My letter to Moto Guzzi North America

Posted November 21, 2003

I sent mail recently to MGNA regarding the ever-increasing delays on replacement engine cases. I present you here with my letter, and their response.

My letter:

  Dear MGNA,

  I have been in contact with my dealership here in Seattle, Moto
International, regarding a warranty swap of the engine case on my 2002
V11 Le Mans.  As of this summer and early fall, I was told I would
probably be second in line on their list, and they were expecting my
bike would be in for the exchange in November.  I called in today, to
ask on their progress with the first bike, and was dismayed to learn
that they're now being told to expect the replacement cases in May or
April of next year.

  I am concerned that, although a warranty remedy has been promised for
these bubbling engine cases, none seems to be forthcoming.  As I
understand it, MGNA and MGItalia have been aware of this problem for
at least a year and a half, and a warranty solution has been proposed
for 3-5 months (I'm not sure exactly when the proposal came out).  I'd
have expected that, once the solution was finalized enough to be
sent out to dealerships and customers, MGNA would have ensured that 
sufficient stocks to implement the solution were on hand.

  Hearing of this latest delay, my faith in MGNA's ability to deliver
on their promises is further shaken.  I have experienced nothing but
the best service from Moto International, but that appears to be a
credit to their foresight and resourcefulness as an organization,
rather than a necessarily-accurate reflection of the greater Moto
Guzzi organization.

  The purpose of this missive is two-fold.  First, I am expressing my
dismay at the delay in a suitable repair for the mangy paint that
current graces the engine of my expensive, European motorcycle;
second, I am inquiring as to the date at which you expect to ship out
replacement engine cases to dealerships.  I believe it is a disservice
to your dealer network to ask them to perform warranty work at the
beginning of the riding season, when they are already busy with
non-warranty work.  It is also a disservice to your customer base, who
may be quite unhappy to discover that the only time they can have their
warranty work performed is when they'd rather be riding their
motorcycles.

  I appreciate any information you can give me regarding this problem.
You're welcome to call me during the day to discuss my concerns.  I can
be reached at (206) XXX-XXXX during business hours, Pacific time.
I look forward with anticipation to your reply.

And, their response:

Dear Ian,

Thank you for contacting Moto Guzzi North America.

As the coordinator of this unique service program, I can assure you that I
am working very diligently in this regard.
I will be communicating with Moto International (an exceptional dealer in so
many areas!) about your specific replacement request. You should be hearing
from by the end of the week.

I regret that I do not have the time to explain in detail the timing and
sequence of events relating to this program. I can share with you the fact
that this spring an initial factory solution (two stage repainting the
crankcase in the frame) was not satisfactory to us (or our dealer council)so
we endeavored to develop an alternative program, which would  be both
agreeable to the factory, but also sufficient enough to satisfy the
individual demands of our North American riders. This program is not
available in Europe. The crinkle finish crankcases must be specially
produced since they are no longer used in normal production.

I thank you for your continued patience Micha should have some information
for you by the end of this week.

Very Best Regards,

Meredith Kilby
Warranty Coordinator
Moto Guzzi North America
www.motoguzzi-us.com

Created by Ian Johnston. Questions? Please mail me.