frustration with LBS
 

Hopefully some of you LBS supporters/owners can help with with this one. It's not a huge deal; they've just had my bike for 7 days for a repair that probably should have taken an afternoon. They had to order a fairly common part which took a few days to get in, and I had to keep calling to check up on the status. I was told Monday when the part came in that they couldn't get to it until Tuesday. I called Tuesday at closing and they said I could pick it up Wednesday morning. I went over this morning (not early) only to find that my bike hadn't even been touched. Grrr. And to make matters worse, the place closes at 5:30, so I either have to wait until the weekend to pick it up or take an hour off work, borrow a truck, and drive it home.

I'm really concerned about complaining about this, though, because the guy was nice enough to honor the "free 3 month tuning" 12 months after I bought the bike. However, I'm still paying for some parts. I've been walking everywhere for the last week and have missed some really great riding weather! :(

I don't want to ruffle any feathers and get put on a LBS blacklist or something (the bike community is so close-knit... I don't want to be the "bad customer"), but I'm still a little irritated. Am I being silly about this, or do I have a right to complain? For you LBS owners, is this something you would want or even care to hear about, or is this just par for the course?

Thanks. Sorry for the long post.

joseph

Joseph,

I think we are all the same when we have to take our bike in for service. I think they should be very clear with you regards to the time to fix it and if they tell you to pick it up, it should be ready. Beyond that, a week for them to do anything is not the least surprisng to me. I have found that speaking to the mechanic who is working on the bike is usually the best route to take. The shop where I bought mine has several mechanics, and usually if you just ask the guy who answers the phone, he may have no idea how work is or isn't progressing on your bike. Another thing that may help is go in in person, may not be convenient but you can usually judge a response better face to face, additionally when you call you probably have some one on the other end of the phone is busy taking care of the "in person" customer, relegating you to second place in their attention ratings.

Three possible solutions, repair the bike yourself, find another shop, or have a second "back-up" bike for those times you are suffering separation anxiety. I would guess the majority of folks here have been through that exact same separation pain. I know I have and it was miserable. I think stopping in and asking with a pathetic and desperate look and tone about me, may have helped speed things up, but on the other hand, may have just made me feel better since I couldn't be our riding!!

Thanks for your advice. (I especially like your thoughts on a backup bike... I needed a good excuse to go shopping :) ) Now that I know that it can take a week or so to get my bike back from the shop, I'll be a little more patient next time.

Ironically, I believe I was speaking with the mechanic each time I called. :) They must have had a terribly busy week. When I went to pick it up today, he had forgotten to do 2 of the three things I specifically requested. He was nice enough to do the other two on the spot, which I didn't mind so much since I got to watch. They really are great guys. It was probably more of a communication thing. If I had known they were going to order a part, I would have brought my bike back after it got in.

Oh well. It's back now and I had a wonderful ride today.

joseph

bike repairs
 

You guys are too damn easy! First of all, if someone told me that my bike would be fixed at such and such date, then it damn better be fixed and ready to be pick upped. If not I would have expected a call or a message saying they were having a delay getting that part. A customer shouldn't be the one to be begging for news about the status of a repair it should be up to the repair department to supply that information....come on it's just good business besides courtesy. Plus if the repair hadn't been done, without a phone call update then I would have demanded a financial percentage compensation off the repair costs. That is the only way that companies or bike shops or any other business will get their act together. Especially if it came off the repair person's paycheck, you better believe the next time your repair will get done in a timely manner. I'm not talking about raising or shouting your voice or using profanity for emphasis, I'm talking having a conversation about what's only fair.
I hate to hear stories like this, in addition to hear how it was handled. I use to work in retail and was in management and I refused to be less than professional to my customers. If a customer of mine came in because one of my employees made a mistake you better believe that I would bend over backwards to makeup for that mistake. I would first apologize for my employee and then I would make sure that customer walked away with a smile on his/her face when she/he left with something I would compensate him/her for their trouble of an extra trip. It could be my business card with a 10% off the next purchase or gift certificate. There is no excuse in business to be less than professional and bending over backwards for your customers, who by the way is your business regardless of what you supply, service or products.
If you let people in business that work for you off as easy as you two have done that same business will do it to you again and again not only to you but to everyone else.
I for one will not stand for poor service, I don't want to hear any excuses, I would have gotten my bike and gone to another bike shop, right then and there.
I have to tell you I have gotten treated like I expected every time, especially if the business failed to perform. I would have let them know and demanded compensation which I convince them to see it my way, which was only fair. I wasn't after a free lunch or any free stuff, but what I was after was respect as a customer and a human being, and not to have gotten that, I would have been "dismissed", like trash that's been discarded. No one whether a customer or any one should be treated like that...ever.
After the fact, whenever I went back to that same business that failed me but they made up for it, I got treated like a king only because I didn't hold any regrets or shoved that history back in their face. As far as I was concern it was a new day, and I let them know that there were no ill feelings. That's what it's all about is mutual respect, which is only fair and good business practice.

