Mountain Biking - Send them back?

Two weeks ago I took a little bike/camping trip in Virginia. My CrankBros pedals had gone so bad that they were squealing with each crank. I decided to look for a new pair at a lbs nearby, my intent was to get a new pair of the CBs since my home shop told me they were beyond repair. The VA shop concurred but didn't sell CB pedals of any sort. The shop guys there were big on Time ATACs however and, intrigued, I purchased a set along with about $160 worth of other stuff (new shoes, etc).

The pedals are nice enough but after returning home I started to realize that I'm not meant to ride them because they're forward entry only and I really need to have engagement by pulling my foot backwards. Its more than a muscle memory and give-it-time-you'll-adjust issue.

So is it uncool to arrange to mail the very-lightly-used pedals back to the shop? If I try to sell them on the net I'll be lucky to get even half & the hassle isn't worth it. This is one of those moments when I feel like the ethics are fuzzy.

It wouldn't hurt to contact the shop, but just like anything else, you bought it and they are now used goods. The shop is under no obligation to give you your money back beyond their own return policy (which, who knows, maybe they take returns for 30 days or something).

Most bike shops want the Purchaser to be satisfied. Call and explain it too them. My hope is that they do the right thing. If they don't, did you pay with a credit card. You can always dispute the charge if so and use it for leverage to get them to do the right thing.

The "right thing" is not to return something that is not defective. Basically, if they give you a full refund, they lose out on a bunch of the value of the stuff you bought because you decided you didn't like it.

Defective can mean a variety of things. In the retail world, if an item doesn't perform to customer expectations it isn't right. The shop steered the purchaser from CBs to Time. Of course the buyer should beware, but he not only changed brands, but functionality.

Karma trumps today's sense of consumer entitlement. So yes, uncool.

I'm still musing it. I may just call the shop. They know I'm coming back as I'd bought a bunch of local ride maps at the end of my trip and I am planning on renting one or two of their bikes (for comparisons sake). Haven't decided yet.

Doohikie - I'm just considering returning the pedals, the rest is all good.

It doesn't hurt to call, but don't expect a full refund. You may get it but don't expect it.

I agree with folks that you bought it and now they are used and no one is at fault except buyer for not making sure these are what they need. I feel your pain, because in the biking world I have bought lots to find immediately after installing it was not meant for me. I in turn bought something else and sold the item cheap and lost my arse. That is part of this sport.......finding what works and wasting loads of cash in the process. Can't recall any high pressure sales attitude according to your post about the shop other than they were big on ATAC's. Heck, I am big on Crankbrothers and if I owned a shop and a ATAC person came in I would tell them no I don't sell them but carry CB's if you want to take a look at them. It would be up to the buyer to make that final decision.

Problem is in life we take the responsibility from the consumer. I am not beating you up here, just letting you know like a few others here that you may eat those if you really want your CB's back on the bike. It happens. Not fun to eat it, but it happens.

Good luck.

BTW- See your from Pitt! What happen to our Steelers against NE!? Man that chapped my arse to lose to that punk Brady and his Fabio girl looking hairdo! I assume your a Steelers fan.............???? You may not be. I digress again. Oh well, they better find a way to guard against the pass! That is going to sink their lack arses when it comes down to it. They have been that way since I have been pulling for them in 1979!

Defective can mean a variety of things. In the retail world, if an item doesn't perform to customer expectations it isn't right. The shop steered the purchaser from CBs to Time. Of course the buyer should beware, but he not only changed brands, but functionality.

What? You are so far off on this. They didn't steer him toward anything. He went to a shop that didn't carry what he wanted. They sold something he needed (pedals) and now he wants to return them.

OP - if you don't want them anymore, your only option in my opinion is to sell them. Don't expect the shop to take them back, and please don't even consider the credit card route, that would just be a completely dick move.

How much you want for them?????

What? You are so far off on this. They didn't steer him toward anything. He went to a shop that didn't carry what he wanted. They sold something he needed (pedals) and now he wants to return them.

OP - if you don't want them anymore, your only option in my opinion is to sell them. Don't expect the shop to take them back, and please don't even consider the credit card route, that would just be a completely dick move.

