New Cat dealer

[smokindave]

Guys I have never been to ralphs or any other shop in this area but i do believe that every dealer has their good points and bad if there is new employee's they are learning every job is like that, it is not fair to post things that are being said here if you don't like the service there find a place you do but don't bad mouth these guys online. Sounds like some people have had very good experiences there and some people will keep having good ones, let others have their own, and leave ralph's alone plz. I don't read these threads for that kind of stupid bs. PM each other.... get real.

Hey Kane13 you opinion is appreciated but as we can't for tell the future or who needs a good shop PMing is not an option. This forum is for sledders info be it good or bad.First rule of beening in bussiness is that if you treat people bad that info will spread.Having spent a lot of time and money in Ralphs over the years I think I have a handle on whats going on there.I guess if you had your sled fixed there and got the shaft you would just suck it up. When you post a post like this when you have no knowledge and then call the thread a bunch of stupid BS you kind of pizz me off.What is this site for in your eyes?
If we can't talk about service wheather good or bad what do we talk about.
When you say get real once again I just don't understand you.When some of us have a bad experiance should we not post that or is this site just meant for passing on our positive experiances.As you have posted your opinion we are posting ours and if you are keeping track this thread isn't that bad.Many comments about them from me and others have had some positive remarks too.So as I am getting real maybe you should stop in at Ralphs and throw your money at them they will gladly take it, but for me no thank you.If you don't read these threads for stupid BS why are you reading this in the first place. Just my opinion.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[kane13]

Ya your probably right i wouldn't be happy if i had spent a lot of money there and not felt comfortable doing so, But i have had this experience with other dealers and usually i just don't go back and give them my money again. I do understand it sounds like he is the only dealer around that area at the moment hopefully he gets some competition soon that alone may change the way they deal with people, if i remember right though this thred was about a new dealer opening up around the area and not about ralph's maybe there should be a post in the Arctic cat section about ralph's or maybe a whole new section should be started about dealers. I am just not one who talks behind others backs and it seems that some people are happy with the place either way everyone is entitled to their own opinion so they should make their own judgements, competition is a good thing though sometimes, keeps people honest. sorry if i affended anyone with the last post i tried to remove it but smokindave still has it up, good luck and merry Christmas.

 

[kane13]

k i dont like to be a a$$ to anyone but i put this post on here asking about a new cat dealer as i read through these threads all i see is nothing but *****ing about ralphs on here? i never did mention anything about ralphs in my post its to bad some of you guys have had bad experiences with ralphs i can't say i have because i have never been there before but we all have to realize Ralphs motorsports is the largest cat dealer in canada so obviously they have pissed a few of us off but i'm sure they have alot of happy customers leaving there everyday. sorry about the rant but i dont like to see any cat dealers put down because when i'm stuck somewhere in a pinch and i need apart it is always nice to get it when you need it and if by chance you go there and you have said nothing good about them they might just say no we dont have what you need and you might be sittting at home while your buddies our out riding

amen brother !!

 

[smokindave]

Ya your probably right i wouldn't be happy if i had spent a lot of money there and not felt comfortable doing so, But i have had this experience with other dealers and usually i just don't go back and give them my money again. I do understand it sounds like he is the only dealer around that area at the moment hopefully he gets some competition soon that alone may change the way they deal with people, if i remember right though this thred was about a new dealer opening up around the area and not about ralph's maybe there should be a post in the Arctic cat section about ralph's or maybe a whole new section should be started about dealers. I am just not one who talks behind others backs and it seems that some people are happy with the place either way everyone is entitled to their own opinion so they should make their own judgements, competition is a good thing though sometimes, keeps people honest. sorry if i affended anyone with the last post i tried to remove it but smokindave still has it up, good luck and merry Christmas.

