Pete Hamer

I don't doubt that your bikes work well. That was just my attempt at humor. Luckily for me, being witty is not a pre-requisite to being a bicycle mechanic.

sngltrackdufus

No insult intended or anything, but i have no doubt that you're one of the types that the more you learn the more dangerous you become to others & yourself(associated with building a monster). <<< note the good humor smiley

Don Cook

Crusty Pedals has single handedly and very nicely demonstrated why many LBSs have a very difficult time staying in business. Why on this forum they get mixed reviews on customer service, mixed reviews on mechanical service, and poor reviews on pricing. The bottom line problem is that there are too many Crusty Pedals in this world and way too many of them employed in bike shops.

Don Cook

Rev, you rarely post anything that isn't well thought out and deserving of respect, but with this post you've put your foot in the dung heap. Well, I guess we all do it from time to time.

linux_author

- i think you're right!

(and in the harsh light of morning, and after a cup of coffee, i think i also 'stepped in it' in this thread - so apologies to all if i've offended)

p.s. i still think the Bicycle Mechanics forum is a great place, btw...

Rev.Chuck

I was being an ass on purpose, because so many claim fixing a bike is so simple any fool could do it. But an automatic actually is very much like a threespeed internal hub, just with a bunch of hydraulics and a couple of band clitches instead of sliding ratchets. Often getting it out of the car is the hardest part.

mcoine

Hey rev. I got an F-16 that needs some work, can you help me out?

jacksbike

There is no question that there a lot of jerks out there, but that is retail in general. You cannot please everybody. I am sure that 95% of a bike shop's customers are happy with the service that they receive. With the remaining 5% you do the best you can or tell them that perhaps this shop is not the shop for them and they should try the shop down the street. You will probably get a call shortly from that shop thanking you for sending this jerk to them. I agree with a previous posting that you be up front with a pain in the butt customer and tell them this is the way it is, or please leave. There are customers that cannot be please no matter what you do for them. I had a long fuse when I was in retail, however there were a few times a year that I did lose it and did the following: I took the keys to the shop out of my pocket and opened up the cash register. Obviously the customer would be befuddled . I would tell him/her that 'here's the keys to the store and I am going to pay you for the privilege of working on your bike'. This usually straightened the situation out quickly. The customer knew that they had gone past my limit.
Retail is not for everyone and neither is repairing bikes. Be honest and inform the customer what is going on and you have done the work to the best of your ability. If you work for a quality retail bike shop they probably know that already. In today's mail order world you have to build up that personal relationship with the customer so they keep coming back.

Rev.Chuck

I'll take a stab at it. The Triple W air strip is about a half mile from my house if you can put her down on grass.

I don't think it will fit in my shop, maybe work on one end and turn it around to work on the other.
We can see how it stands up next to my pulsejet project.

sngltrackdufus

With all due respect, HAHAHAHA!!!!

Waldo

The thing that bothers me the most, in this and numerous other threads, is that you have the same members repeating the same tired generalizations, and newbie members don't often seem to search to observe such trends. This has given rise to the increasing number of "is my LBS screwing me?" threads seen on here. The beauty of the internet-the vocal minority instill fear into those that often need the LBS the most.

CRUM

From my experience on the other side of the counter, there are way too many "crusty pedals" scattered throughout our population. I can sympathize with crusty. Especially after a day of dealing with customers who allow the stresses of their lives affect the ongoing transaction in my shop. After umpteen years in this business, I have developed that "Mona Lisa" smile someone alluded to earlier. But deal with enough jerks on any given day and it's bound to rub off some.

But crusty, you need to develope a "professional" persona you put on when at work. Letting the nasty and obnoxious customers get to you means they are doing what they want to do with you. Make you as miserable as they are. It ain't worth it dude.

That said, if I had ever caught any one of my mechanics sabotaging a customer's bike, I would show them the door. That is inexcusable. Even jerks deserve what they pay for.

Bottom Line - If people were more civil and courteous in general, maybe crusty would be in a better mood. I know I would be.