Pacific Northwest - gregg's cycle suck

I recently brought my bike in gregg cycles Bellevue to have my fork install . The service guy charged me $47 for labor. I later talked to another guy at another gregg's location & he said that it cost only $25-30 to put it on . That was a total ripped off. Not only that, none of the guy told me that my fork model wasn't part of the recall by Cervelo. I wasted money to pay for unecessary labor.

Funny, on an unrelated note, one of the salemen there said that they get more than 40% off for the bikes there. Imagined you already paying for overpriced bikes and service. I will never go to gregg cycles again

You must not be in business because you wonder why Greggs in Bellevue is so expensive. Look at the building! Who is leasing it? One company and that is Greggs. To have that much square footing for a bike shop in one of the most expensive parts of Washington state is not going to be cheap and the costs will always go down to the customer. If you are going to look for a deal Bellevue is not the place. Always ask questions, do not expect people/salesmen to read your mind and convince you not to spend your money at their place of work.
I too find the costs too much but one time I got three free ball bearings to replace the ones I lost when rebuilding my pedals.

check out this thread on cascade forum: http://www.cascade.org/Community/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=11805

even the one in greenlake has had issues with stuckup employees.. i think it has come down to the fact that they're not really an "LBS" - not sure if they started out small, but they just have that generic Performance Bicycle feel to me.

personally i like smaller shops, like Velo Bike Shop in seattle - are there any other shops in bellevue? there are some smaller ones in issaquah at least.

are there any other shops in bellevue?

There is a very dreary Performance store out by Overlake (near Microsoft).

Better, IMHO, is Montlake in Kirkland.

In Issaquah there is the newish Velo Cycles store in Issaquah and a few blocks away is a Trek dealer right on Front Street.

And of course in Redmond there are Gerk's, Redmond Cycle, and Sammamish Valley, all close together.


Re:Gregg's in Bellevue. I go there frequently when I need fill-in stuff (accessories, etc.). There are a couple of sales folks there I really, really like. There are a few not so good. They do have a pretty big inventory of parts and accessories so they are handy for that -- sometimes they have trouble staying in stock, though (I've seen their tool wall almost completely bare, and the next time you go in it will be really well stocked). I always check out their sales/clearance rack in clothing - have gotten some good deals there.

And of course in Redmond there are Gerk's, Redmond Cycle, and Sammamish Valley, all close together.

My wife & I bought two mountain bikes at Gerk's Alpine Hut about 3 years ago. We've been back many times for parts, service, accessories, and general BS-ing with the folks there. We've been very happy with everything -- sales, service, etc. The guys there are great.

I guess all of you are right. Can't expect affordable labor in the center of Bellevue. The only reason I went there because it is the closest Cervelo dealer to where I live. Ah well, I learned my lesson

You bought a Cervelo and you're complaining about high service cost?

I guess all of you are right. Can't expect affordable labor in the center of Bellevue. The only reason I went there because it is the closest Cervelo dealer to where I live. Ah well, I learned my lesson

Since I contributed to this thread, I just wanted to clarify that I don't agree with your characterization of Gregg's in the title of your post. It's a big, corporate store - not a funky little local bike shop. As a big corporate store, they have a lot of great inventory (hooray!), but sometimes inconsistent service and advice on the floor (that's retail in a big city). But they also have some good folks on the floor (especially at uncrowded times) who can be helpful.

To be honest, I don't understand your initial post. You paid for a fork swap and then "heard" somewhere else it could be done at another location cheaper? I'd be really surprised if Gregg's charges different labor rates at different locations; it could that one tech estimated the job one way and another tech estimated it another way.

You also appear to be complaining that the fork was swapped but you didn't need it swapped. Huh? If it was part of the recall, isn't Cervelo paying for the labor to swap the fork?

Maybe I'm missing something but if you bought the bike at Gregg's and are unhappy with the service I'll bet a chat with the manager would be helpful.

I recently took my Felt Z65 to Woodinville Bicycle for a tuneup and had a very positive experience. A coworker recommended them to me.

So, I'm 10 miles from home today and my left cleat starts to fall off. I stop, realize that somehow one of the 3 screws holding on the cleat (Look Keo) has fallen out, the other two are loose. I do a quick repair, but am worried that the cleat won't hold up for the 60 miles I had planned for the day. I then realize I'm only a few miles from Gregg's, so I buzz over.

Of course, they don't sell just the one screw I need, so I ask at the counter. A couple of guys get involved, the parts guy then spends 10 minutes running around the store finding stuff that will work to get me on my way (he finds the right screw, not the right washer/plate). He finds something that works just fine, and sends me on my way.