Regards,
David

Mututal respect implies a two-way compromise rather than a demand on my part for a percentage off. To me there is a huge difference between retail where a person buys a product off a shelf, and service where a person has to wait for a part before a job can be completed. Allowances have to be made for unexpected shipping delays. I do agree that a call should be made, and as Raiyn said if it's early, if it's late a call should be made. I also know the bike shop where I have mine serviced, the place is huge, has many mechanics and many bikes because for they do a good job and have a good reputation. I take into account the fact if I stop in on a ride, they make adjustments post-haste without any delay, no matter how busy they are or how many bikes they have in the stands in the shop. If I have to leave my bike, I know that they will be taking care of the walk-ins as a priority which I as a customer find much more important as a customer, and as a customer I know is their priority and expect before leaving my bike that they will take care of walk-ins. I also know if I ask for a spoke, or a cap for the end of a cable, they walk in back, they hand me one and they say no charge. And having been in retail myself, I know a phoney kiss off, where you complain, get a discount and are the topic of discussion by employees after you leave, I know employees will warn each other when they see you coming, and I know it will appear as though you are getting the same service as before, but you will have lost their respect.

In a mutual respect situation they cut me some slack, I cut them some slack. I don't have to worry about them saying they are out of spokes or cable caps because I pissed them off the last time I was there over something that was for the most part out of their control. I concede to your they should have called, but I'm not so sure your technique is a mutual respect.

After repeated problems, i avoid my LBS as much as possible. The next nearest shop is about 20 miles away, however, so i may return for "major" jobs. I try to order all parts myself beforehand, & always get my tubes, tires, & accessories via Nashbar (excellent selection & many bargains). I suspect (but can't prove), that owners of high-end machines are likely to get better treatment.

1) Get several bikes. Think of this as a wonderful excuse.

2) Learn maintenance your own self. This limits your bills, gives you an appreciation for your bike, and I've found it makes riding more fun. It does require some investment in tools and time.

It sounds like you commute, since you're walking w/o a bike. Find a good beater at a local thrift-- since you've been riding awhile, you probably have some good notions about fit-- get Zinn and the art of (mt/road) Bike Maintanence, and tear the bike you bought apart, than put it back together.

I began maintaining my own bikes when I took the PFN into a shop to be serviced, and they laughed at my bike, then tried to sell me a new one. A little more direct than your problem, perhaps. But I'd be irritated as well, given your situation.

Your service was not what it could have been. They should have given you a padded time estimate after finding out they needed to order parts. I pad all my times and price quotes because you never know, sometimes it takes forever for a part to show up, often when a part arrives the price on the packing slip is different than the one in the catalog.
Cyclepath, as far as the price level of a bike, I could not care less, a bikes a bike. Often the high end guys act like children and i would rather deal with a casual/fun rider. Commuters can be a little high strung as often it is their only bike and they want it NOW, doesn't matter that twelve other people already have been promised.
As far as it goes, most people are cool, some are jerks and every body screws up sometimes.

Personally, I think it makes sense to "talk" with the shop about it. No one ever wants to be a bad person (well, there ARE certain exceptions), but bad situations put people at odds.

Talk about it and find out what is going on. Maybe since you are getting the work done for free, you are lower in priority than paying customers (and he assumed that you would understand that). He may not realize how valuable the bike is to you. If someone told me that they needed to keep my bike for a week, I would probably freak :) That would let that person know that I really want my ride back.

