I've almost completed building my 69'er, but there was one thing I couldn't do with my limited resources, so booked the bike in to my LBS workshop for yesterday (booked last week), dropped it off at 9am. The jobs that needed doing are/were:
1) Crimp swages to braided brake hoses (I don't have a vice, or indeed a shed, and being HEL hoses they need to be 'crushed' on), I asked them to shorten the rear hose before doing so.
2) Seeing as they're doing the brake lines, I asked them to finish the fitting of the system - ie. attach hoses to callipers & levers and then bleed/setup.
And that's pretty much that...
Called them up just now and they've advised it won't be ready till "sometime next week, as it's a big job and will take 3-4 hours..." Firstly, WTF is it a 'big job' for a fully equipped workshop with 3 mechanics? And if they couldn't do it in 2 days, why did they even accept the booking??
How do most workshops work their bookings? Would you take in a job that couldn't be done on the day, or by the next day at worst?
****ing sick of this bike store... I really am! 😡 Don't know why I keep going back to them, they always make me feel like sh1t for some reason every time I use them... for the last time I swear! 👿
My LBS told me they'd take 2-3 days to get around to removing a shock bushing so I took my shock, rode my bike to the next nearest shop and they did it on the spot. Some places are busy, you should probably have asked them up front how long it'd take.
name and shame?
Vote with your feet.
Is that Mosquito?
Had a similar experience with my lbs; promised to do work by a certain time and didn't. Weekend riding cancelled. In fairness the owner thought I was off the bike due to injury so didn't rush but I still took time off work on the friday to collect the bike.
I was straight with them, saying I wasn't happy and they shouldn't have promised what they couldn't deliver. I rather they'd give me a realistic timeframe, even if it's 7 days.
A few other people made similar comments and the shop is now much more organised, which means everyone is happy.
Have you tried talking to them?
Is that Mosquito?
Indeed it is... for some reason we just don't get along, I don't know why! But I keep going back, hoping the 'relationship' will improve, but every time I come out of it filling crap...
Normally with these types of posts the OP is overreacting but taking a bike in for a job and then not being able to do that day is pretty poor.
IME standard practice is to be given a day when they can do it (which might be 3 or 4 days time) and you take the bike in there and then.
Sometime it is best to walk away
Buy avid mechanicals next time - it's what I have on my bikes, inc my Indy fab..
I'd say that they should pretty much stick to whatever timescale they told you. However, you also have to accept that some jobs just turn out to be a lot bigger than allowed for, so work sometimes gets knocked back.
Mind you, "sometime next week", seeing as it was a Thursday, would mean a couple of days delay. I'd have thought that, with 3 mechanics, they'd be able to catch up sooner than that.
Evans by any chance? I often get the 'I'm holyier than thow' feeling.
You're not far from London Fields cycles- they're a nice wee independent, else there's the original Cycle surgery in Holloway Rd.
IME standard practice is to be given a day when they can do it (which might be 3 or 4 days time) and you take the bike in there and then.
That's what I thought as well... so I booked it in last week for yesterday, took it in in the morning and assumed the job would be done that day. Called up in the afternoon and they advised that they'd overrun and it'd be finished today, fine. Called up just now and it's 'sorry, not finished yet, will be Monday hopefully...'
It's not that big a job is it?? I'm basically asking them to setup my brakes, should be 2 hours or so??
yeah, always ring around, book it in for a monday and pin them down to a time.
i put bike shops up there with shonky mechanics and independant record shops for their 'laissez-faire' approach to customer service
My LBS is Good - Same Day service usually (Chased BB Threads, Brake Bleed) - even some stuff While you Wait - Fox Cycles Colne - Good Prices too and no I don't work there
Mark
Blazing Saddles MTB Club
Barrowford
I find my LBS's (there's three in my town) all to be overpriced and ready to treat me like an idiot. Now there all supposed to be run by people into cycling but they never manage to give me that impression. My first experience of one of these shops was when I'd just moved to my town, popped passed the shop on a 3K+ bike and asked if I could borrow an allen to tighten something up, get me home - "sorry, fully booked today" never went back.
