[Closed] Just had the "why don't you do that for free?" line

Free coffee after a meal would be awesome though, wouldn't it?

I wouldn't expect or ask, but my LBS probably would do it for free.

How much do you charge for adjusting an aheadset out of interest?

Yup good analogy. So why didn't you do it?

You don't get anything if you don't ask!
If your costs are justified and you did a good job he'll come back.

I'd suggest making a joke of it... 'well you can have a coffee for free if you like or this 2 inch brake bolt' perhaps? don't be so grumpy! 🙂

Point of order; it's not an aheadset, it's a threaded headset.

Drac - Moderator

Yup good analogy. So why didn't you do it?

as ever I only thought of it after he'd gone, and he'd been quoted it for free so I didn't charge.

ekkyl - Member

You don't get anything if you don't ask!

He didn't ask though, he expected (even before he'd been under quoted)

don't be so grumpy!

What makes you think I'm grumpy? Nice assumption.

you are grumpy though, aren't you? 😉

I'm lost me.

So you did something for free then complain about it.

If you charge by the hour, how much would it actually cost for 30 seconds work?

So you did something for free then complain about it.

A reluctant hero

Euro - Member

If you charge by the hour, how much would it actually cost for 30 seconds work?

It would take me about an hour to find my headset spanners....

Makes good business sense to slag someone off on a public forum who has just given you £40 for working on their bike. 😯

Regularly - our web business get that from plenty of small businesses - I can build a website for free using Wordpress or 1&1, why do you charge to build one.

We don't get that in the pr business, perhaps the risks of it going a bit breasts uppermost are higher and the consequences greater.

It all comes down to the lack of recognition of the value of your knowledge and expertise / skills.

Point of order; it's not an aheadset, it's a threaded headset.

I retract my comment.

Threaded headsets are a ballache.

Drac - Moderator

I'm lost me.

So you did something for free then complain about it.

Drac having a go, quelle surprise. Are you depressed currently?

emac65 - Member

Makes good business sense to slag someone off on a public forum who has just given you £40 for working on their bike.

Given there's no way the customer can be identified from this thread, how am I slagging him/her off?

Some of you haterz are getting desperate 🙄

£40 of brake work and he expected his threaded headset adjusted for free.

and he'd been quoted it for free so I didn't charge

He was asking for something he'd been quoted - hang him, hang him high.

Isn't it somewhat of a safety issue,not having a go or anything but was it dangerously in need of adjusting,thus knowing your customer is leaving you on a safe bike instead of a death trap,what are the safety issues of working on bikes for the public,would be interesting to know,I think you should be paid for your work regardless,especially iff the customer wants the job doing,I'm sure if you went behind his back and adjusted the headset then tried to charge for it he would be on here flaming you instead.

Can't say I blame you. It will not be a 2 minute job, if he can't do it then chances are it won't have been done for a while which then leads to more fiddling and the chance that he won't want to pay for a new one. Any one in the trade, or any trade , will know when to stop the freebies as their experience of such will far outweigh the whinges of those without a clue.

I'm not quite clear here - somebody quoted it as a free fix and now you're saying that he then expected it to be done for that "price" ?

Seems fair enough

I got a large cobra free with last nights takeaway. Guess where im going for my next take away.

That's a lot of commas.And not many full stops Rick!

Once again it turns into a grammar thread by the haters.

If you charge by the hour, how much would it actually cost for 30 seconds work?

30 seconds if your lucky, 9 times out of 10 if it'll be knackered and impossible to adjust properly. so 30 seconds becomes 20mins of stripping, greasing and faffing all for free. 🙁

Jeez, rorschach - starting a sentence with "And" ?? 😯

Anything that starts with 'can you just....' is to be avoided like the plague.

Yes boblo. (See full stop Rorschach)
The trades and most hated word.......JUST !
It's like walking into tesco and paying for your shopping then running back into the aisle and shouting "I'm JUST taking some Harribos"

I'm claiming the ironic Edinburgh defence 😕
See also 'can I get?'

