They did pick the color out together. The problem was that when it came in it didn't look like the brochure/web photo. He said the decals were not evident in the photo.

The bike shop should help you out. If they can’t exchange the frame then they should help get it repainted. If nothing else, they need to work on their customer satisfaction skills. They could have done a better job of explaining things. Saying, No without a reason is not acceptable. The shop needed to explain why they can’t exchange the frame. Then, the shop needed to find a solution that is acceptable to both of you.

If the shop isn’t willing to help then pay for the repaint out of pocket. First, I would try to explain to the owner, in a non-threatening way, that you are not satisfied. Tell him the color wasn’t what you saw. Explain that they should have showed you the frame before they assembled it. That way you could have rejected the color before the bike went together.

The shop is correct in saying that once the bike is assembled then the frame becomes used. NIB is just that, new in box. Once you prep the frame and hang on the parts it’s used.

As a last resort, you could reverse the credit card charge. That is if you paid by credit card. Tell the owner you are not satisfied and you are going to give back both bikes and reverse the credit card charge unless they help you find a mutually acceptable solution. Being a former business owner, we know that the business owner always looses in credit card disputes. The bank will actually pull the funds from the shop’s account before they are notified. If the amount is in the thousands, then he might incur some insufficient funds problems.

Remember, be calm but stand your ground. Both the shop and you are partially to blame. The solution should be mutual. Good luck and let us know what happens.

Tim