Obnoxious cycle shop owners.

[TonyEnjoyD]

I was told I was too fat for a trek 6700 mtb (at 25 stone) after the shop had sold it to me.

This was done on a busy Saturday afternoon

Guess what, I've never ever set foot in there since and when friends ask about it I'm happy to share my experience

Vote with your feet, it's, sadly, the only way!!!

Sadly I agree, and more people are doing that these days.
The LBS I use I have bought all 3 of my CTW bikes from and received excellent advice and support.

They are and old family business and support us at work with events we run insofar as charity rides.

Recently I advised a budding new cyclist to go see them and ask for one of two people (the owner or head mech) but she just asked a young lad which type of bike was best for her needs, an he just gave her a couple if brochures.
Off she toddled to another LBS, got good verbal advice and bought from them instead.

I did let the recommended LBS owner know what happened, and has given all her non-technical staff customer service training and told them to never - ever- fob a customer off again and to seek further information for the customer no matter how busy they may be.

Sometimes, staff will let you down.

 

[topcat1]

why don't you take the jacket to the dry cleaners and get the zip replaced?

 

[Herbie]

I went into a lbs today to look at a cycle jacket.
I have had a very nice jacket for a couple of years and the zip broke yesterday, so I thought I had better get a new one.

The one in the shop is nearly a year old and has been on the sale rack for at least two months. I know this because I have seen this jacket a few times when I have popped in for other items.

So obviously they have been unable to sell the jacket.

It's the colour I want and my size but they have reduced it to £68.
I know I can get the jacket online for £43.
But though I would buy it from the lbs if I could get it a little cheaper.

So I asked the assistant that if she could do me a good deal I would buy the jacket.

She went to ask the owner who was dealing with another customer.

He came over but quite obviously not in a good mood. The utter contempt of his manner was obvious.
He was been very nice to the other customer, but because I had asked for a reduced price his attitude has changed.

He offered me a further £2 off. When I said no he snatched the jacket off the counter and said no way.
His attitude towards me was terrible, it was like I had spat in his face.

He then went of to previous customer and was nice as pie to them.

I said to the assistant that there was no way I would buy that £66 pound for something that was a year old and they you could obviously not sell when I can get it only e for £43.
I did not mind buying it for more than the online price but £68 pound as a discount and a further £2 off for me asking is just a joke.

Well he has lost more than that for his attitude. I bought a lot if stuff over the years from that lbs, but not anymore. I will never set foot in that shop again.

Completely obnoxious and rude lbs owner!!

you don't get if you don't ask....its always worth asking for a discount...you did the right thing in walking away...shop owner sounds a right plonker...gonnae name and shame the shop?

 

[slowmotion]

It can't be easy being on the High Street in any retail sector these days. My guess is that the LBS will survive if it gives a personalised service, eg, a one month free service for a bike bought there. You don't get that from a shed in the middle of nowhere that crams a bike into a box with the rear mech, bars etc in plastic bags for you to sort out, and sends it off to get mashed by the carrier. I went there four years ago. The local LBS had the same bike on sale for £40 less than the on-line site that I returned the knackered one to. They set it up, and adjusted it a month later. There was no need for me to haggle.

Yes, it's a temptation to try on a pair of shoes there and buy them online. That's pretty low though, isn't it? Go to somewhere that says that they will price match, but don't skulk around in the shadows like the fraud that you will be.

 

[Moodyman]

Given the thread title, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Spa Cycles in Harrogate.



Actually, I rather like the guy.

Spa are wonderful and even the grumpy guy is kinda likeable.

My first dealings with them were a few years ago over the phone. I tried their price match promise against an eBay site. They were the cheapest bike shop for the product I wanted but said they don't price match vs ebay but I kept persisting and the guy said 'well buy it from eBay' and hung up. That taught me for being a tight arse.

Since then I've visited the shop quite often thinking I know exactly what I want and they've always sold me something cheaper and better. Their honesty and knowledge is worth it for me to pass several local shops to get there.

 

[slowmotion]

^^^^^ Yes.

Spa have always given me excellent advice, and you certainly don't pay top dollar.

 

[avalon]

Having worked in retail and the cycle industry in the distant past, I can understand the frustration of shop owners who are constantly being asked to give big discounts, often to the point at which they would be selling at a loss. It does seem to me that the only way to survive is to provide a good back up and repair service and be friendly with it. That way people will keep coming back and won't mind paying a bit more than they do on line. Also on line advertising of the services you are offering would help to attract more customers as many bikes that are bought on the internet are not ready to ride and could do with being set up properly before they're used. Often things like wheel cones, headsets, gears and lubrication need sorting out and a trained bicycle mechanic could have everything sorted within an hour.

