Piss poor Chaparral

Gravel
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Gravel 12/31/2014 4:57pm
12/31/2014 4:57pm
I used to love chaparral when they were across the freeway on mill street and sold non current gear and tires for great prices. The current chaparral won't get a dollar of mine except in an emergency. Same with Berts, crappy service and prices and high pressure salesmen.. I really miss the old school shops that were run by riders..
SLO1667
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SLO1667 12/31/2014 5:01pm
12/31/2014 5:01pm
BTO won my business long ago with superior customer service compared to anyone else. Too bad for the laggards they don't understand and invest in better customer service and this is the result of not doing so - lost sales and poor reputation management. Too many companies ignore the neet effect of word-of-mouth and Social media (i.e. Vital forums).

BTO!!!
Slow450
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Slow450 12/31/2014 6:27pm
12/31/2014 6:27pm
JerseyFresh wrote:
Or ya know, support your local shop.
My local shop is terrible. Glad you have a good one.

BTO was my local shop over a decade ago and I imagine I'll be purchasing from them for at least another-regardless of where I live.
DEMONDAVE
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DEMONDAVE 12/31/2014 7:18pm
12/31/2014 7:18pm
Gravel wrote:
I used to love chaparral when they were across the freeway on mill street and sold non current gear and tires for great prices. The current...
I used to love chaparral when they were across the freeway on mill street and sold non current gear and tires for great prices. The current chaparral won't get a dollar of mine except in an emergency. Same with Berts, crappy service and prices and high pressure salesmen.. I really miss the old school shops that were run by riders..
yup same , the old building (yellow) staff was the best , my money goes to bto or motosport .

The Shop

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hvaughn88
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hvaughn88 12/31/2014 7:21pm
12/31/2014 7:21pm
I'm sure JT$ will see this thread and be very happy
MMCDan
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MMCDan 12/31/2014 9:30pm
12/31/2014 9:30pm
I've yet to find the perfect "one-stop-shop" retailer either online or in the neighborhood. In my experience, you have to put in a bit of effort to get what you need when you want it. Like most on here, my online shopping is split between Rocky Mountain, BTO and Motosport. I usually favor RM for their fast order processing, shipping cost/options, awesome rewards program and the way they accurately display inventory online. With BTO, I've found a bit of a lag between pressing the "order" button and when the order is actually placed/filled so calling them is usually the better option. Also, their representation of whether or not the parts are in inventory is sometimes a bit optimistic.

Chaparral is my local shop and they are awesome. I have bought 10+ bikes from them over the past 3 years and they always give me racer support which saves a ton of $$ on parts and accessories and they have saved countless weekends by having the parts I need in stock when I walk in Friday night or late Saturday afternoon. I've never had a better retail experience anywhere in the country, from large metro to small suburban areas.
JB 19
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JB 19 12/31/2014 9:45pm
12/31/2014 9:45pm
For online ordering BTOSPORTS has been killing it. I've been getting stuff in 2-3 days in Ohio....free shipping and awesome prices. One time my order was 530$ and I got 50$ off that I didn't plan on.
Cashmore
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Cashmore 12/31/2014 11:28pm
12/31/2014 11:28pm
I got screwed over by them back in 2002-03 on a few helmets that I ordered. Haven't used them since and go to my local shop 90% of the time. Sometimes you can't beat the deals online
Tonynz
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Tonynz 1/1/2015 12:06am
1/1/2015 12:06am
We were over from NZ in May ( coming back in 3 weeks for A3 and San Diego) checked out alot of shops, it had been about 4 years since my last visit to California, did alot of the bike shops, Chaparral, Malcolm Smith, Langston, 3 Bros etc, and drove up to BTO to pick up a couple of items.
Chaparral, has a good selection but the advise is useless, my son was loking at knee braces the person serving us was next to usless.( i was close to asking the person what color are KTM,s to she if she new)
The other shops we were helped by people who were involved in the managment, or ownership of the stores, all had great service, and all wanted to talk moto with us.
enketchum
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enketchum 1/1/2015 12:31am
1/1/2015 12:31am
I just shop at Chaparral because they are local to me. If something isn't in the store, I pay for it and pick it up at the warehouse in the back
walleyeguy
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walleyeguy 1/1/2015 3:20am
1/1/2015 3:20am
I do most of my business with rockymountain also but they were out of stock on my size of instincts. At least they knew they were out of stock. Lol. Usually when I order from rockymountain I get shopping confirmation within two hours. I've even forgot a couple things that added up to under $20 and they still shipped it free even after they shipped the main order. ALWAYS have my stuff within 3 days.
MudPup545
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MudPup545 1/1/2015 5:00am
1/1/2015 5:00am
JerseyFresh wrote:
Or ya know, support your local shop.
Absolutely. I will use the internet to help find what I need/want. I then send the link to my local dealer( a small, local mom and pop store) and he will always beat the price on it.
k cycle
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k cycle 1/1/2015 5:16am
1/1/2015 5:16am
Some local shops are their own worst enemy. Nothing more aggravating than walking in the door, go to a salesman, ask for a specific item and they have no clue what your talking about. They look at you like you're dumb and say. "I've never heard of anything like that." They should checkout magazines, look at motorcycles websites....ect.
walent215
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walent215 1/1/2015 5:23am
1/1/2015 5:23am
Dirty Britches wrote:
supporting your local shop sounds like such the right thing to do but..... They guys I dealt with always acted like they could give 2 shits...
supporting your local shop sounds like such the right thing to do but..... They guys I dealt with always acted like they could give 2 shits. I bought new ATV tires from a local shop and he wanted to charge me $20 per tire to mount on the rim. What? are you fking kidding me? I bought the ATV from that shop, then new tires, just take 10 minutes and mount 'em up or charge me $20 overall. Not per tire.
From that point on all my accessories where bought online. With no tax and free shipping, hard to beat.