In another, I witnessed whilst in a queue, a mechanic selling a pair of deore level wheels to a guy for £250 fitted. When I asked same guy how much a length of hose for my maguras would be, first thing he did was suck teeth then say "that'll be really expensive", looked it up (on CRC, I could see the laptop from where I was, actual price 16.99) then said £39 never went back
I own a small shop (not bike) and know that rents need to be paid etc but there's a limit, past that limit I'll order online - if I need a specialist tool, I'll buy it, now I have tools to do all the jobs I need - find it more satisfying anyway
if any small shop or large wants to survive, they always need to remember SERVICE and PRICE and a possible 3rd option, "don't treat your customers like idiots". Oh and my town - BATH - I'll leave anyone who knows the place to guess which shops......
Sounds poor, try Halfords Bike Hut next time :-).
Took my bike into LBS for a brake bleed at lunch one day thinking i was booked in for the following day.
Turned out i was actually half a day late. Brakes were still bled and hose shortened in 3 hours and it was picked up on the way home the same day.
Well done The Bike Chain, Edinburgh
Actually had the complete opposite experience with my (not very) LBS, they are the only Yeti dealer for many many miles around and after trying to source a dogbone removal tool for my 575 i gave up and booked it into The Bike Chain in Edinburgh. Was booked in on wednesday, dropped the shock with dogbone off tuesday and got a text and an email by lunchtime Wed to say it was done and ready to be collected. Picked it up last night to find that they had changed both shock bushings and done the aircan service as asked for almost £10 less than the tool on it's own would have cost me.!! Top service, well impressed and i am nigh on impossible to please as I do Everything on my bikes myself.
Doesn't really help the OP but thought i'd let you know that there are good guys out there.. (and to give a much deserved shout out to TBC who i have seen around here a couple times!!)
Wow, how's that for positive PR coincidence..!! 😛
I wanted a time scale for my LBS to clean the BB threads as one side was slightly mashed at the start, simple job, could of done it my self (have done in the past) if I had the tool, which I didn't.
Tried to get a time scale from my LBS and all I got told was 'well depends what comes through the door' - FFS I still have yet to understand what that means, surely if someone comes through the door after my bike has been dropped of they say I can do it once I've done this one (pointing at my bike).
In the end I dropped it off on the Monday, called on the Thursday and got a 'oh yeah all done no problem' - They hadn't called or anything to say it was done and when I picked it up they commented on the fact the headset didn't seem right, now if they had any sense, whilst they had the bike and whilst it was in the stand they could have called me to say the bike was done and did I want them to look at the headset as it didn't seem right and charge me for the extra work.
Bike shops I think need to operate their workshops like garages and book jobs in etc.
else there's the original Cycle surgery in Holloway Rd.
They quoted 10 days to even look at my bike last time I wanted something done. I've found the Kings Cross branch a bit quicker workshop wise.
Have you come across these guys?;
www.jazzcycle.com
A couple of nice Polish guys with a workshop just off Holloway Rd. Best thing is they are open till 10pm every week night.
mosquito is my 2nd nearest LBS, someone has just openend a new one very close to me but I haven't checked it out yet
.
I've been in mainly to ogle at the pretty bikes they have
any time I've asked them a question or wanted to buy something they've been a bit 'meh', not rude just uninterested
.
there is something depressing about that shop despite the blingbling bikes they have
3-4 hours to fit hoses and bleed/setup brakes?
1/2 hour for each end surely, and I'm no pro mechanic.
I've got sick of it all so now use a very good bike mechanic who picks up and drops off my bike (if it can't be done on site). I can buy my own stuff or get it via him. Just massively overhauled my bike and did a great job for far less time and money than any LBS near me.
It's the future...
Walk away, go find a new LBS, that is just crap service
there is something depressing about that shop despite the blingbling bikes they have
Indeed there is! Couple of good guys who work in there, but the owners/directors are miserable gits IMO.
Couple of years ago one of their mechanics did this to my Yeti ASR:
[img] 
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Had a long discussion with the owners and the eventual agreement was that I'd let it slide (bike was 2nd hand to me and getting old) but that they'd 'look after me' in the future... well, all I can say is that there hasn't been a great deal of looking after and I've now had enough... **** them I say!
Oh - thanks for the comments guys. Glad to hear we did ok.
