"dear central coast yamaha, i've been to your store several times, but have purchased only a few things. it's always been positive. this time, while camping at pismo beach on april 4th, my son's quad battery went dead. i called my brother, a resident of santa maria, to pick up a replacement for my son's polaris outlaw 90. i thought the price was steep, but at least knew that it was the correct item for the correct powersport. the quad jumped to life and was great dune fun for the kids. a few days later we went on a riding trip to the desert. the starter would barely turn over on the second day. i thought there was something wrong with the starter or electrical system. however, when we got home i charged the battery, which quickly showed that it was 100% charged. still, the same issue with the dismal cranking persisted. i took apart the starter and checked the brushes, which were in excellent shape. baffled, i took it yesterday to porter's motorsports here in bakersfield. today he called to say that it was simply a bad battery. when a new battery was installed, it roared to life with ease. i called central coast yamaha to see what could be done, being that i had the battery and receipt. i was told that since i didn't have the original box, nothing could be done. with the original box, the item could have been sent back to the manufacturer for a refund? i do feel frustrated that the cardboard box takes precedence over an 11 day old receipt and the physical product. i had porter's motorsports order a replacement battery for $45 dollars, less than half of what i spent for the 'factory' replacement. not to give a lecture about customer service, but i would have liked either a more convincing approach as to why the 'box' was of ultimate importance...or at least offered a fraction of the cost of the battery as 'store credit.' should you wish to learn more, explain more, or ask a question or two, please feel free to contact me at 661 619-4528. regards, dan gyll"
Dan Gyll - bakersfield, CA