SWMOTO Tires are Rude and Crude

[Nebish]

I have been on the 'Net this afternoon, trying to complete a purchase of tires for my LT.

I am partial to the stock Bridgestones and as a returning customer, I thought that this transaction could be completed relatively smoothly.

I travel quite a bit in the USA, so I use a US Dollar Visa card, with a Canadian billing address. When I attempted to place an order this afternoon, in filling out the "Billing Address" and "Shipping Address" fields, since I appreciate that SWMoto will not ship to Canada, I have a US address for delivery purposes.

I could not enter the country "Canada" or the province of "Ontario" when I attempted to complete these fields. I sent an e-mail explaining the problem I was experiencing and this was the response that I received:

The genius is me and if I put Canada in as a billing address then every jerk in canada sends me a dirty letter and wants to know why if I accept the credit card, wont I ship there.
So I take offense at your accusations, you have insulted me on a bad day , so buy your tires in canada and help pay for your silly free health care program

blaine
idiot that maintains the website and votes against idiotic things like national health care , socialism, maxism and anything to do with French.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Trying to set up an account
From:
Date: Mon, June 09, 2008 11:24 am
To: info@swmototires.com

I cannot set up an account on your web page because the genius that set
up your web page does not provide for a full list of countries /outside US.

/I am from Canada but I have a US postal address. The "Ship To" address
works fine but when it comes to the "Bill To" address, since I need to
input my credit card billing address. When I come to the field where I
have to input the country where the credit card billing is to be
forwarded, I am not able to input "Canada".

I have tried setting up an account, since I have previously dealt with
your firm and want to continue to do so.

Can you please advise how I should next proceed?

Thanks

[zippy_gg]

What do you expect in return when you treat people that way???:confused:

I have always had good luck with Swmoto and Blaine answered some of my e-mails on a Sunday or at 2:00 in the morning. The guy works hard and does his best to accommodate riders needs.
I am a return customer as I have bought about 5 sets of tires for my various LTs.

Be nice to him and I am sure h'e be nice to you in return. Makes sense???:)

PS. I am French and Blaine knows it. :rolleyes:

[Wolfgang]

Looks like Blaine would benefit from some Anger Management sessions. Being in retail myself I have the occasional urge to write or talk like this, but you just can't do it. He needs to grow up, act professional and apologize. The alternative is to loose customers...



What do you expect in return when you treat people that way???:confused:

I have always had good luck with Swmoto and Blaine answered some of my e-mails on a Sunday or at 2:00 in the morning. The guy works hard and does his best to accommodate riders needs.
I am a return customer as I have bought about 5 sets of tires for my various LTs.

Be nice to him and I am sure h'e be nice to you in return. Makes sense???:)

PS. I am French and Blaine knows it. :rolleyes:

[eljeffe]

Let's recap...

1. You send a rude email to Blaine because you can't deal with his shipping policy.
2. Blaine replies with a similarly toned email back at you.
3. And you are surprised by his response?

WTF?

[kriach]

Not the brightest bulb on the tree are you. As El Jeffe said first you insult the man and then you whine when you get the same treatment that you handed out. Maybe if you had tried being civil and polite (if you know how to do that) you would have gotten much further.


In future please don't hesitate to put your brain in gear before you pound on the keyboard, You give other Canadians a bad name.


Ken

[Nebish]

I hardly think calling someone a "genius" is offensive, especially since that "idiot" (his words, not mine,) forced me to waste my time playing with his web site for over 20 minutes. My time as a potential customer is seemingly of no value.

If it is the policy of SWMoto tires to restrict their sales as they are apparently wont to do, then simply use the English language to spell it out.

If they do not want my business, so be it. If the economic downturn is as evident as it appears to be -- and that certainly was the case in Lake George, NY, where I spent last week at Americade -- then common sense would dictate that my business would be welcome.

Obviously, that is not the case.

[eljeffe]

Calling someone a "genius" in the manner in which you did was an insult. Maybe if you used a little tact, his reaction would have been better. But since you were to cast the first stone, I can see his reaction. Knowing Blaine as I do (ordered many many tires from him over the years), he won't feel a blip over any lost customers who make their decisions based on this thread. He's got the best game in town for online tires, and he knows it.

