Guzzi franchise dropped by Blade in Swindon

Not surprised Blade Guzzi franchise has gone. They tend not to keep low volume marques for very long from what I have seen and their treatment of me last year when I asked about a new V85TT was frankly not what I would consider good customer service. Even before price was discussed, telling them I was ready to place a deposit on the phone if they could get me a bike at a good deal did not prompt them to return my call with a quotation or even to discuss the matter further, despite reminder emails.

maybe the sales person was working their notice as Blade were ending the franchise - someone above said it went in July last year.
 
OYB is not a dealer i would send an enemy to ,
they buy their bikes direct from the factory , their backup is shite ( IMO ) . i got them struck off the dealer list , for dodgy warranty claims . but they keep coming back cos they deal direct , BUT ..... when they have sold what they have ordered , they don't want to do warranty , for the bikes they have sold.
i wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire. they couldn't even do a claim, after i chased them , as i had sent their customer back to them. they really are oxygen thieves .

if you went and spoke to Nathan @ streffords , you could discuss him/you buying the the bike from Fowler's, and him servicing it ? got to be worth a shot. ..as for spares , do what every long term owner does ....have a box of stuff you think you might need.
 
OYB is not a dealer i would send an enemy to ,
they buy their bikes direct from the factory , their backup is shite ( IMO ) . i got them struck off the dealer list , for dodgy warranty claims . but they keep coming back cos they deal direct , BUT ..... when they have sold what they have ordered , they don't want to do warranty , for the bikes they have sold.
i wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire. they couldn't even do a claim, after i chased them , as i had sent their customer back to them. they really are oxygen thieves .

if you went and spoke to Nathan @ streffords , you could discuss him/you buying the the bike from Fowler's, and him servicing it ? got to be worth a shot. ..as for spares , do what every long term owner does ....have a box of stuff you think you might need.

I must of got lucky as I had 2 bikes off them..
Had good service on both..
1200 Bandit & a Transalp..
But the Last one was 14 yrs ago..
 
I bought my KTM at Northampton Moto.....115 miles away...because the sales person at my local dealer..12 miles away appeared to be stuck up his own bottom. However I get my servicing done at the local place as the mechanic is very good. I’m sure the mechanic at Northampton is ok too....but 230 mile round trip is a bit far for a service.
 
Blade haven't sold Guzzies since last summer.

Cheltenham to on yer bike = 57 miles
Cheltenham to blade swindon = 32 miles
Cheltenham to Fowlers Bristol = 49 miles
:nenau

And it's a far better ride 2 on yer bike..

On her bike is a better dealer for Guzzi anyway..

37 miles to Stourport on Severn, and they have a full on guzzi dealer as I think
 
I think Readspeed are a service agent for Guzzi, but gave up the franchise due to the demands of Piaggio and the tight margins they were expected to operate under while making significant investment in order to do so. Seem like nice guys and the spanners seem to know their stuff.
 
They don't appear on https://www.motoguzzi.com/gb_EN/dealer-locator/?f=all - that directs one to a dealership in the West Midlands if you put Readspeed's post code in. As I stated in my first post, the MG website is crap.

what you are forgetting to factor in is .... it is run by Italians...

there once was a dealer meet , in Mandello , there had been lots of problems that year ... paint falling off for 1 . They (MG) said... lets have a new start, and forget last year.... Monday morning ....ALL and i mean ALL the warranty claims had been deleted off the system , didn't matter you had some bikes in bits , the claims had gone !

how about catologues , they always turn up in November ......of the year you are in , not the year before you need them.
 
Makes you kind of wonder if Piaggio would be considerate with out of warranty claims for things that really go wrong prematurely and are not fot for purpose so to speak.
There are some great dealers, but at times their hands are tied by Piaggio and they have to make the decision on funding an issue themselves for customer care or saying no to a dissatisfied customer. My full dealer history Stelvio developed a rear bevel box leak at 7k just out of warranty, they just did not want to know and the communication between departments when I tried to follow-up seemed non-existant, if run by Italians what do you expect. Eventually the dealer fixed it at their own cost, needless to say I bought 2 more bikes from them.
 
Mate of mine has the 850, and even though we live close to Swindon, he got his from Moto Corsa in Gillingham, an hour and a half away. Swears by them, reckons good roads to get to them as well
 
In 2011 I looked at the Stelvio NTX and test rode one down at if I remember correctly Moto Strada in Skipton, the local Guzzi dealership in Newcastle at the time was in the process of dropping the Guzzi franchise because of major issues in getting both parts and warranty claims sorted,( trips down to Skipton for servicing or warranty work at over 2 1/2 hours on a good day would be ott).

Roll forward to last year and I visited the Piaggio/Guzzi dealership in Newcastle when looking at the V85TT, they could barely be arsed to speak to me despite letting them know I was a cash buyer looking for a new bike , they didn't have one in stock and would only get one if I bought it first (without a test ride).

That leaves my nearest dealer as Teasdales in Thirsk about 88 miles and just under 2 hours journey which is no big deal unless there are any issues , in the end BMW UK authorised putting a new engine in my F800GSA so I put changing the bike on hold .

I am,however, more than happy travelling the same distance up to Dalkeith regarding the 1200 because that journey is on decent quiet rural A class roads unlike the boring schlep down to Thirsk on the A1 or A19
 
Once you have found a good dealer who treats you and the bike well and acts in a fair and honourable manner, it is worth sticking with them in the long run it pays dividends. However, they are rarely the best deal when buying as I guess good service costs more to provide so it is a case of deciding what this is worth to you. Respect and courtesy cost nothing and this is where many dealers fall down and is the source of most complaints in the retail sector.
 


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