I will pass them on to the workshop.
Mark
[i]They hadn't called or anything to say it was done and when I picked it up they commented on the fact the headset didn't seem right, now if they had any sense, whilst they had the bike and whilst it was in the stand they could have called me to say the bike was done and did I want them to look at the headset as it didn't seem right and charge me for the extra work.[/i]
Doesn't work like that though - customer books bike in for a specific job and it's fitted in on the basis of that job. The number of times I've had to deal with someone who's said "adjust gears" over the phone, brings it in and then says "oh and can you just..."
No. The job is the job, you've booked it in for a half hour slot and, based on that, I've filled the remainder of the day with other jobs.
You wouldn't book your car into the garage for an oil change, turn up and say "oh and can you just give it a nice valet while you're at it"
How did a mechanic do that damage? If my bike came away with that type of damage, they would NOT be 'looking after me' in the future!! The 'looking after me' in the future they would be doing is a frame replacement!!
Our workshop is fully booked up for 2 days in advance & has been for some time, as are most in town, everyone is dragging the contents of their sheds in for servicing due to the relatively good weather.
It's a 1st come 1st served basis in our shop unless it's a simple & quick job & the customer needs it urgently & it won't delay other customers jobs
We advise our customers when their bike will be ready & a cost estimate. We will still take on work even with 3 or 4 days fully booked.
We have been known to open the workshop after hours to do repairs, it's much faster without the phone ringing or customers & reps in the shop. We don't do repairs on Saturdays, it's just too busy in the shop with sales to do repairs
We ring customers when the work is done or if more parts are needed than originally anticipated.
Sounds like the OP's LBS has let him down a bit by not telling him in the 1st place how long the work would take. The delay could be down to other jobs taking more time, or they could be just plain old shite...
[b]Crazy Legs[/b], that is so true, happens so many times, booked in for say a brake service & then they turn up & ask for the moon on a stick in the allotted time
It's a hard one for sure.
We operate 2 full time mechanics, working pretty much flat out.
At the moment we are booking into next Thursday so about 5 working day lead time. All jobs are dealt with as per booking date but obviously things are dragged forward if here and it is possible to do so.
We operate a same day turnaround, drop it in at 9.30, it's back by dinner time.
Seems to work ok 99% of the time...
I had two excellent lbs in bristol, I never booked my bike in for anything except for a full strip down, always had work done while i waiteven if it was on one of my 'other' bikes which i had not bought there. However, I didn't realise quite how lucky i was until I moved to maidstone, and i'm still looking for a nice bike shop
Swallow -
Oh and my town - BATH - I'll leave anyone who knows the place to guess which shops......
Yea, I'm in Bath too and I think the shops are dire. With all the bike industry people around I don't understand why I always get treated like a retard! Even if I new nothing of bikes I would feel patronised by their attitude
+1 with kiwi_stu, I'd of freaked!!!
I was in bath.... I bought all my bikes from bristol
One shop in Bath i went in for a look about could not believe they wanted £10 for a Bonty bottle cage which was only £6 in my LBS in Chelteham.Crazy prices in that shop.
Ah....
I'd been waiting for a thread like this to emerge. I recently spent a small fortune in my LBS on bling (500 squids +) and when i went to collect the bike remembered that the schrader cap was missing off the shock (my doing previously) and asked them if they had one to which he promptly replied "tha'll be one pound please". 😯
Are times really that hard? And did the assistant/mech actually consider the effect that sentence would have on my good will and intention to build a good relationship for the future? I don't think so.
To cap it off (LOL), my left shifter nearly rattled itself off on the first ride after getting the bike back! It could have been very messy should the said shifter actually detached and got caught in my front wheel on the decent where i noticed it. Correctly torqued were they? TBH... it has inspired me to further develop my mech skills so that i can guarantee that everything is done to a satisfactory standard. But stuff like that is a basic thing in my eyes. Am i being unreasonable?
I'm in Bath too. Shop prices are definitely on the high side but I have to say I've had good and friendly services from both John's Bikes and the Avon Valley Cyclery + the occasional 'deal'.
To cap it off (LOL), my left shifter nearly rattled itself off on the first ride after getting the bike back! It could have been very messy should the said shifter actually detached and got caught in my front wheel
what shifter was it... i cant think of one that isn't single bolted and hence unable to come off.