When the OP said that the shop owner was BIG on time, didn't carry CBs, my take is that some salesmanship was involved. People that sell stuff for a living know how to coax a sale. (I sell for a living, and I respect the ethics involved in selling.) The shop owner pimps one brand, really, in this day and age? He needs cash for Christmas inventory.

And yeah, disputing a credit card purchase is probably over the top. Only the OP knows if he got jobbed or made too quick a decision.

Karma trumps today's sense of consumer entitlement. So yes, uncool.

+1. If this shop does have a lenient return policy, returns such as this one will almost definitely change that. This would make things more difficult for not only yourself, but many other customers.

When the OP said that the shop owner was BIG on time, didn't carry CBs, my take is that some salesmanship was involved. People that sell stuff for a living know how to coax a sale. (I sell for a living, and I respect the ethics involved in selling.) The shop owner pimps one brand, really, in this day and age? He needs cash for Christmas inventory.

And yeah, disputing a credit card purchase is probably over the top. Only the OP knows if he got jobbed or made too quick a decision.

The whole idea of using the credit card dispute to muscle the shop into seeing things your way is unethical. He made a choice and changes his mind. It would be great if the shop offered to help in some way and since it looks like he will be a repeat customer, that would be good business on their part as long as they don't loose out too much either. They have bills to pay and other obligations as well. Stiffing them out of profits after the fact is more than "probably over the top". Honesty is the best policy. There is no gray area here at all Tell the shop owners wht you are experiencing and see what they do. If they make no offer to help, that's the way it works some times and you can chalk that up to tuition costs in the school of life. Next time, ask for a demo set to use or try before agreeing to purchase.

You shouldn't have purchased a product you can't use. You should explain the situation and see what they say.

I'll could them off your hands. What flavor ATACs are they?

It ain't Walmart.
You bought em,used em and now they are yours.
They owe you nothing.
Ohno

You shouldn't have purchased a product you can't use. You should explain the situation and see what they say.

I'll could them off your hands. What flavor ATACs are they?

Shut up, I got on that train first.

OP if you're reading this, I hereby offer $20 above whatever 66 offers you




;)

This happens at my shop every once in a while. People buy things they think they want, use them, realize they don't like them/don't fit/whatever and bring them back. Depending on how badly it is (or looks) used dictates how much we refund. If I can sell a pair of pedals for full price to the next customer, I'll give a full refund. If I'll have to discount the derailleur by twenty percent because it looks used (even if it was only installed and ridden once), I'll give the customer the refund minus the twenty percent discount. Nearly everyone finds this fair.

OP if you're reading this, I hereby offer $20 above whatever 66 offers you




;)

That will be $21.50.

The whole idea of using the credit card dispute to muscle the shop into seeing things your way is unethical. He made a choice and changes his mind. It would be great if the shop offered to help in some way and since it looks like he will be a repeat customer, that would be good business on their part as long as they don't loose out too much either. They have bills to pay and other obligations as well. Stiffing them out of profits after the fact is more than "probably over the top". Honesty is the best policy. There is no gray area here at all Tell the shop owners wht you are experiencing and see what they do. If they make no offer to help, that's the way it works some times and you can chalk that up to tuition costs in the school of life. Next time, ask for a demo set to use or try before agreeing to purchase.


If a salesman muscles you into a purchase, then pushing back is playing by their rules. OP got himself into a bad spot by hitting the road with worn out pedals. He was wrong there. But if a salesman had one product type to offer and promised it would be everything you need, then he got muscled. Pushing back is ethical and the right thing to do. Commission sales people (and hourlies are expected to sell) sometimes need a kick in the shorts.

Quit whining about the retailers who are poorly stocked and practice bad/poor product marketing.

Your mistake. Use them or eat the loss. Cranks bros pedals suck anyways...

You probably have a garage full of useless stuff that you don't have the guts to return. Thus your name, vic, grow a pair dude.

OP if you're reading this, I hereby offer $20 above whatever 66 offers you




;)

Coool, I just picked up two sets that were like new. I'll drive the price up just for fun.

You probably have a garage full of useless stuff that you don't have the guts to return. Thus your name, vic, grow a pair dude.

No, you need to grow a pair and sack up and stop blaming other people for your stupid decisions. If you buy something, use it, and then don't like it, it's your own damn fault, not the person's who sold it to you.

Take some responsibility for your decisions instead of blaming other people.

No, you need to grow a pair and sack up and stop blaming other people for your stupid decisions. If you buy something, use it, and then don't like it, it's your own damn fault, not the person's who sold it to you.

Take some responsibility for your decisions instead of blaming other people.

Its not me who is returning anything. I research all my purchases and buy ahead of time. My garage is full of stuff I'm gonna use someday. I like arguing the other side of the question.

Did it ever occur to anyone that we might be getting "trolled?" Did you check out the OPs name? That was one of the first things I noticed. He's probably a stinking lawyer.

If a salesman muscles you into a purchase, then pushing back is playing by their rules. OP got himself into a bad spot by hitting the road with worn out pedals. He was wrong there. But if a salesman had one product type to offer and promised it would be everything you need, then he got muscled. Pushing back is ethical and the right thing to do. Commission sales people (and hourlies are expected to sell) sometimes need a kick in the shorts.

Quit whining about the retailers who are poorly stocked and practice bad/poor product marketing.

I agree it sucks when you get muscled into buying something, but this isn't a 1960's Harley dealership we're talking about here. He won't get his ass kicked if he goes in without buying anything. If a salesman muscles you into buying something, you muscle back & say "Thanks but I absolutely can't justify buying this when I know what I like & you don't have it." Then they get the idea that you aren't buying, & maybe if you're lucky you'll be the one to tip the scale just enough for them to start stocking CB. Muscle is something to use before you pull out your wallet.

But if you were promised that this set of Time's is Da Bomb, everything you ever needed, minus ice cream. Did the salesman explain these pedals don't allow rear motion entry? We don't know, OP does.

And yeah, I'm weary/distrustful of sales people. I almost signed a contract for $1100 work on the furnace. Decided to pay a couple other shops to quote the same work. Cost me $120 for two more opinions only to learn that there was nothing wrong with the furnace. Sales-People learn to say what is needed to get the buyer to pull the trigger.

I don't see how the OP got muscled into anything. His old pedals died, he went to the shop to get new pedals, they didn't have what he wanted so they suggested something else (as a shop should do), he bought them, used them, and didn't like them. While Grimlock's solution sounds awesome, and if I lived near a shop that did that for me, they'd have my business all the time (particularly to buy discounted gear that is still in good condition), not every shop has a policy like that.

Don't pull the credit card thing. That line you signed is an agreement to "pay the above charges," not "pay the above charges provided you like the product you bought." It's a dick move.

I've come across shops that are pushy. I usually just leave and go somewhere else. If you let them push you around, that's your fault too. But suggesting products doesn't make them pushy, even if they get commission from every Time product they sell.

But if you were promised that this set of Time's is Da Bomb, everything you ever needed, minus ice cream. Did the salesman explain these pedals don't allow rear motion entry? We don't know, OP does.

If they said it's 'da bomb', that's an opinion. Can't be proven one way or another. If they say it's everything he needs, that's the truth. It's a new pedal that functions as it should. Is it everything he wants? Obviously not. But a part of growing up is growing a backbone & learning to stand up to salespeople, & most of all learning to ask the right questions. I for one would never buy a set of pedals that involve a kind of technology I haven't tested. It's the salesperson's responsibility to tell the customer all the good things about a product. It's the customer's responsibility to filter out the bull**** from the facts & use this to determine if this is what they really want. I'm all for good ol' fashioned honesty in salesmen & people not trying to push you into getting something that isn't for you, but you can either deny the way the world works & live a life of anger & regret, or you can learn with your mistakes & use them to make better decisions next time.

On the one hand I agree with all the positions above. In "seeing both sides of the story" I like taking the other side sometimes. When you sign a CC receipt, you agree to purchase a product as described. IF, and we weren't there, just picking up on what the OP states, the Times were hyped to the buyer who was caught up in a bad spot of his own neglect.

