Over Charged?

[Peteaud]

Unfortunately we did have 3 in our town and I supported one religiously, it and one of the others folded and now we have the one- so I can pay £2.50 extra for the privilege of them doing it or drive 9 miles to the next nearest!

Does that not tell you something. They probably lost money by serving you.

 

[Sandra6]

One of the lads from cycles passed a customer over to me the other week and asked me to put the transaction through the till.
It was an elderly chap, he'd brought in the wheel from a child's pushchair to be repaired - new tube and charged for labour - it came to £13.99.
"How much???!!!!"
Seems nobody had explained he'd be paying for the work to be done, he thought it was just the cost of the tube which was £5.99.
Being a kindly soul, and it was nearly Christmas, I put it through as a wiper blade fit instead and saved him 6 quid.
Personally I think £8 is a lot for us to charge for a very simple job - but then if you can't do a job yourself you're at the mercy of the people who can.

 

[screenman]

It is business, there are bills to be paid and if you have never run a business you are unlikely to fully get the idea.

 

[helston90]

Does that not tell you something. They probably lost money by serving you.

That's true- fine balance I suppose. We're now at the mercy of the one remaining shop charging (almost) what it wants!

 

[Crankarm]

If you don't have a clue how to do something then you are reliant on others whether they do it as an act of charity or charge you, you should expect to pay. I bet the OP has a flat screen TV costing £1.5k so his whinging about paying £11.50 for a new tube and fit is obscene.

 

[Crankarm]

That's true- fine balance I suppose. We're now at the mercy of the one remaining shop charging (almost) what it wants!

Season of goodwill has evaporated then? If you don't like it, you could educate yourself in bike maintenance which presumably is what the people running your LBS did. I suspect they are not going to get rich running their bike shop especially with tight wads like you so they are doing it because they love bikes and cycling so are in effect running a public service. Bike manufacturers give independent LBSs little margin. After sales is an opportunity for them to make a little bit of money, not a lot, but a bit.

 

[smokeysmoo]

After sales is an opportunity for them to make a little bit of money, not a lot, but a bit.

Indeed, however, I suspect this was probably quite lucrative before t'internet explosion, but most LBS now IME pretty much match online prices anyway, so they've had to annihilate their margins in a lot of case just to keep turnover going.

I take my hat off to any high street good old LBS in this day and age. The temptation to shut shop, warehouse everything and just operate online must be huge.

 

[oldroadman]

One of the lads from cycles passed a customer over to me the other week and asked me to put the transaction through the till.
It was an elderly chap, he'd brought in the wheel from a child's pushchair to be repaired - new tube and charged for labour - it came to £13.99.
"How much???!!!!"
Seems nobody had explained he'd be paying for the work to be done, he thought it was just the cost of the tube which was £5.99.
Being a kindly soul, and it was nearly Christmas, I put it through as a wiper blade fit instead and saved him 6 quid.
Personally I think £8 is a lot for us to charge for a very simple job - but then if you can't do a job yourself you're at the mercy of the people who can.

Sounds remarkably like the shop is one of a certain large chain starting with "H". So corporate and no-one worried about a profit, as the real money is made selling stuff to those who know no better?

 

[oldroadman]

Indeed, however, I suspect this was probably quite lucrative before t'internet explosion, but most LBS now IME pretty much match online prices anyway, so they've had to annihilate their margins in a lot of case just to keep turnover going.

I take my hat off to any high street good old LBS in this day and age. The temptation to shut shop, warehouse everything and just operate online must be huge.

And with that goes all the "service" that people love to complain is too expensive! A local bloke (ex-shop which had closed) in my area has a new, nicely equipped high-top transit, operates as a mobile bike repairer/recovery service, and does very nicely from those who are happy to ride about with zero knowledge of what to do when things go wrong.

 

[beatlejuice]

If you don't have a clue how to do something then you are reliant on others whether they do it as an act of charity or charge you, you should expect to pay. I bet the OP has a flat screen TV costing £1.5k so his whinging about paying £11.50 for a new tube and fit is obscene.

Our TV is a hand me down, one of these 10 Ton CRT jobs. Despite being born in the south I do have Yorkshire blood in me so do worry the cost of everything. However at the end of the day business is business and down here in the not quite so wet and cold south shop rentals are v.high and we don't like being paid peanuts. Some has to pay and on this particular morning I made that choice.

 

[MontyVeda]

a bloke i work with proper kicked off in Halfords because they refused to mend his flat tyre free of charge when his bike Carrera was still under warranty

 

[Crankarm]

a bloke i work with proper kicked off in Halfords because they refused to mend his flat tyre free of charge when his bike Carrera was still under warranty

Who would run a bike shop, even a Halfords, when you have to deal with idiots like this?

 

[MontyVeda]

Who would run a bike shop, even a Halfords, when you have to deal with idiots like this?

precisely... I'd have charged him double, and stuck a dart into his front tyre face whilst i was at it.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

The great people who own a business and people who don't divide rears its ugly head.

The guy who owns the shop will have made naff all out of that piddly transaction.

Maybe try Oxfam next time you have a flat.

 

[screenman]

I have had my own businesses of different types for 39 years and trying to explain a price is something I stopped a long time ago, only another business owner or accountant type gets it.