I'd imagine storage must be an issue for London shops. none of them have much space to hold bikes, so I think they try and do every service on the same day to stop storing stuff.
what shifter was it... i cant think of one that isn't single bolted and hence unable to come off.
SRAM X-O and Hope Tech matchmakers were the components in question. 😉
A dab of loctite was obviously beyond their budget for that minute. It was dangerous apart from anything else. Not that i'm saying this is the typical standard they operate at, it was just disappointing when you have heard good things having transfered from 'another' questionable shop. They're not exactly local either! And another thing.....
😉
ahh i see. makes sense now.
Having worked in retail for 12 years until recently I always read these sorts of threads. It seems that a lot of bikes shops are very unaware of the value of good customer service.
I don't mean do things at the drop of a hat, do stuff for free, lend out tools, sit chatting for hours or offer big discounts. I mean simple polite, eager service, honesty and reasonable prices (i.e. not £250 for a deore wheel set fitted!!!!!!). You can sell everything at RRP but if your service is excellent and you appear happy and glad to see your customer your shop will always be full.
I have heard people give excuses for their LBS's behaviour but I'm sorry, if they can't be bothered then why should you go?
And good service doesn't mean saying yes to everything, if you can't deliver what the customer wants, tell them you can't and give the honest answer. You'll get way more respect for it. You can offer alternatives which they may still want.
I'm in the good position of having a new shop open in Hudds last year (Velocity Cycles, Lindley) and I've tried to go there first everytime I need something. When I first went in they didn't have much stock and it looked empty but I was made very welcome so I kept going in. Everytime I go in I feel like its been worthwhile. I now hope Kona/Cube/Merida/Genesis make a bike I like soon so I can do C2W with that shop this year!
If only they had known that i am a serial spender that can not resist the temptation to splurge repeatedly on the next best thing! If they had maybe then the dab of loctite may have been considered.
My LBS, leisure lakes daventry, have looked down their nose at me so many times as i have dared spend less than 20 quid and commented dryly "is that it"? that i refuse to use them now.
Big mistake as a couple of years down the road i'm totally addicted to mountainbiking,have 4 bikes and spend a LOT of money a month with CRC,ebay,merlin etc
The stories on this thread show the reasons why I've become my own mechanic over the years.
Looks like there is opportunity a plenty here for some of us to open our own shops. Hmm.. I quite fancy a career change.
My nearest LBS is 1/2 mile away and I really do wonder how it is still there year after year. It never has anything in stock, never any customers in the shop and is absolutely tiny. The owner is helpful enough, but what value is he adding in ordering stuff for me when I have access to the internet?
Next shop is perhaps 3 miles away. They seem to know their stuff, but it is a very random place and every job I've sent there will be ready 'today' which becomes the next day and 'today, we promise' which becomes 'bob isn't around right now, call back in an hour and he'll give you an update'
The next one is 5 miles away and I'm building up a pretty good relationship there - so much so that I know the members of staff on first name terms and I've spent a fair amount there. This is starting to pay off - I went in for a QR skewer for my second bike SS project (which they are aware of) and they gave me the skewer for free from the 2nd hand parts bin at the back of the shop. Star nuts and other small items might get put in the shopping bag for free too. However, the lead time for work is always too long IMHO - days and days and days for the simplest of tasks. I've no issue with getting in the queue behind others, but if there is so much work in the pipeline why not employ another mechanic and get through even more work. I'm sure others have taken my approach previously and taken the work elsewhere when the times quoted are too long.
And of course there is Halfords. Useful for picking up consumables and kit and I've always found the Halfords staff quite knowledgable (or will admit when they don't know the answer) and you can ask them the most stupid questions and won't be laughed out of the shop for showing your ignorance.
Right, I'm going to write a business plan for setting up my own bike shop. Back soon...
The stories on this thread show the reasons why I've become my own mechanic over the years.
What training organization did you use? I have been looking at CYTECH recently but the costs for 'non employees' are more than i would like to spend at the moment. I think that i will do their home mechanic for a start (although i am confident i can do the vast majority of the elements to a good standard) to give me a idea if i want to take on the level 1 and justify the cost also.
