Bad service or is it just me?

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gazza81

Über Member
Location
Edenbridge
So I phone Evans Cycles in Crawley last Wednesday I say is it ok to bring my bike down Saturday for a service the man on the phone says yes.

When I get there I'm told they don't do servicing on the weekends and you would have to wait till Monday, ok not a problem.

When I asked on Facebook Messenger that I wanted a cassette and chain fitting how much would I be looking at they said it would be covered under a bronze service which also includes the gears and brakes adjusting.

When I get to the store on the Saturday apparently that's not correct it's £35 for a gear service alone.

I also wanted some bartape fitting which was £10 extra.
So I said ok go ahead.

I phoned up Tuesday this week and said I was just wondering if the bike was ready they said no but it will be done today and they will call me.
They didn't call me.

I phoned up again today and said I was just wondering when the bike will be ready they said it would have been ready yesterday but it needs a new rear gear cable and it will be £15 extra!
So why didn't they phone me yesterday and say that!
Surely if the gear services £35 it shouldn't cost £15 extra to fit the rear cable?

I told him to forget it and I'm going to pick the bike up and take it elsewhere.

Now I don't use bike shops very often so I'm not very clued up on the pricing, but to me that sounds a bit cheeky?
 

vickster

Legendary Member
So I phone Evans Cycles in Crawley last Wednesday I say is it ok to bring my bike down Saturday for a service the man on the phone says yes.

When I get there I'm told they don't do servicing on the weekends and you would have to wait till Monday, ok not a problem.

When I asked on Facebook Messenger that I wanted a cassette and chain fitting how much would I be looking at they said it would be covered under a bronze service which also includes the gears and brakes adjusting.

When I get to the store on the Saturday apparently that's not correct it's £35 for a gear service alone.

I also wanted some bartape fitting which was £10 extra.
So I said ok go ahead.

I phoned up Tuesday this week and said I was just wondering if the bike was ready they said no but it will be done today and they will call me.
They didn't call me.

I phoned up again today and said I was just wondering when the bike will be ready they said it would have been ready yesterday but it needs a new rear gear cable and it will be £15 extra!
So why didn't they phone me yesterday and say that!
Surely if the gear services £35 it shouldn't cost £15 extra to fit the rear cable?

I told him to forget it and I'm going to pick the bike up and take it elsewhere.

Now I don't use bike shops very often so I'm not very clued up on the pricing, but to me that sounds a bit cheeky?
The Bronze service isn't a specific gear service looking at the website
BRONZE SERVICE - recommended every 3 months.

Full safety check, frame and forks wiped down and checked for alignment, gears and brakes adjusted, chain checked and lubricated, wheels and tyres inspected for wear.

Mt LBS will replace cable as part of gear / brakes service, but not as part of a general check up type service (which is what the Evans Bronze is)
 
OP
OP
gazza81

gazza81

Über Member
Location
Edenbridge
Yeah I didn't go for the bronze service because they said that it wasn't covered so they charged me £35 for a gear service and now they want to charge me an extra £15 for the cable
 
OP
OP
gazza81

gazza81

Über Member
Location
Edenbridge
499629
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Hmm, I expect Evans being a chain don't have much flexibility for personal type service.

As an example, I snapped off my rear mech before Christmas and completely shagged the chain too and buckled the rear wheel :ohmy:

LBS charged me the following: to supply/fit a new chain (a posh one that they had @£38), to fit the mech (I sourced from eBay) was a fiver, a gear service was £15 (including new cables), wheel tru was £20 (they knocked a bit off their usual prices here and there, I'm a fairly regular customer). Quite a lot done for £78, given the chain was £33.

The £10 is about what I pay for bartape if I recall (maybe plus a fiver as I get my own tape, as cheaper than LBS/more choice)
 

rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
The £35 service is just adjustment. Even says on their websites it doesn't include any parts, which is standard of any bike shop, whether chain or LBS. Also, I would expect fitting of anything brought in by the customer to include a labour charge (different if you bought the items from the shop). I paid £110 for my last service, but it was a full strip and rebuild, including new brake and gear cables, brake pads, and bar tape. If anything else needed changing (cassette or chain), that would have been in addition to the £110.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
£15 for a cable,I know you can get one for a couple of quid but your paying them to take the old one out , install and adjust the new one,call it minimum of an hour's charge for work , £10 a hour,? Given that the minimum wage is what 9 odd plus shop overheads
 
D

Deleted member 26715

Guest
Reply back saying Millz, Nope that doesn't help as you are wrong!
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
It's what happens when shops employ kids who know nothing and don't bother learning because the smart phone tells them everything nowadays.
 

pawl

Legendary Member
My LBS fitted a new rm which I supplied Checked and adjusted gear hanger Fitted and supplied new cable and adjusted front mech which I had I had been having problems with Took them a day.Cost £35 .

This was not my usual LBS as they could not fit me in for 2 weeks.Found this shop in a close by town.Needless to say this is the shop I now use for things I can’t do myself but also for components.
 

robgul

Legendary Member
£15 for a cable,I know you can get one for a couple of quid but your paying them to take the old one out , install and adjust the new one,call it minimum of an hour's charge for work , £10 a hour,? Given that the minimum wage is what 9 odd plus shop overheads

Cough, splutter - £10 an hour charged - you must be joking - £40 is pretty standard around here, with a minimum of £10 up to 15 minutes.

The moral of the story would be : take the bike to the shop, ask for an on-the-spot diagnosis and a firm price for the work (parts and labour). If the shop is any good then less than 5 minutes will identify issues/parts etc required. If they can't look immediately then leave the bike and ask for the details and firm quote before they start.

That's how I worked when I managed an LBS - no work was done without the customer being aware of all costs up front . . . . only very exceptionally was there a need to go back and report an additonal requirement or cost. That approach seemed to work and generated goodwill . . . . . but then unlike Evans I cared about what I was doing . . .

Rob
 
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