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Register Now for Rider Education At COG National

Ranger Jim

Ranger Jim

Sport Tourer
We have arranged with APPALACHIAN RIDER EDUCATION to be able to offer the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Advanced Rider Class:

Advanced RiderCourse (ARC)

June 18, 2014 (Wednesday) 8:00am - 4:00pm (1 hour lunch)

A one-day course that complements a rider's basic skills and helps with personal risk assessment. It includes a fast-paced classroom segment with several interactive activities to improve perception and hazard awareness. Range exercises enhance both basic skills and crash avoidance skills. Improving braking and cornering finesse is emphasized. The course is beneficial for riders on any type of street motorcycle.

The class, which normally costs $100/student, is being offered with a 10% discount for Rally participants.

Interested riders should register for the class on their website (http://www.appalachianridered.com); in the block where it asks where you heard about them write in Concours Owners Group to insure you get the discount.

There are a limited number of spaces so don’t delay.  For additional information contact Appalachian Rider Education or you can email JIM CULP (jimculp@hotmail.com).
 
36.501080,-82.509544

are the map coordinates to find the class.

Stupid Facebook listing, never should have trusted it.  Took me to the Fort Patrick Dam and Powerstation.  Duh!    :-[

Sullivan High School was where the class was actually held.  Pics will be posted when I get home.
 
hey, any of y'all that did this...

Have ya gotten yer ARC completion card yet? He told us to email him arep4u@yahoo.com & he'd send it. My mailbox is empty.

I'm purty close to contacting MSF & giving em my $0.0000000002 on this guy & his "class". ::)
 
hokay, I sent MSF this blurb...we'll see what happens...but no expectations
***************************************************************

Jim Cook, MSF coach in Kingsport TN

I took Jim Cook's MSF Advanced Rider Course on 6/18/14 & paid him $90.  http://www.appalachianridered.com/page05.html
It was a rip-off, a waste of my time and money.  No audio-visuals at all.  Cook was distracted on his cel & visited with his friends while we waited for him.  Inexperienced assistant coaches.  Almost no feedback on the range.  No completion card or feedback survey was provided to us.

I'd taken the ERC & Dirtbike School in the past at different locations & had gotten some good benefit out of each.  But Jim Cook gives the MSF a bad name & should be banned from giving official classes.

Please let me know what you intend to do about this...thanks.
 
Paulie,
I'm right there with you. I also emailed and got nothing yet. I paid for their time with my hard earned money but they were too busy on the phone. I am not exactly pleased with my purchase.
Matt
 
To all who attended the ARC, let me apologize for the poorly conducted class. One reason we went with the MSF program was we expected a certain standard of performance. Apparently, we didn't get that. I'm going to complain directly to Jim Cook and also to MSF. I'd suggest that everyone submit a complaint to MSF as Paulie did. Outline exactly your concerns. Again, my apologies. ???
 
Ranger Jim said:
To all who attended the ARC, let me apologize for the poorly conducted class. One reason we went with the MSF program was we expected a certain standard of performance. Apparently, we didn't get that. I'm going to complain directly to Jim Cook and also to MSF. I'd suggest that everyone submit a complaint to MSF as Paulie did. Outline exactly your concerns. Again, my apologies. ???
Click to expand...

You did fine Jim, you even came out to check on us when you could have been riding up in the mountains. The class was split in to two groups and I think the group that went out on the range first and classroom second got the better deal. Now in the morning I thought there was adequate feed back, although I have attended classes where there was more feedback. There were several problems overall, one that the classroom laptop was either stolen (as reported) or simply forgotten somewhere. Considering that there were no course completion cards available I'm leaning towards forgotten....but...who knows. Another problem was that the instructor (Jim Cook) was demo riding the course with another instructors bike that, to be honest, he seemed unfamiliar with at times. I checked, they ended up charging me the full $100.00

Still all in all I enjoyed the day, but I was in the first class to go out on the course and then spend the afternoon in the air conditioned classroom. I can't fault you Jim, and I appreciate that the course was made available to us and the work you did to make it happen. I'm going to give them a couple more weeks and if I get no card then I'll call them and then contact MSF. I'll report back here.
 
All,
I have now attempted to contact them via email twice. I will wait for a few days and then I think I am going to call my credit card company and dispute the charge/request a refund. This is BS.
Matt
 
Cathy, a nice MSF coach (and has a Conc14) ackshully called. We had a good long yak about COG, this dbag and his "class", etc.  :great:
 
I just emailed a second request for a course completion card. (yeah, I'm too patient)

.....so has anyone heard back from this guy in anyway??? Has anyone tried to call him??
 
