Vandervest Harley-Davidson — Local services in Howard

"I recently purchased and took delivery of a 2008 CVO Dyna FXDSE2. Nothing unusual there, right? I live outside of Tacoma, Washington and haven't been in the dealership in probably 5 years when visiting family to get the obligatory t-shirt. I've been searching for a Dyna for a while for something that goes good, handles good and looks good - translation - Dyna. I found this one on the web site, and of course it was a Saturday evening. Chatted with Dixie on Facebook over the weekend and when the dealership opened Tuesday morning I called and spoke with Brook Polzin and put a deposit on the bike. I wire transferred the money the next morning. Once the paperwork was all squared away, I arranged for it to be shipped here. It showed up here late Sunday evening. I left work early on Monday and took off on an hour ride to for its maiden voyage here in the Pacific Northwest. The bike is perfect!! I forgot how much fun the Dyna's are - throw in a 110 motor and some Vance and Hines pipes and you have a recipe for FUN!! The service department installed the chrome switch caps, Screamin Eagle Phat Plug Wires, reset the security code and removed the reflectors. I've added a connection for my Gerbing heated gear under the seat and from what I can tell, they did pretty good work in the pre sale service and the add on items I purchased. The parts department was also able to order me the CVO Gold key, the Service Manuals, Electrical Manual and new owners manual. All of the items order were in a box packed up for me. Motorclothes helped me pick out 2 t-shirts that I purchased over the phone and they are both very cool!! Working with Brook was fun and an enjoyable experience. She is genuinely a nice person, knows the products and was a source of information throughout the process. To top it off, she gift wrapped the 2 boxes the shipper brought for me! It was priceless. As far as the bike, I think I got good value for what I paid, the dealer had a good gross profit, and I got a bike I am going to enjoy riding. The only loser in this has been my car, which until I get my new Condor rack for the CVO will be sitting in the driveway. The only hiccup in this long distance transaction was a delay in me receiving paperwork to sign so the bike could be released to the shipper due to a mailing error. I shared the feedback with Dixie, who is one of the owners of the dealership. Other than that, things were quite good! I even sprung for a service contract for 2 years WITH tire and wheel coverage for a reasonable price. Thank you to Brook and the whole Vandervest Team for...

"Customer service and respect is becoming a hard to find commodity in business today. I say this because I am a Senior Field Engineer for a fortune 100 company. In my business I deal with customers in industry that are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars an hour when their equipment is down. This is day in and day out 24x7x365 for me. I dont typically interface with people smiling and in good spirits. You become very good at reading people, being clear and concise and caring about peoples needs but being honest with expectations. In other word you quickly pick up the skill of cutting through the nonsense and getting to whats going to relieve the situation. I have purchased six new Harley Davidson motorcycles over maybe twenty years so I understand how it works. My local dealership in Appleton having seen four of these so Im not new to the dealership or people. This is where my shopping started but quickly ended with high pressure tactics and rude behavior. The young salesman was good but the back staff decided to come out on the floor and push things along. This was the end of a business relationship for me and this dealership. Now I say this because it sets up me coming to Vandervest Harley and the polar opposite treatment I received. I walked through the door and was greeted by Peter. I was expecting to be accosted with endless tactics but Peter answered my questions and made it very low key. I explain what I experienced at my longtime dealership and why I was a little frustrated. Peter looked at me and said Scot, I dont need to know where Appleton Harley was at with prices. I just need to know where you need to be. Bang, right way to defuse and redirect. Peter was up front, answered all my questions and worked the deal. He was upfront and clear. Vandervest picked up my existing bike from Appleton, gave me a fair trade and a good deal on the new one. Some people dont get that good customer service costs very little to give. Form the perception, identify what you can deliver and deliver what you promise. Peter is an excellent example of these qualities. Much appreciated. Thanks Peter !!! and everyone at Vandervest for the quality low key...

Vandervest is second to none. While on a five day road trip my bike developed some unusual handling quantities causing some concerns about being able to continue on the trip. While coming into Green Bay I felt the need to have it checked out. I pulled in to Vandervest and was greeted by a pleasant and knowledgeable service consultant Brandon. He told me to pull my bike in and he would have a look. It was more serious than I had anticipated and in all my years of riding Harley's this was the first time this had happened. I explained I was on a road trip and lived in Minnesota. He said he would have someone take a look at it and do the diagnostics. He introduced me to Ryan, a cheerful and professional technician that explained the problem to me with Brandon and said he would get right on it. Off my bike went to his work area. Brandon came out to check with me a short time after and explained the problem, the solution, the estimated time it would take, cost, and asked if I could come back tomorrow. When I explained my situation again he said he did not have all the parts in stock, but said to wait and he would see what he could do. He came back less then ten minutes later and told me he had obtained the need parts from other HD dealers and would have my bike done by the end of the day. Four hours later my bike came out washed and all problems resolved. Ryan and Brandon had also inspected and resolved some other minor issues. Ryan road tested the bike and had me on the road. They went out of their way to make a serious trip ending problem into a small inconvenience. I came in about noon and left the shop back on my trip by five. Everyone in the dealership was friendly and made me feel comfortable while I waited and the price was less than I had anticipated. Thanks Brandon, Ryan, and the team at Vandervest for the excellent and professional service. I...