Found another way to annoy my LBS
 

Your advice of my steering tube being too tall and potentially a danger got me thinking. So I bought in the bike into an LBS very close to me and asked them to cut it down for me (I don't have the proper guide) and I didn't want to mess it up as its the final cut. The conversation went like this:

Me: Hey, I phoned up earlier about cutting down my steering tube.
Local Bike Store (LBS): Nice bike, where did you buy it.
Me (glowing with pride): I built it up myself from a frameset.
LBS: Then why can't you cut down the steering tube.
Me: I don't have the tool and I wanted someone with experience to do it.
LBS: That will be $50 and call back in 3 days.
Me: But you told me over the phone $25 and I could wait.
LBS: Well the price just changed.

So I walked out and I'm taking it to Performance and they'll do it for $20.

Did this really happen? Honestly?

Of course. I know some of you have a hard time believing that these things happen but remember I'm in the uber rich area (Walnut Creek) where the average home cost more than half a mil (and a decent home is 1 mil) and the average salary is well above $100K.

It creates a really weird environment as some people are very spoilt and others are really resentful.

Other people who live in these areas know what I'm talking about

I live in a relatively high area and I've never heard of anything like that happening.

It's a funny story, true or not. Isn't that where Riv is located?

If you want to help both this shop and its future customers, E-mail them with this thread and the website pasted on. Perhaps the owner or supervisor will talk to the employee. Perhaps a future customer will have a far better experience. (Probably not but at least you did your part.)

Ben

I kind of agree with the guy at the bike shop. You can buy a cheap hacksaw and a guide for around twenty bucks. Just do it yourself. If you built the bike how hard is it to cut the steerer tube?

From my experience in more than one LBS, I have no issue believing this to be true.

So, if you owned a shop you would want employees to turn away business because the bike wasn't bought from you?

I agree, you can do this and you'll probably want to do it twice. First time to get that extra couple of inches you KNOW you'll never use. Second after you ride it awhile and are able to reduce your spacer stack by about half. 5 minutes with a hacksaw and radiator hose clamp. You've come this far, don't give up here at the finish. :thumb:

The demographics where I live are similar. The LBS is high end and they will comment on bikes and parts not bought there, if you do their shop rides. I never do their shop rides and rarely buy anything there at 3 to 10 times Internet prices. Yet, they are friendly when I go there and will conk in a star nut while I wait or let me borrow a weird tool.

You didn't direct it towards me, but I'll still answer - possibly. Not every customer is a good customer and not every sale is worth it. We're getting the OP's perspective, but I'm sure that the dealer's perspective would be different; the OP's "beaming with pride," may have come off pretty damn smug, for instance.

True but what's his incentive to help them after being treated like a second-class citizen?

In his shoes I'd be more inclined to put up a post on BF, calling the shop out by name. Then probably something on yelp, bad google review, and follow up with good old fashioned word-of-mouth, which is a better way to help future customers find better experiences.

http://media.nashbar.com/images/nash...put-quality=85

Nashbar Steerer Tube Cutting Guide

$14.99, or anyone in the Atlanta area can send me a PM and I'll let you borrow mine.


I complimented someone on yelp and his corporate HQ called the store manager that day to let him know about the good review. Small business owners don't like bad reviews on Yelp.

Huh? A quote was made over the phone. Apparently no mention was made that the bike had to be purchased there. Customer walks in and is quoted twice the price and 50 times the wait because of a condition that wasn't mentioned before. That's up there with bait and switch for business ethics. It may be the shop policy (that bikes bought elsewhere have twice the labor and a wait) but since the customer was not told this at the quote, all an ethical shop can do is swallow it and do what they quoted while saying this was their screw-up, that they were making an exception this time.

This shop, by not following good ethics, got just what they deserved. A lost customer who is spreading the word.

Ben

Well I have NEVER walked into an LBS with a smug attitude and I have several bad experiences. I'm sure a lot of bike shops would agree with you though. Another reason it's no shocker that doors are closing daily.

Cutting a steerer tube isn't that hard. I don't think the OP should have gone to the bike shop in the first place.

I have no opinion on how the guy runs his bike shop, but I can certainly imagine a scenario where it makes good business sense to provide some customers with better service than others.

WOW!!!

They may have expected it to be a bike that you bought at their store. But, then I'd expect the conversation ON THE PHONE to go something like this.Assuming you truly had called in advance, changing the terms like that, and they'll not only loose this sale, they'll loose quite a few in the future.

I'm sure more than one shop that is now closed probably thought this at some point :thumb:

I obviously haven't tagged along with you to various LBSs, but it has to be said - if bad attitudes follow you around, it might be worth looking at the common factor. I can't say that I've had any "bad experiences," whether in NYC, Minneapolis or even your neck of the woods (Williamsburg and surrounding).

The notion that a guide is needed is BS. A sharp hacksaw and piece of masking tape to mark the cut are all you need. There is no requirement for the top of the steerer to be particlarly smooth or straight. It is a non issue. Having said that, a Dremel tool with heavy duty cutting blade does a bang up job and really does make the guide superfluous.

It's almost like bike shops are deliberately doing everything they can to discourage business and shoot themselves in the foot.

LBS's very often have shockingly low business IQ's. If you didn't know any better, you'd think they were somehow inventing ways to go out of business as quickly as possible.

http://www.bikeforums.net/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by 79pmooney http://www.bikeforums.net/images/but...post-right.png

If you want to help both this shop and its future customers, E-mail them with this thread and the website pasted on. Perhaps the owner or supervisor will talk to the employee. Perhaps a future customer will have a far better experience. (Probably not but at least you did your part.)

Ben


Your advice is solid if helping them fold is the goal. I was thinking that perhaps this shop has a positive place in the cycling world but could use a little work on customer relations.

Ben

Well you should certainly call out that LBS on the Internet for all to see. I have had some pretty bad LBS experiences. Funny thing is the biggest dick I've encountered was the owner of one near me. Treated me like an idiot when I was spending $2000. Did the same to a friend that bought his first bike and $1000 worth of accessories that he could have bought online. And his mechanic messed up one of my friends bikes and then he talked trash about my friend in front of his face.

lol...sure, it's my fault. It's also my fault shops around the country are closing every day. Good day :thumb: