Originally Posted by
fietsbob
I have been in the local bike shop, while the owner
tells people they should take their BSO back to Walmart and get a refund.
when they come in to get it repaired. (hah)
One Week after the one opened, in the next town over, that let them build a Wally*world there.
likewise those bought in other mass merchant big box stores ..
...
I tell people this sort of thing all the time. It is not offensive unless you say it in a way that is but telling them working on the bike would cost more than the bike is worth is good sense. It is a horrible practice to take in a bike and charge someone for the same amount or more than what they paid for the bike. People appreciate honesty and I was happy when my old mechanic said get rid of the old bike it isn't worth putting money into (it was a crappy Trek rigid mountain hybrid), I could have sunk money into it and been further in the hole on a bike I never really loved.
Some people legitimately don't know what they bought, they didn't do any research or didn't know what to look for if they did. Someone with knowledge and experience telling them the truth is always a good thing. Why lie to someone? What would that do? Sure you shouldn't be rude or nasty about it but as my parents taught me you should always be truthful. Some people I guess just had bad parents that didn't teach them that.