millions of Thai Baht per month; and they've not been recruited from the pits of MotoGP.

Fortunately there's a very simple solution:

- Look up specs and reviews online. Will be way faster, and way more informative than sales staff.

- Look at the bikes and sign up for test rides at the dealership. Test sit on the bike.

When I was at Ducati Chiang Mai, the sales guy actually did point out to me a few differences between the Hyperstrada and Hypermotard that I did not know about - minor design stuff but still.

Thanks to Ducati living up to its reputation of "making mechanics out of bikers", I have a lot of experience with the after sales support. I'm pretty happy with the guys there - the mechanics are good and know what they're doing, both the main guy and his second in command. They're trying to do the best for me. I always hang out at the garage for a bit to watch them work. They're good.

The girls in the office speak English and are on top of things like orders and so on. They're the ones to go to for when the guys have partied too much, or kind of <deleted> up, or whatever. Main parts order guy needs a lot of prodding to get things done but he is also trying to do his best. Ducati is getting better as spare parts are concerned, but not as good as Kawasaki. So some parts still are back-ordered. Not sure why - then again I am pretty much convinced a lot more stuff goes wrong with Ducatis than with say Kawasakis so that might play into it.

The only part I had a problem with I complained to Ducati Italy via the international website. Got an answer the next day and the part 2 days later. The idea for that also came from Ducati Chiang Mai sales staff.

All in all I'd recommend Ducati Chiang Mai. Not quite as professional as Kawasaki but getting there, And from all I hear definitely leaps and bounds better than Honda Big Wing CM. I don't have direct experience with the latter, but heard many stories, and also I've dealt with the dealer for my Vespa - they're hopeless. My Vespa is now getting taken care of by a Vespa shop that is unrelated to the dealership. They're amazing. Smart and totally dedicated guys if anyone needs a recommendation on a Vespa shop

[ll2]

maybe they think all farang here are tourist and behave accordingly?

[nikster]

I walked in and out of the glossy CM showroom without so much as a good morning from the self-absorbed poseur staff. about time Ducati looked at just who they let represent their company in the LoS...Ditto Honda BigWin CM

Here's a tip for next time (and I am serious): Walk up to the poser guy - I know who you mean, Mr. Scrambler sales person, they gave him a hipster-y outfit to wear which is all part of the whole marketing machine but hardly his fault - and smile and introduce yourself and shake his hand and see what happens.

He's just a sales guy. There isn't very much known about the Scrambler right now; they don't even have decisive dates for when all the models will be here, or when they will get an actual demo bike. They have the price; that's about it. See my post above for tech questions - look it up, there's a thousand reviews by professional bike review people all over the internet.

You can blame that lack of info on Ducati Thailand of course. But honestly this is normal - none of the other bike makers are any different. I've never heard a decisive date out of anyone. Kawasaki always under-promised and over-delivered on that kind of things - their guesses were just very conservative. It's a brand new bike world-wide, it's in hot demand, so nobody will be able to tell you exactly when you can get one delivered, and that'll be the case for a while.

[RubberSideDown]

Here's a tip for you, Nik- some of us have actually had good experiences at dealerships in LOS and elsewhere (the Suzuki guy I talked to was brilliant)- it's not 'whining' to say the service we actually experienced was lacking- Ducati sells bikes that run over 2mil (3mil if you order an SL), and I think the expectation that the salesman knows what he's talking about isn't out of line.

You knew more than the salespeople you spoke to (I often found this to be the case myself)- that begs the question of why the people who make their living selling theses bikes can't learn about them. If I ask about the new 1299 Panigale and all I get is a blank look (which is exactly what happened at Ducati CM), that's a serious 'red flag' and I wouldn't feel comfortable giving them my money. A dealership that wants a customer's money can at least do the minimum to get it.

There's a huge difference between whining (which is along the lines of complaining about high prices) and objectively criticizing something based on your actual interaction with the dealership (like with uninformed, standoffish staff).

Edited January 27, 2015 by RubberSideDown

[realenglish1]

In general Customer Care sucks here in Thailand. I have found in general if you have a problem with a dealer or other then they take the lease line of resistance for themselves so you will stop screaming about something

In essence little to no real customer care . So I am not surprised the sales staff just stood around . Lack of english and other skills I think

[dave_boo]

Irony...a poster with the nick of "realenglish1" using "lease" when it should be "least"....

[eisfeld]

^^^

I would have thought that walking into a dealership as a potential buyer of a bike that will cost a minimum of 450K would entitle me to a modicum of courtesy and attention- I didn't realize it was my job to court the sales staff, but, rather, I expected it would be the other way around.

My mistake, I guess.