No charge.

There is a very dreary Performance store out by Overlake (near Microsoft).

Very apt description.

I feel compelled to support Gregg's in this one. I've done a fair amount of business with Gregg's over the years. I bought a bike, some service, bike fit, etc. Service has ranged from fair to fabulous... Like every other medium to large retailer in the world. It's a process, you find PEOPLE you can work with and recognize the one's you can't work with, whether it's Gregg's or a mom & pop. By the way, I have experienced "high" prices and arrogance with some smaller specialty shops and found other to be very good.

Regarding the 40% markup... Do you know anything about retail? I can pretty much guarantee you Gregg's couldn't keep the doors open on bike sales alone. 40% is reasonable... they're probably getting 10 -15% on the lower end stuff. Some things are higher margin and some things are lower. They have to achieve a particular average margin to stay in business and (Oh,NO) make a profit.

You have the right to do business with whomever you wish. But, don't rake some store over the coals over such trivial crap. By the way... Did you talk to a manager? They're usually pretty good at straightening out this kind of stuff. In fact, as a former retail manager, I looked forward to it. It was an opportunity to cement a relationship with a customer. Most good managers have this attitude.

i didnt care about paying about the labor. However i was pissed about being running around and waste my time for nothing. They didn't even tell me that my fork model wasn't part of the recall of Cervelo. There is one service guy there who claimed to be a Cervelo expert but never wanted to come out and talk to me. He just let his coworker did whatever he wanted. So his coworker ended up charging me even though the bike is already covered under Cervelo waranty.

Back in the day before they got big it was a great bike shop. Now I feel like I am dealing with used car salespeople when I go in there. I will not shop there anymore there are to many options out there that will treat you right. The same thing happened with Bicycle Centres of Everett, they got bigger and expanded they began to nickel and dime me to death.

Did you sign up for BikeForums just to make an internet-wide complaint about Gregg's Greenlake? Your newbie status has me wondering...

If one guy at one GGC said you were charged too much, why didn't you get the guy's name and then go back to the manager of the store that did your work? My bet is they would have either explained why the cost was more (a troublesome replacement?); or, they made a mistake, and it could have been a mistake on the part of the second GGC person. In case of the former, seems like you would have then asked for a refund of the difference.

If you choose to make a claim on the difference, you could call first and talk nicely to the manager before going in, and explain to them that you'd like to talk on the phone about this before making yet another special trip into the store.

And, in hindsight, did you discuss with the LBS that it was to be a recall replacement? They are just a bike store, not mind readers. If you didn't, my bet is that information would have triggered a different conversation.

some of the guys at greggs really know their stuff.

and greggs is still a family owned bike shop.

complaining about a fork recall that wasn't actually a recalled fork, then slinging mud for a few dollars difference between two totally separate service counters and estimators?

I agree with several of the posts in that you have to love their inventory and sales crew but their service department is the pits. Arrogant, not helpful to say the least. When I deal with the sales floor people its a great experience and it seems like they know it because they have often sheltered me from the repair guys. I have taken my business elsewhere; I only go back out of necessity

regarding the 40% markup... Do you know anything about retail?

+1

I recently brought my bike in gregg cycles Bellevue to have my fork install . The service guy charged me $47 for labor. I later talked to another guy at another gregg's location & he said that it cost only $25-30 to put it on . That was a total ripped off. Not only that, none of the guy told me that my fork model wasn't part of the recall by Cervelo. I wasted money to pay for unecessary labor.

Funny, on an unrelated note, one of the salemen there said that they get more than 40% off for the bikes there. Imagined you already paying for overpriced bikes and service. I will never go to gregg cycles again

I live in Bellevue, and have had a number of great experiences with Gregg's. There's no corporate committment towards good service, so it's absolutely hit and miss. I had decent service when I ordered my Madone through them (Greenlake), but when I took my crashed Trek to them them last fall, it was a really disappointing experience. Their story was "Trek told us you need to replace the whole frame", a very different story from what Trek told me directly. Then they couldn't tell me what it was going to cost (the quote kept changing). I pulled the bike out and took it to Redmond Cycle, who did a great job inspecting the frame (Gregg's didn't even pull the headset out), working wth Trek (all I needed was the fork) and keeping me up to date.

I was excited by getting a new Gregg's store, but I think it's a step backwards from their old store. Sure, there's lots more space, but that's about all I like. And it's in a crappy location for test rides.

