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Old 04-30-08, 08:55 PM
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kesa101
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LBS attitude - my fault?

so, i bought a frame on the net, no-name carbon, got some hand-built wheels, also on the net, and one of the Sram Red groups from the PF groupbuy...

last night the frame arrived, so i called my LBS and asked if they could build up the bike for me be4 saturday (i have a race), they said `sure, no problem`.

took it in this morning, and just after i`ve chosen a stem, pedals, post, saddle, bar tape and botle cages from their stock (came to something like $600), the manager comes over to me and gives me a lecture how they would normally never build a bike up for someone who hadn`t bought EVERYTHING at the store - and how the owner had said they should charge me $500 just for the labour... but that as i was a club member they`d just charge $100. his whole manner was pretty condescending.

i should add i live in japan, and most people don`t shop for bike stuff online, but i was still a bit put out at their attitude - an attitude which has a bad reputation with many people, as they`re quite snooty - there`s also a feeling that the owner doesn`t like `foreigners` too much, but i really try to get past that, i just think he`s a pr*ck - the other staff are OKish...

anyway, i felt like saying `ok, give me it all back`, but the other store in town said it`d take a week, and i need this bike!

i know they ARE building it, so can`tcomplain too much, but is this a problem in the US, etc? i had supposed that as more people buy online there that LBS`s are used to building up stuff they didn`t sell... maybe I`m wrong.

either way i`ll be getting a top end bike for something like $2400, that`s would have cost me about $6000 at this LBS, so i guess i`m the winner!
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