Customer Appreciation

I attend a customer appreciation party at my local MC shop Chicago Sports and Cycle (CSC) Friday night. Customers who spend more that a $1,000 were invited to the event. The temperature was about 30 degrees Friday evening. Since I only live 15 minutes away from the shop, I decided to ride the Connie to the event. Turns out that I was the only person who rode in, which facilitated many thumbs up from other riders that I knew.

CSC did a great job with the sustenance and really worked hard to let the customers feel like out business with them is appreciated. This goes hand in hand with what I have heard from them. You won't get the cheapest deal on there bikes compared to some other shops, but their prices are reasonable. It's there service that keeps us the customers happy. As a non-mechanic MC rider, I have had plenty of questions over the last three years. The staff have always taken the time to explain stuff to me and have built a sincere level of trust, at least with me.

My major purchase with CSC this year was a renewal of my prepaid maintenance program. In October, I paid $1,100 to cover any scheduled maintenance needs of the Connie for the next 3 years. This covers all scheduled services. The Connie gets services every 3 thousand miles with a valve adjustment every six thousand miles. The average person with this plan gets 1 service a year while I am averaging 3 a year. So for the shop it balances out. It doesn't cover wear and tear, but during the maintenance, they catch things early before they could become a problem for me on the road.

I admit that I lust over BMWs. But when I consider the level of support and prepaid maintenance plans, I will probably always buy the 4 Japanese brands that CSC sells.

Thanks to Kathi Wolf and the rest of the CSC staff.