With my triathlon bike (cost more than my first dirt bike), I make an effort to buy a few things from his local shop. The owner goes out of his way to service me, gives free tune ups, and always takes care of me if I have a bike emergency - ie an issue the day before a big race, he drops what he's doing and fixes me up straight away. Great service and a very helpful attitude keeps me coming back. I never had anything close to that from our local mx shops.
IWreckALot wrote:
I absolutely agree with this. Bicycle shops are much better with the customer experience in my book. I have nothing but good things to say about...
I absolutely agree with this. Bicycle shops are much better with the customer experience in my book. I have nothing but good things to say about my LBS (Fort Worth Cycling and Fitness).
That's interesting because our bicycle shop is exactly as you described....they don't really have very good prices but I don't care because their overall attitude and customer service is so excellent I'm happy to give them my money!
2smokertillend 1/1/2015 9:41am
1/1/2015 9:41am
My local shop always had what I needed and would give me discounts. I always wondered about rockymoutain, do they support any riders?
nascarnate326
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nascarnate326 1/1/2015 11:17am
1/1/2015 11:17am
MxKing809 wrote:
Amen to that! Our local Honda shop is oblivious about MX/SX. I used to love going in there as a kid with my dad and making...
Amen to that! Our local Honda shop is oblivious about MX/SX. I used to love going in there as a kid with my dad and making the sales men look stupid when they tried selling me on a new 250f. I would ask them what they changed from the previous year, and when he didn't know, I would school him. I was a little shit lol.

I'll gladly support online retailers who support pro racing. I almost exclusively buy from motosport because of all they've done with Jimmy Albertson
Same here. I love the videos that Brett Cue makes and its because of those videos that I found motorsport. Just rebuilt my entire bike with stuff from motorsport and got new gear for me and the wife from them as well.

Pit Row

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bturner26x
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bturner26x 1/1/2015 11:58am
1/1/2015 11:58am
2smokertillend wrote:
My local shop always had what I needed and would give me discounts. I always wondered about rockymoutain, do they support any riders?
They have been supporting Josh Strang in the GNCC for the past 2 seasons as his title sponsor. He has a nice rig, bikes, mechanics, driver & a small recap series. He got a factory ride this year coming up, so I guess the deal is over.

mxdude105
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mxdude105 1/1/2015 11:59am
1/1/2015 11:59am
Another vote for Rocky Mountain. Used to be a Motosport guy but Rocky is now my go-to. Honorable mention to BTOsports.
The shops near me have minimal items in stock and what they do have is 10-15% marked up over what the catalogs charge. No thanks.
Harry Backmon 1/1/2015 12:11pm
1/1/2015 12:11pm
Titan1 wrote:
Is it best of the both worlds that RockyMountainatv.com also happens to be my local shop? (I LOVE having them 25 minutes down the road. If...
Is it best of the both worlds that RockyMountainatv.com also happens to be my local shop? (I LOVE having them 25 minutes down the road. If I need something right away, I can call down there and they'll have it at the front desk before I get there...and if I order something online, its at my door step the next day.)

