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Lone Star BMW sold?

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I would think that Woods well have to expand the sales floor or reduce the models sitting on the floor. I am curious as to how they plan on making this work.:ponder:
 
DaveC said:
I would think that Woods well have to expand the sales floor or reduce the models sitting on the floor. I am curious as to how they plan on making this work.:ponder:
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They are already learning how hard it is to stock BMWs on the floor. The other brands were always a phone call away. Sean, the new manager was one of the managers at Woods. He basically said he has had a tougher time getting more bikes on the floor.
 
kickstand~prophet said:
I might have missed it but did the two salesman stay or retire also?
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Gary has been gone for some months. I don't know about the other sales reps. I called last week and Jessica was gone from parts as well, which along with Robert and Gary was the main reason that I used them exclusively. Jessica provided some extraordinary service sourcing parts and dealing with my varying delivery requirements. Anyway the new guys gave it a valiant try to meet my needs, but it was not close to the same class of service. I'll keep them on speed dial and continue to give them a chance, but I think we both may need to start seeing other people. C'est la vie :rider:
 
kickstand~prophet said:
I might have missed it but did the two salesman stay or retire also?
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Gary left late in 2013 after a run of 11 or 12 years and ended up at Classic Toyota as a sales trainer. Ed Baker who had only been there a few months left soon there after saying he was moving on to take a position as CEO of an electric car company of some kind (no details), however, last I heard, he was still looking for something to do. Robert and Peter hired Briana Manning who had no motorcycle or sales experience and Daniel Smith who had been operating a Motorcycle rental company in the Austin Area,....both of them were gone soon after Woods management team came in and moved me out of my management position. Briana Said she was returning to waitressing however, she ended up at Ducati where her husband is a tech,....and Daniel retruned to his rental business for the time being. Woods asked me to move into sales for the time being, which I was happy to do until the final agreement was signed (October 3rd). I had a great year at Lone Star,....(but Frustrating in many ways), however, when Woods asked me to stay on after the sale was finalized, I declined. Not seeing how I would be able to make ends meet on their pay plan.

Brian C
 
Yes, things are very different these days. Scott in service, the older gentleman (can't think of his name off the top of my head) and the guy in parts were the only familiar faces. Talking with a guy waiting for service on his bike made it clear, Lone Star is dead. $1,100 worth of delivery, assembly and documentary fees, MSRP pricing, 10% off accessories at the time of sale and the demise of the complimentary run-in service are the new business plan. Long live BMW Motorcycles of Austin.
 
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Darn...another one bites the dust?

Heard some more horror stories from Fort Worth BMW this week and my own experiences at Plano eliminates them.
 
There really is no choice in the Austin area. I just hope for the best and realize what we all loved about LSBMW is gone. The new establishment will be like Woods. I'll do my parts and accessories shopping online while looking for that last dollar of savings and convenience and hope I never need the warranty. If out of warranty, I'll look up the former APD mechanic who opened his own shop provided I can't do it myself.

I still find it strange nothing at Woods on I-35 indicates they have any plans to expand or remodel.
 
Anyone thinking of jumping ship and going with another brand? So far mine has been good just did a oil change which was easy. Now I have been to Woods last year while trying to figure out what I wanted. They seemed okay. Not pushy but nothing like Roberts place. To me where they are at is a bad location. But that is just me maybe.
 
The only people left that I know of are mechanics Mike and Jason, service writers Andrew and Scott, and salesman Brian. The rest all left on the last day Peter and Robert were there or moved on before that.
 
WoodButcher said:
The only people left that I know of are mechanics Mike and Jason, service writers Andrew and Scott, and salesman Brian. The rest all left on the last day Peter and Robert were there or moved on before that.
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Jenny still there?
 
WoodButcher said:
Nope, she is continuing the insurance work she did at Lone Star on her own. Peter and Robert passed that part of the business on to her.
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I was there on an semi-emergency tire replacement last Friday and noticed she was not around.

She should join this forum and contact all these concerned people...
 
I was in there about 12 days ago trying to get some parts and a tire. The sales staff was all new and did not know much about my bike, a standard R1150GS. The parts guy was nice, as he thanked me for providing the part numbers for the plugs so he didn't have to look them up. I wound up buying a rear tire which had a really nice discount which was much appreciated.

I did notice how 'dead' it was in there. There was no sense of family or community..... almost sterile. Very sad I thought how before it was just plain old fun to visit. Now, not so much.

Fast forward to less than a week ago. I'm in Alamogordo NM and need a battery for the GS. I called Lonestar twice to get to Scott at parts to shoot me the nearest BMW dealer in NM. Both times I was bounced back to the operator, so I tried my luck with her. I said I was in Alamogordo NM and needed to know where the nearest dealer was. After a few minutes, she said there was no dealer support in NM. Hmmm.... I hit my phone up and it says one in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe. I call back to try and get to Scott in parts to see if there are alternative to BMW batteries (thinking BatterysPlus). I get the gal at the front again and ask her about the ABQ and Santa Fe locations and she's flustered and transfers me to the manager. He says he can only google like I did to find a dealer.

It was at that point I realized just how much I miss a professional organization who not only knows but supports their customers. This was a total failure in my opinion.

So I called Sandia BMW in ABQ and spoke with their service manager, told him I was on the road and 'ya know what he said? "Hey, you're about three hours and some change away. Head up here and we'll take care of you today". I arrived about 4:45pm (they close at 5:30). At 6pm, I was loaded up, had a new battery and will provide a full recommendation for Sandia BMW. THAT is service. No appointment, no schedule and they said to come on up. Not only did they do the battery, they did a quick inspection and pointed out some things that I need to address near term. They stayed open for me, kept the service manager and a tech late to do the minimal dollar job and they have a customer for life if I'm in the area.

I think I'm going to follow Kurts lead, and any future purchases I make will be at the best price available on-line from other sources. Unless there is no alternative available the new lonestar will be an option of last resort for me and my dollars moving forward.
 
WoodButcher said:
The only people left that I know of are mechanics Mike and Jason, service writers Andrew and Scott, and salesman Brian. The rest all left on the last day Peter and Robert were there or moved on before that.
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Rusty, I left on the same day as Robert and Peter (October 3rd). Yes, I did function as a sales person for the last couple weeks, because my two sales people were gone,....but was still receiving my same pay grade as I did, while I was a manager. They made me an offer to stay on as a sales person,....didn't see how I could pay my bills on their suggested pay plan.

Brian
 
Did Steve stick around in Service with Scott? I knew he was retired and a part-time guy there.
 
M38A1 said:
Did Steve stick around in Service with Scott? I knew he was retired and a part-time guy there.
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Steve, who was our part time warranty clerk, told me he will be staying on until the move from the current location to WFC happens, which will be 6-12 months away. Also, Eric, who is the king of odd jobs at the shop said he would be staying on,....and would be doing new bike assembly and possibly may have mentioned PDIs as well, can't say for certain.

Brian
 
My experience calling Lone Star is very similar to Scott S'.

I'm on the road with a flat tire between Houston and Austin (Ellinger) and call to see if they have it, etc. I want to know if I need to return home or can get the tires replaced on Friday afternoon.

Scott in service was probably on the phone, so I explain my situation to the operator, expecting she would try to get him, instead she says, to leave a message. 10 minutes go by, I call and I get to him... He had not received the message!

While waiting for the call back I emailed him and Andrew in the Service.

When I reached Scott in the Service got the price and availabity, I rode to LS, in the mean time, the new Parts person called and left a voice message, he had received the email I sent...

Overall, I was satisfied with the Service and pricing, but disappointed with the phone interaction.



Camilo D.
 
I hope Woods management will take time to dive into social media and find ways to improve their customer relationship process....this thread being a prime example. Woods started this year getting involved in post service telephone surveys. I suggested to management to send electronic surveys instead which might yield a higher response rate and even more frank comments. Using this feedback loop, they can make changes to the customer process to improve their image among users.

Based on some failed ABS brake work performed earlier in the year for my bike, I detected a tinge of improvement in terms of quality of work performed and the service department responsiveness to my motorcycle issues. Hopefully, this trend of improvement will accelerate.

RB
 
Ben Eberle said:
I sat down trying to think of all the small old school motorcycle shops in Austin that are no more.

The Honda dealer on east first
D&L Suzuki
A Suzuki dealer in South Austin off of Ben White
Krumms on Barton Springs Rd
Kasson's, originally on Lamar, then on S. Congress
Another Yamaha dealer on Burnet close to Northcross
A Kawasaki dealer on Lamar
Austin Cycle Salvage
Austin Sport Cycles
Zabors
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We will most likely not see these personal small dealerships for a long time. The manufacturers have dollar signs in their eyes and the requirements for obtaining a franchise are huge.

I've tossed around the idea of picking up Yamaha after Kasson closed and even a South Triumph dealership. Those ideas were squashed pretty quick when they explained how many millions I would need and sqft I would have to dedicate to their brand.
 
I have always heard good things about Sandia BMW.

I know that Foothills BMW/Triumph on the west side of Denver was very nice to me when I have been in there and fit me in for a VIN inspection when I was switching the plates on my Sprint from Texas to Colorado. It still feels more like what Lone Star used to be than one of the big powersport dealers except they are in what looks like an old funeral home or community bank. They have offered test rides whenever I was looking at bikes there. I have heard good things about BMW of Denver on my side of town (SE side of Denver) and they have been friendly when I have been in there looking before I bought the C14. I know that my friends who race typically recommend Foothills for BMW or Triumphs (there is another Triumph dealer north of downtown).
 
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