As far as a sales person's ethical responsibilities, you need to know your product pro's and con's. If you know a CB allows snap in abilities superior to Time's, it needs to be explained. That is the ethical thing. If all you explain are the positives, then you are guilty of coercion. The sales world I operate in is different in product and commissions only. Sales is about telling the whole story and being ready to take a spanking if you fail to disclose the whole story. That is the big boy world.

On the one hand I agree with all the positions above. In "seeing both sides of the story" I like taking the other side sometimes. When you sign a CC receipt, you agree to purchase a product as described. IF, and we weren't there, just picking up on what the OP states, the Times were hyped to the buyer who was caught up in a bad spot of his own neglect.

As far as a sales person's ethical responsibilities, you need to know your product pro's and con's. If you know a CB allows snap in abilities superior to Time's, it needs to be explained. That is the ethical thing. If all you explain are the positives, then you are guilty of coercion. The sales world I operate in is different in product and commissions only. Sales is about telling the whole story and being ready to take a spanking if you fail to disclose the whole story. That is the big boy world.

That's the ideal big boy world. Which is really a little boy world. In the real big boy world, it's your responsibility to ask questions to find out if something is right for you. How was the salesperson supposed to know that he was looking specifically for the same snap-in capabilities as CB pedals if he didn't ask about it? If the OP asked & was fed false information, that's one thing. But it sounds like he went in & the salespeople did their job. They sold something.

For example, say you're looking to buy a new car & you just absolutely must have heated seats. So you go to a dealership & the dealer says "Oh yeah, this car is great. 5/5 star crash test rating, power everything, & a beefy 350hp engine to get you where you need to go!" So you buy it. Then winter comes along & you realize it has no heated seats! OH NO! Do you take it back to the dealer & demand a refund? No. Because it's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to ask the right questions & make sure a product has all the features you want. No salesman in the world can read your mind & assume what you want.

And this isn't even close to coercion. The OP wasn't forced to buy anything. No threats or intimidation of any nature were used to make him buy the pedals. Recalls & service bulletins aside, there are no laws requiring a salesperson to tell you all of the negatives of a product. That's the moral thing to do, but it seems as though you confuse 'moral' & 'ethical'.

No salesman in the world can read your mind & assume what you want.

I'll go ahead & quote myself on this one to clarify. They knew he wanted CB pedals because he went in & asked for them. This we know. But there is no way they could have predicted that he would not like Time's better.

What I find funny is the OP has not said one way or the other HERE, if he was promised these were better than holy water and can't live without them. Even so, that may be the shops honest opinion and still is not their fault. Have you never stood by a product because you were so enamoured by it that you would tell everyone that listened that this was the best???

I have, and while they should know it is my personal opinion I never held them at gunpoint and made them sign on the dotted line to purchase said product.

As far as top entry or rear into the cleat......................would that not have been a question to ask by the OP/buyer before purchasing. Now if the sales staff misrepresented it saying it was top entry while it was rear I would scream unethical. I see nothing wrong here and the OP just needs to resale the item at a loss because they are now technically used and get what they wanted or should have in the first place.

Really, this is a simple non problem.

I have too. I'm very fond of sliced bread......I still haven't found anything better than sliced bread. Well, almost anything.

Did it ever occur to anyone that we might be getting "trolled?" Did you check out the OPs name? That was one of the first things I noticed. He's probably a stinking lawyer.

Too many post for me to believe he/she is trolling. I think they have a legitimate problem.......simple have you, (That being I have a set of pedals I hate and what should I do?) Simple, ask the shop if you can return them whether at a loss or full refund. OR, sale them for whatever you can get and then purchase what you need.

You probably have a garage full of useless stuff that you don't have the guts to return. Thus your name, vic, grow a pair dude.

El wrong a mondo. I only keep what I use I'm an opposite of a hoarder. My name is a play on my first and middle names Victor Timothy. Unlike your implying in this thread I take responsibility for all my actions, good and bad. I stand by my post. His screw up, why penalize the LBS?

