Originally Posted by
dyrmaker83
Bike shop mechanics, employees or owners:
I'm just trying to figure out if I'm being unfair. I have a LBS nearby who I've liked well enough, but I've recently had two experiences that have not exactly made me happy.
First, I bought a pair of pedals and was charged an install charge. They weren't super expensive, around $40, but it took all of 5 minutes to put them on. Is that normal? Or should I be acknowledging that 5 minutes of labor is still worth a ($6-$8) fee?
Second, I brought in a front rack that I (idiotically) broke off a hex bolt head in. They spent 30 minutes trying to get the bolt extracted and failed. Then, they awkwardly asked if I'd mind a $10 charge for their time. I accepted quietly, but I'm kind of pissed off about it.
I really want to be fair, so let me know if these types of labor charges should be expected or if I'm being a tightwad. I don't think they were appropriate, but I'm sensitive to the fact that they're running a small business.
1. You're a regular customer.
2. You bought the pedals there.
If you have either one of those going for you an installation charge for pedals is bogus. If it were my shop, a new customer purchases a part elsewhere and brings it to me to install, I would charge you for the labor (even a simple pedal install) and point out that if you had bought it from me I would have installed for free. If you had bought things from me in the past, even if the pedals came from somewhere else free installation would be a no-brainer.
IMO the fact that you've bought things there regularly in the past + you even bought the pedals there... I would have taken it as a slap in the face to be charged for something that takes a "pro" bike shop mechanic literally 60 seconds to do. That's how you take a regular customer and turn them into a non-customer. Shady.
The rack job could go either way. Yes, they worked on it for 1/2 hour and nobody likes to work for free. No, they didn't actually provide a service to you in the fact that you left their shop with the same stuck bolt that you came in with. I don't see how in the world a broken-off bolt takes 30 minutes to not remove. You know it's not coming out with the tools you -don't- have in about 10 seconds. Then again, if they said they gave it their best shot for 1/2 hour I guess you owe them something for their time.
I know I wouldn't give a dentist my money if he worked on extracting a tooth for 1/2 hour just to have me leave his office with the same broken tooth I walked in with. JMO.