In all fairness, the guy with the one missing spoke probably got "upsold" on having the wheels retensioned and trued and gone-over, and was charged a lot more as a result. Still a rip-off, but that kind of thing is common to the folks who don't understand anything about bike repair. Maybe I'm wrong, though. Maybe it was a ruby-encrusted spoke.

I haven't taken a bike to a shop for repair in ages, but when I did, I'd always confirm the price before they do the work. I'm also the guy who orders parts at the LBS along with qbp catalog numbers and the max price I'm willing to pay, so maybe I'm the oddball.

And MiamiJim, don't worry; I don't intend to open my own bike shop.