Bike shop lack of SERVICE!

Had an aggrivating experience with a bike shop today. Let's see if anyone else can relate. I will keep the names of the bike shops anonymous, since the employees probably have accounts on this forum.

I need a new silencer for my 1994 WR250. I know it's old, and I don't expect to have a huge selection of silencers available for it. In my town there is no bike shop, there's a Yamaha shop in the town down the road to my left, and another in the other town to my right. One shop is a much larger fancy one, and the other is a smaller, more family oriented place.
I try the big one first. The girl on the phone she can get me a stock one for 510$. I ask her if she could by any chance find me an FMF one, wich would be cheaper. The girl sighs and tells me that she won't be able to find anything for a bike older than 2003, so maybe I should just go to a bike wrecker and find one, because my bike is pretty old.

So, just for fun I decide to try the smaller shop in the other town. They tell me they can get me a stock one for $510, but ask for my name and number so they can do some searching around and call me back. 15 minutes later I get a call. They found several FMF silencers and pipes for my bike, $175 for a silencer, and that they can have it to me by the weekend.

How exactly can one Yamaha shop find me what I want while the other tells me I have to order the $510 one or go to a bike wrecker?!?! I assure you it will be the last time I deal with that shop.

I am impressed with the smaller shop. Friendly people and great customer service. The shop I usually deal with is a small Suzuki place. When I walk in or even call, they know me by name, generally make fun of me, and don't expect me to give them a credit card number when I order something over the phone. Always helpful and polite, and put up with me calling them every day to see if my part is in yet :laugh:

Maybe I should have gotten a silencer from my Suzuki guys in the first place.

Not many of the shops around here stock parts, big or small. The big fancy shop stocks all the fancy stuff, as you guys have pointed out. Not much useful stuff though.

The small Suzuki shop I deal with doesn't stock much at all. They simply don't have the amount of people going through, or even 1/4 the space of the big guys. They just don't sell as much. That's not their fault and I don't hold it against them at all. They have some stuff though. When my STUPID dog knocked my bike over the day before I had a ride with a bunch of guys arranged, and broke my throttle assembly, they had one in stock that fit my 2000 RM. Most of the stuff that shops stock (Suzuki in particular becasue if the chages between 200o and 2001) is 2005 and up. 2001 for Suzuki, it you're lucky. I was very appreciative of my ride being saved!

Also, the small guys will dig around and go out of their way to find the part that is the best deal. Big guys, wring every last cent out of you if they think they can.

I buy things from the big shop if one particular guy is working there. I will ONLY deal with him, because I know he is honest, tries his best, and always gives me a good deal. Usually a good little price cut, more if I yell :p
The owner of that shop has a very bad reputation with a lot of the local bikers. Mom won't even set foot in that shop she is so mad at him.