[sanjaun2]

The genius thing was a smart ass remark. But not very bad, Certainly not bad enough to warrant the reply paul received. A customer deserves a little more respect than that. I took the time to review some of Pauls other posts and he always seemed polite and helpful. Sorry you were treated so poorly and thanks for all the info you have contributed to this site. The problem with internet communication is that the person on the other side doesn't know you are goofing around and you do not know he is having an obviously bad day.

[ironbuttwannabe]

Why didn't you just call in and talk with someone. Calling someone a "genius" on the net the way you used it, I can see why he got offended. You may be a pleasant person, but would you have called him on the phone and said the same thing :confused:
This should probably be in "Dealer Experiences" since you are calling out a well known company. That way the moderators have to approve it.

[hybridcage]

Am I missing something?...Did he know Blaine (the service / motorcycle expert) maintained the web site?

It seems the comment which was so "offensive", was aimed at whomever created the web site, often this is an outside firm isn't it?, so it seems to me Blaine was about ten times "ruder".

[andy]

Looks like Blaine would benefit from some Anger Management sessions. Being in retail myself I have the occasional urge to write or talk like this, but you just can't do it. He needs to grow up, act professional and apologize. The alternative is to loose customers...

Having been in Customer care in the past I have to agree with Wolfgang. While the "genius" remark may not have been fully thought through the fully confrontational response is less than called for. Whether he has a bad or not is not something the customer should have to be aware of. Small thing like that is what costs companies millions of dollars in lost revenue. There may be only a few that respond here, but there are MANY, MANY that read it. especially since all the forums are open on the internet to be read by everyone for a LONG time to come.

Customer service reps just have to partly re-learn the business, being aware that a side remark to a customer especially in writing may cost you more than you may be aware of if it ends up on the innernet.

[grifscoots]

All of this is way too vague. If the term "asshat" or "fucktard" had been used then there would be no doubt. C'mon, y'all. Say what you mean and mean what you say. If you want to piss someone off, you might as well let them unequivocally know it.

This back and forth guessing thang is way too quilting bee. (how's that for vague?).

[ArthurKnowles]

It's simple to me. The guys a jerk and has already lost all potential business opportunities with me.

When it comes to business, it's poor customer service to even consider an e-mail like that. Much less an actual discussion on the phone.

[motorhead]

Reality check ..... It's nothing but tires !

I have purchased 3 sets now from SWMT, if they continue to have the product I need at a price thats the best around ? .... could give a rats ass how he does buisness with air head people who don't like the policies set forth is plain black & white print.

As one who has worked retail sales for 30+ years now, the customer is NOT always right ;) .... This is a classic case of customer abuse and the retailer on the receiving end not putting up with the bull shit.

Cudo's Blaine !

[ArthurKnowles]

It's not about air head people. That's just pure BS. It's about Blaine's response. Nor did I say the customer is always right either. Obviously you've been in the business too long to appreciate good customer service.

I'm a consultent and know d**m well how to work with people. Even irate people. Blaine's response was too out there for me and I'll happily take my business elsewhere. Even at the loss of a few bucks.

It's the same with my local BMW dealers too. The one that supports the customer best is the one that gets my business and my referrals. If you don't understand that, then there is not much more anyone can say about it.

[zippy_gg]

It's not about air head people. That's just pure BS. It's about Blaine's response. Nor did I say the customer is always right either. Obviously you've been in the business too long to appreciate good customer service.

I'm a consultent and know d**m well how to work with people. Even irate people. Blaine's response was too out there for me and I'll happily take my business elsewhere. Even at the loss of a few bucks.

It's the same with my local BMW dealers too. The one that supports the customer best is the one that gets my business and my referrals. If you don't understand that, then there is not much more anyone can say about it.Have you personally be mistreated by Blaine???:confused:

[DaveDragon]

I've never had an issue with SWMOTO and I've ordered 9 or 10 sets of tires from him.

[RonKMiller]

I think you started out poorly with the "genius" remark. If the guy was having a bad day it obviously set him off - no question the tenor of his response was way over the top. He shot himself in the foot!

A "lose lose" proposition.

I think if you took some time and looked at his sight it very plainly says "All shipments to US 48 States".

