Atomic Moto

I called him up to get a GL coyote... asked him to lower the price to match Sierra Expeditions, he said he couldn't... I said that's alright, I still want to support him. So I have to get my wallet on my break at work, call back on my break a while later and no answer.. leave a message for him to call me, and he never did. called again, no answer. I gave up and ordered from Sierra... Sorry man, but you failed.

Correct me if I'm wrong here.

Brian didn't call you back the same day you called him, so you went ahead and paid more to get it from Sierra Expeditions?

Brian always calls back by the next day and he ships for free.....

I've had nothing but exceptional service from Atomic Moto...he goes out of his way to help out in any way he can.

Hodakaguy

No, he never called back period. I waited a few days, then called Sierra. They were cheaper and free shipping ($309 shipped, Atomic had $317). I was going to order from Atomic anyway, as they support this site, but I never got a call back from Brian, so I figured he didn't want my business.

Always called me back within a hour.

Ive bought a little bit of stuff from Atomic Moto and am planning on more soon. They we super nice to work with for me. Plus they advertise here. Damn 8$ made the difference? You saved 8$ and you still pop on here to bitch about it. You shoud have just took the good deal from the get go. Tell you what, next time you need to save $8 let me know and I'll donate the entire sum to NOT hear you run down a good store.

Guys like Brian are hard to find these days.

I've personally met him, been to his shop, tried on his gear, bullshitted with him for hours, hell our boys have been out riding together.

He is a true gentleman and runs a class business. I will continue to support Atomic Moto.

He seemed cool, but he also never got back to me via phone or e-mail. I understand people get busy, and it wasn't too big of a deal so it wouldn't stop me from doing business with them.

I have experienced nothing but good service from Brian. I believe he is a one man show and is concerned about his customers. Recently needed some help retrieving a bike from a downed rider so I called Brian. Got a call back the next day offering assistance. After all he is human just like the rest of us.

Backwoods Boogie wrote:

...been to his shop... bullshitted with him for hours...

(phone ringing non-stop in the background )

^
Bwahahahahaha

Received my new Klim Dakar pants today from Atomic, placed the order and it was on my door step 2 days later. Thanks Brian


Hodakaguy

I don't like entering into these online discussions, but sometimes it is necessary to present the situation from another point of view.

We work very hard to communicate with our customers (to the point that I randomly go searching all over the web for negative posts like this, so I can address them). We make the phone, which is a more personal, and a more effective tool for communicating, a priority over email. I spend a lot of time on the phone as a result.

When we are on the phone, we have the tremendously annoying policy of breaking off from one customer momentarily, to tell the inbound caller PERSONALLY that we will call them back. This is a calculated decision to make sure that people get a HUMAN answer, instead of voicemail. Between this and our voicemail, it is nearly impossible for calls to go unanswered.

Despite all that, it is *possible* - very, very unlikely, but possible - that we may have missed your call. If that occurred, people always have the opportunity to buy online when they want to "support" us. This is a simple process. And if they choose not to, then I respect their choice. Common sense dictates that we try to avoid it, but I have no reason to become vindictive toward that individual. That would be both stupid and immature.

For some reason, sometimes, people develop negative attitudes toward retailers, along with actions that go beyond taking their business elsewhere". In some instances they take their case online. Sometimes they present things fairly, sometimes not. In this case, your headline is somewhat bombastic, and this whole act is far beyond anything warranted for a failed return call. I can't help but wonder if this is what happened: you wanted a discount, I told you no, so you decided you would show us your power. But of course, this is only a theoretical possibility.

If we missed your call, it took more time for you post here than to call again, or purchase online. Even in the worst case scenario, the problems you are describing are relatively minor human error.

In these situations, it is very hard for a business to have the opportunity to respond. Arguing with a customer is foolish, period. Yet not responding at all can make a one sided assessment seem true. In this case, I feel I need to comment.

I do not intend to attack your character, and I apologize for not getting back to you. But it has crossed my mind that you:

1. saw an item at a very slightly lower price,
2. judged that our price was inflated, though we are restricted for what we can sell Giant Loop for
3. still felt we were a more legitimate choice (this is why you contacted us instead of buying from the other guy),
4. got turned down on price matching (we do our best for EVERYONE, there are no secret codes or better deals via phone)
5. became offended by this, and went out of your way to disparage our business, to the point where you expended more effort to influence others negatively than to try again to complete the purchase.

I am never happy to lose a customer. I always try to suck up as much responsibility as I can, because I think it builds character. But I have also learned that the internet can suspend peoples own sense of responsibility. In many cases customers behave differently on the web, sometimes wildly over-reactive.

IMO we were not negligent here, it was a simple mistake (and I do wonder if deep down you wanted to end up here instead of buying from us...). The title of the thread seems egregious compared to the details of the event. I recognize we have lost you as a customer, and I accept that. However I hope that others who read this will look very carefully at the motives, standards, and ethics of all involved when judging this situation.

Thanks,

Brian Price
Atomic-Moto

Brian,

Please don't let one whiney ass bum you out. More than likely he will buy from you again, when he sees a good deal. Im sure NO ONE that reads this site will change their buying ideas because of some weak assed complaining. I sold Yamahas and parts and accessories for years in CDA and I had many years of good customer relations, but there wa always someone that I could not satsify and it was usually over a few bucks.. and then they would run the mouth for a few days. I got over it. So did they. You are doing super for the rest of us.... keep at it.

Brtp4 wrote:

2. judged that our price was inflated, though we are restricted for what we can sell Giant Loop for
Thanks,

Brian Price
Atomic-Moto

Brian, how is it that you are restricted (sounds illegal to me, but so's wheelieing up my street ) and Sierra is not?

Brtp4 wrote:

5. became offended by this, and went out of your way to disparage our business, to the point where you expended more effort to influence others negatively than to try again to complete the purchase.

I am never happy to lose a customer, and I apologize to you for not calling you back. When things like this happen, it really bothers me because I know as we grow (we are, a lot) maintaining good customer service will get harder and harder. I feel I need to suck up as much responsibility as I can, so we maintain some sort of edge. But I have also learned that the internet can suspend peoples sense of decency, respect, responsibility, and good conduct. A mistake should be owned, but not always punished. I feel that many retailers do a poor job of customer interaction, but I am seeing an increasing number of customers that have crazily unrealistic expectations. In many cases they use their power as consumers differently on the web, more in a vindictive way, sometimes wildly over-reactive.

IMO we were not negligent here, it was a simple mistake (and I do wonder if deep down you wanted to end up here instead of buying from us...). and the loss of business and internal reflection are the appropriate response. The title of the thread seems egregious compared to the details of the event. I recognize we have lost you as a customer, and I accept that. However I hope that others who read this will consider our motives, standards, and ethics when judging this situation.

Thanks,

Brian Price
Atomic-Moto

No. you didn't read my first post.

I was not offended by you not wanting to match the price. I understand the rules of margins in the business world. I told you I was going to call you back to order it. I had to get my wallet out of the locker. I couldn't get a hold of you after numerous tries. My problem is that I WANTED to give you business, and I couldn't even get a hold of you to buy it. I could only assume that you didn't want my business and I needed to get a saddle bag ASAP as I was leaving for my trip very soon. I didn't have time to track a business down trying to buy something from them regardless of the fact that I would be paying more.

that is a FAIL in my book. If I ran my photography side jobs like that I wouldn't make a dime.

I just ordered some Gaerne boots from Atomic Moto while returning home from the W. Valley where I found NO stores that carried them so I could try them on first. I called 'em on my cell while driving up I-5, and after discussing my feet for a while with the nice dude on the other end, I took my best guess on size and ordered a pair. They arrived three days later and are beautiful-----------I kinda hate to go get 'em dirty now. A-M has the best price I found on the net, fast shipping, and knowledgeable guys answering the phone. And as far as I can tell, the only shop in Oregon that sells Gaerne. Someday I'll make time to swing through Bend to visit their store. In the meantime, their website is bookmarked, and I'll be watching for other gear to buy from them.

I've been on BOTH sides of this all-too similar equation...the below is not an evaluation of *this* post, but a generalization of what I've seen over 9 years:



I sell high end track / race parts for Porsche race cars....most people are REALLY cool, this is what they do to blow off steam.

Occasionally you get:

1) The ultra cheap bastards who will spend an inordinate time comparing prices and weaseling ya down. Most come from a certain geographic area of the world...hmm...

2) The info seekers ... who pump for info, then compare prices and go somewhere else. A BIG WTF??

3) The young punks with crap attitudes



**This thing is a TWO WAY street....the customer has a definite responsibility also

The 22 yr old guy at I-90 Motorsports earned my business...bought pants and nearly everything from them, dropped about 1k becuase he knows his SH*@ and they don't carry garbage.

Color me satisfied.