makeinu

First of all I'm sure that owners of small IT businesses would think that the situation bears comparison rather well and I'm quite surprised to see folks around here minimize the very legitimate value of virtual goods/services given the sometimes vehement opposition to the illegal duplication of protected intellectual (ie virtual) property. Vik used the word "expectation" and the truth is that that correct expectations are worth quite a bit. Is the forum really free or will something be had in return? Is the test ride really free or will something be had in return? What is the probability that something will be had in return? The answers to these questions are very valuable tangible assets (a fact which the world is obviously still struggling to grasp as it reels at the tremendous losses of money invested in the wrong expectations); So asking customers to reveal their full intentions is asking for charity. I hate to say it because I agree that it's rather disrespectful to the human condition to commodify private thoughts, but modern retailers are the ones that started this game. It would be nice if we could all just be upfront, but I doubt you'll get any bike shop to honestly reveal, for example, the profit margin on their bikes or to rightfully advise their customers to invest their money for later instead of spend it. For years retailers have used modern technology to leverage the value of virtual resources like information to extract greater profits and, now that personal computers have somewhat leveled the playing field, retailers are simply getting a dose of their own medicine (and don't tell me about innocent small shops; they also benefit from the economies of scale, business savy, and market research of their suppliers). After all, where is it written in stone that the retailer should always be the one to profit in the retailer/customer relationship? I like to think of myself as a very honest customer, but I have no qualms about deriving greater benefit from an offer than other customers or even the provider just as I'm sure your favorite honest shop has no qualms about charging higher prices than the discount competition, knowing full well that the customer might save money elsewhere. We all have to put food on the table.

Second of all, quite frankly I think it's a poor business decision for shop owners to take on 100% of the risk of owning display models. Obviously the availability of free test rides over rentals or returns that require shipping benefit the manufacturer more than the shops and many retail industries have their demos and displays provided by the manufacturers. If bike shop owners have failed to negotiate similar terms then I can't say I have much sympathy for them because it would seem to be just one more example of what, in my experience, is bike shop owners shirking their responsibilities as businessmen and I, as a customer, have absolutely no intention of bearing the consequences of such failures for them. If you can't take the heat then stay out of the kitchen.

Third of all, although it's probably not my place to say because I'm obviously not Mr Nice Guy either, I agree that Vincent has been acting like a bit of a stup around here. Bad mouthing discount online retailers like Performance Bike for their stocking issues and shipping policies along with stocking dealers like NYCEWheels that don't charge shipping both alike, all the while barely even understanding the value of the products themselves. A good local shop that can demonstrate their aptitude and willingness to service your bike is usually well worth the slight MSRP markup. While I don't object to playing hardball, a test ride is a golden opportunity to see what you're going to get as a paying customer, not just in manufacture, but also in assembly, service, etc; a golden opportunity which Vincent seems eager to squander.

As always I enjoy your posts. Cheers!