Complaint Review: A.D. Farrow Co. Buell

[Currently owned by [local] millionaire, Robert "Bob" Althoff]

This [motorcycle] outlet, having been in business for 94 years, [and not 100, as their lie of proclamation would have you to believe] seems to maintain as well as manifest the same attitude as it did was some 94 years ago when the dealership first opened..... [Which was not allowing nor wanting minorities to patronize the dealership, or in this case as of late, ignoring those of us whom are minority male patrons, intentionally ignoring you, regarding your attempting to be a patron of the dealership ] I am making a fictitious post regarding this matter, but form actual experience, when I made a valiant attempt to patronize the dealer, some 3 years ago..... At the time, I was fancying the Harley Davidson [subsidiary] line of BUELL: Having to taking a liking to the FIREBOLT XB 1200 at the time, I searched on the buell website for [local] dealers in the area, whom carried the line: Seeing only that afore mentioned dealer, {AD FARROW} was the only one whom carried them..... I spoke at great length with the then general manager, [by the name of HOWARD] whom I asked if they still carried the line of buell... He acknowledged that they did, and that [at the time] they were having a kind of "clearance" sale, on harley & buell motorcycles, as they were trying to clear out not only their showroom of their older models, but their rear [motorcycle] warehouse, where they stockpiled a large portion of their inventory of motorcycles: As they were trying to make room for newer models to come in.... He told me that I was quite fortunate to have called, & that I should come in to see that it is that they have for sale, [in the way of the buell motorcycle line] as they would help me in any and all ways that they could so get me on one of their motor cycles..... Happily, I went down to the dealership to seek this "gentleman" [howard] out, to make a purchase for a buell firebolt....... At first, I meandered around the showroom floor, looking at at of the [then] current models of harley and buell.......

I spotted the buell I wanted, & in the color I desired, deciding that I wanted to purchase it....... Waiting for about 35 minutes, and the sales area being voided of any and all sales person, I used the house phone to ask for assistance..... I asked for the general manager, [howard] but was told he wasn't in at the time.....

[When in fact he was, as I heard his name being call out several times in the back room of the dealership, of which he responded to all of those employees whom called to him for help] Desperate: I tried to ask for assistance from other employees of the dealership for help , [whom were in various other departments] in tem assisting me to make a purchase for the bike that I wanted.... All of the ones of which I approached, denied, [in a semi hostile way] having any kind of expertise or knowledge to help me, and that I should wait for a "sales representative", to come out and help me... When asking as to where they all were, I was told that:

* They were helping other customers whom were on the phone. {?!?!?!?!?]
* Doing "inventory"..........

When I asked if there would be a [floor] sales person available I was given kind of apathetic reply, being told: "I don't know man!: They'll be out, when they got the time!....... After which, this bald-headed, long moustache aryan looking male retreats into his back office..... An hour having passed, no sale person, [male and or female] has come back to their desk..... Finally a anglo male sales person emerges from the back room of the dealership, looking out, & saying in a semi low voice: "Awwwww man, that black dude is still here?!?!?!?"...... Hearing as to what he said, I attempt to go to the back counter, where all the [anglo male] sales people had gathered.... As I walk back to the parts & accessories counter where they were, they once more, retreat to the back room...... I stop mid way before reaching the counter wondering as to what the hell was going on?!?!?!?!?..... An hour & 10 minutes had passed, and still no floor sales person has came out from the back room.....

I also need to mention: That while I waited for a sales person to serve me, [in the time I was there] there were several anglo males and anglo females whom entered the dealership, whom bought NOTHING, & wanted NOTHING, whom were giving all of the time & attention that I felt that I should have gotten..... {But wasn't given} It was almost time for the dealership to close, and I waited an additional 10 minutes but no one emerged from the back room of the dealership....... As I began toward the door, the tall anglo male whom made the comment regarding me, comes out, [holding his head down to avoid any kind of eye contact with me] and goes over to his desk...... He them picks up a [motorcycle] brochure, pretending to read it, as a way of avoiding helping me...... Having enough of this fiasco of a visit to this "motorcycle dealership", I leave.......

It's too late for me to call and speak with the general manager once I reach home so I wait the next following day.... The next following day, {which was a Saturday morning} I call back to the dealership, & tried to speak with this howard character about my [bad] experience there, from the pervious day...

He then goes into this idiotic prattle nonsense that the reason why I wasn't being helped, was that I wasn't "flashin cash".... I told him that would be a really idiotic thing to do in order to get someone's attention to help you make a purchase, for a motorcycle, they would think that you lost your mind.... He then comes up with some other lame brained aryan type excuse of saying that I should have "made an appointment".... I told him that no else whom was a none minority customer that entered the dealership has to do such, so why should I?.... He told me that I was just making a big deal over nothing, as they had plenty of minority customers whom they did business with, & they weren't the least bit worried as to my [false] accusations of them not being minority friendly, and to go else where.. With that said, he slams the phone in my ear.... The next following week, I tried to reach the own, ["bob althoff"] to discuss the matter with him, but instead got a female sales person, [by the name of jennifer] whom I had spoke with the week before, whom asked me as to what my problem was, and what she could do to correct it....

I told her that there wasn't much that could be dome at this point, as the damage had done, and it seemed no one was interested in correcting what went wrong.. She too felt that I was making too much of a point regarding the racial issue, and hangs up on me.....

When I finally did reach "mister althoff", speaking to him about my bad experience from the week before, he was no more concern that his general manager, howard... Trying to turn the matter around on me, wanting to make me look like the bad guy, telling me he was more than aware of my visit, & what I was trying to do..... That he was "hip as to what my "scam" was, and that it wasn't going to work.... {???????????} He also implied that he knew who I was, and that I wasn't going to get far, (??????), with my [false] accusation regarding his dealership, slamming the phone in my ear after his making these statements about me, as a way of closure for himself..... [For what he knew was wrong to begin with] It seemed as if he was raving lunacies toward me more than anything else, trying to make excuses for a lack of good customer service, and more so, a lack of customer service toward those whom are [black] minority males.... No scam, deceit, and or treachery was my intention in going into the dealership, just my desire to buy a motorcycle..... As of this time: Mister althoff has opened yet another [motorcycle] dealership, conveniently, placing near EASTON: A predominantly anglo neighborhood, almost void of minorities living there... Though the "new" location does have a great deal of success, than his west broad street location does....

As of this this very day: "Mister althoff", as well as [former] general manager howard, do not feel to have to apologize for their actions, nor the harmful actions regarding the the kind of customer service abuse that minority males receive regarding our attempts to patronize their dealerships..... They both feel that it is a "necessary evil", [to engaging in discriminatory business practices] in order to "keep out", those whom THEY FEEL, aren't worthy to buy harley & buell motorcycles...

As minority males will just "litter up" their showrooms, [possibly] damaging their merchandise, & not buying anything.... I would strongly urge black males, [at the very least] whom want to buy new, and or used harley and buell motorcycles, to go to Centennial CYCLES: Located in PATASKALA [OHIO] : There, you will find a very helpful and courteous staff, to fulfill all of your needs... I also strongly urge that you report such dealerships like mister althoff's to a consumer business bureau, and post your concern about such dealerships on here, to warn black males and males of other races & colors, of ones like mister althoff's dealerships, and their illegitimate business practices....

Vecktor.01
Columbus, Ohio
U.S.A.