Hi there Kane13 Don't worry as I don't think you have offended anyone you just have your opinion. Ralph does have competition now Chunks Motor Sports in High River. You can go to Ralphs and ask anyone there about me and my opinion about their service.I have been very open about my feelings about the place.I have not taken my sled in for service to ralphs in a long time but have gone for parts there. Now that Dan is leaving I'll go there for nothing now as they have replaced Dan with someone not from the motorsport industry.I don't talk behind anybodys back and the staff at Ralphs know exactly how I feel. I have told them point blank that the boom in calgary is over now and custumer service should be number one. Before it did not matter as we were lining up to blow our money on toys but now it is a buyers market and if they treat us like crap we can now go else were. Read the posts from the begining and you will see not all things posted by me were negative.They basicly have one bad apple there that is ruining their reputation. I personally have been screwed by the service department on more than one occasion. I did the best thing I could do and went and bought my next machine at Agro that just a couple of months later quit selling sleds. Now Chunks has opened up and I intend on doing my business there from now on. Its nice to be able to talk sledding with someone that sleds that is important to me just like supporting hotels and bars that are sledder friendly. And yes competition is good for us the consumer and posts like this give the consumer a choice on were and whom they do business with. Old saying in business bad rep will travel much faster than good. Through out most of these posts you'll not find too many that are happy with the service they have recieved. And yes the whole point of this post was about a new shop in the area but some have vented on their experiances at Ralphs.Losing hard earned money on chitty service sucks. If you went to pick up your brand new sled and they loaded it on your trailer for you with a fork lift and you go straight home and unload your sled and the first thing I did was start adjusting my front suspension only to find that they can't be adjusted because when they loaded it they stripped off all the threads on the shocks with the forklift and then tell you that you probally won't have to adjust as they have set it up for me is BS. After argueing they fixed one of them and said the other would do after taking 13,000 out of my pocket is unacceptable.Never been there for service since then.And as far as making a post if you feel what you have said is wrong don't hit send till you have read it.You got quoted for a remark you made and can't blame anyone but yourself as you hit send not me. Just my 2 cents worth.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[kane13]

Ya you bet Dave we seem to have the same problem here, glad i have dealt with the same dealer for years new owners but the same service so far but i have seen some guy's upset as i hang around there a bit, but so far they are great, good thing a very knowledgable guy bought the dealer and kept most of the staff around, they are busier than ever now and every weekend you can find these guys on the mountian showing off arctic cat sleds they currently have a 09 m8 turbo 153,09 1000 turbo162,09 z1 turbo 175",and a09 z1 turbo 163" i think, all demos these sleds are all far from stock,i think they are trying to sell us all turbo's lol.... never the less they are awesome give great deals and are very serious about moving product and keeping people happy,to me thats what makes a great dealer.

 

[Samurai]

Just a comment..........If a person reads all the threads..... 1/2 of the threads on SW are asking.."How does this work compared to?"...or...."What would you buy?"...or ....."Who do you recommend?".

Is it the thread title that offends some of you?

GO CHUNKS GO

 

[2deep4u]

I am going to give Ralfs the benifit of douts They gave my buddys family great service and they were in March, April the dealer that wanted to sell. But I was wondering if Tim that worked at agro in the past was still with Ralfs He was very good

 

[sledizim]

ok so has everyone got everything out they have to say because ralphs is a well known dealership just like dons speed parts, outlaw all terrain,chunks motorsports, argyll motorsports,echo cycle but i can gurantee u if you start asking people about all the dealerships not just single one out they all have issues i no my self i have not had such good luck at some northern alberta dealerships but i now alot of people have had good luck there so in the end of it all we all ride cats and we all enjoy the sports so why put down someones hard working company because sooner or later they might be there when you need them so lets try not to single out any dealership good luck to u all ,safe riding and have a merry christmas and a happy new year

 

[smokindave]

I am going to give Ralfs the benifit of douts They gave my buddys family great service and they were in March, April the dealer that wanted to sell. But I was wondering if Tim that worked at agro in the past was still with Ralfs He was very good

Yes Tim is still there,He is a excellent mechanic and a real pleasure to talk to.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Big Twin]

