Questions about LBS/Purchase regret?
 

I have a few questions about bike shopping and im not sure where it goes so general discussion seems good. A little background on myself, used to bike a lot and quit for about 10 yrs. Went to my local LBS and told them i wanted something comfortable and they pointed out beach cruisers due to the low price tag and comfort. I said hills are a concern so they said a 3spd model would be ideal and thats what I bought. I rode it for a few weeks and realized that it was heavy, slow, and likely the worst bike for hills.

So i wenf back to the LBS to see if I could exchange it for something better and they said no. What about trade in? They offered me $100 (I paid $400). Ive heard others talk about their LBS being more flexible so my question is this normal? Should i bother to do business with said LBS again? Its not the only bike ive bought from them but the first ive had an issue.

Also any advice on what to do the bike?

IDK I just work in them occasionally ,


Manager-owners make up their own customer service Guidelines it is Their Business .. after all ..


and you may have not conveyed adequately what you wanted to do with the bike and so they cued on the comfort part ..

since you already have the bike , consider modifying it . replacing the rear wheel with one built around a multi spee Internal gear Coaster brake hub.

companies like Sturmey Archer Make a 5 speed coaster brake IGH , to tweak the gear range, then you can put a smaller chainring on the crankset ..

or resell it on your own thru the classifieds in the Paper/Craigs List etc. , ask <guess> 300 and let the buyer feel better to get it for 2.

Don't know if this would work, but I'd first not go back to that shop. They need to know how and what to ask you to get the information useful for selecting the right bike for you. If I was a shop, I wouldn't settle for just what you've provided and asked you more specific about your needs. I would now maybe go visit another shop and get a feel for them and how they go about figuring out what you are looking for, and then if you decide you'd like a different bike from this shop, see what they would do on trade. They might work with you to gain a bike sale and possibly gain a repeat customer.

I knew what I wanted when I bought my bike. The fact that it is the only shop local to me was a factor, but if I was buying a bike for my daughter or for my wife, I wouldn't be going to the same shop. I might not even be going to the same shop for adjustment on my bike that I bought there.

IMHO, do the same thing that you would do if you bought some so-so produce at the local grocery store. then ate it, but thought it wasn't as good as you would have liked it to be. then took the uneaten bits back and asked for them to discount the price on more produce, but refused to do so.

Does the shop in question have a Facebook page???

Hey OP,, your intro states that you were a cyclist before but quit, that tells us that you were not completely naive when you walked into that shop, so the question is what kind of riding did you do before you quit 10 years ago? and how much different is it from what you are doing now, and of course what kind of bike did you ride before you quit? and what bike do you think you need now???

Sorry for the painful lesson
 

I'm generally not egotistical enough to quote myself but your post brings up one that is in the Recreation and Family section right now. It was in answer to a lady who has been looking for a new bike and tried and rejected the brand and similar model to the one you chose. She was thanking people who replied to her questions and helped her narrow her choice to two Trek models. Here is what I wrote to the lady who thanked us:

YOU took the time and effort to explore what is right for you. Many of the people who simply buy the first thing they see end up with a bike that never leaves the garage or storage area after just a few rides. Finding one that fits you right and meets your needs makes that far less likely.

I would agree that the bike store you patronized sucks. They deserve to go out of business and not rip off any more buyers. Their offer of allowing you $100 on a trade in is an insult to get you to go away and stop bothering them. They did a damn poor job of finding out what would be the right bike for you. All they wanted was a quick sale and then have you go away. You might try using it as a trade in at a different store but don't expect to be made anywhere near whole. You would do better by selling it yourself. It is now a used bike and the store will have to resell it and make a profit on it too. The bike you bought is available for $339 brand new at Sports Chalet.

Frankly the bike looks like something out of the 1950s and was designed to elicit nostalgia. Those of us old enough to actually remember it and ride a bike like it would rarely ever buy something with 1950s technology when the modern, lighter, multi-speed bikes are so much better. Sorry you had to learn the hard way. You have my sympathy.

Go into the Cincinnati CL bike section and put in a lower limit of $200 and upper limit of $400. There are scads of bikes that come up. These days is is not hard to find out what the MSRP was for a bike was when it was sold new. You also have to know what frame size fits you so you don't waste a lot of time looking at bikes that are too small or too large but this would have been a much better way to go.

By the way, my local 99cent only store will take back anything that proves to be unsatisfactory and that includes produce they sell. Most any grocery store will stand behind what they sell. The bike is another matter as it is much more expensive than a few bucks. IMHO this bike shop still did a very poor job in helping this customer.

Im not hating on the bike store, I think they're genuienly nice people. They're policies just seem strange to me and comparing it to produce or other perishable goods is not the best example. It would be like buying a $40,000 car and then deciding it wasnt what you wanted. The dealership will take it buy it back or as a trade for several thousand less. In this example they would be offering $10,000 and im sure a lot of people would be offended. That being said id chalk it up to rookie error on my part. The bikes ive had in the past were cheap and usually from a department store. I think i'll keep the bike for now and consider another LBS next time.

I would go to a different LBS in the future too. I think that if you want a different bike, try to sell it as soon as possible, place ads at work or see if anyone you know is looking for this type of bike. Don't let it depreciate any more, and you are at the beginning of the riding season.

The shop did not rip off the customer. They showed the customer exactly what was for sale, and the customer bought it. It may not be a great shop (probably isn't) but it's your responsibility as a consumer to do at least some initial research about the product/s you are interested in buying.

It sounds like the OP decided to make an impulse purchase and the shop obliged him or her.

Now, the OP understands s/he made an error in judgment by impulse buying and now wants the shop to do undo their mistake.

There's no evidence of any wrongdoing on the shop's part. If a customer wants to buy a product, any business will be happy to sell them the item.