Marty,
I got an email saying the cards were coming in in a few days. That was two weeks ago. Time to chat with my card company. Total BS.
Matt
 
UPDATE:
I just got a call from Jim Cook at Appalachian Riders. He told me that "someone" (I'm pretty sure I know who), called and complained to MSF about the course. This created a whole different set of issues to be resolved and the "cards" may not be issued now as a result of the complaints to MSF. There is supposed to be a resolution to this debacle within the next few days. I am assuming business days not inclusive of weekends. He said he would inform me as to the resolution of this investigation by MSF and advise me if and when the cards would be coming out.
Matt
To the caller: THANKS A LOT!!!!    For NOTHING!
 
fartymarty said:
Ranger Jim said:
To all who attended the ARC, let me apologize for the poorly conducted class. One reason we went with the MSF program was we expected a certain standard of performance. Apparently, we didn't get that. I'm going to complain directly to Jim Cook and also to MSF. I'd suggest that everyone submit a complaint to MSF as Paulie did. Outline exactly your concerns. Again, my apologies. ???
Click to expand...

You did fine Jim, you even came out to check on us when you could have been riding up in the mountains. The class was split in to two groups and I think the group that went out on the range first and classroom second got the better deal. Now in the morning I thought there was adequate feed back, although I have attended classes where there was more feedback. There were several problems overall, one that the classroom laptop was either stolen (as reported) or simply forgotten somewhere. Considering that there were no course completion cards available I'm leaning towards forgotten....but...who knows. Another problem was that the instructor (Jim Cook) was demo riding the course with another instructors bike that, to be honest, he seemed unfamiliar with at times. I checked, they ended up charging me the full $100.00

Still all in all I enjoyed the day, but I was in the first class to go out on the course and then spend the afternoon in the air conditioned classroom. I can't fault you Jim, and I appreciate that the course was made available to us and the work you did to make it happen.
Click to expand...

I too was in the first group to ride the course in the morning.

I would agree with FM's review of the course and the entire day.
 
I emailed Cook directly but have received no response. My next step is to complain to MSF and the state of TN. I would suggest that everyone call his numbers and send emails requesting the completion cards (be polite but firm) and indicate your next contacts will be with MSF.

Again, my apologies. I'm personally and (as a MSF RiderCoach) professionally embarrassed. There is NO excuse for this.
 
Ranger Jim,
Read my post a few above this one. Since there was already a complaint filed with MSF there may be NO CARDS issued for this course. They are doing their own inquiry and will make a decision. UNTIL that decision there will definitely NOT be any cards, afterwards there still may not be any cards!
Matt
 
Ranger Jim said:
Again, my apologies. I'm personally and (as a MSF RiderCoach) professionally embarrassed. There is NO excuse for this.
Click to expand...

If you want to be professionally embarrassed, be my guest. However I don't think you need to be personally embarrassed nor offer any more apologies.
I appreciate all the work that volunteers did for our National including your work getting this course for us Jim. :clap:  I don't know what you could have done
to insure this didn't happen. It's not like there's an Angie's List for MSF course presenters. Right? ...or...is there?  ???
 
There are cards for this course. Cook indicated that if you sent contact info to him he would send you one, right?  Also, I've been through the course (which is why I recommended it) and received a completion card.

As to my being professionally embarrassed; during my training to become a RiderCoach, it was stressed that there is a level of consideration and service that is to be provided to the rider. I don't feel Cook has held up his end as a RC. Having his laptop with all the course data on it stolen is forgivable but not taking the minute it takes to fill out and sign a completion card ... .  We used Cook because he's an MSF certified operation and we expected a level of performance that we didn't get.
 
RJ,
Normally, yes, there are cards. However since the complaint was filed and MSF is looking into things they are making a decision to give out or not give out cards for this one particular course. That is the decision we are waiting on. Further complaints made to MSF will most likely result in no cards being issued to any of us that attended. We may not get them anyhow. Haven't heard back from Jim Cook either. I agree we definitely did not get the level of service we should have.
Matt
 
Hmmm. It looks like Appalachian Rider Education ain't even licenced by the MSF. Shocking, simply shocking!  ::)
 
FWIW, I don't think that MSF "licenses" individual businesses. MSF does require that the coaches all be certified through their training program(s). The state of TN would be the licensing authority.  That being said, MSF does require that courses be conducted in very specific manners (which were not, IMO, followed in this case).
 
FWIW I looked up MSF Find a Course Near You http://www.msf-usa.org/

...put in the zip of where we took the "class"
Sullivan South High School, 1236 Moreland Dr, Kingsport, TN 37664

...put in search radius of 50 mi for a BRC

...and they don't show up

 
Jim Cook jest called. Lotsa xcuses about this that & the other. The range was sposed to be certified, but it wasn't. He also sed it was the worst class he's done in 20 yrs, & ackshully apologized. :eek:

So I axed him, when are we gonna git our completion cards? He had nothing. ::)
 
...and we ain't gonna git em. I yakked with MSF at the aimexpo, & they sed he wasn't qualified to teach the ARC. So we're SOL.  ::)
 
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