Modern Vespa

Anyone want a UK dealership?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190262982070&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm38.l1313%26_nkw%3D190262982070%26_fvi%3D1

"The only reason I'm selling is that I really can't stand Piaggio any more. They make the worlds finest Scooters by miles, but the hierachy fail to return telephone calls, pay our regular and sizable bonus payments on time, and this has been happening for over two years, during which time I'm slowly going mad."

Hey, my grandfather was born in Mitchum, Surrey. You think I could get citizenship and move to the UK and sell scooters?

Hum.............

Yeah - wanna float me a loan

If you are good at selling, yes.

This is a huge low-point for a large proportion of UK riders - JT has consistently been an honest, good-value and good fun friend to many of us. Piaggio have shafted him with a frozen Toblerone, and quite understandably he doesn't like it.

It is merely a communication problem - with one side being the problem - does this sound familiar US-side? Thought so...

The bikes are great, the dealer/customer-facing Piaggio employees are a bunch of short-sighted retards who deserve to become 'mechanically recovered meat'. It seems no-one can make a decision without blessing from the 'Godfather' in Italy - they seem to have genuine personal fear doing anything else. It's like Tsarist Russia.

Actually that doesn't sound too far off from the company I work for now.

Hell's teeth! This is very bad news.

I am very pissed off with this.

I thought I had found a good dealer in Scootech, then both their mechanics pissed back off to the Antipodes somewhere. Both of them actually spent a long time trying to persuade me to buy a pink ET4, saying that it would suit me.

Although that banter is not there with Thompson's mechanics, I thought I had found mechanics that I trusted. JT's forum banter is legendary - he is incredibly polite in real life! I suggest that any of you who want a laugh sign up to tscoot!

Dang....

Piaggio need some serious sorting out. Still not paid their May sales bonuses? WTF?

I empathize JimC. Living in the Caribbean can also drive one mad over a period of time. We have to either accept the way things are or leave. I have chosen to accept ... though it gets more difficult the older I get.

Trying to get anything done here takes a ridiculous amount of time, money and effort. I just spent three weeks trying to get a .10 cent washer for my propane gas clothes dryer following hurricane Omar. Sigh.

I also just discovered (while cleaning my scooter) that the rear tail light is cracked and needs to be replaced. It probably happened in shipping from St. Maarten (they managed to put a two inch scratch on the the paint too) and I just didn't notice it until now. It hasn't gone anywhere (only has 2 miles on the speedo) and I know I haven't done anything to it. So there you go. It will likely take a month or more to get that sorted out.

There is no way I am going to deal with the dealer in Puerto Rico ever again ... and my dealer in St. Maarten doesn't carry ANY parts, so I will have to order it from the U.S., provided they have the same taillight that they use on the LX's in St. Maarten. I'll have to figure that out first. I'll probably replace the right mirror at the same time as well because it arrived here all pitted and rusted. (Brand new scoot!)

Anyway, sometimes some things just aren't worth sticking with ... but sometimes they are. Only you can make that choice. Sorry for your troubles. Bummer!

That's a bummer indeed, and as someone who's spent a summer of perfect riding weather with an immobile bike waiting for parts from Italy, I can quite see the reasoning.

Sure you don't want to take it on as a retirement project, Jim? I reckon if anyone could put a rocket up Piaggio HQ it would be you.

Hmmmmm... Would you say that these problems also extend to the Vespa brands now also? And if so, was Vespa perhaps better as an independant company before they were bought up by Piaggio?

I've seriously considered it. But I like lazy retirement far more.

Vespa has always been owned by Piaggio. The bikes and brands are first-class, let down only by very poor communications.