Sky Powersports in Lake Wales Cruises Past Competition

Regardless of what I buy, customer service is an important element of the buying experience, and that is particularly the case if I am purchasing a big ticket item, such as the motorcycle I picked up on July 12, 2011, from Sky Powersports in Lake Wales, Fla. The bike-shopping journey leading to the purchase was much longer than my trip to Lake Wales; much longer than I can share fully here, but I'll try to give you the gist.

For starters, I live in Fort Myers, Fla., which is a 2 1/2-hour drive from Lake Wales. Yes, there are a few cycle retailers much closer, but I made the drive to Sky to purchase my 2009 Yamaha Stratoliner S. Hang on, you'll see why in a few. Sadly, for my local dealer in Fort Myers, I was in the finance office, about one minute away from signing the paperwork to purchase a bike when I called Sky to inform them of my decision to stay local. So why did I abort and drive to Lake Wales? Customer service! Oh, and finances, of course.

On my quest for my very first motorcycle, I truly did my homework. I researched online for weeks. I visited a dealership in Naples. I spoke with a dealership in Sarasota. I visited one of my local dealerships no fewer than six times, working extensively with one of the sales personnel there. I even did portions of my motorcycle class at the same local dealership. So why did I end up making the trek to Lake Wales instead of staying with my local dealer? You guessed it; customer service and finances.

The morning of the 12^th, I called my local salesman, and I called the gentleman I had spoken to in Lake Wales the previous day. I asked both to call me back with "out the door" numbers on specific bikes. It turns out that the Sky Powersports rep with whom I'd been speaking, Chaz Northey, is the general manager of the Lakeland store, who was in Lake Wales to help train new staff. That was my good fortune, because Chaz Northey's salesmanship, superb customer service and very cool personality got me up to Lake Wales that day!

I spoke with Chaz multiple times by phone that morning, and we talked about various options on multiple machines. I received no call from my local salesman. When I walked in to my local dealership, about three hours after having made the initial call of the day, and asked why I hadn't received a call. I received a typical salesman answer: Translation? BS.

I sat around my Fort Myers dealership for approximately three hours while they were supposedly working on the numbers. Somehow, it took Chaz just minutes. Eventually, I settled on a 2008 Yamaha Warrior at the local dealership, and, as noted above, was in the finance office preparing to sign the paperwork. Before signing, however, I called Chaz to thank him for his efforts and to inform him that, given the numbers, it wouldn't be worth it for me to drive to Lake Wales on that stormy Tuesday.

In most cases that would probably be all she wrote. Ah, but not with the crafty Chaz working the case. He calmly advised that I was welcome for the work that he had done and very conversationally inquired about the bike I had chosen. After informing him of my choice, he asked if I had heard of the Yamaha Stratoliner, and informed me that he had one available well within the specified budget. And, it was a more recent model than the Warrior I was about to purchase. Obviously he knew his bikes, had identified what might work for me, and made me a better offer. Very sweet work!

I asked about the finances, and Chaz gave me the financial breakdown in a matter of minutes, including the interest rate, which was several points lower than what my local dealership had informed me was the very best I could get. When I asked the local finance rep with whom I was working, why Sky Powersports could get me a better interest rate, he told me, in essence, that they were blowing smoke. Well, given my experience thus far, I chose to believe Chaz and walked out of my local dealership.

Less than a mile down the road from my local dealership, I got a call from its finance rep informing me that he had gotten a call from the finance company, and I could, in fact, get the rate that Chaz had quoted me. He stated that the finance company had just called him back indicating a mistake in what they had quoted. Uh huh, right! I thanked him for the call on continued along my merry way.

The team with which I worked at Sky was outstanding. Adam Pearce (original salesman), Aaron Stohmaier (Finance Manager), and, of course, Chaz Northey got me in and out of the dealership in just about one hour! I received a discount on the accessories I purchased while in the store, and overall had a much more positive experience than I had had at my local dealership.

The bottom line of all of the above is that Sky Powersports in Lake Wales blew away my local dealership both in price and customer service, and that's why I was willing to make the 110-mile trek to purchase my beautiful Yamaha Stratoliner S. Once getting there, the variety of machines, the accessory wing of the store, and the way Sky Powersports conducted their business confirmed that I had made the right decision.

Shortly after my purchase, I needed to interact with Sky regarding a saddlebag issue. The leather developed wrinkles just two days after my purchase. I called Chaz, who connected me with the Service Manager at Sky in Lake Wales. I was told that they would order me a new saddlebag, but they were on back order and I would be called when it came in. Last week I took another ride to Lake Wales and my new saddlebag was installed.

The bottom line is that pre, during, and post sale, the service from Sky Powersports was outstanding! If you live within a hundred miles of Central Florida and are thinking of buying a motorcycle, watercraft or ATV, you should definitely consider giving Sky Powersports a call. They have three locations: Lake Wales, Lakeland, and Port Richey, and I hope your experience is as rewarding as mine.