LBS lied to make a sale - why so short-sighted?

[blazed]

It seems a little unfair that anyone can come online and slate a LBS (or anything for that matter) - saying they are awful and should be avoided....when the LBS has no right to reply.

Where do you draw the line. What about when people are slagging off Tesco's or their local MP or an actor from EastEnders they don't like. Maybe a blanket ban on criticiscm.

People are capable of drawing their own conclusions, a simple criticism on a forum would not put me off using a shop just like a normal 'this shop is awesome' wouldn't make me want to go in a certain shop.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Who does the no names policy apply to? If someone had a bad experience at their local Halfords or Evan's, is it ok to publicly post about that?

Is it just the small independent shops who need to be mollycoddled?

Many forums have a "No Naming and Shaming" policy because they don't fancy the idea of being sued for libel. Remember any one can post something about a shop or business which is malicious and untrue. The site owners have no way of verifying the claims made.

 

[Markymark]

I would suggest remarks that could damage a business. I would say that claming a policy Tesco do as wrong is fair game, but claming that a member of staff at tesco did something that is unverifiable is wrong. There are laws for this. My 'line' would be the law.

Libel and criticism are two different things. Slating a business on a forum can, unless be proven correct, be libellous.

 

[pclay]

When I purchased my bike i did quite a bit of re-search, so i knew exactly what i wanted / was buying. I am guessing that the purchase was a snap decision based on looking at the bike at the time. I wouldn't be too bothered what year the bike was, however, if you want to get to the bottom of this there is only one option; go and speak with your LBS.

Out of interest, does the receipt give the model year?

 

[MattDB]

Off this quote ... just enjoy your bike/s and ride them . Call by the shop and tell them why you are upset with your experiences and you will not be returning.

or e-mail them - less personal and confrontational - I'm very english
on a serious note, I'd be annoyed too when I'm giving them valuable business BUT I'd probably assume they made a mistake - it's been a long time since 2014.

 

[Oldfentiger]

I only got a till receipt.
It's quite a small shop. A bike is a major lump of stock. If it were my business I would know if I'd had it for 1 year or 2 years.
IMO a forum isn't the right place to be identifying the subject business- whether justified or not, it's libellous.

 

[Tin Pot]

When I can, I like to build a relationship with local businesses and support the little guy.
Last April, the Missus and I decided we would like to buy our first proper road bikes.
Went round all the usual haunts - some large chains and some local independents.
The wife had less choice because she's female, so we settled for a new current model for her.
As for me - I quite liked the idea of buying last years model for a couple of hundred quid off. It meant I could get a better equipped bike for my budget.
We decided we'd buy both bikes from the same shop - this same shop that we'd already spent a couple of thousand on two hybrids, a MTB and various accessories, clothing etc.
We thought - we're regular customers so we should be able to trust these guys.

Here's my beef - I was told the bike I was buying was a 2014 model, so I bought it at £300 pounds off the £1500 sticker price.
Some time later, I've found out that it's actually a 2013 model. In fact there is a bar code sticker under the BB which clearly says so.
I'm pleased with the bike, I like it and it ticks my boxes. I'm also OK with the price I paid.
I don't think it would have put me off buying it if I'd known the truth at the point of purchase.
What the LBS have done is taken away the trust element, which IMO is one of the foremost reasons for using the LBS. For this reason they won't be seeing any more of my hard-earned cash.
I wondered if it could have been a genuine mistake. I don't see how. This establishment is a dealer for this particular brand, and the 2013 models are a completely different colour scheme to the 2014 models. There is no way they were not aware.
I suppose it could be said that I should have done my research first, but I'm a trusting sort - I thought these guys valued our business.

People just aren't very smart.

Glad you're happy with the bike and price though

 

[Illaveago]

Sometimes you may find out that by buying an earlier model you may have bought a better quality product. The manufacturer may have had its parts made in a different place or country. The manufacturer may also have changed hands and may not have the same principles as the previous owner. Sometimes the so called improvements are an excuse for making something cheaper.
After all of that have you compared the bike you bought with the newer model to see if you have actually lost out in the deal.

 

[Oldfentiger]

Sometimes you may find out that by buying an earlier model you may have bought a better quality product. The manufacturer may have had its parts made in a different place or country. The manufacturer may also have changed hands and may not have the same principles as the previous owner. Sometimes the so called improvements are an excuse for making something cheaper.
After all of that have you compared the bike you bought with the newer model to see if you have actually lost out in the deal.

I posted the differences earlier in this thread:

got curious and did some research on 2013 vs 2014 spec.
Only differences I can see (apart from colour) are rims and tyres.
2013: Alexrims Race 24 / Maxxis Detonator 60 KV
2014 Shimano R501 / Continental Ultra Sport II 25

I'm not clever enough to know what the best rim/tyre combination is.
Opinions from you learned lot would be welcome

 

[Illaveago]

I posted the differences earlier in this thread:

got curious and did some research on 2013 vs 2014 spec.
Only differences I can see (apart from colour) are rims and tyres.
2013: Alexrims Race 24 / Maxxis Detonator 60 KV
2014 Shimano R501 / Continental Ultra Sport II 25

I'm not clever enough to know what the best rim/tyre combination is.
Opinions from you learned lot would be welcome

How do the prices compare?

 

[Oldfentiger]

How do the prices compare?

I believe the list price was £1499, both 2013 and 2014.
I paid £1200

 

[Illaveago]

It

I believe the list price was £1499, both 2013 and 2014.
I paid £1200

I was thinking that your LBS has done a fair bit of trade with you recently and it would be foolish of them to try to pull a fast one on you . My attitude is to try to keep the customer happy , in that way they may give you more trade in the future and also reccomend your services to other people. As other posts have mentioned it may have been an honest mistake.
The ball is in your court.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Why did you buy it if you knew it was wrong for you?

I didn't know it was wrong till i tried it out. At the time of purchase i thought i'd bought a suitable bike.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Although it's annoying, I'm inclined to give 'em the benefit of the doubt . A good many serious cyclists consider that a so-called compact double gives a good range of low gears and is a better bet than a triple so the shop's advice wasn't totally off-piste.

I totally disagree with this view personally and think it's nonsense for many of us and would always buy a triple, which is harder.to do as the manufacturers are rather phasing them out - but I suspect the shop was advising in good faith

My friend who works for Evans Cycles as a mechanic told me i'd be "lucky to climb a decent hill with that cassette"! He said it wasn't suitable for what i wanted the bike for. If he knew it wasn't suitable for climbing steep hills how come those who made/sold it didn't know? I suppose you could say my friend would say that but he's not one to call other mechanics work, or knowledge of bikes just for the sake of it. Why didn't the shop when they knew they more or less had the bike sold to me, suggest a more suitable cassette, like the one i've had to have fitted? Perhaps the shop/sales assistant, who i know puts their bikes together, did genuinely think the cassette would do the job? Apart from that i'm quite happy with the rest of the bike.

 

[RichardB]

I can understand the OP's position. It's nothing to do with the bike or the price, but the fact that he feels he has been misled by someone he could trust. As someone up there ^^^ said, once trust is gone, it's gone. Would you ever trust them again, if they could mislead you over something so trivial? And if the model year is so unimportant, why lie about it to your customer?

My money is on a genuine mistake, but there's only one way to find out. I would go back to the shop and speak to them face to face (hate telephones and email too formal). State your case politely and reasonably, and their reaction will tell you what you need to know. If it's an acknowledgement and an apology, then you can get back to your previous relationship with them. If they are dismissive or deny it, you know what to do.