Guess I can put in my experience here as well.
My first purchase wa a 91 530 M cat, bought at bow cycle, no more cat!
Second sled a 1995 PS 580 from Ralph on the farm. Excellent service then. Opened the little one bay shop off 19th street, sevice still Ok then Mark broke his back.
Ol Courtney opened Mtn Tech (A/C) after years of building some of the best custom sleds out there, bought a new 98 PS 600, then a 99 700 not so Special. With some Dennis help, Tim and Linderman magic it turned into something special. Tim is the man for your sled or quad. Along came Dennis, nothing but good things to say about this man!! Good service, parts etc. full meal deal crew there. Courtney, Tim, Dennis, Mark and Randall.
Ralph moved across the street, bigger shop and more staff, Still good service.
One last move for Ralph to the current shop with the addition of the second bay now.
Courtney sells Mtn Tech to Agro. Agro builds a sales building accross from Blackfoot M-Sports. Mistake here separating service from sales. Dennis and Tim do a smokin job in the service area. Ali and George seem to always get the parts I need promptly and correctly, Agro sales has no idea about sleds and sledders needs.
Ralphs gets a bit busier, Agro loses some business. Time passes on and Tim makes a move to Ralphs.
Some time passes and Agro loses the Cat dealership, Sad day for Calgary!

I have had good service from Ralphs in the past and present. Mark and Colleen own the business now and Ralph is in sales. As busy as they are being the only local dealer is a daily challenge. Tim is a good Bud, I know they get swamped there.
I now live in the GP area where we have Beaverlodge Ford and GP Nortgate Honda. Ford carries Plugs, Oil and belts. Any parts they order and you wait! North Gate has more parts but they only have Cat sleds, being a Honda dealer means no Quads!
It would be nice to see Tim, Linderman and Dennis team up for a Calgary shop. Brent has built some kick a$$ stuff for me as well as Tim. Dennis needs no explaination on his tallent, I'm sure it is well known!
Cheers all I'm out! Ciao

 

[m8matt]

I can't believe all the negative comments here. I have had nothing but great service with Ralph's. I worked at a dealer in Winnipeg 10 yrs ago. My experience is that everybody wants something for nothing. You have to keep in mind that Ralph's is a business and businesses need to make money. Keeping in mind that customer service will generate cash. I have been in Ralph's numerous time overhearing conversations and the same thing is happening. Everybody want something for nothing! If they don't get what they want they complain. And blow it way out of proportion.

Ralph's has great service, fair prices and solid service.


P.S. I can't wait to here the comments on this statement:

"You have to keep in mind that Ralph's is a business and businesses need to make money."

Matt

 

[M9onNOS]

I can't believe all the negative comments here. I have had nothing but great service with Ralph's. I worked at a dealer in Winnipeg 10 yrs ago. My experience is that everybody wants something for nothing. You have to keep in mind that Ralph's is a business and businesses need to make money. Keeping in mind that customer service will generate cash. I have been in Ralph's numerous time overhearing conversations and the same thing is happening. Everybody want something for nothing! If they don't get what they want they complain. And blow it way out of proportion.

Ralph's has great service, fair prices and solid service.


P.S. I can't wait to here the comments on this statement:

"You have to keep in mind that Ralph's is a business and businesses need to make money."

Matt

It is great that you are happy with the service at Ralph's! I don't agree that their service is good at all, but that is my experience. I understand that they are there to make money, I just believe that they could have a lot more if they would pay more attention to customer service and satisfaction.

 

[Waxy]

Hi There Waxy,
I got 4500 miles on my sled last season all on Arctic Cat APV.Pistons are like new I am keeping for spares and my valves were pretty clean and to be honest with you I prefer to ride behind someone burning cat stuff over that Shell stuff anyways. That Shell stuff smells bad. To each their own I guess.
And I thought I made it clear and by the sounds of most people on this thread that we would prefer to go anywhere but Ralphs.I buy C-12 @ 4.75 a litre so a couple of extra $ on oil ain't to bad.

Cheers,
Dave

I had terrible luck with the APV oil on my M7 fouling up the power valves, but then, it was WAY oil rich at the time too.

I run the Amsoil now exclusively, you can't beat the price or the product. I haven't had to smell the Shell stuff in a long time lol. It's amazing how BAD some oil can smell though, the Klotz stuff is unreal.

You made it clear, and I didn't mean to direct my response to you alone, just to anyone out there buying their oil at Ralph's because ridiculous prices because it's the "OEM oil".