Similar to how banks in Thailand used to be or still are. You have to court them to hand over your money to them

[ThaiSanookGuy]

Benz is not better, their women sale persons just know nothing about anything except the price...

How ridiculous it is to use women to sell cars...

[dave_boo]

^^^

I would have thought that walking into a dealership as a potential buyer of a bike that will cost a minimum of 450K would entitle me to a modicum of courtesy and attention- I didn't realize it was my job to court the sales staff, but, rather, I expected it would be the other way around.

My mistake, I guess.

Similar to how banks in Thailand used to be or still are. You have to court them to hand over your money to them

^^This is what gets me.

I understand the loss of face...but f^ck me if you don't look like a blathering idiot if you try to p!ss on my leg and tell me it's raining.

I don't know everything, but in my line of work I am extremely knowledgeable. If I can't tell you off the bat, I can either pull the reference material or make the call to get the information. Why the "Customer Service" gal can't do the same is beyond me. Even sweet little Mrs. dave_boo, who is normally the model of Thai restraint, was ready to reach across and b!tch slap those girls the last couple of times we had to deal with them.

[malt25]

Benz is not better, their women sale persons just know nothing about anything except the price...

How ridiculous it is to use women to sell cars...

I can only assume you are referring to Thai women sales persons. I know a few very switched on & professional ladies selling cars on Oz. maybe if the Thai birds have BIG tits & nice bum, they do ok.

Just sayin..... Cheers..... Mal.

[eisfeld]

Thanks to everyone who posted actual experiences with Ducati and especially their service. Poor knowledge about basic facts of the bikes by sales staff is worrying to me but not enough to make me not buy something I really like. I have to only deal with these people very briefly. But the service of the bike is critical. I am not knowledgeable or skilled enough myself in these regards and would rely on the mechanics doing a good job.

I don't mind if they can't speak english, they can answer in Thai but giving all plain wrong information is rude in my opinion. I can't agree more with RSD when he said it's not whining to expect just some rudimentary effort to learn a tad bit about what they are selling. Remember 5 facts apart from the price about each bike and you're doing good enough. Look at it this way: the staff at Supercheap know more about their products (and there are hundreds) than staff at a motorbike dealer which has less than 10 models.

What it really means is that they don't give a fsck about the bikes. And that's not their fault but the one of management. I ran a couple companies myself and know it is not easy to choose the right staff, train them and keep them motivated and up to speed. So I'm not sitting on a high horse, I understand why things are the way they are.

The reason I opened the thread was to find out which dealers are good (if any) so I don't get frustrated later. I ride my bike every day, something like 20k kilometer per year. It's a TON of fun to me but it relies on good service. Quality of sales/service varies immensly between branches everywhere. A lot of bad stories about Bigwing CM but my experience with Bigwing Phuket was constantly excellent over the past 2 years.

Thanks for the tip with the Vibhavadi branch, will check them out even though not near where I live (Phuket, would LOVE to hear about experience with that branch). Which brings me to another question: are dealers unhappy to service a bike that wasn't bought at their branch?

[nikster]

Here's a tip for you, Nik- some of us have actually had good experiences at dealerships in LOS and elsewhere (the Suzuki guy I talked to was brilliant)- it's not 'whining' to say the service we actually experienced was lacking- Ducati sells bikes that run over 2mil (3mil if you order an SL), and I think the expectation that the salesman knows what he's talking about isn't out of line.

Not sure what the tip is? Should I go to Suzuki and check out their bikes? They don't have any I'm interested in, amazing sales person or not.

Whether it's "out of line" or not doesn't make a difference; let's just say it's not the case. If you want a competent sales person who knows about the bikes they're selling, if that is the one thing you care about - don't buy a Kawasaki or Ducati or Honda in Chiang Mai. To me, it's OK if the staff is friendly, is doing their best for the customers, like ordering parts and whatnot, and the mechanics are fantastic. Both Kawa and Ducati are like that. Kawasaki is better because they have a huge warehouse full of parts. Ducati has to order most parts.

Feel free to boycott Ducati et. full al. in LOS over this - but you're just limiting your options for no good reason. Both Kawasaki and Ducati service have been great for me.

If you go for an italian beauty, keep in mind Ducati's motto: "Making mechanics out of riders since 1946". Prior to owning a Ducati, I was kinda hoping that that would be a thing of the past now. I was wrong.

