BBB
To whom it may concern:
I recently had the single most disturbing, unnerving and even frightening experience with a mechanic whom I was referred to and traveled 40 miles to have my motorcycle serviced.
The mechanic is one Chris Lingen of Lingen Service Center located outside of Holland, MN. Lingen Service Center, 1318 161st ST, Holland, MN 56139. Phone: (507) 347-3370
On Wednesday, April 4, 2012, I dropped off my motorcycle to have a short list of things done, as follows:
• New tires and inner tubes, (which I previously purchased and supplied)
• New rim strips (from Chris Lingen)
• Tighten spokes and true the wheels
• Properly break the drive chain to shorten from 100 links to 98 ( specifically asking to keep the removed link)
• Rear brake shoes in (which I also previously purchased and supplied)
• Balance (sync) the carburetors
That was the list, nothing less and nothing more. I have a 1978 Yamaha XS400 2E which is a twin cylinder motor with 2 carbs, spoked wheels and obviously, drum brakes.
On Thursday, April 12, the bike was ready to be picked up and I spoke to him very briefly as he seems to be a man of few words. I learned to my surprise that he had replaced a carburetor float without calling me to ask if I wanted that done. I would soon learn that there were many things he didn’t tell me. As for the brief conversation before leaving I asked if he had the extra chain link to which his response and gesture was an impatient palm up and saying that he didn’t know where it was and that I wouldn’t need it anyway. I then asked if I could have the old carburetor float (the part I did not ask to be replaced). His immediate response to that started the same as the earlier action, then himself realizing it was on his disorganized, cluttered work bench within plain sight, he grabbed it and handed it to me. I paid him $ 221.31 which also included new spark plugs (I might mention the spark plugs I had in were new with about 70 miles on them. They were blackened from a rich fuel mixture and simply required a brushing clean). And at that I departed there with a feeling of unease but not expecting what I would find out subsequently.
The motorcycle did not run as well as before I took it to him; it would misfire when decelerating. The misfiring and popping sound is not a correctly tuned bike and is embarrassing at best. I had decided I would “leave it be” and not return to this mechanic! I will have someone else fix it if I cannot correct the problem myself. I parked the bike at home and it was parked all day Friday, April 13.
On Saturday, April 14, I planned to look it over and take it for a ride. The first thing I realized was the rear tire was completely flat and zero PSI (no air) when checking tire pressure. I then checked the front tire and it seemed maybe 4-5 PSI lower than I would have expected, but I figured it was the amount of air Chris Lingen had put in the tire and so I didn’t yet realize it was leaking. I pumped up both tires knowing the rear tire would go flat. After 2 hours, the rear tire was down 2 PSI. The front seemed deceptively the same as 2 hours earlier.
On that day, I attempted to call Lingen Service Center two times. There was no answer and no voicemail or answering machine. Interestingly, the next day, on Sunday, I attempted to call and leave a message. This time I was calling from a different phone, and the call was answered promptly by Chris Lingen. I told him of the rear tire being flat and rather than ride the bike 40 miles (which didn’t run correctly anyway) I informed him I would just bring only the rear wheel - removed from the bike - the next day (Monday, April 16). He agreed to that.
On Monday, April 16, I planned the trip to Lingen Service Center to have the rear wheel tire and tube fixed. Before leaving I checked the air pressure on the front tire (still on my motorcycle) and since last check on Saturday (2 days earlier), it was now down 2 pounds from 36 to 34 PSI. I used a spray bottle with water and dishwashing soap mix to spray the valve stem and discovered that it was in fact slowly bubbling and that I did in fact have an air leak from the front tire inner tube. Discovering this, I called Lingen Service Center and spoke with Lingen’s other mechanic, who told me Lingen was not in the shop. I informed him I would be removing the front wheel and would bring both wheels in at 2:00. I also asked him if he had worked on my bike and I was informed that Mr. Chris Lingen had done all of the work on my motorcycle.