That's the ideal big boy world. Which is really a little boy world. In the real big boy world, it's your responsibility to ask questions to find out if something is right for you. How was the salesperson supposed to know that he was looking specifically for the same snap-in capabilities as CB pedals if he didn't ask about it? If the OP asked & was fed false information, that's one thing. But it sounds like he went in & the salespeople did their job. They sold something.

For example, say you're looking to buy a new car & you just absolutely must have heated seats. So you go to a dealership & the dealer says "Oh yeah, this car is great. 5/5 star crash test rating, power everything, & a beefy 350hp engine to get you where you need to go!" So you buy it. Then winter comes along & you realize it has no heated seats! OH NO! Do you take it back to the dealer & demand a refund? No. Because it's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to ask the right questions & make sure a product has all the features you want. No salesman in the world can read your mind & assume what you want.

And this isn't even close to coercion. The OP wasn't forced to buy anything. No threats or intimidation of any nature were used to make him buy the pedals. Recalls & service bulletins aside, there are no laws requiring a salesperson to tell you all of the negatives of a product. That's the moral thing to do, but it seems as though you confuse 'moral' & 'ethical'.

Mr. Sam, I understand the real world of sales more than you know. I have built and maintain a multi-million dollar company driven by sales. My personal sales for this year will top $1.5mil. As far as Victim's comments, I apologize for the cheap shot on your name. I think the bike shop needs to be held accountable. I also believe in holding people to the same standard of accountability that I hold. My company has had steady growth in the last 4 years in a business environment that has seen competitors bankrupt and others merge to stay alive. Accountability and Customer Satisfaction are a main reason why.

I read the OPs comments one way, you read them another. He stated that the problem was more than just getting used to a different problem, its more than retraining muscles. I take that to indicate that the issues were addressed and he was assured that the differences were no problem. I might have been assuming more than is there, but somewhere the comments came into play. That would be coercion. We aren't talking about running down to Walmart for a $12. set of Wellgos. This is a commitment to a different pedaling system. When you go to Mart stores you don't expect any level of expertise in repping a product. An LBS is a specialty shop and that by definition in the legal world is held to a different professional standard, real legal world, not pie in the sky.

OTOH, Burn Notice is right, its his problem. We're here arguing the ethics of his situation, he is probably riding and couldn't give a rip.

OTOH, Burn Notice is right, its his problem. We're here arguing the ethics of his situation, he is probably riding and couldn't give a rip. LMAO! He probably is! :D

Mr. Sam, I understand the real world of sales more than you know. I have built and maintain a multi-million dollar company driven by sales. My personal sales for this year will top $1.5mil. As far as Victim's comments, I apologize for the cheap shot on your name. I think the bike shop needs to be held accountable. I also believe in holding people to the same standard of accountability that I hold. My company has had steady growth in the last 4 years in a business environment that has seen competitors bankrupt and others merge to stay alive. Accountability and Customer Satisfaction are a main reason why.

I read the OPs comments one way, you read them another. He stated that the problem was more than just getting used to a different problem, its more than retraining muscles. I take that to indicate that the issues were addressed and he was assured that the differences were no problem. I might have been assuming more than is there, but somewhere the comments came into play. That would be coercion. We aren't talking about running down to Walmart for a $12. set of Wellgos. This is a commitment to a different pedaling system. When you go to Mart stores you don't expect any level of expertise in repping a product. An LBS is a specialty shop and that by definition in the legal world is held to a different professional standard, real legal world, not pie in the sky.

OTOH, Burn Notice is right, its his problem. We're here arguing the ethics of his situation, he is probably riding and couldn't give a rip.

I guess we're both just making assumptions in two opposite directions. You're making them in favor of the OP, & I'm making them in favor of the LBS. We're both right based on our assumptions, but the OP hasn't clarified one way or the other. I agree most with the happy middle though--that he should explain the situation to the shop & hopefully they'll be understanding.

Sam congrats on the new job and college and all. Hope the bike parts decision and money come to you soon. I enjoy your posts around here.

Well thank you! Congrats on the new Scott. I was thinking about getting one when the Army was still on my list of things to do, but they decided they weren't interested. Hence the 'pay-as-you-go' option of building my own bike. Still a fun project though.