As some of you know I placed an order for a Brommie with a LBS that started selling Brommies this past spring. Well she arrived today and I'm very happy with her... she's awesome.
Now for the rundown of my experience with this LBS and why I'll never deal with them again, ever.
Instead of ordering from BFold or NYCEWheels I wanted to support one of my LBSs. So I placed my order on July 24th and was told that it could take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks to arrive, OK that was to be expected since the LBS only has 3 Brommies in stock none of which were black M3Ls. After the second week I called the shop to see if I could add the Brooks saddle to my order because although I already had one that I was going to use on the bike I thought that a copper riveted B17 for $90 was just such a damned good deal to pass up so I may as well go for it. The shop was happy to add the upgrade since the bike was just now being built (so they said) and hadn't shipped yet.
By the end of the 5th week I decided to call about my bike and see what the status was. They were unsure and said they'd find out. At the end of week 6 I called again, since I hadn't heard back from them, and was told that they weren't sure of the status. So I told them that if they cared so little about my order, I would like a full refund. The owner's daughter got on the phone and was apologetic and asked if she could call Brompton and find out what's going on with the bike... I agreed. A couple of days later I get a return call but I was in a meeting so I bumped the call to my voicemail. The message was that the bike was in the process of being built (again?) so it would ship out in a few days and it would take almost another 2 weeks to arrive. Needless to say I was more than a little PO'd.
I went to pick up the bike today and found out that they never submitted the order for the Brooks so they offered me one off of their demo bikes. I agreed because it looked new with no wear or blemishes and it also had copper rails whereas the ones fitted to other Brommies I'd seen had black steel rails. Before leaving I asked if they tune up new bikes before they go out the door, they said yes of course. So I put the bike in my bike trailer and when I got home I gave the bike a quick look over. The tires were at 20 psi and the handlebar catch mounted on the top of the forks to hold the stem/bars in the folded position was so loose it was about to fall off. I was more than skeptical that if these two simple things were overlooked then chances are that no tuneup was ever performed... we'll see what more I uncover when I have more time to inspect the bike.
So if I were to do this over again would I deal with this LBS again (or more aptly would I recommend someone here in town to deal with Bardstown Bicycle Company)? Nope. It's cheaper to order online (the sales tax is $40 more expensive than paying for shipping if you order from NYCEWheels or BFold) and the bike would arrive in about 1 week instead of after 8 weeks. The only advantage that BBC would have to offer is good customer service but they obviously have no idea what the hell that is.