[Shumi_21]

Seems like Triumph is refusing to hand over motorcycles to people who show up for their delivery in shorts, slippers and/or without helmets and proper riding gear.

Original link here

Vimal Sumbly, Triumph Motorcycles India MD, reveals that the company has refused to hand over bikes to some customers in the past two years, if the customer was not appropriately dressed to take the motorcycle home.

“In our store, even if a customer walks in with full money, we refuse him the bike if he is not ready to wear a helmet, or riding boots, or does not hold a valid driving license. We have lost some 12 customers in India that way,” he says.

The company politely requests that the customers come back properly dressed, or it provides them with the gear till they reach home. Sometimes, the company even delivers the bike to their homes.

“People come in slippers, floaters or shorts and say, ‘I want to buy the bike.’ You can’t judge by a person’s face, but if he is not properly dressed and just wants to show off that he has just bought a bike, that is not happening,” says Sumbly. A Triumph Motorcycle ranges between Rs 7-22 lakh and a majority of its customers are urban, HNI, young individuals.

“They are well versed with the brand. But some are new money and there is certain arrogance with that. We refuse those customers,” he says. Sometimes, the refusal has a backlash. “They have come back aggressively saying, ‘It is our money, who are you to decide?’ Few of them went on social media to vent too,” says Sumbly.

A very, very commendable move by Triumph. Other marquee brands should follow this responsible practice, if they are not doing so yet. While the majority of superbike owners understand the importance of proper riding gear, there are some who still ride their superbikes without even a helmet! I was once ridiculed by such a helmetless superbike owner for wearing a riding jacket and gloves on my 'only 150cc' Gixxer.

[SmartCat]

Weird. Why doesn't the sales advisor inform the customer beforehand?

Sir, your bike has arrived! You can pick it up at 5:30 PM. We have certain safety policies in place - so please bring along a helmet & wear biking shoes

Why make a scene at the time of delivery?

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Weird. Why doesn't the sales advisor inform the customer beforehand?

I'd imagine Triumph wouldn't take such a step (of refusing delivery) lightly, without having taken precautions for it to not arise.

This para makes me think it is not a gimmick:

The company politely requests that the customers come back properly dressed, or it provides them with the gear till they reach home. Sometimes, the company even delivers the bike to their homes.

Pretty good decision I think. Expecting customers to wear proper gear during delivery doesn't ensure they'll always wear it but sets the right tone.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Weird. Why doesn't the sales advisor inform the customer beforehand?

The Bangalore Triumph dealership stocks extra helmets for people who walk in for test rides without helmets.

Infact, not just Triumph - most of the brand dealerships in Bangalore check for helmets and shoes as a minimum criteria for a test ride.

[GTO]

Commendable move, if actually implemented at the retail level, but backed by stupid comments.

just wants to show off that he has just bought a bike

But some are new money and there is certain arrogance with that

Dear Sumbly, don't sweat too much about what your customers want to do with the bike. Some want to ride, some want to show off, some want a garage queen. Their money, their choice. It's a free country.

I also don't understand the reference to 'new money'? Is new money bad? Aren't people with old money arrogant? Whether new money or old, business is business. Focus on the numbers, pal.

[RX135]

Originally Posted by GTO

Commendable move, if actually implemented at the retail level, but backed by stupid comments.





Dear Sumbly, don't sweat too much about what your customers want to do with the bike. Some want to ride, some want to show off, some want a garage queen. Their money, their choice. It's a free country.

I also don't understand the reference to 'new money'? Is new money bad? Aren't people with old money arrogant? Whether new money or old, business is business. Focus on the numbers, pal.

I agree with your sentiment. However, just as it's customer's money, it's Triumph's business and their point of view. If we don't like their POV, we'll not buy their bikes.

They want to sell their bikes only to serious bikers and not to casual riders, *AND* they are willing to let go business for sake of it. So be it! (More likely, they also have marketing reasons for doing so

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Shumi_21

Seems like Triumph is refusing to hand over motorcycles to people who show up for their delivery in shorts, slippers and/or without helmets and proper riding gear.

This policy was there for years now. I remember it from Street Triple delivery.

Originally Posted by smartcat

Weird. Why doesn't the sales advisor inform the customer beforehand?

Again this is also done, right at booking and before delivery. I remember being reminded to come with riding gear. Helmet and good shoes are the must items, rest is optional.

[Who_are_you]

Riding such powerful bike without safety gear is sheer stupidity. What happened to Supreme court ruling regarding the compulsory sale of a helmet with 2-wheeler?



http://www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...le16188176.ece

[GTO]

Originally Posted by RX135

However, just as it's customer's money, it's Triumph's business and their point of view.

All customers are discerning when it comes to brands.

However,

No brand can be discerning when it comes to customers (in the automobile world).

