Vespa Metro

I sooo want to like this store, but their customer service is lousy. went in on Saturday looking for helmets to match our Vespa 250. no one said hi, and we were in the store for over 20 minutes… some Asian woman furiously cleaning the store and one guy who appeared to work there. left… sniff…

Being this is the only Vespa Dealer now limited Choice, My recommendation would be to go to bellingham and get servicing done there.
They charged (250 + tax and fees) $ 280 bucks in change to do first servicing (4 months or 1000kms which ever comes first) on a brand new scooter bought few months back where they claimed they needed to do valve adjustment work to justify the crazy costs? given there was no choice and I wanted my machine kept up reluctantly agreed.
In hindsight I should have done more research and this post is more of a warning and post about alternatives.
After talking to various other vendors including some dealers out east I realized basically got taken for 280 dollars. The initial servicing was just the oil change on this new scooter they «may» at their option change the plug and everything else was just a ploy to part you from your hard earned money, Who does valve work on a new machine? crazyness.
My suggestion to anyone wanting to do service would be to avoid these folks like the plague. I bought the repair manual and plan to do as much of the work myself going forward till 6000kms or go to bellingham to get work done, its almost 50% less!
Never again.
Bellingham Dealer wanted 130USD for first servicing
Dealers out east wanted 90CDN for first servicing
Vespa Metro 280CDN ??? what the hell? for first servicing
They realize they are a monopoly so they are out to get you, its that simple.
Update: I found out some of my fasteners were loose, from these people, I luckily inspected everything myself in the garage, what a disappointment these people are, UNSAFE!!!

A long time scooter enthusiast, I headed over to Vespa Metro yesterday (Wasp Vespa in my ‘hood closed last year).
It’s a little far from my home base but proved to be well worth the trip.
Sales Rep, Tara Flynn, knows her scooters — driving one since she was 15!
No hard sell. Just showed me around and supplied facts.
I bought a 2014 Aprili 50cc which i picked up the next day, when I met a number of the super friendly team of mechanics.
Overall I was taken care of!

My love affair started with Vespa’s about 3 years ago when I got my Vespa. I bought it privately off a guy with only about 90kms on it. When I needed the first servicing I had gone to Urban Wasp to check out how much it would cost and what it would involve, it sounded a bit pricey so I held off. I then took it to Vespa Metro and got a quote for about half the cost and decided to go with them. This was my first experience and Lorenzo made it a great one!
Around a year ago my work moved offices to across the street from the Vespa shop and so I’d pop in anytime I had any questions or problems and anyone working were always super friendly and helpful. Last fall a different neighbour accidentally hit my poor little Vespa and knocked her over. He came and told me, and luckily he owned an auto body shop and said he could get it looking new with the help of Vespa Metro. We went over to see Lorenzo and he agreed to take it apart and order in new chrome as a friendly neighbourhood deal. Without hesitation or asking he offered to do this, it was really very generous.
I love my Vespa, it is such a fantastic way to get around the city. Cheap gas, über fun, park at a bike rack (aka. Free parking) and you look good!
All in all, Vespa Metro is awesome!

I had a really great experience here. When I arrived I made it clear that I was «just looking, but curious» and the staff still took the time to walk me through all the different makes and models. They have quite a wide range of products with similarly wide range of prices. Lorenzo (the staff member) told me about the features of each one in a way that didn’t make me feel like I was a fool if I considered the less expensive options… all the while making hilarious jokes about anything and everything. It was actually FUN.
Another great thing about this location is that they have a service shop in the back. I asked if I could see it and Lorenzo brought me into the back and introduced me to the mechanics. Man that place is huge! I even got a sneak peak of this season’s new models.
I can’t necessarily argue with Kristin’s super long 2.5 star review below that happened 3 years ago, but they have more than just Vespa brand stuff there now, and the sales staff definitely know about the scooters.
The moral of the story? If I ever buy a scooter, I’ll be buying it from Vespa Metro.

Beautiful store, great service.
Items a bit overpriced but they are top quality.
Had a nice day there learning more about Vespa’s history.

To get a bit technical, its really 2.5 stars. I was only going to give one, but they were accommodating, at least during the purchase process.
I bought my Vespa here. I made my decision based on a couple things, but primarily because they market themselves as Vancouver’s exclusive European scooter dealership (which is technically true, but Urban Wasp has identical product, they just also sell Asian models like Sym). They must know what they’re talking about, right?
Wrong. The only guy who knows his scooters is the mechanic, and as knowledgeable as he may be, he has no interpersonal skills. The salespeople there rely on him to explain the things they don’t, but probably should, know. He should be doing his job, and not have to worry about being the encyclopaedia of Vespa knowledge for the guys (and gal) on the frontline who are expected to explain the ins and outs of scootering to confused customers.
Its a good thing I did a lot of my own research.
After dealing with them for a couple weeks, and already committing to buy my Vespa, I started to get an idea of probably why the owner really started the business: to capitalize on the growing number of scooters, especially of the 50cc variety, on the road. Again, the only guy who seems passionate about what he «sells» is the mechanic.
They offer a $ 500 accessories credit with my purchase, which was awesome, but doesn’t get you very far when you can only spend it on Vespa-​branded products. After explaining that I didn’t need a topcase, the salesman tried to talk me into it four times. I plan on putting a chrome rack on the back, even if they didn’t make them at the time for my model (which I was told, repeatedly), its Vespa! Wait a couple months and they will! I felt really pushed to use it towards only the most expensive products, and pay extra for things like the cover, etc.
The day I picked my scooter up was probably the worst part of the entire experience.
The insurance rep was one of the most unpleasant people I’ve had to deal with in my life. She was more worried about her iPhone and her sunglasses than actually filling out my paperwork properly. I come to find out later she copied the VIN wrong, and wouldn’t answer any of the salespeople’s phone calls. I would say this isn’t necessarily Vespa Metro’s fault, but it was pretty obvious she’s personal friends with them. After complaining about the experience, I was told, «thats the way she is, and she does good work.» Not really… She forgot to mail my insurance paperwork to me, and it took me two months of arguing to get it.
After that mess occurred, the salespeople totally disappeared and left me to deal with the mechanic. Who lost my spare key. After 20 minutes of walking around the warehouse and swearing, he relented he’d mail it to me. Two weeks later, I still hadn’t received it, and he insisted he had mailed it the day after I left. I got it a couple days after I called, postmarked for the same day I called.
I take my Vespa to Urban Wasp for all my servicing. I haven’t dealt with Vespa Metro again.
In addition, Urban Wasp has called me a couple days after every major servicing to make sure the scooter is running okay. I never got ONE phone call after my purchase to make sure I was enjoying it. I appreciate that kind of follow-​up when I’m spending that kind of money on something. The customer service SHOULD NOT stop after you make the sale.
A couple things they could improve on:
a) let the mechanic do his job, which shouldn’t be dealing with the customers, unless he’s explaining what kind of service he performed on the scooter
b) actually know the product they’re selling
c) pick a competent person to handle the insurance
d) follow-​up customer service
e) be less pushy when trying to make the sale (i.e. one of the salesmen told me he would «cut me a special deal» and offer me $ 500 of free accessories. Don’t say that if its advertised on your website!)
f) stock more that just Vespa stuff. One of the great things about Urban Wasp is they give you the choice. You don’t need a $ 125 Vespa branded lock when you can buy an ordinary one for $ 15.
Overall, especially if you don’t know ANYTHING about scooters, I’d recommend Urban Wasp over Vespa Metro. You’ll have a much more pleasant experience.