Take a box with you, well not you but you know what I mean
Why are so many LBS like this?
- Thread starter Joey Shabadoo
- Start date
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Take a box with you, well not you but you know what I mean
andrewsdad
Well-Known Member
- Location
- carrickfergus
Some comedians on here today, very funny, thanks for the giggles.
Hip Priest
Veteran
People seem to have impossible expectations of their local bike shop. "I went in and within 10 seconds not one person had offered me a massage, and their prices are a full 5% more expensive than I can find online. I told them to stick it!"
Moe
Moe
- Location
- Ripon, North Yorkshire, England.
I'm not impressed with my LBS, I bought a mountain bike from them and they didn't even fit it for me they just had me sit on it and that was that.... When I went to ride it for the first time my knees were nearly touching my chin! I also had to go back to them for a stem riser.... Every time I go in I feel intimidated! I would join the local bike club but the owner is also a member so I guess I won't joining! I bought my road bike from Wiggle, even though they are on the WWW I get more help from them!
Nigeyy
Legendary Member
- Location
- Massachusetts, USA
Well....
My closest LBS I used to frequent and bought an MTB from them. This was way back in the mid to late 90's. I'd gone in, test rode it, and decided it was the bike for me and was pretty happy. Things were good, and I put a down payment down and had to pay the balance some time later to pick it up. At that time, and thanks to the wonderful internet, I found out the particular brand of front forks equipped on the bike were on a recall -so I reminded them to make sure the forks on the bike weren't the ones recalled (I should have been worried when they sounded surprized about the recall)......
You guessed it -the day I went in to pay the remainder of the balance -excited to ride my new steed -I flipped the bike up to see the very same offending recalled forks. I was pretty miffed to the say the least. However, even at that point, I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt as they seemed pretty good and I want to support local businesses. What put me over the edge was asking about the forks and how to adjust them and the owner -not a poorly paid part time kid mind you -tell me how to adjust them completely incorrectly and dangerously. Never been in since, I felt I'd just had enough. Still owned by the same person and surprizingly in business today, don't know how!
After that I usually bought everything I needed online. However, I did decide to give another LBS a try when I just needed a cheapo saddle -was a bit put off when they had a bucket of saddles that were clearly used and takeoffs that were at crazy like new saddle prices. No thanks, just a complete rip off. Add to a less than stellar service and I was gone, never to return, again.
That's just my experience. I tend to find buying over the internet is easier and cheaper (a bit of googling usually gets you the right information if you are careful as well as some reviews that can really help) at prices that are usually 40% less than an LBS price. It makes it hard to want to go back to the LBS.
FWIW, I don't think I'm a demanding customer. I understand that an LBS can't necessarily drop everything to fix someone's broken bike chain at a moments notice (where do you stop then? Do you just fix everyone's bike on a who's in the shop at that particular moment?), or that they have everything you need in stock (there's usually not a humungous warehouse out at the back!). But I do expect friendly service and sound knowledge and advice if I'm going to go there -and yes, while I don't expect prices to be comparable I'd be happy to pay a 10-20% markup over the cheapest internet options, even including shipping costs.
But: seems like it's hard to find those things -as well as the pricing being usually 40% more (with the online business model, I'm not even sure that paying 10-20% more over the cheapest internet price is feasible for an LBS, which may just mean the LBS is a dying business model for me anyway). I'm just not going to take the time to haggle in a shop when I can find the same component online delivered to my doorstep for much less and with the knowledge that if I do my bit of research, it's probably going to be a good component fit for purpose and I'll have the security of knowing from reviews if it's a reasonable bit of kit.
My closest LBS I used to frequent and bought an MTB from them. This was way back in the mid to late 90's. I'd gone in, test rode it, and decided it was the bike for me and was pretty happy. Things were good, and I put a down payment down and had to pay the balance some time later to pick it up. At that time, and thanks to the wonderful internet, I found out the particular brand of front forks equipped on the bike were on a recall -so I reminded them to make sure the forks on the bike weren't the ones recalled (I should have been worried when they sounded surprized about the recall)......