Brands far more prestigious than Triumph will sell cars / bikes to anyone, with no discrimination at all. Rolls Royce tried to choose its customers and got a lot of flack for it (one customer from India used Rolls Royces as garbage vehicles). The single brand that has gotten away with 'selecting / rejecting' customers is Ferrari, but that's the exception rather than the rule. Ferrari is a completely different animal that has historically restricted supply.

They want to sell their bikes only to serious bikers and not to casual riders, *AND* they are willing to let go business for sake of it

Impossible. I'd like to hear what kind of Triumph dealer would be willing to let go off a sale like this. God knows business is extremely competitive as it is. I'd like to hear what Triumph's owners / shareholders have to say about this. If Sumbly's missive in Triumph India is actually costing him sales, this kind of thinking will cost him his job.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by GTO

Impossible. I'd like to hear what kind of Triumph dealer would be willing to let go off a sale like this. God knows business is extremely competitive as it is. I'd like to hear what Triumph's owners / shareholders have to say about this. If Sumbly's missive in Triumph India is actually costing him sales, this kind of thinking will cost him his job.

Looked up linkedin -> Sumbly is ex-Bajaj Auto. He really should have been more humble in the ET interview, and focus only on safety aspects. Talking about "new money" (?) and some customers buying bikes to "show off" is way off the line.

Every brand has a "positioning" in the market (mostly for internal consumption among marketing teams). Looks like Sumbly and his team is paying too much importance to all the drivel that is usually written in "brand positioning" paragraph.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by GTO

All customers are discerning when it comes to brands.

I don't think there is any difference tor Triumph also, they would sell vehicle to any person as long as they are legally able to buy and register the vehicle. Only at delivery they insist on wearing a helmet and a proper shoes (no riding boots and all).

Just read the article fully, i think this is just a Triumph PR push to say we encourage safety more than profit. Sumbly style PR lol i would just leave it at that..

[the_trooper]

Originally Posted by RX135

I agree with your sentiment. However, just as it's customer's money, it's Triumph's business and their point of view. If we don't like their POV, we'll not buy their bikes.

They want to sell their bikes only to serious bikers and not to casual riders, *AND* they are willing to let go business for sake of it. So be it! (More likely, they also have marketing reasons for doing so

They have a wonderful range of riding gear in their showrooms. This lip service is fanstatic, but if the company felt so strongly about promoting safe motorcycling in India, they could have just given the customer a helmet and a pair of boots as part of the buying process 'complimentary/heavily disconuted' and encouraged more people to ride safe, instead of dramatizing the whole "We have sacrificed our business for the greater good, even if it meant teaching some people a lesson and showing them their place in life. Everybody, please give us a pat on our backs."

This is assuming a company CEO genuinely said what was quoted, the authenticity of these articles is hard to verify. Don't believe everyting you see on the internet.

[SR-71]

Quoting the original news article

“In our store, even if a customer walks in with full money, we refuse him the bike if he is not ready to wear a helmet, or riding boots, or does not hold a valid driving license. We have lost some 12 customers in India that way,”

Really a commendable move considering that they give importance to safety than business !

“People come in slippers, floaters or shorts and say, ‘I want to buy the bike.’ You can’t judge by a person’s face, but if he is not properly dressed and just wants to show off that he has just bought a bike, that is not happening,”

This I do not agree. Its one thing to insist (and rightly so) that one has to be in proper riding gear to either test drive or take delivery of the motorcycle, but to judge a person based on the attire in which he walks into the showroom is going overboard, IMHO. It reeks of elitist mindset - reminds me of the pubs in Chennai which insist i come in shirts pants and shoes, dude am here to get a beer with my friends, not walk the ramp ! One can always interact with the customer - doesn't matter how he is dressed - and if the customer wants a test drive, then they could politely insist on proper riding gear.

[NiInJa]

This is a weird case of someone else's responsibility handled by someone else.

Ok, for the sake of argument, lets say I take the delivery of my bike wearing all the gear that I borrowed from my friend, because you know, Triumph insists. No problem. Then some time later, I ride my bike without any gear or helmet (I DONT do it in real life) and then what ? does Triumph confiscate my bike and give my money back ?

Though its commendable of Triumph to refuse delivery and all, I feel it is the responsibility of traffic police to monitor riders. I would even go step further and say that biking gear must be made compulsory for high speed motorcycles.

Then, the part where Triumph starts talking about the kind of money and all, I just rolled my eyes like that Chinese journalist who became viral few weeks back

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by GTO

Dear Sumbly, don't sweat too much about what your customers want to do with the bike. Some want to ride, some want to show off, some want a garage queen. Their money, their choice. It's a free country.

Look who's talking!
Aren't these the same guys who 'faked' Horse Power figures?

Coming back to the point, I have seen instances of ordinarily dressed men from villages arrive with cash, out of no where and purchase Mercedes/Toyota SUVs straight away.

If Mercedes/Toyota do not have problems selling 40 plus-lakh vehicles to 'mere' mortals, why is Triumph making so much noise?

P.S. Absolutely no offence meant to village folk & ordinarily dressed people.