That means you need to have a US shipping address, and a US billing address (ie. a US bank issued credit card) to go along with it.

These policies are not put in place by the merchant, but the credit card company, they simply won't go to bat for the merchant if a scammer takes them for a ride with a card issued out of the US.

Shipping to a foreign country takes a lot of extra time - filling out customs declarations and usually several extra shipping documents. Sometimes a physical trip to the shipping agent is required. Calculating final shipping charges can be difficult too, not to mention the purchaser will often get stuck with some nasty duty charges that were unexpected.

Even though SW Moto tires looks like a big operation - and is the #1 seller of Metzeler tires in the US - it is run by two people, Blaine and his wife. They work incredibly long hours and are probably over worked to the point of being pretty grumpy. This is self inflicted.

Maybe they should take a hint from the French :thumb: and take more vacation time.

Maybe you should try to be little more business like in your communications, I think you'll ultimately be more successful in getting what you want.

[BEhrler]

I ordered Bridgestone front tires from SWM just as they went on back order last year. After several weeks with no response I sent an email inquiring what had happend to my order. I received a total smart-ass answer from Blaine. I canceled the order and placed the order with another company. He does need a lesson in customer communication and service.

[Nebish]

I think if you took some time and looked at his sight it very plainly says "All shipments to US 48 States".

That means you need to have a US shipping address, and a US billing address (ie. a US bank issued credit card) to go along with it.


I respectfully beg to differ. I do have a US shipping address. I duly provided that info in completing the purchase process. I do appreciate that shipping outside of the lower can be problematic.

The webpage does not specify the necessity to have a US billing address. I have previously ordered from SWMOTO in the past using exactly the same approach, except then I had a Canadian credit card and not a US Dollar Visa card.

My reference to "genius" was a reflection of my frustration in dealing with a web page that would lead one to believe that it was possible to insert a jurisdiction other than one of the states of the union. After all it indicates "State/Prov". What rational conclusion could I otherwise draw?

Similarly, in the area where I insert billing address particulars, there is provision for "Outside USA".

If Blaine does not want to solicit business from other provinces or countries (outside the USA), why not state this clearly? It would have saved us both time and effort.

This is all very misleading and unbusiness-like, IMHO. Especially since I have been able to able to make purchases from the same vendor on 2 separate occasions.

And what does state supported health care have to do with the price of Bridgestones, anyways. Gratuitous comments of this nature add nothing to exchange between customer and supplier.

By way of a footnote, prior to posting here on bmwlt.com, I sent a note apologizing to Blaine had I offended him, which seems to be the consensus here. No reply. Real class act.

Like my momma once said (albeit, in another context), "son, there are plenty of other fish in the sea".

[ArthurKnowles]

Have you personally be mistreated by Blaine???:confused:

No, and he's never going to get the chance to do it either. I've seen other postings in other forums regarding Blaine and his "bad days" and have no desire to deal with him at all.

And maybe that's the point. We all know that a 100 good transactions are never commented on, but one bad one can go on forever. Blaine's attitude has lost me (and any future recommendations by other's that may ask my opinion) as a potential customer. And I can assure you that other's reading this post, or similar ones on other forums, will have similar reservations.

[RonKMiller]

I respectfully beg to differ. I do have a US shipping address. I duly provided that info in completing the purchase process. I do appreciate that shipping outside of the lower can be problematic.

The webpage does not specify the necessity to have a US billing address. I have previously ordered from SWMOTO in the past using exactly the same approach, except then I had a Canadian credit card and not a US Dollar Visa card.

My reference to "genius" was a reflection of my frustration in dealing with a web page that would lead one to believe that it was possible to insert a jurisdiction other than one of the states of the union. After all it indicates "State/Prov". What rational conclusion could I otherwise draw?

Similarly, in the area where I insert billing address particulars, there is provision for "Outside USA".

If Blaine does not want to solicit business from other provinces or countries (outside the USA), why not state this clearly? It would have saved us both time and effort.

This is all very misleading and unbusiness-like, IMHO. Especially since I have been able to able to make purchases from the same vendor on 2 separate occasions.

And what does state supported health care have to do with the price of Bridgestones, anyways. Gratuitous comments of this nature add nothing to exchange between customer and supplier.

By way of a footnote, prior to posting here on bmwlt.com, I sent a note apologizing to Blaine had I offended him, which seems to be the consensus here. No reply. Real class act.

Like my momma once said (albeit, in another context), "son, there are plenty of other fish in the sea".

Well, yeah, I do have to agree that it could be better spelled out if he does not want to deal with international orders at all. Something like: "We do not accept international orders, sorry." would obviously save him (and potential customers) a lot of grief.

...and a good point about the gratuitous comments as well - like I said he shot himself in the foot. :crazy:

I've only met the guy once in person - and he did seem kind of cranky, but I still maintain if you approached him without the derogatory "genius" comment you would have gotten a lot farther from the git go.

Oh well, you may want to check out Ron Ayer's site - I know that his prices are always competitive - not to mention he's a great guy that will value your business. I've met him in person and spent quite a bit of time chatting with him a few years back.

He obviously wants your business and spells it out, it even seems that shipping tires to Canada is relatively inexpensive? :think:

We will gladly ship to Canada (UPS® Only), Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, but the shipping options are limited. Shipping to Canada is double the ground rate for the US, with the exception of tires. Canada shipping charges do not include taxes and brokerage fees. If your zip code does not show up in the shipping calculator...

www.RonAyers.com

Good luck!

[amarider]

The good with the bad...........

I have always had professional service from SWMoto tires, ordered many sets and all of them delivered with in a few days.

Now I have two problems with the original poster here, the email was started with smart ass name calling. IF it was my business, it would not have been appreciated and I would not have bothered to answer.
But the main thing here on our board is that the post in itself violates the Guidelines.

"What's said behind closed doors stays behind closed doors: Don't air your (or anyone else's) dirty laundry in public. There is absolutely NO NEED to post a private email in a public forum. It is inconsiderate and violates an unsaid trust between you and the sender. Treat private emails the same way you would a telephone call. How would you like your private conversation between you and another member of the group played out on CNN?"

If there is an complaint or praise about a Vendor or any company for that matter, we have a forum here to voice your opinion. (I believe you could have expressed your opinion without posting the email.) But posting a private email is considered bad form thus the reason for the guideline above.

[Nebish]

Oh well, you may want to check out Ron Ayer's site - I know that his prices are always competitive - not to mention he's a great guy that will value your business. I've met him in person and spent quite a bit of time chatting with him a few years back.

Thanks for your input, Ron.

I agree that my original approach was not the most intelligent but I tried to make amends by offering an apology.

I have now managed to complete a purchase transaction with American Motorcycle Tire http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/index.php. The experience was painless, took all of 3 minutes and the pricing is very competitive:

Bridgestone BT020 front: $88.63
Bridgestone BT020 rear: $113.39

Shipping by ground to New York state is $19.43, UPS ground, 2 - 3 day service.

[Wolfgang]

+1 for American Motorcycle Tire. I have used them twice now. Good prices, fast service, and last time I made a mistake when submitting the order, received an e-mail next day and they corrected my mistake.

[BEhrler]

American Motorcycle Tire is where I purchased my tires after canceling the order with Blaine. Great service.

[Nebish]

Now I have two problems with the original poster here, the email was started with smart ass name calling. IF it was my business, it would not have been appreciated and I would not have bothered to answer.
But the main thing here on our board is that the post in itself violates the Guidelines.

"What's said behind closed doors stays behind closed doors: Don't air your (or anyone else's) dirty laundry in public. There is absolutely NO NEED to post a private email in a public forum. It is inconsiderate and violates an unsaid trust between you and the sender. Treat private emails the same way you would a telephone call. How would you like your private conversation between you and another member of the group played out on CNN?"

If there is an complaint or praise about a Vendor or any company for that matter, we have a forum here to voice your opinion. (I believe you could have expressed your opinion without posting the email.) But posting a private email is considered bad form thus the reason for the guideline above.

I have looked for the guidelines and cannot seem to find them. Perhaps someone could point me to them.

While I agree in general terms that "what happens behind closed doors, stays behind closed doors", I could not have conveyed the ignorance and disrespect of Blaine in his response to me without indicating the contents of his reply.

Furthermore, if we are going to provide benefits to this online community, then any prohibition on reproducing e-mails must be trumped by what was actually experienced. Besides, SWMOTO Tires is advertising it's presence on the Internet and as far as I am concerned, Blaine's response is fair game just as your comments about my post are fair game.

You are suggesting that I govern my conduct by using "consideration", by not disclosing the reply I received. Regrettably, Blaine/SWMOTO Tires does not deserve my consideration or respect. Nor should anyone who is so inclined as make the remarks that I have attributed to him.

[Wolfgang]

Moral of the story:

You blow your fuse with a customer, regardless if the customer is right or wrong, someone else gets the sale and the good press.
Business 101

[BEhrler]

Moral of the story:

You blow your fuse with a customer, regardless if the customer is right or wrong, someone else gets the sale and the good press.
Business 101

Bingo.

[JATownsend]

I have looked for the guidelines and cannot seem to find them. Perhaps someone could point me to them.
Guidelines (http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/guidelines.php?)

You were rude, he was rude, get over it! Retired lawyers just can't seem to ever let it go... :rolleyes:

[amarider]

Guidelines (http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/guidelines.php?)

You were rude, he was rude, get over it! Retired lawyers just can't seem to ever let it go... :rolleyes:

Bingo!

[zippy_gg]

Guidelines (http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/guidelines.php?)

You were rude, he was rude, get over it! Retired lawyers just can't seem to ever let it go... :rolleyes:+1

[DaveDragon]

Guidelines (http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/guidelines.php?)

You were rude, he was rude, get over it! Retired lawyers just can't seem to ever let it go... :rolleyes:

+1.298

[eljeffe]

Guidelines (http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/guidelines.php?)

You were rude, he was rude, get over it! Retired lawyers just can't seem to ever let it go... :rolleyes:

Survey says... BING BING BING BING BING

[Ron_Kendall]

Sounds to me like Blaine has an arrogant attitude, thinks he is #1, doesn't care how bad he treats a customer & no one can hurt his business.

How many tire dealers has he put out of business??

Two months ago I made my first & LAST purchase from SWMOTO.

[MikeERideWNC]

I love SWMoto!

You should feel lucky.
If I would have received an e-mail like yours, your whiny little a$$ would still be crying.
Treat businesses with a little respect and they will reward you with outstanding customer service.

There once was this saying:
Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

Sure maybe Blain could have handled this differently.
But I have dealt with Canadians, when selling stuff on eBay :mad:
The customer is not always right.
I don't care what country you're from.

[Wolfgang]

I love SWMoto!

You should feel lucky.
If I would have received an e-mail like yours, your whiny little a$$ would still be crying.
Treat businesses with a little respect and they will reward you with outstanding customer service.

There once was this saying:
Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

Sure maybe Blain could have handled this differently.
But I have dealt with Canadians, when selling stuff on eBay :mad:
The customer is not always right.
I don't care what country you're from.

Mike,

If your current occupation doesn't work out any longer, there is a great career in Customer Service ahead of you! You are a natural!

Just demand that your customers treat your associates with respect, and they will be rewarded with great customer service. And if customers don"t comply you will make their whiney little asses cry. That is, as long as they are not Canadians, for them you have a special program, because they pissed you off on E-Bay.

Would you like to be the guest speaker at one of my weekly staff meetings and address the group? Our current Customer Satisfaction rating is close to 95% but with your input we may get to 100%.

Not a day goes by without learning something new on BMWLT.com. Todays lesson: Demand respect from your customer. It replaces what I learned as a kid: Respect must be earned. Interesting...

[eljeffe]

I've been ordering tires from SWMOTO for over 8 years.

Lowest price 99% of the time
Free shipping on 2 tires
Tires usually arrive next day delivery (because Blaine's delivery model allows him to drop ship from the suppliers/distributors who are located in nearly every large city)
If you receive a damaged tire, Blaine will get the supplier/distributor to send out a new one -- just get the damaged one back to him "whenever" and "using the cheapest UPS slow boat to china shipping option".

Oh, and I guess I learned a new one. Don't act like a jerk when interacting with Blaine.

[andy]

Lets try to see this from SWMOTO's side.