You guessed it -the day I went in to pay the remainder of the balance -excited to ride my new steed -I flipped the bike up to see the very same offending recalled forks. I was pretty miffed to the say the least. However, even at that point, I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt as they seemed pretty good and I want to support local businesses. What put me over the edge was asking about the forks and how to adjust them and the owner -not a poorly paid part time kid mind you -tell me how to adjust them completely incorrectly and dangerously. Never been in since, I felt I'd just had enough. Still owned by the same person and surprizingly in business today, don't know how!
After that I usually bought everything I needed online. However, I did decide to give another LBS a try when I just needed a cheapo saddle -was a bit put off when they had a bucket of saddles that were clearly used and takeoffs that were at crazy like new saddle prices. No thanks, just a complete rip off. Add to a less than stellar service and I was gone, never to return, again.
That's just my experience. I tend to find buying over the internet is easier and cheaper (a bit of googling usually gets you the right information if you are careful as well as some reviews that can really help) at prices that are usually 40% less than an LBS price. It makes it hard to want to go back to the LBS.
FWIW, I don't think I'm a demanding customer. I understand that an LBS can't necessarily drop everything to fix someone's broken bike chain at a moments notice (where do you stop then? Do you just fix everyone's bike on a who's in the shop at that particular moment?), or that they have everything you need in stock (there's usually not a humungous warehouse out at the back!). But I do expect friendly service and sound knowledge and advice if I'm going to go there -and yes, while I don't expect prices to be comparable I'd be happy to pay a 10-20% markup over the cheapest internet options, even including shipping costs.
But: seems like it's hard to find those things -as well as the pricing being usually 40% more (with the online business model, I'm not even sure that paying 10-20% more over the cheapest internet price is feasible for an LBS, which may just mean the LBS is a dying business model for me anyway). I'm just not going to take the time to haggle in a shop when I can find the same component online delivered to my doorstep for much less and with the knowledge that if I do my bit of research, it's probably going to be a good component fit for purpose and I'll have the security of knowing from reviews if it's a reasonable bit of kit.
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Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Is the shop Moonglu?
I've been in a couple of times and didn't quite take to them, or perhaps more accurately, they didn't quite take to me.
They seem very keen on custom builds and other high end stuff.
That's fine, but of course there aren't enough £5K customers to make a living from, so they have to deal with the likes of you and me.
It is shameful of them to make you, as a customer, feel intimidated about going in.
You shouldn't be put off joining the road club.
I'm not saying you should join to go after the shop owner, but if you meet and the subject of your Wiggle bike comes up, it would be an opportunity for you to tell him - on neutral ground - why he didn't get the business.
classic33
Leg End Member
Owners of the bike shop I use have, over the years, got used to odd cycles coming in with me. From the two Pashley Classic 33's, with damaged wheels and odd size tyres/inner tubes required, to the Brox that need the rear wheel truing after being damaged.
Part of the problem has been given above, time & parts. How many would be willing to pay extra to jump the queue, for a repair thats needed? They do yours, someone else must wait.
Part of the problem has been given above, time & parts. How many would be willing to pay extra to jump the queue, for a repair thats needed? They do yours, someone else must wait.
The complaints here are about poor service, incorrect advice, no adjustment when purchasing bikes etc. Not sure where you are coming from about jumping queue. There would be always be the odd and unreasonably demanding customer that is pretty much the case about all trades. Why would someone insist on jumping queue except the oddball?
Moe
Moe
- Location
- Ripon, North Yorkshire, England.
Yes it is Pale rider! I only go in now for my electrolyte tabs because Wiggle don't seem to have the ones I like!!
shouldbeinbed
Rollin' along
- Location
- Manchester way
There is one in Rochdale that I will not use again. Grumpy, no follow up service on new purchase and frankly no clue what they were doing with a faulty tyre (extra rim tape and an explanation that not all 700 rims and tyres could actually fit to one another) after 3 days of having the bike back to solve the tyre exploding off the rim 1/4 mile into its inaugural ride. When it did it again, I examined it myself and found the 6 inch manufacturing defect absence of tyre bead. I called and told them and they weren't interested, didn't offer a replacement tyre from stock or want to see what they'd missed.
classic33
Leg End Member
Paying that bit extra for a rush job!
Example being something went wrong on the way into work and you need the bike to get back home.
DEFENDER01
Über Member
- Location
- Essex
GOOGLE is your friend. 
Ok, got it.
andrewsdad
Well-Known Member
- Location
- carrickfergus
