I don't like writing about negative things. It doesn't make me feel good. I like being screwed around even less. Therefore, the following review for Trooper Lu's Garage, Moorebank NSW:
To make a long story short Trooper Lu's sold me a bike, promised me the world but instead gave me an empty pocketbook and more than 3 months of stress and run around.
It started with the purchase. I found the perfect bike! A simple 2 stroke race bike which was a demo up for sale. When I spoke to the business owner, Justin Chisholm, he told me he could sell me the bike for a few hundred dollars less than what was advertised. Fast forward to purchase time - he retracted his offer to sell for less because 'it was a mistake on his part' and pointed out there was some damage to the fairing that occurred in transit... I was disappointed but my heart was set so I signed the dotted line and entered into what has proved to be a terrible relationship with a dishonourable business run by a two-faced liar.
I am a trusting person. I believed everything the business owner told me. I even wrote a nice review about the shop and called it a breath of fresh air. Even later when they got me a jacket for what they said was a good price and I found it online for cheaper I thought that it was an honest oversight and appreciated their effort. Even after the business owner backed his van into my partner's bike, sending it onto its side causing hundreds of dollars of damage and ruining his helmet I played fair and took responsibility for my partner's error in parking too close to the van. I was promised a new brake lever (a fraction of the total cost of repairs) and 'a good price' on his helmet. Neither was delivered or even so much as followed up on.
Fast forward several months. The warranty on the bike has just ended. It's having charging problems. I bring it into the shop and leave it in their hands after doing my own research as to what the problem could be. They come up with the same answer as I: it needs a new regulator. My simple 2 stroke 125cc 2009 Cagiva Mito SP525 spent 3 months in their shop waiting for parts and warranty requests and they swore they were doing the best they could. I ended up sourcing the part from overseas myself and had it there in 5 days. When I called to check that the part had arrived, it apparently had but there were a few bikes to be worked on before mine... But they were doing the best they could... So finally, FINALLY I went to pick up my bike and I was stunned to find a 500$ bill including 3.5 hours of labour. I was quoted 200$ less over the phone just days before. My dissatisfaction was met with excuses and defensiveness. I was promised a phone call from the business owner. It never came. Honestly I was just glad to be done with the whole ordeal and have my main mode of transportation back even if I was out of pocket a little.
Guess what.
2 days later the bike was not working again. Exactly the same problems as before. I ran the same tests as I did 3 months before. I checked the voltage going to the battery at idle and it was giving the exactly the same readings as it had in the first place.. it's not holding enough charge to keep the bike running. I did a quick parasitic drain test and found it and its source. I know very little about machinery but the hour I spent with google and a multi meter told me that my bike should have never left the shop because the new regulator was not the answer to the problem. Imagine my frustration. I had just paid 500$ for parts and services that did not solve any problem whatsoever. It was now time to be upset.
When I called and spoke to the business owner to tell him my bike was not running again, he sighed and swore in apparent frustration. I expected somewhat of an apology or at least a little bit of concern, but instead he gave me excuses and reasons why this and reasons why that and spent 30 mins talking about various nonsense. He told me how other business don't even take on electrical work and it could take 12 hours or longer to find the source of the problem and I would have to be charged for that. He told me that the mechanic had been rude to me because I'm American (yes he actually said that) but it wasn't his fault because he's a country boy.. It was not a professional consumer-trader conversation. I felt like I was trying to plead my case in court. In the end he offered to come pick up my bike free of charge so that he could work on it himself, but reiterated that it could take infinite hours to find the source of the problem and I would be accountable for that time. Ultimately the business owner communicated to me that they were in no way responsible for my lost time and money.
Is this the way we do business these days?
When the bike transport company called to come and pick up my bike to take it back the shop, I apologized to them and said I did not want to send the bike back to the shop. I ended up sending an email to the business owner asking for the bike to be re-examined and fixed free of charge since I had already paid for 3.5 hours of service that did not produce a solution. I asked for transport both ways free of charge since I had already been there and back to pick up a 'fixed' bike. I asked for a new battery, a time line and to approve any repairs they might make and in response I received an email which included their lawyer's contact details and refusal to provide any further service on my bike. The business owner informed me that he would be 'returning the bike to me at no cost' and that he had spent enough time on the bike... My bike was downstairs in my garage at the time since I had not let the transporters take it. Clearly he knows what goes on in his own shop! He asked me to stop trying to telephone the store after hours to leave messages. As far as I'm aware, I haven't done that. I suppose I would be paranoid after ripping a customer off as well.
So the details are long and plentiful but ultimately I feel disregarded and used and unimportant and I feel it necessary to let others know of my experience. Trooper Lu's Garage has half the equation right -- they promise to look after their customers and make them feel like they will be treated as valuable clients. Unfortunately for Trooper Lu's, they are missing the more important half of the equation. If a business does not deliver what they promise, eventually those with bad experiences will start talking and word will travel. In my opinion, Trooper Lu's Garage is just another shop full of average dishonest mechanics run by a dishonest man who is a great actor putting on a great show to get the sale and make a quick buck.
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