My nearest LBS to home is useless, especially for service - I only go there as last resort when something breaks and I need a replacement / tool asap. Their service is of the "if you're not a mate of the owner / rad enough" then you'll get ignored ie. went in to get a s/s tensioner - "why do you want to bother with that mate? s/s and fixed is a waste of time". Workshop is stupidly expensive and given the amount of dicking about you can see when in the shop, I wouldn't trust my bike with the loons messing about.
In London (city) area I was forced to use Evans for a cycle-to-work purchase. I'd upgraded a heap of bits on the bike - pedals, shifters etc (all paid in full, no discount on top of the voucher). Went to collect it - mechanic was v.friendly - "yes mate, we've fitted your new pedals etc". Fantastic I thought. Off to the till to pay. Bike wheeled out, paperwork, guarantee etc all provided. I wait expectantly for the oem bits that had been taken off.... Shop guy looks at me like I'm mad. I pointedly ask for the bits. Big sigh and I watch him slope off to the workshop to get them from their bits box. He was then distinctly sh1tty with me.
I could blather on about issues I've had with Cyclesurgery's workshop too but can't be bothered. Basically lazy, get-it-out-the-door service, not sure whether it's because they're a 'city' branch with a preponderance of 40 year old traders riding Cervelos who don't know one end of the bike from the other, they can treat the majority of their customers like idiots with more money than sense.
14bikes in EC1 are great though. Great service - work's done when they say it will be, phone-calls to let you know what's going on. Couldn't be more helpful. The only problem is they're getting busier and busier as more people catch on...
I wait expectantly for the oem bits that had been taken off.... Shop guy looks at me like I'm mad. I pointedly ask for the bits. Big sigh and I watch him slope off to the workshop to get them from their bits box. He was then distinctly sh1tty with me.
I've had that happen as well! Do the shops expect to be able to keep the bits or something?? Could understand it if they'd given you a discount or something?
They dented your frame and you let it slide?
If my bike was damaged whilst in the care of a bikeshop I'd expect them to put things right without me even having to ask.
If Toyota dented my wing I'd expect it to be returned to its before state.
They dented your frame and you let it slide?
They did offer to replace the front half, but as I said, the frame was already 3+ years old and I just didn't think it was worth doing, particularly as it didn't affect the 'rideability' of the bike (still riding it now in fact, 2 years on!). The cost would've been around £350 or so apparently, so we came to an informal agreement that they'd 'look after me' in the future (if I decided to buy a bike through them, or through an ongoing discount etc...) Should've got something formally set up though, as in practice I've received bog all!
Well its called customer service to 'look after' a customer. i.e basic customer service of any business....... Unless you've been going in there to hang out and they've become overfamiliar with you offering you a 30p cup of coffee everytime-bollox that some shop do to make customers feel special when spending thousands a year with them 😆
No suprise that they take the piss if you let them get away with denting a top end frame!
EDIT: Yep you should have come to a formal agreement. Maybe take the Yeti in with you next time and say you owe me!
I'm now hugely insecure about the standard of work and customer service we provide in my shop. We very rarely have complaints/negative comments (from which we can learn, and improve), but are my beloved customers talking about me like this behind my back...?
joe depends how you treat problems.
I was taught that you only see good customer service when there is a problem.
Some bike shops expect customers to buy something when they walk into the store.
Its almost a pressure sales environment dressed up as 'bikey-friendly-community'.
I've looked at a bike before and been jumped on and told the 'features and benefits' of the bike without even asking. Only in car showrooms have I experienced similar pressure.
My LBS is great, and run as a business. They sell at retail and their workshop is run as a separate entity/location, all booked.
I buy about 50% from them, 25% UK online and 25% ebay. If I'm buying something expensive I'll look online first and as long as the LBS is within 10% of CRC/Merlin I'll get it local.
Clothes/shoes I buy either local or at another shop, never online.
Only problem I have with them is that Hope stuff is either in or must be ordered, and they only order weekly - so if you miss the order, its up to 2 weeks. Just not good enough for basic spares, e.g. headset bearings, when the online boys can do 2-3 days delivery.
b r that pretty much describes what I do as well.