What unfolded after arriving to Lingen’s on Monday, April 16, 2012, is what compelled me to write this entire letter. I had each motorcycle wheel inside of large trash bags in the trunk to keep any grease from the trunk carpet. On both wheels, I had the brake drums on the wheels and temporarily duct-taped in place around the edge of the hub to prevent dust from attaching to the wheel bearings and axle area. Arriving there, I backed up the car to the entrance door, opened the trunk and brought the wheels into Lingen’s Service Center. I greeted him, but after a short greeting he saw the brake drums taped into place and to demonstrate how glad he was to see me , quickly and scoldingly blurted, “We don’t need these on here”, referring to the brake drums. He then ragingly, even violently, started tearing the duct tape off and carelessly removing the drums handing the first one to me. I set it down and he urgently picked it up handing it to me again and ordered me to “put it in your car!” Having both brake drums removed, he hastily poured water on the tube stem of the front wheel and insisted that “it will leak air if you keep checking it like that” to which I calmly explained that it was checked after sitting 2 days (from Saturday to Monday).
By this time, I was already stunned in silence and had gone half into shock. He said something about “those Big Bike tubes are no good” and that they are cheap, made-in-china junk. I was puzzled at his “Big Bike” description. I asked what that meant; he was referring to the brand of tubes - which were BikeMaster. I purchased the inner tubes from Sioux Falls dealer MidAmerica Motoplex, a Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda dealer. He told me as if it was stupid of me not to use the brand of tubes he uses and that I should have expected that (both tubes leaking air). The motorcycle dealer itself seems to disagree, having installed them without the problems which I was starting to REALLY experience at this point.
Chris Lingen’s next short blurting outrage was simply “What do you want me to do?” He then repeated this because I took a moment to think about what I was really dealing with here. Cheap, made-in-china inner tubes? No, not that! Also, I was partly in a state of speechless shock and getting scared of this guy.
I nervously and calmly asked “what can you do?” He told me he would put HIS brand of inner tubes in and fix what he was insinuating to have been all of MY mistake. He then told me the cost of the front and rear tube and total cost which I didn’t even make mental note of (my guess is around $40 or $50), because I was still stunned and shaken from his violent display and abrupt, spiteful, hateful method of interaction. Was this normal, mutual, remedial action and interaction? I think not! So I cautiously, carefully and simultaneously went to pick the wheels up while saying “It seems like you’re very busy.”
His mechanic was overhearing this spectacle and as I slowly and numbingly made my way out in awe of it all, he turned to the employee yelling, spewing and venting vulgarity and slander. I then, in a stupor, solemnly placed the wheels in the trunk of the car, but there was more! The shop door opened up, Lingen had bunched up the garbage bags I earlier kept the wheels in, threw them into the furthest corner of the car trunk and despicably: “Here’s your garage bags”.
I felt a sinking-sick and disturbed feeling all afternoon / evening from this experience to the point of not sleeping. And the same continued feeling from his disturbing tantrum and tirade to this moment still.
Do I attempt to call yet again to resolve this matter? Seems less than plausible and I would only be satisfied with a refund for cost of new tubes and installation, or even a full refund. My guess is that he was as impatient and careless with servicing the motorcycle as he was in his impatient, confrontational manner with me. Also, I live 40 miles away after all; who would think that I would go to the trouble of taking the wheels off and traveling back up there? If not for the rear tire going completely flat I might not have noticed for a full week that the front was also slightly punctured. I’m partly convinced of the possibility that the tubes got around the protective rim strip and rubbed against the spokes in his likely maddened and hasty work.
It seems that it was a huge insult and a huge waste of his time for me not to be purchasing tires, inner tubes and brake shoes from him. I only expected a job done right and was willing to go out of my way for that.
I am curious, and it’s a dreadful thought, as to how low the back tire was when making my way home on April 12. I assumed too much with his work and had heard good things. A very experienced mechanic installing brand new parts; then not just one tire, but both tires leaking. Was the mishap work partly intentional? It was the furthest from my mind until witnessing the seething act of venting from this man of few words. Now I know better.