 

[fudgepanda]

I bought my first bike in (ahem) about 40 years last year and ended up buying from my LBS. Actually it was somebody else's LBS as it was about 8 miles away but the principle is the same. This particular place is a worker's co-op and I'd say it showed. I've dealt with more enthusiastic salespeople but both the lads I spoke to seemed to know their stuff and the advice they gave made sense. Before I bought I'd had a look at quite a few different bikes and couldn't understand what the differences were between different gear sets. This was explained and I understood more about what I was buying. Because of this I'll go back again, as I do for servicing which, incidentally, is free for the first three services. As with many enthusiast led pastimes there are different levels of knowledge and expertise. Personally, partly because I have no interest in it, I intend to ride it as much as I can and spend as little time fixing or servicing it as possible and because of that I need a competent and reliable LBS. I'm sure there are plenty on here who will be happy buying a bike on line and then assembling it in the kitchen, but I'm not. I have bought the odd piece of clothing on line but that was a large bike shop anyway.

 

[screenman]

He does not want penny pinching tight whats its as customer, must say I am the same with my business and have been successful for over 39 years. You would not last a second asking me for discount as well my customers know.

 

[Pikey]

It sounds like I am spoilt or living in a backwater pocket of decent customer service looking at some of the above.

The lbs in Melksham by Avon tyres and even the local halfords are both outstanding. The former actually seemed quite happy to check my bike over and give me a bit of insurance advice after some git knocked me off on the roundabout just up the road from them, even turned me down when I tried to pay for the service too.

 

[Pikey]

why don't you take the jacket to the dry cleaners and get the zip replaced?

Get some quotes from online dry cleaners first though...

 

[Cycleops]

It is not only bike shops that are going through a challenging time at present. You only have to look at the high street and see all the famous names that are no more. The ones that survive will be as nickyboy said, specialist 'concept' stores, chain stores (like Halfords) and shops that concentrate on repairs plus service. But you can understand the frustration of certain shop owners constantly being asked to drop prices, it is after all their livelihood and you are asking is for is for them to take a pay cut. But in the end it will be horses for courses.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

I personally choose to use both LBS and online for my purchases. I can get advice from both sources also.

I do not feel i have to give my money or custom to the LBS in order to support the local community. I buy what i see as the best value for money. If that is online then so be it. It sometimes is at one of two LBS's i frequent. In my case though both are over 10 miles away and with a young child this can be a military op to get there.

Lets be honest, the LBS staff and owners probably do all their shopping at Tesco and Asda's. Who's to say they don't buy their kids christmas gifts from Argos or online?? It's simply cheaper and the average Joe cannot afford to pay for everything locally in order to support the local shops and stores. The difference in cost would be significant.

With the low costs and services available online, the LBS (and many other small business') will be a minority in the not so distant future. The big chains will survive because they can also compete online.

 

[youngoldbloke]

I just hate it when you visit a shop and ask for an item only to be told it does not exist, never has, and theyv'e never stocked them, when all the time you've got the broken one at home in the shed. On one laughable occasion - leather toe straps! Hardly inspires confidence in their knowledge and expertise.

 

[Sore Thumb]

Having worked in retail and the cycle industry in the distant past, I can understand the frustration of shop owners who are constantly being asked to give big discounts, often to the point at which they would be selling at a loss. It does seem to me that the only way to survive is to provide a good back up and repair service and be friendly with it. That way people will keep coming back and won't mind paying a bit more than they do on line. Also on line advertising of the services you are offering would help to attract more customers as many bikes that are bought on the internet are not ready to ride and could do with being set up properly before they're used. Often things like wheel cones, headsets, gears and lubrication need sorting out and a trained bicycle mechanic could have everything sorted within an hour.

I did not mind him saying no to my request for a discount.

However I did mind his attitude. I don't care if he was having a bad day he should be pleasant to customers if he wants the business.

I work in the NHS and I can't have a bad day and be rude to my patients/customers. Even if I am having a bad day I have to be nice. It's not about me it's about the patients.

Should be similar in business.

He will have to learn that if he wants to continue to survive in this current climate then he will need to learn a bit of customer care.

Gone are the days when you had enough business to turn customers away.