Don't think about it as complaining. Just go in and talk about it with an open mind. This is where the local shop has it over the big chain. The local shop generally has more invested in the individual customer than are chain stores.

One last thing, learn about your bike so that you can be an educated customer. Then you can talk with the shop in common terms and come to a mutual understanding much more quickly. However, don't try to be the customer that is always trying to stump the mechanic. This will not win points...

Good luck.

- Jeff

My LBS at work is very good, but poorly organized. I don't think they've ever called me about a repair, but sometimes I know they do the small stuff when I come in to pick it up. It's just the way they are! They mean well, but it can be frustrating. They always do a good job, and are always reasonable pricewise. I'd rather have a good job done late than a poor job on time!

Remember, too, that everyone screws up sometimes. If this is a pattern with this shop, then maybe you want to go somewhere else (dont' burn bridges, though). If it's not a pattern, it was a mistake. Yes, it should be corrected, but don't be a jergoff about it. No one's perfect, yet so many expect perfection from everyone else.

One problem with using local bike shops, the concept of local is going extinct. Looking in the Yellow Pages, in an area of about 500,000 population I can think of 5 LBS's.. The others are owned by mega bike stores(chains). Of these mega stores we have two.
Of the 5 locally owned stores, I only respect the 'expertise' of two. Of the two, only one has a variety of products and bicycles. I mostly use a shop about 23 miles away in Escondido.. It is a chain store with fair cross section of bikes and for a chain has a smaller shop feel. I use this store because the mechanic is great. I like to utilize this store in part because, when possible, it gives me a chance to commute to this store for my bike needs. If i have to leave the bike off,one way I commute home on the bus, which accomodates bikes with bike carriers.
The benefits of this store. The mechanic really takes care of his customers. His customers follow him to which ever store he is transferred to...He is a well known amateur racer and that causes some following. His regulars, if possible, he will try to accomodate them when they enter the store. In spite of the fact there are great numbers of bikes on hooks over head waiting to be serviced. He is always busy.
Years ago, I crashed pretty hard, luckily with minor effects; because some clown at another local store did not put my rear cluster together right. No problem with this mechanic, at this store. He is a top notch mechanic.
Yesterday, he would not give up on a problem I took into him to repair last week.
A minor problem, must have spent an hour on it, after I had given up. The touring bike I bought from him has cross pull
brakes. Squeek like hell to a point,I fear the front end is shaking.Due to injury and being off the bike for months , thought a glaze had covered the pads and just wanted new pads installed.
New same size pads would not lessen the noise. He went through three sets and took new pads off of a new caliper set,with greater length to diffuse the energy.
He only charged me for the cost of the acutal pads and not the whole brake set. One hours time involved.
Worth the benefit of a 46 mile r/t commute. Went down a steep grade to get home. He gave me the cadillac of brakes. Smooth, even, quiet downhill.
When parts have needed to be ordered, he orders them in advance, and you come in when they arrive... If something major goes wrong with the bike and parts take awhile to arrive, well, that says of the need to have two bikes.
Another point about bike maintenance. I commute to work and they must be reliable. I am fussier with my bikes almost than my car. We all know cars are unreliable. Preventative maintenance. Have it changed out before it wears out.

Check out locals
 

The funny thing about all of this Is I probably could of done the job for you In a hour?If I had the part that is or a used one?Seek out out some of these do It yourself mechanics..keep your ears open every town has a few mechanics maybe the city has more?Has far as myself goes I had to get out of it cause many people were coming around my place they just wanted what they could have eh?many poor people still on bikes?

Love being around bikes.
 

Some time in the future, I do want to know bike mechanics. Have enough bikes, would like to keep them up constantly. My work schedule is hectic.. Now an excuse to commute the 46 miles to the bike shop.Stress reduction program.. I already have a decent bike maintenance manual.. Have not spent the time to read it.
I think in the future of going to a month long bike maintenance class up in Oregon. My obsession with bikes, maintaining bikes would be add to that obsession. If not riding them, then work on them..
The course, is designed for all levels of bike mechanics. From those who just want to work on their own bikes to advanced bike mechanics.

Just out of interest, what was the original problem with the bike & the required part ????