Waxy

P.S. $4.75/L, OUCH.

 

[Waxy]

"You have to keep in mind that Ralph's is a business and businesses need to make money."

I understand that they are there to make money, I just believe that they could have a lot more if they would pay more attention to customer service and satisfaction.

Exactly.

You make money by having repeat customers. You get repeat customers with good service and good prices, not by charging the maximum price you can to everyone that walks in the door and then never seeing them again.

Case in point from this fall - I was looking to buy a new PowerClaw track and figured I'd shop around a little. I'd never seen one person and I wanted to have a good look at one, so I stopped in at Ralph's, the only place I could, to take a look and get a price. After waiting for almost 25 mins while the parts guy BS'd with couple other customers about the weather and sled trips, and thinking about leaving several times, I finally got his attention. After giving me a deer in the headlights look when I asked about buying a new PowerClaw track, I pointed to the 09's and said I wanted one of those tracks and was looking for a price and how quick he could get one. He couldn't be bothered to look it up! He just told me "Any new OEM track is going to be at least $1000, those are new, so probably around $1200." I already knew I could them WAY cheaper than that, so I pushed him a bit. Same response. Maybe I look like a deadbeat, I don't know, but again, I walked out of Ralph's shaking my head and vowing never to go back.

How is that good business? Is selling 1 track to a sucker or someone who's gonna be ticked off later for $1200 better than selling 20 tracks for $750 to satisfied customers? I highly doubt it.

I bought the track the next day from Curtis at Tracks Canada for $699+tax. He was great to deal with and even arranged for me to pick it up from his son in Calgary.

Waxy

 

[Waxy]

One more thing -

I think posting your opinion, both good and bad, is EXACTLY what this forum is all about. How can anyone ever make an informed decision if they can't get any straight info? That's why people come to forums like this...

Waxy

 

[smokindave]

I also bought my challenger extreme 2.5 from Curtis at Tracks Canada.Excellent guy to deal with and I picked mine up from his sons work.When I first talked to him about a new track back in July he warned me that prices were going to go up due to rising rubber prices but I still didn't order one thinking I would buy a power claw from Ralphs but I left him my phone # so a couple of months later he called to say he was putting in his order and tracks would be going up after that so I hummed and hawed then went to Ralphs to get the power claw promised for me but they had sold it and then I called Curtis to get the extreme but he had allready put in his order.So now I figured I was SOL and then Curtis called a couple of weeks later to say he had an extra and gave it to me at old pricing made my day.When I need a new track which will probally be for next season I'll go to Curtis again. Excellent honest service which is important to me.Just my opinion though.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[smokindave]

2010 demo ride

Chunk Motorsports is taking the 2010 Arctic Cat M8 HCR out to the Crowsnest on Sunday March 22. We are meeting up at the Wranglers cabin at 2:00pm so if you are interested in trying out a 2010 be on time. Willy will be going to Revy next week to give demo rides so call Chunk's @ 403-603-3155 and find out where and when. I will post my opinion of this new sled next Monday.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[c16 m1000 turbo w/nos]

wow

With all this ralphs bashing, looks like dave must be blown chunks, no pun intended. But seriously i just dropped some cash for my new Race gas turbo m1000 on the button at ralphs and never had any issues with parts or service, they built it in a day !!!! Wifey's m8 was cheap and they set it up just for her riding style.. I always bought parts from dan, but boo FN who he's gone get over it, and move on. Kinda sounds like dave musta got his hands slapped there, they seem to know there stuff !!!!!! 403-291-4868 try it out 4 yourself.

 

[c16 m1000 turbo w/nos]

wah wah wah

wah wah the label was falin off, and if i did'nt have my snowmobile magizine that i read everday and night i would have never known the difference, MY CHICK KNOWS THE DIFF! Did you think about askin for help or mabey bring it to someones attention, no , thought so that would be common sense.
People i joined this forum recently to talk about riding and sleds, its boring all this *****n, LETS TALK SNOWMOBILES AND FUN, these are toys you grumpy people!
Thanks , gone ridin while your home *****in!

 

[dinger]

Lol, blowen chunks. Thanks for the laugh.