BTO or Rocky Mountain are my two main places...occasionally I'll drop by the local Cycle Gear store or the local Yamaha dealership if I'm in the neighborhood.
You're killing me! I use them almost exclusively. Dealers here are priced too high, and they usually don't have what I want.

On the other hand, Rocky Mountain is always giving me $50 credit! They just handed me another $50 earlier this week! Love that place!
KlootZak
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KlootZak 1/1/2015 12:13pm
1/1/2015 12:13pm
JerseyFresh wrote:
Or ya know, support your local shop.
Yeah, I'll ride for an hour to pay 20% more ... Sounds like an awesome deal Blink
Skippie
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Skippie 1/1/2015 12:14pm
1/1/2015 12:14pm Edited Date/Time 1/1/2015 12:14pm
BTO for clothing and gear. Rocky Mountain for boots and parts. The only thing I really buy local is a helmet.
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 1/1/2015 12:26pm
1/1/2015 12:26pm
I'm not defending Chaparral; but, they're not allowed to sell current Fox gear at discounted prices per their contract with Fox.

As to Mail-Order? I -ALWAYS- tell people to go where they can try some thing on and tell THAT shop what the price is On-Line. Give your local shop a chance.

If I'm ordering on-line: I start w/ BTO and on the Very Rare Occasion that they don't have it? I then go to MotoSport and from there I'll go to Rocky Mt.

The owner of BTO spends INSANE money on "his" Team. Actually it's the Butler Bro's Team; but, they do a DAMN GOOD JOB Representing BTO...don't they? From what I can see: Vince seems to spend more "per capita" and is VERY involved with the Team.

I like that. I reward that kinda Moto-Stoke with my purchasing power.
oppenheimer77us 3/29/2016 11:14am
3/29/2016 11:14am
At Chaparral customer service is just a slogan, like others have said, just too big to care. I just got screwed on a bad repair that left me stranded in the desert, the manager admitted it was their fault but sorry we are not going to refund your money. I have spent thousands of dollars in there, been a customer for over 25 years (this is my closest shop) and it was just too bad, so sad over a $200 repair they admitted was their fault. Unfrigginbelievable, never spending another dime in that place.
Jharper
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Jharper 3/29/2016 11:25am
3/29/2016 11:25am
2smokertillend wrote:
My local shop always had what I needed and would give me discounts. I always wondered about rockymoutain, do they support any riders?
bturner26x wrote:
They have been supporting Josh Strang in the GNCC for the past 2 seasons as his title sponsor. He has a nice rig, bikes, mechanics, driver...
They have been supporting Josh Strang in the GNCC for the past 2 seasons as his title sponsor. He has a nice rig, bikes, mechanics, driver & a small recap series. He got a factory ride this year coming up, so I guess the deal is over.

They also supper AE722
Katoomey
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Katoomey 3/29/2016 12:03pm
3/29/2016 12:03pm
Why has the moto-related forum become a place to air consumer grievances? Is there not a more appropriate place for these threads that are becoming all to common.

certainly these threads would concern certain retailers about advertising here...
willieboi
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willieboi 3/29/2016 12:05pm
3/29/2016 12:05pm Edited Date/Time 3/29/2016 12:09pm
At chapparal a few months ago and was surprised at how few dirt bikes they had to offer. I felt they were friendly and welcoming especially the helmet department. Also, maybe it's just me but the showroom lacks the volume and variety of the late 90's.
oppenheimer77us 3/30/2016 12:53pm
3/30/2016 12:53pm Edited Date/Time 3/30/2016 3:46pm
Katoomey wrote:
Why has the moto-related forum become a place to air consumer grievances? Is there not a more appropriate place for these threads that are becoming all...
Why has the moto-related forum become a place to air consumer grievances? Is there not a more appropriate place for these threads that are becoming all to common.

certainly these threads would concern certain retailers about advertising here...
Is there a more appropriate place? This seems like the perfect place to point out that Craparral sucks and if they stop advertising here then all the better. Maybe they will clean up their act if they get called out enough on their bullshit or enough folks stop doing business with them. Maybe these threads are becoming all too common because retailers don't give a rip about customer service anymore. What is your story? Work there?

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