I have aslo recently ended my relationship with Gregg's Greenlake location. It was so close to where I live and I've been trying to be car-free for the first time in my life, so I relied heavilly on Gregg's when I first moved here. It's a pitty because their selection is so great that their customer service mentality is so belligerent, but they have well over half a dozen employees with terrible customer service and it seems to be getting worse! If they fired a few of them, cleaned house and actually hired people with basic social skills they might improve their immage. It's to the point where I don't care how good their selection is, I don't like being treated like a pariah when I walk into a buisness.

Every once in a while, a business has to "fire" a customer. That is, to stop serving somebody, who no matter how hard the business tries, they just can't please. It benefits both parties if the customer simply doesn't return. It's part of running a successful business.

Yea, seems they've been "firing" a lot of customers lately, customers that miraculously have little or no trouble with other bike shops in town. Sure some customers are jerks, having worked sales myself, I've seen a few, but seriously, the lazy flower-child at the front door would rather yak on her cellphone than make a sale, the kids on the bike sales floor seem over-DESPERATE to make a sale. If there were only some sort of happy medium.

Every once in a while, a business has to "fire" a customer. That is, to stop serving somebody, who no matter how hard the business tries, they just can't please. It benefits both parties if the customer simply doesn't return. It's part of running a successful business.

Not true, you never "fire" a customer! It is not the way to run a sucsessful business.

I like the other Gregg's-bashing post better.

+1

Not true, you never "fire" a customer! It is not the way to run a sucsessful business.

Actually, I'm in another line of business but we've firmly told several customers over the years to never return to our shop. Doing this from time to time has been good for the business.

Actually, I'm in another line of business but we've firmly told several customers over the years to never return to our shop. Doing this from time to time has been good for the business.

+1
Working with a highline automobile with cars running in excess of a half a million dollars we too have fired customers with great success. We are in business to make money. We do that by satisfying our clients. Some are never satisfied and therefore it costs us to keep them happy. At some point it costs us more than we make and that is when they are fired. We do not fire too many customers so we must be doing well.

+1
Working with a highline automobile with cars running in excess of a half a million dollars we too have fired customers with great success. We are in business to make money. We do that by satisfying our clients. Some are never satisfied and therefore it costs us to keep them happy. At some point it costs us more than we make and that is when they are fired. We do not fire too many customers so we must be doing well.

Exactly, some customers must be fired. They sap morale, resources, money, and most importantly good will from a business. Their repeated tales of poor service -- no matter how embellished, exaggerated, or false -- do the most harm.

However, in a forum such as this, there is a line when crossed where the repeated complaint starts to turn on the complaining customer.

When a customer posts a well-described complaint once, it may seem valid (though it could be an embellishment). But when the complaint is repeated ad nauseam, each time it reduces the credibility of the customer until in the end, their original complaint is worthless -- and the business wins.

Although it's true that they always want to sell me a bike. Most of the repair guys do an outstanding job (at the Bellevue shop).

On my bike, they replaced a fork, handle bars, and cranks. Always good work that doesn't require a revisit due to shoddy work or loosened bolts.

here is my thought, for what it is worth. Yes you may need to "fire" a customer occasionally, however that is very different than several loyal customers saying that they will never go back again. That just means something not good is going on and that perhaps the business needs to take a look within and stop blaming all the bad customers.

I had in incident over the phone where I was told that my pristine celeste bianchi veloce was probably worth $100.00 and that since it was old it was obsolete and needed to be replaced. I was insulted because I knew that I had a rather highly sought after bike. It had internal routing and was a hand made frame from italy. It was one of the racing frames. To be treated like my vintage steel bike was a pile of crap because it was older than 2006 was just bad business.

Good business is making the customers feel good about what they have and helping them to improve on their situation, not bring them down so they are mad at the business... one mad customer tells their friends and they tell their friends and cause a lot of damage. One mad customer does more negative than one happy customer does positive, my point is it takes as much effort to make a customer happy as it does to be rude and what not so why not put the effort towards creating a positive experience for the customer?

I had in incident over the phone where I was told that my pristine celeste bianchi veloce was probably worth $100.00 and that since it was old it was obsolete and needed to be replaced.

Though I have defended Gregg's on several occasions, I will say this: they are *not* the place to take an older bike.

If you have an old bike, go to Aaron's Bicycle Repair (West Seattle); Elliott Bay; or Recycled Cycles.

If you have a classic French bike, go to Il Vecchio in Leschi.

+1 on taking your old bikes to Recycled Cycles.

I brought a 25 year old Davidson with "obsolete" components and the first thing they said was "sweet!" I'll admit that I tend to not "trust anyone under 40" but I'll say that their young mechanics appeared to really enjoy their work and take pride in it. They didn't even try to sell me on the most expensive services/parts off the bat.

I only went in for a major service once, a minor headset adjustment, and a couple trips to buy minor accessories, but each time EVERY employee was friendly and helpful, in contrast to the indifferent if not downright surly attitudes of some local shops (not necessarily referring to Gregg's.)

why would someone expect a phone appraisal of a bicycle?

condition means as much as pedigree about a bike.

i suspect the person on the phone, having dealt with numerous "how much is my bike worth?" phone questions, lets people know as a general disclaimer that 'most used bikes eventually become worth about 100 bucks'. Wether a persons' bike falls on one side or other of this median used bike price is not one to qualify in the course of a phone conversation.

I doubt any shop would be willing to give an accurate, over the phone apprasial of a vintage bicycle.

Bekologist, I agree with what you say, it was the whole attitude the person had regarding the whole vintage bike idea. I asked him to talk to me and help educate me, that I was seeking knowledge so I could make an educated decision about the bike. Instead of being helpful and nice he was rude surly and condesending. I felt like if my bike was not new it was not worthy no matter the condition of it. He told me that no matter what the frame and the components were out dated and obsolete. I was taken back by just how rude he was and finally asked him to stop being so abusive in his tone and demeanor. Even after that he did not mellow in his condisention and rudeness. I vowed at that point to never go back to Gregg's. I had shopped there many years ago before moving to Montana, but I will not set foot in that shop again. I know good service and I know where my business is welcome and he lost my business. It is just that simple.

So I've gone to nearly every bike shop I can find and Gregg's isn't that bad. They have a long way to go in terms of improving customer service, but the OP is ridiculous.

45 to install a fork, especially if it's carbon steerer tube, on a frame like that, in bellevue- perfectly reasonable.

and no **** there's a high markup, as previously stated, it's how retail works.

i like montlake of kirkland, only when the owner's not there (royal jerk). i also like the guys at 20/20 in the cd/madrona area..

elliot bay bicycles is the best i've seen. the owners will talk at length with you, and the staff, mechanics especially will work with you until you find a solution. unhappy? tell them, ive seen them keep going until the person was satisfied. not bad for a framebuilder who also has a shop. great place.. never been to ggl however.. i do like friendly velo on the hill too.

+1 on taking your old bikes to Recycled Cycles.

I brought a 25 year old Davidson with "obsolete" components and the first thing they said was "sweet!"

why not bring it to the maker of davidson bicycles.. you get next to free service.. elliot bay bicycles. western and lenora.

I heard they eat babies too... and burn the flag on the roof.....

man, i hope this thread is printed out and hanging in the service dept of every LBS in the 206/425

"In Issaquah there is the newish Velo Cycles store in Issaquah and a few blocks away is a Trek dealer right on Front Street."

Too bad they're having such a smooth start that they got rid of their store manager inside of 6 months cuz he effed the place up so bad.....

"why not bring it to the maker of davidson bicycles.. you get next to free service.. elliot bay bicycles. western and lenora."

And we wonder why all these shops are so friggin tiny... Free service doesn't pay the bills, kid. Bottom line. nooch.

Whattup, Bek!!>?!?!

Greggs in Lynnwood always gives me great service. I've been in twice in the last week for minor work and both times they promptly fixed my bike while I waited and for under $20. No complaints.

"In Issaquah there is the newish Velo Cycles store in Issaquah and a few blocks away is a Trek dealer right on Front Street."

Too bad they're having such a smooth start that they got rid of their store manager inside of 6 months cuz he effed the place up so bad.....

Hi, I'm one of the co-owners of Veloce Velo in Issaquah. Although we've had some bumps in the road, our first year and a half in business has seen far more ups than downs. You could either see the departure of our first manager as a negative, or you could also look at it from the perspective that the owners will let nothing stand in the way of Veloce Velo being a first-class bike shop and that we truly do care about our customers' experiences. Jason Goff and Peter Birkner are running things for us now and we couldn't be happier at the positive feedback that continues to come in. I'd like to point out that our staff turnover is very low compared to the industry as well.

We're trying very hard to offer high service levels and products that you simply can't get in the larger local/chain stores. We monitor these forums regularly to see what the customers are looking for, and welcome all comments and suggestions on how we could be doing a better job for you. Feel free to e-mail me at graham(at)velocevelo.com any time.