If the shop had engaged in bait and switch, or in some other form of deception or fraud, then yes, the shop would be in the wrong. But in this case, the OP is upset that s/he got exactly what was on display. Totally different situation.

OP, sell the bike for as much as you can get on craigslist.

I think it would be hilarious if someone bought the bike, created an account and complained: I regret my craigslist purchase!

Try to return a new car after a couple of months and see how far you get.

I sympathize, but like others, wonder what you were thinking? Did you communicate what you wanted? Did you test ride the bike? Do some internet research?

I only know the return/exchange policy of one LBS, but they accept a return within 30 days as long as the bike is in reasonably good condition. I took my new bike in 2 weeks after the purchase for a fitting. The fitter made clear upfront that since it was a new bike I'd gotten from them within a month, they would gladly exchange it with another bike or even take it back for a refund if they couldn't fit me with it properly.

I also agree with others that this doesn't sound like a great bike shop, but I wonder if you are telling us the whole story. I have spent time working with friends and acquaintances on buying new bikes and more times than not, they ignore my advice and go with what they wanted to get in the first place.

Seems to me they could have sold you a more expensive bike and given you about 70-80% credit from the 3-speed cruiser. They could have sold you the more expensive bike and resold the 3-speed at the original price, provided that you returned it in mint condition. That way, it's a win-win business deal! :thumb:

* Alternatively, they could have refunded you 100%, sold you a more expensive bike, but charged you a 20% restocking fee.

If I was the LBS manager, I would have taken the bike back and given you a 90% refund. I then would have sold you a more expensive bike with a 10% markup from the MSRP. Of course, I would have also thrown in a cheap lock or helmet in the deal. I would definitely sell the 3-speed cruiser as a "new" bike and NOT used, if it was in mint condition. Local bike shops sell bikes as "new" all of the time, even when they've been test ridden all summer long.

I must admit, when you said "a few weeks", I wondered how long it took for you to actually return the bike, because the LBS seemed entirely too unwilling to work with you...

I call BS on the OP too. I just can't see an "experienced cyclist" walking into a bike shop and 1) buying on impulse, 2) buying a beach cruiser on impulse, 3) much less for $400.

Somebody's sellin' wolf tickets, and I ain't buyin.'

I might be inclined to buy a bike a customer returned, but only as a used bike, Al be it a lightly used bike. And I would expect at least 20% to 30% discount off msrp. If a lbs sold me a bike that was used for a few weeks to a couple of months and did not disclose and charged me full retail, I would be pissed off.

Yeah, but what if I sold you a bike that had been test ridden by at least 20 people all summer long and sold it to you as "new" at the full MSRP. Would you still be pissed?...Of course, nobody is gonna tell you about the bike's test ridden history, just like they won't tell you about the customer who returned the bike after three weeks, in mint condition ;)

http://www.bikeforums.net/beach-crui...l#post16680958

"A few weeks" = 7 weeks?

The thing that I find refreshing about this thread is the OP's objectivity regarding the situation and his general defense of the LBS.

Compare that with West Pablo who first criticizes the LBS and then describes the unethical action he would have taken.

The bike shop is pretty lazy. Having seen that you wanted more than a beach cruiser, they should have kept going up until they found your limits. Maybe they were just trying to get rid of 3 speeds. If I were that sales person and you mentioned hills, I'd be trying to get you onto at least a mountain bike or hybrid and aiming at $ 600-900.

From here, sell the old bike, do your homework, do test rides, maybe even rent a few bikes, and ask questions on Bike Forums, or search the threads to see what answers other people have gotten, because that question is frequently asked.

As they say, the purpose of your first bike is to tell you what you really want.

It appears to me that both parties are at fault here..

The OP made an impulse purchase and the LBS should have made sure that the bike was a good fit for the OP's needs..

I guess I'd place slightly more of the blame on the LBS because they should be professional enough to ensure that the customer gets the right bike..

OP, cut your losses and sell it @ a loss.. Get a bike from a different LBS and this time make sure it's exactly what you want/need.. Then commence to riding the wheels off it! :thumb:

I don't find the shop to be at fault at all. There is no such thing as the 'right bike.' Only the customer can make that decision. If the customer is unsure of what s/he wants, they can either ask questions at the shop, or preferably, do their research prior to shopping.

No one could sell much of anything if people were limited to making the "right purchase." No more cigs, alcohol, red meat, automobiles or any other gas powered device, cookies, anything with sugar, etc etc etc.

People have to use their own intelligence and discernment instead of blaming the business.

It seems like OP rode the bike for a good long while (probably a couple of months if not longer) before deciding that they bought the 'wrong bike' and somehow found the shop negligent.

I am not sure why you assume the OP rode it for so long. Either way,a good business would buy the bike back for $300, list it as a "sale" item for $350 and then sell the OP a more expensive bike that he would be happy with. Even someone like you can probably understand that.

He never blamed the LBS, and I don't think he wants them to undo his mistake. I think he was asking peoples thoughts on how he should proceed. If you owned the LBS what would you do? Be satisfied with a $400 sale?or try to make $50 more off that bike, sell a more expensive bike, and have a happy customer?

You have not yet specified how long your kept the bicycle before deciding to return it. How many weeks did you keep and ride the bicycle?

Did you bother to inquire what the return or exchange policy was prior to or during purchase?

And no, buying a beach cruiser is in no way comparable to buying a $40K car. That's just ridiculous.

It is your responsibility to check on any return or exchange policy ahead of time.

The bike shop did nothing wrong, you were negligent in all aspects of the purchase.

It would be more ethical for a LBS to take back the cruiser to sell as used, than then sell OP a new bike at a discount than to pass off a used bike as new to another customer. Lbs gets caught pulling that crap and they won't stay in business for long, IMO.