Maelochs

A repair takes as long as it takes.

My question remains--why didn't you order the part Wednesday night, get it Thursday, deliver it Friday morning and pick up your bike after work on Friday for your weekend rides?

The shop was honest with you? Told you when they could do the job, when they could return the bike?

We think shops should have every tool and every part on hand ... and plenty of staff to do whatever job. (Of course, when it comes to our bikes, we are thrilled if the mechanic takes as long as it takes ... but he should hurry through the bikes in line first to get to ours, right?)

Maybe this shop had never been asked to do that particular job---maybe everyone had either done it at home, or used a different brake system, or whatever. I can assume that if they didn't have the bleed kit, they had never needed it before ... so why would they buy it? After all, the shop Could invest in a giant warehouse and purchase every tool for every particular job and every proprietary manufacturer's standard, and every possible replacement part.

Or they could buy what they need to do the jobs that they do. And thereby be a healthier business

The whole idea that the shop Should do the job in a certain amount of time is what's wrong here. You figure that since you could do the job in an evening, so should the shop.

See the problem? You Couldn't do the job in an evening because you had other things to do. They had other things to do as well---like keeping their business running. They told you what was involved, you had the choice to take the bike home and make time ... or leave the bike and make them make time. If they had said, "Yeah, pick it up later today," and then said, "Tomorrow,' and had done that a few times ... but that's not how it happened, right?

So the whole deal is you want them to work faster for you. They were not convenient to your demands and schedule.

Look ... if you don't like the shop, don't go back. Do the work yourself.

Funny thing---you would have gotten the brakes bled pretty much Exactly the same time whether they did it or you did it. You saved the cost of the bleed kit and the time and labor. You could have bought the bleed kit and done the work, spending time and energy. Either way, you'd have the bike in riding condition.

You sort of walked into a shop and said, "Fix my bike and make it snappy. I expect every bike shop to be ready to meet My needs and My schedule."

If the bike shop doesn't meet your standards,. simply don't go there any more. But all this outrage .... makes you sound pretty spoiled.

I do photography sometimes. If someone says, "When can I get my pictures," and I have a couple jobs scheduled which will keep me away from the computer, I simply tell the person. If they get mad ... I don't care. They can go to another photographer, or have a friend shoot the shots with a cellphone. I am honest and offer the options. If someone says, "I expect you could shoot, download, sort, and edit my pictures in an hour---I could," but I know I won't have a free couple hours for a few days ... they lose. I tell the folks what's up---they choose. I understand, they want what they want. I also know what i can deliver. If they don't like what i can deliver, no stress.

If you don't like what the shop offers .... but if you feel entitled to a certain level of performance the shop never promised ... that's Your issue to solve, not the shop's. (Unless the LBS is named something like "Ernie's Brake-Bleeding Service" with a sign in the window which says "We bleed brakes ... and also sell bikes. Check out our brake-bleeding services." Otherwise ... )