(continued on next post)
To whom it may concern:
I recently had the single most disturbing, unnerving and even frightening experience with a mechanic whom I was referred to and traveled 40 miles to have my motorcycle serviced.
The mechanic is one Chris Lingen of Lingen Service Center located outside of Holland, MN. Lingen Service Center, 1318 161st ST, Holland, MN 56139. Phone: (507) 347-3370
On Wednesday, April 4, 2012, I dropped off my motorcycle to have a short list of things done, as follows:
• New tires and inner tubes, (which I previously purchased and supplied)
• New rim strips (from Chris Lingen)
• Tighten spokes and true the wheels
• Properly break the drive chain to shorten from 100 links to 98 ( specifically asking to keep the removed link)
• Rear brake shoes in (which I also previously purchased and supplied)
• Balance (sync) the carburetors
That was the list, nothing less and nothing more. I have a 1978 Yamaha XS400 2E which is a twin cylinder motor with 2 carbs, spoked wheels and obviously, drum brakes.
On Thursday, April 12, the bike was ready to be picked up and I spoke to him very briefly as he seems to be a man of few words. I learned to my surprise that he had replaced a carburetor float without calling me to ask if I wanted that done. I would soon learn that there were many things he didn’t tell me. As for the brief conversation before leaving I asked if he had the extra chain link to which his response and gesture was an impatient palm up and saying that he didn’t know where it was and that I wouldn’t need it anyway. I then asked if I could have the old carburetor float (the part I did not ask to be replaced). His immediate response to that started the same as the earlier action, then himself realizing it was on his disorganized, cluttered work bench within plain sight, he grabbed it and handed it to me. I paid him $ 221.31 which also included new spark plugs (I might mention the spark plugs I had in were new with about 70 miles on them. They were blackened from a rich fuel mixture and simply required a brushing clean). And at that I departed there with a feeling of unease but not expecting what I would find out subsequently.
The motorcycle did not run as well as before I took it to him; it would misfire when decelerating. The misfiring and popping sound is not a correctly tuned bike and is embarrassing at best. I had decided I would “leave it be” and not return to this mechanic! I will have someone else fix it if I cannot correct the problem myself. I parked the bike at home and it was parked all day Friday, April 13.
On Saturday, April 14, I planned to look it over and take it for a ride. The first thing I realized was the rear tire was completely flat and zero PSI (no air) when checking tire pressure. I then checked the front tire and it seemed maybe 4-5 PSI lower than I would have expected, but I figured it was the amount of air Chris Lingen had put in the tire and so I didn’t yet realize it was leaking. I pumped up both tires knowing the rear tire would go flat. After 2 hours, the rear tire was down 2 PSI. The front seemed deceptively the same as 2 hours earlier.
On that day, I attempted to call Lingen Service Center two times. There was no answer and no voicemail or answering machine. Interestingly, the next day, on Sunday, I attempted to call and leave a message. This time I was calling from a different phone, and the call was answered promptly by Chris Lingen. I told him of the rear tire being flat and rather than ride the bike 40 miles (which didn’t run correctly anyway) I informed him I would just bring only the rear wheel - removed from the bike - the next day (Monday, April 16). He agreed to that.
On Monday, April 16, I planned the trip to Lingen Service Center to have the rear wheel tire and tube fixed. Before leaving I checked the air pressure on the front tire (still on my motorcycle) and since last check on Saturday (2 days earlier), it was now down 2 pounds from 36 to 34 PSI. I used a spray bottle with water and dishwashing soap mix to spray the valve stem and discovered that it was in fact slowly bubbling and that I did in fact have an air leak from the front tire inner tube. Discovering this, I called Lingen Service Center and spoke with Lingen’s other mechanic, who told me Lingen was not in the shop. I informed him I would be removing the front wheel and would bring both wheels in at 2:00. I also asked him if he had worked on my bike and I was informed that Mr. Chris Lingen had done all of the work on my motorcycle.
What unfolded after arriving to Lingen’s on Monday, April 16, 2012, is what compelled me to write this entire letter. I had each motorcycle wheel inside of large trash bags in the trunk to keep any grease from the trunk carpet. On both wheels, I had the brake drums on the wheels and temporarily duct-taped in place around the edge of the hub to prevent dust from attaching to the wheel bearings and axle area. Arriving there, I backed up the car to the entrance door, opened the trunk and brought the wheels into Lingen’s Service Center. I greeted him, but after a short greeting he saw the brake drums taped into place and to demonstrate how glad he was to see me , quickly and scoldingly blurted, “We don’t need these on here”, referring to the brake drums. He then ragingly, even violently, started tearing the duct tape off and carelessly removing the drums handing the first one to me. I set it down and he urgently picked it up handing it to me again and ordered me to “put it in your car!” Having both brake drums removed, he hastily poured water on the tube stem of the front wheel and insisted that “it will leak air if you keep checking it like that” to which I calmly explained that it was checked after sitting 2 days (from Saturday to Monday).
By this time, I was already stunned in silence and had gone half into shock. He said something about “those Big Bike tubes are no good” and that they are cheap, made-in-china junk. I was puzzled at his “Big Bike” description. I asked what that meant; he was referring to the brand of tubes - which were BikeMaster. I purchased the inner tubes from Sioux Falls dealer MidAmerica Motoplex, a Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda dealer. He told me as if it was stupid of me not to use the brand of tubes he uses and that I should have expected that (both tubes leaking air). The motorcycle dealer itself seems to disagree, having installed them without the problems which I was starting to REALLY experience at this point.
Chris Lingen’s next short blurting outrage was simply “What do you want me to do?” He then repeated this because I took a moment to think about what I was really dealing with here. Cheap, made-in-china inner tubes? No, not that! Also, I was partly in a state of speechless shock and getting scared of this guy.
I nervously and calmly asked “what can you do?” He told me he would put HIS brand of inner tubes in and fix what he was insinuating to have been all of MY mistake. He then told me the cost of the front and rear tube and total cost which I didn’t even make mental note of (my guess is around $40 or $50), because I was still stunned and shaken from his violent display and abrupt, spiteful, hateful method of interaction. Was this normal, mutual, remedial action and interaction? I think not! So I cautiously, carefully and simultaneously went to pick the wheels up while saying “It seems like you’re very busy.”
His mechanic was overhearing this spectacle and as I slowly and numbingly made my way out in awe of it all, he turned to the employee yelling, spewing and venting vulgarity and slander. I then, in a stupor, solemnly placed the wheels in the trunk of the car, but there was more! The shop door opened up, Lingen had bunched up the garbage bags I earlier kept the wheels in, threw them into the furthest corner of the car trunk and despicably: “Here’s your garage bags”.
I felt a sinking-sick and disturbed feeling all afternoon / evening from this experience to the point of not sleeping. And the same continued feeling from his disturbing tantrum and tirade to this moment still.
Do I attempt to call yet again to resolve this matter? Seems less than plausible and I would only be satisfied with a refund for cost of new tubes and installation, or even a full refund. My guess is that he was as impatient and careless with servicing the motorcycle as he was in his impatient, confrontational manner with me. Also, I live 40 miles away after all; who would think that I would go to the trouble of taking the wheels off and traveling back up there? If not for the rear tire going completely flat I might not have noticed for a full week that the front was also slightly punctured. I’m partly convinced of the possibility that the tubes got around the protective rim strip and rubbed against the spokes in his likely maddened and hasty work.
It seems that it was a huge insult and a huge waste of his time for me not to be purchasing tires, inner tubes and brake shoes from him. I only expected a job done right and was willing to go out of my way for that.
I am curious, and it’s a dreadful thought, as to how low the back tire was when making my way home on April 12. I assumed too much with his work and had heard good things. A very experienced mechanic installing brand new parts; then not just one tire, but both tires leaking. Was the mishap work partly intentional? It was the furthest from my mind until witnessing the seething act of venting from this man of few words. Now I know better.
(continued on next post)