A customer sent was what arguably not the best worded email. We send a REALLY snotty email back and customer gets that and our name out on the internet due to bad customer service.

Since we are one of the cheapest around some won't care and deal with that and continue to buy.
Some who have never heard from us and some who already bought from us do not like to be treated as shit from a place where they bring money to and will either never buy from us or not buy from us again.
None that read of this incident on the internet and are not yet our customers will feel compelled to buy from us now, because they could be next being treated like shit.

Bottom line: we are going to LOOSE customers and money instead of gaining.
Bottom line II: Not too smart a business decision.

[ibbones]

I ordered last Thursday and had the tires at the first of the week. Two great tires and no problem with the service.

[RonKMiller]

Mike,

If your current occupation doesn't work out any longer, there is a great career in Customer Service ahead of you! You are a natural!

Just demand that your customers treat your associates with respect, and they will be rewarded with great customer service. And if customers don"t comply you will make their whiney little asses cry. That is, as long as they are not Canadians, for them you have a special program, because they pissed you off on E-Bay.

Would you like to be the guest speaker at one of my weekly staff meetings and address the group? Our current Customer Satisfaction rating is close to 95% but with your input we may get to 100%.

Not a day goes by without learning something new on BMWLT.com. Todays lesson: Demand respect from your customer. It replaces what I learned as a kid: Respect must be earned. Interesting...

... I think he may have a shining career path in sales/public relations :rotf:

It has been my observation that Canadians (I lived and ran a business in BC) are the LEAST whiney of ANY first world culture anywhere. Americans could learn a huge lesson from them when it comes to civil behavior. (except for French Canadians - nothing is right with them, they hate everybody equally. :p)

[MikeERideWNC]

I am a equal oppertunity offender.

I am also Polish and have put up with PoLloCk jokes my whole life... Now in my forties, It's payback time. :histerica

Don't worry, I am not in a customer service related field.
I engineer the technology to make sure you old farts live longer to bother the rest of us.
So keep eating crap, smoking cigarettes, drinking sludge, so I'll keep my job security.


Oh wait... We're not fat, We're Americans.


:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

[Wolfgang]

I am a equal oppertunity offender.

I am also Polish and have put up with PoLloCk jokes my whole life... Now in my forties, It's payback time. :histerica

Don't worry, I am not in a customer service related field.
I engineer the technology to make sure you old farts live longer to bother the rest of us.
So keep eating crap, smoking cigarettes, drinking sludge, so I'll keep my job security.


Oh wait... We're not fat, We're Americans.


:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

Are there jokes about the Polish? I have never heard one. Now I have heard a bunch of true stories about the Polish. If they were not true they would have been funny. But this stuff was soooooo stupid, no way someone could have made it up. :)

[BecketMa]

Yup.
Blaine is a character.
I ride over, pull into his garage, and pull my rims,
He installs the new tire and I put it back o my LT--no shop charge, just the mounting charge.

Bob

[Ron_Kendall]

Lets try to see this from SWMOTO's side.

A customer sent was what arguably not the best worded email. We send a REALLY snotty email back and customer gets that and our name out on the internet due to bad customer service.

Since we are one of the cheapest around some won't care and deal with that and continue to buy.
Some who have never heard from us and some who already bought from us do not like to be treated as shit from a place where they bring money to and will either never buy from us or not buy from us again.
None that read of this incident on the internet and are not yet our customers will feel compelled to buy from us now, because they could be next being treated like shit.

Bottom line: we are going to LOOSE customers and money instead of gaining.
Bottom line II: Not too smart a business decision.

I think this is the best reply of all them. And it was done without grade school comments.

I hope this is "The End" of this thread.

[KMC1]

[I]The genius is me and if I put Canada in as a billing address then every jerk in canada sends me a dirty letter and wants to know why if I accept the credit card, wont I ship there.
So I take offense at your accusations, you have insulted me on a bad day , so buy your tires in canada and help pay for your silly free health care program

blaine
idiot that maintains the website and votes against idiotic things like national health care , socialism, maxism and anything to do with French.
Blaine, you freakin ROCK!!!
This guy sounds like someone I could go out and have a few brews with!!!!
And I will make it a point to buy all of my tires from SWM from now on after reading this, so thanks for posting! :D