Cheers and enjoy

[RubberSideDown]

The tip is not to make a blanket statement about people 'whining' when all they have is a reasonable expectation of acceptable service when they're interested in buying an expensive vehicle as it negatively colors whatever you might say immediately after- the fact is that there are decent dealerships and salespeople around, and I brought up the Suzuki guy as an example. The fact you are willing to accept substandard performance is your choice, but not everyone else is. The staff (in my experience) wasn't friendly, and they certainly weren't doing anywhere near their best (at least I would hope utter indifference isn't their best...)- I used to be a a salesman (not of motorcycles) and I'm fully aware of what 'doing one's best' is in that area.

The OP asked about the experiences of others at Ducati dealerships- what should the people who weren't thrilled have said?

The straw man of saying 'go ahead and boycott Ducati' is pretty silly- all I'd like is a better initial experience to make me feel better about possibly dropping a lot of money on a motorcycle- I guess that's too much to ask in your estimation. Frankly, though, something like an S1000RR seems more attractive based solely on my dealership experience. Having had positive dealings elsewhere, it's easy to see where the fault lies at the places I've had negative dealings. I did leave thinking I would never buy a Panigale, at least from that dealership, and if I were the owner of that place, I'd be incensed at my staff's performance. The mechanics could have been world-class, but I had no reason to think the guys in the back would be any better.

"Making mechanics out of riders" might have been relevant when the bikes were relatively simple and carbureted- these days, there isn't much an owner can do beyond simple maintainence without taking a course, which I really wouldn't want to do, especially with a bike under warranty. Do you feel like doing some experimenting and wrenching on a faulty electronic suspension? Neither do I.

Edited January 27, 2015 by RubberSideDown

[JonnyF]

My experience with BMW was terrible when I was considering the S1000RR. No bike for me to see, they promised to let me see another owners bike when it was in for service! Certainly wouldn't want my bike being used as a show model for prospective customers while in for a service. Didn't matter anyway as they never called me back as promised

Then you have the stories about consumables at one major dealership being swapped out for older parts during service etc.

Ducati aren't perfect but we have to remember where we are sometimes and adjust expectations accordingly. I'd love the new S1000RR, but with all that tech and the service/rumours I'd be very nervous. Ducati sell and service a lot of big bikes here, their focus is purely on bikes and they have teams of mechanics who've worked there a long time. In contrast. BMW don't even have a show model for their flagship model in one of their biggest dealerships in the country. God knows who the mechanics are. Maybe they pull them out from under a 535i on the odd occasion a S1000RR rolls in for service? Spare parts on a brand new imported model? Again, I'd be nervous. Still considering one though

[RubberSideDown]

The point is that I had a completely different experience at BMW- they had a bike (HP4) ready for me to view, the salesman was knowledgable about it and either knew the information I needed or had it readily available, and they brought the head mechanic out front so I could talk to him and find out if he knew what he was doing (based on our conversation, he did- I quizzed him on the optional 2D front sensor, and was surprised when he had information on it- as getting the DDC worked on in the event of a failure was my biggest worry, it really set my mind at ease as far as service was concerned), and they showed me the service area- I even met with the GM, who doesn't ordinarily get too involved in the bike side of the business but sat down to work out a couple options I was interested in- it was the complete opposite of my experience at Ducati, which is why I have a 50K deposit on file at BMW (which will likely go toward an S1000RR if they can get me one with all the options- I passed on the HP4, but the back issues I was having have been resolved and I can handle the ergonomics of a literbike now). I could possibly be persuaded by the new Panigale, but I'm not going to kiss their ass to be accommodated at the dealership.

I remember when you went to BMW- it was at the end of the year when all their 2013 models were sold and their 2014 models weren't due until February- I'm not shocked they didn't follow up if you dealt with a particular salesman who's no longer there- I looked and sat on an S1000RR owned by one of their employees, and it was fine with him, and perhaps that's the bike they were going to show you. I don't think what may have happened a few years ago is still relevant, and they've improved their service.

In any case, this shows why the initial experience is so important, and it sounds like BMW screwed up with you, as Ducati did with me- I rode up to Ducati CM on a decent bike, dressed in quality gear, and asked about their flagship motorcycle (and I approached them with a friendly demeanor, which is important as a customer- I want to seem like someone who's easy to deal with, which I basically am, and all I want is some professionalism from the staff)- if I worked there, the other salesman would have had footprints on their backs as I would have run over them to get to me- as it was, they couldn't have cared less.

Edited January 28, 2015 by RubberSideDown

[JonnyF]

Fair enough, I agree that the experience at any given dealership can vary on many things. Who's working/sick that day, time of the year, which branch you go to etc. For my experience Ducati treated me much more professionally than BMW but it seems you found the opposite.

Good to hear BMW have improved, I'll probably wait and see what Honda do with the 2016 CBR1000RR (hopefully a major update) and get some more complete/long term reviews on the BMW and R1 before I decide what to buy.