It's ok Rorschach I'm Welsh.

You have my sympathy ricky1

Parkesie has it. Assuming the meal was OK, a free coffee would cost them hardly anything and make me more likely to go back to that restaurant.

Given there's[b] no way [/b]the customer can be identified from this thread, how am I slagging him/her off?

Apart from if the person who's just picked up their bike after having paid £40 for getting their brakes fixed and having a discussion with a grumpy mechanic about why they are being charged for something they were quoted as a freebie, happens to read this thread.

Obviously they won't recognise that scenario and never come back to your shop again 🙄

Where is this takeaway?

Obviously they won't recognise that scenario and never come back to your shop again

nealglover - Member
Obviously they won't recognise that scenario and never come back to your shop again

He's not coming back anyway - work should be free if you've already paid for some apparently.

Little chance he'll be on here, little chance he'll identify the shop, and the thread will be off the front page soon...

...unless haters like you really have nothing better to do.

Why do people moan about the price of Getting their bikes fixed,is it because it's not bling?

Having ago? I'm trying to find what as you're really weren't very clear.

No not had depression for a few months now.

Would have probably been worse if you had adjusted his headset, as if its been loose for a while no doubt the races would be pitted and he would have had "indexed steering"

Many years ago I had a colleague at a bike shop who got a bollocking from a customer after he adjusted both sets of hub cones to take the slack out, turns out he ran them very loose as there would be less friction. The fact that once riding the bike they rubbed the brake blocks seemed not to be a problem!!!

I find him an irritating little cock!

Seemed a reasonable question as to what's behind him always having a pop on my threads.

the thread will be off the front page soon...

...unless haters like you really have nothing better to do.

Are you new here?

unless haters like you really have nothing better to do.

Why do people claim to have "haters" ?

I just disagree with you.

If you said something different I might agree with you.

Does claiming you have "haters" make you feel important maybe.

nealglover - Member
I just disagree with you.

You made it personal and had a wee go - so a bit more than disagreeing.

When did I say I was upset? I'm just pointing out the facts, sorry if you don't like that.

I don't like bellends using a person's depression to score cheap Internet warrior points.

If you think that's ok. Then you are as much of a job as you sometimes seem.

I just asked him a question, like he claims he did me. We'd both posted on a depression thread and I found I had goes at folk on here when I wasn't doing well.

Get upset about that if you like.

I'm not upset about it.

I just think you've made yourself look like a complete arsehole.

maybe I was wrong, behaving like that often enough, you probably have earned a few "haters"

(Which was possibly your intention)

I still love you Al.You big non scottish,Stimpy loving,grumpy bundle of joy you.

bruneep - Member

Where is this takeaway?
Posted 1 hour ago #

behave yourself - they'll be queueing at the door once they know it was Al serving them

Posted 1 hour ago # Report-Post

If someone walked into my restaurant expectng to have their headset adjusted for free I'd show them the door.

New from Edinburgh Bike Co-op, free online slagging with every purchase!

9 times out of 10 if it'll be knackered and impossible to adjust properly. so 30 seconds becomes 20mins of stripping, greasing and faffing all for free.

Doesn't have to be like that. Spend the 30 seconds attempting to adjust it. If it's knackered then you inform the customer when he collects it (or phone prior to that) that it's a goner and to fix/replace will cost X amount. Up to him then if he wants it done or not. No free work necessary on your part and the kind of basic customer service that most punters appreciate.

Euro + several. Nobody mentioned repairing the headset. Adjusting it as well as possible takes a couple of minutes at most and I f it's borked you just tell the customer that it's borked. They can like it or lump it.

[quoteEuro + several. Nobody mentioned repairing the headset. Adjusting it as well as possible takes a couple of minutes at most and I f it's borked you just tell the customer that it's borked. They can like it or lump it

This. