Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  On June 12th, 2024, I purchased a brand new 2024 ****** Mt-07 from Watertown Power Sports. 10 days later, on June 22nd, 2024 my bike caught fire in a gas station parking lot due to incorrect installation of the battery. When I contacted the dealership the day of the incident they said “well I don’t know what to tell you, we’ve never seen anything like that before” and have been extremely unhelpful during this. They refused to help me get the bike towed to their location but said that that was the only way they could do anything. I dropped the bike off on July 3rd, and emailed them to inform them the date and time of which I dropped it off as well as a request for them to contact me Friday, July 5th. I then contacted them today, July 5th, around 3pm. They proceeded to tell me it would probably be another 2 weeks until they could even look at it. I’ve officially lost two weeks of ride time and looking at at least two more, and am paying and insuring a bike that’s no longer in my possession. When I contacted them to discuss further action they hung up on me. I could’ve lost my life, 5 minutes prior to the fire I was actively pumping gas.

  Business response

  07/24/2024

  I am writing in response to complaint ID 21947004 from ****** ** *****.  First and foremost we are currently working on resolving the issue with our insurance company however there are procedures which take time.             ****** ***** did purchase a 2024 ****** MT07 motorcycle from us on 6/12/24. She came in with a check from her own financing source an online bank which she told me she had taken a loan from before for her car.  She also supplied an insurance card needed to perform the Verify DMV paperwork.  The paperwork was completed that day and the bike was driven away.  On 6/21/24 ****** called our dealership asking for her salesman Tyler S*** but he had left early that day to attend a concert.  She spoke with our employee Randy H*** and explained to him that the finance company requires full coverage insurance which she did not supply at first and when the finance company asked for an insurance binder showing full coverage she then had to change her policy from basic liability to full coverage insurance which she could not afford.  Thus she wanted to sell the motorcycle back or get a refund and was told a refund wasn’t an option and that if we were to purchase the bike from her she would lose money because the bike is essentially used now since it has been titled and had miles on it and she would probably not get enough to pay off her loan since she financed the full amount, sales tax and all.  First thing the following morning we received a call from ******* to inform us that the motorcycle had caught on fire and that is was because the battery was installed incorrectly. The bike was towed to *******’s ******.  She claimed the fire department had done an investigation to find that the battery was not installed the way the owner’s manual shows it’s supposed to be installed causing the positive terminal to touch the battery bracket and arch burning the wires but we have no report from them.  Also, our technician that installed that battery recalls installing the sealed battery on its side the way it should have been according to the owner’s manual.  We informed her that she would need to get the motorcycle to us and we would take a look at it and see what had happened and call our insurance company.  We did contact our insurance company to start a claim.              After issues regarding paying the tow bill ******* dropped the bike off at our shop on July 3rd after we had closed for the July 4th holiday.  ******* contacted us the afternoon of July 5th inquiring about the status and we explained we did not have an answer as our insurance had not been able to come and look at the bike for the claim and evaluation yet.  She was also informed of the time it could potentially take for an insurance investigation and when told this she started to get irate and swearing so we did hang up the phone as we do not feel being irate is the way to handle any situation.  On 7/8/24 an insurance adjuster from our insurance company was here to take pictures and do an investigation of their own.  At this point we have done everything we can do and are waiting to hear from our insurance company on how to proceed. It is very odd that Ms. *****’s motorcycle caught fire only hours after her inquiring about a refund or wanting us to buy the motorcycle back from her because she can’t afford the full coverage insurance her finance company is requiring.              In conclusion, we are still waiting to be advised by our insurance company as how to proceed and I know they have been in contact with Ms. *****.  Once we are told by them how to proceed we will gladly get this issue taken care of to the best of our ability in a timely manner.             Thank you in advance for your attention and cooperation in this matter.

  Customer response

  07/28/2024

  Better Business Bureau: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. I find this entire response to be highly offensive. First and for most, yes I did call them on 6/21/24 to address the fact that my insurance would be higher than expected, however not more than I could afford, just more than I would like to spend. I did not ask for a refund for the bike at this time, just for suggestions on what to do moving forward. They did mention if they were to buy the bike back I would lose money but that was not the basis for the call, nor did I see it as an option. Towards the end of the call I was given useful information on where to possibly find cheaper insurance and that was that. Immediately following that phone call to the dealership I contacted Digital Credit Union, the bank that I financed the bike through, and they also had extremely helpful suggestions. That phone call to the bank was recorded on their end. After talking to the bank I got quoted through ****** ******** insurance on 6/21/24 for $93 a month. Never have I said that I “could not afford” the insurance for my bike. The only reason I did not have the correct insurance to begin with was because I did it all online and messed up on my end. I have a screenshot of the email with the ****** ******** insurance quote, dated 6/21/24. I also have screenshots of text messages between me and a friend telling him that I was able to find cheaper insurance and was extremely excited. Again, not because I couldn’t afford the insurance prior, simply because paying $300 a month seemed slightly unreasonable. As for the phone call that they state I was being "irate and swearing" I have two witnesses to that phone call that can confirm I was not acting in an ill manner nor was I using foul language. I may have come across frustrated, however I did not raise my voice or use foul language. This was when I filed this claim. I did, however, receive a call back from Tyler about 20 minutes later informing me that their agent from ********* insurance was attempting to contact me and then gave me the number for their insurance company as well as the claim number so that I could contact them myself and was very helpful at that time. After contacting ***** **** at ********* Insurance it was made aware that she had the incorrect phone number which was the reason she was unable to get ahold of me. The only reason I knew to look in the owners manual about the battery installation was due to the fact that the day the bike caught on fire, I posted about it in an Mt-07 group I’m in on ******** just to see if anyone had seen or heard of something like this before. I didn’t know if It was a common problem with these bikes or even who was at fault. That’s when I got a comment from someone saying that the exact same thing happened to him and it was due to incorrect installation of the battery and he sent me a picture of the owners manual. I looked in my owners manual as well to confirm. The fire chiefs investigation only says that the battery being installed wrong was the reason for the fire, not who was at fault as that is not within their means. As for the person installing to battery to distinctly remember installing it correctly, there are cameras in the shop at the dealership, which I know because they posted a video from these cameras on their ******** page on 6/15/24. That video had nothing to do with this situation, however a simply look at the footage from the day my battery was installed would clear that right up.If it was my intention to set the bike on fire in order to get a refund I would not have put my life at risk by pumping gas minutes prior, nor would I put others lives at risk by riding it to a public gas station. I also would not have put the fire out in a fast and timely manner if there was ill intention. I don’t appreciate what feels like an attack on my character. With that being said, if I hear back from the insurance company saying that the cost of repair will be covered and I will be getting my bike back completely fixed, I will be fully content with the outcome of this situation. Thank you,******* *****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