My Venture MP Experience

[YukonMP]

Attention Customer Service

Dear Sirs,

I wish to register my displeasure with my new 2014 Yamaha Venture MultiPurpose. Specifically the skis. Your website contains erroneous information which I did not catch prior to my purchase because of lack of familiarity. Briefly, on the Features and Benefits page there is a heading for the Tuner Dual Keel Skis and a description follows. Under the next heading, Additional Features, Yamaha assures me that the MP comes with VK type wide plastic skis that keep it up on top of the deep stuff. Oh, if it were only so I would not be taking this action but unfortunately I, and a great many others, have been caught out by your change to the MP and the no doubt innocent error on your website.

So what to do? I have found a lot of unhappy Yamaha MP owners but no one who has brought this to your attention. In the main it is up to Yamaha Canada to determine its own fate in this matter. I will make a suggestion that would reflect handsomely on Yamaha's approach to customer service. Have all your dealers immediately contact all MP purchasers who did not get the proper, wider VK type ski. Any customer who is dissatisfied with the Tuner ski should be offered a pair of the VK type replacements for free. As a further indication of Yamaha's sincere regret for our bother I suggest Yamaha also offer even wider ski skins as per customer preference.

It may appear that I am asking a lot but consider your customer's view. Yamaha had a chance to get it right the first time, failing that a little appropriate compensation for our bother is not out of line.So that is my suggestion, VKs because we should have got them in the first place, free skins for our bother and to reward our loyalty.

I would like to inform you that a copy of this email will be posted to TotallyYamaha on a thread called My Venture MP Experience. I recommend it to you and I'm sure you appreciate the opportunity to be widely seen as leaders in customer service. Please acknowledge receipt of this email. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,
Ken
YukonMP

 

[YukonMP]

At my age this is as good as it gets boys .... game on! Despite the fact that I am home ill I do sincerely wish for Yamaha Canada to do the right thing. I just completed my Sales and Delivery Survey last night and I can see where they hold the dealers to account, but it is up to us to work with Yamaha. My dealer is a small business man with a family, he has a huge commitment and dependence on Yamaha, this problem is not of his doing. He is the face of Yamaha,I look forward to his call and glad tidings.

In my survey I made it very clear how highly I consider Yukon Yamaha and how my relationship with them was one of two main reasons for buying a Yamaha sled. The other reason was the difference I saw between BuRPs customer service and Yamaha's, as expressed in this forum and dootalk. The MP was not without its issues in the early days but it looks to me like Yamaha stepped up and made everything right without charge or hassle. Let's hope for more of the same.

Not everyone buys new but I bet guys who buy new are more brand loyal than those who don't. These forums are a powerful tool for determining who should get our loyalty but I think Yamaha is missing an opportunity to build loyalty. Why the hell are we all spending our time sorting out ice boogers, cold start issues, and where to install the coolant heater they just sold us? I can buy a new car for what I paid for this sled and I won't be surfing the web to solve its booger issues when I drive in slush. I know it isn't the same thing. I said in my review that sleds are heavily challenged both by their operating environment and their operators ambitions.

Bottom line(since I think I may be delirious), send me the skis and a sticker to put on my sled that says ASK ME WHY I'M IMPRESSED BY YAMAHA. Or else I'll get some monkey hanging around here to make up our own decals YAMAHA SinglePurpose.

Thanks, I feel better.

 

[Mooseman]

Good letter. Good tone and non threatening. No use coming out with the howitzers when a pen might suffice. Hope it works out for you guys.

I bought mine used but it no way diminishes my brand loyalty. In fact, I'm even thinking of buying new although I don't like any of the dealers around here.

 

[YukonMP]

Happy to report Yamaha Canada sent me a friendly and business like response. They thanked me for my time and effort. My letter has been passed along to the appropriate parties.

Last night I was shifting firewood with Buster( 2011 Yamaha Bravo LT - floats like a butterfly) and Blue(2014 Yamaha MultiPurpose - stings like a bee). What a pair of workhorses. In the yard, on packed snow, those Tuners are utterly amazing, as they are on packed trails. The joke will be on me if Yamaha gives me VK type wide skis and I end up missing the Tuners. That said, for my purposes, the wider skis are the best compromise and what I expected.

Go Yamaha!

 

[Mooseman]

Btw, I had a set of skins on my VK's and they floated amazingly but made the MP steer like the Titanic.

 

[YukonMP]

Thanks for the heads up Mooseman, maybe Yamaha will let us keep our old Tuners. A bunch of old Tuners aren't of much use to Yamaha.

I just know that this sled has the poop to go deep if it would just stay level. And it isn't as if it is too heavy to be lean-steered. I was out yesterday and when I'd lose the nose one way I could stop and get on the other side and in no time he was on that side. The track is plenty long and wide, lots of power, if it isn't too deep or there is lots of room we just keep going. But once he goes over it is all over. To its credit the MP has a very wide stance, with proper skis that will be its saving grace.

I was shopping for skis when you caught the glitch on Yamaha Canada's website, it sounds like Rayclar is looking, and probably others too. I hope they don't take too long deciding. This is the time of year when we make a few longer trips and I won't go on Tuners.

 

[YukonMP]

"A man with a problem only has on thing on his mind"

It just occurred to me that the website mistake is particular to the 2015s. I remember doing comparisons on the site between 2014s and 2015s and when you do that the 2014 is two inches wider. Wanna' bet that is due to the missing VKs. Whatever.

This is from Blues second day home. The background is Tagish Lake,YT. Apologies to Mr. Sled, I'm still trying to work out how to post pictures because I believe this approach is frowned upon.

Nothing from Yamaha Canada today ...

 

[Mooseman]

There you go, giving me a bone again!

The 2014 description is exactly the same as 2015

Edit: Now I know what you mean. You're talking about the overall width of the sled. Yeah, exactly 2 inchs missing

 

[Pat tremblett]

Attention Customer Service

Dear Sirs,

I wish to register my displeasure with my new 2014 Yamaha Venture MultiPurpose. Specifically the skis. Your website contains erroneous information which I did not catch prior to my purchase because of lack of familiarity. Briefly, on the Features and Benefits page there is a heading for the Tuner Dual Keel Skis and a description follows. Under the next heading, Additional Features, Yamaha assures me that the MP comes with VK type wide plastic skis that keep it up on top of the deep stuff. Oh, if it were only so I would not be taking this action but unfortunately I, and a great many others, have been caught out by your change to the MP and the no doubt innocent error on your website.

So what to do? I have found a lot of unhappy Yamaha MP owners but no one who has brought this to your attention. In the main it is up to Yamaha Canada to determine its own fate in this matter. I will make a suggestion that would reflect handsomely on Yamaha's approach to customer service. Have all your dealers immediately contact all MP purchasers who did not get the proper, wider VK type ski. Any customer who is dissatisfied with the Tuner ski should be offered a pair of the VK type replacements for free. As a further indication of Yamaha's sincere regret for our bother I suggest Yamaha also offer even wider ski skins as per customer preference.

It may appear that I am asking a lot but consider your customer's view. Yamaha had a chance to get it right the first time, failing that a little appropriate compensation for our bother is not out of line.So that is my suggestion, VKs because we should have got them in the first place, free skins for our bother and to reward our loyalty.

I would like to inform you that a copy of this email will be posted to TotallyYamaha on a thread called My Venture MP Experience. I recommend it to you and I'm sure you appreciate the opportunity to be widely seen as leaders in customer service. Please acknowledge receipt of this email. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,
Ken
YukonMP

Yukon.
I recommend you use # when referencing Yamaha. It will go on other sites featuring Yamaha at the same time.
I hope you have better luck with #Yamaha customer service than I am. Read my post concerning my MP.
I do like the machine however there are issues that have to be addressed. Skis and ice boogers are just a few.
I have contacted my Lawyer concerning my issue of rust and will be serving papers to #Yamaha soon. Did not want to go that far and was hoping Yamaha would atleast offer to sand and repaint the rusted areas.
But like I said I do like the machine. It is a nice looking and very comfortable machine. It is the first brand new machine I ever bought. All my others were atleast 15 years old. I love this site because I get a chance to read about other people's experiences.
Once again good luck with #Yamaha customer service.

 

[Mooseman]

That is sad that it has to go to that point. A lawyer can't be cheap neither.

 

[Pat tremblett]

That is sad that it has to go to that point. A lawyer can't be cheap neither.

No it is not moosan but things happen.
My intention was not to shall we say post bomb ( photo bomb ) yukons post here.
Apologies to Yukon. Just wanted to wish him luck.
But I just posted pics of a ride I had on my MP. Post titled Fun Times.

 

[YukonMP]

Hey, it is all good guys. I think this is a great spot to chat about all of our MP experiences.

Starting at the top, again kudos Mooseman. No doubt Yamaha Canada has their eyeballs turned here occassionally and you are making it easy for them and anyone else also following. Thanks.

Rayclar, I actually got the idea to post the photo in my profile from you and then when that worked I just kept going. That spot is about ten miles from home. My cabin is a 1km ride off the lake.

Pat, no sweat, thanks for introducing yourself to the guys. I'm off to check out your adventure. I think it is cool that we MP guys are showing how great it is to get out and put these machines to good use. Maybe our large ungulate technical guru will post a photo, I've only seen his hands (if there were his hands) holding a delaminating belt.

 

[Mooseman]

That was actually my son's hand

Ask and ye shall be moosed. Here I am in front of the house last year. I've since changed the idler wheel configuration so it doesn't look like a tank anymore and swapped the Slydogs for Camoplast all Terrains with dual carbides because it darted so bad. Can't put duals on the Slydogs. I also had to remove the trunk because it broke.

If I get a chance, I'll get a more recent one.

 

[YukonMP]

In my review I compared or referenced my other and first sled, the 2011 Bravo. The physical differences are amazing when you put them side by side. It is so unfair of somebody like me to knock the MP for not being a Bravo. Fortunately I have both. The Bravo is worth its weight in gold around here, an'89 came up on Kijiji for 2k this morning.

So a couple shots of Buster and Blue followed by a bit of a novelty.

We were out getting wood today. Any guesses as to what it is, I mean the sled not the guy. I've known him for years and am still not sure about him. Here are some hints ... the blue milk crate and grizzly hide cushion are not OEM, chrome skis are. Notice the primary is behind the secondary but that probably gives it away.

This is the sort of competition Blue has up here. They don't even take you seriously until either your first three owners are dead or the machine is 40 years old. I'll never live it down that for what I paid for Blue we could have moved the toilet inside.

 

[Mooseman]

The thing about the Bravo, it will never stop. My bro-in-law has an 80 something Bravo, he doesn't maintain it, leaves it outside uncovered all the time, the frame and tunnel are separated from each other so the whole sled flexes and most of the idler wheels are seized. Maxes out at 20 km/h. He just uses it on his property during maple sap season.

In all those years, it had hardly changed. I think it was the only sled that still came with steel skis even in its last year in 2012.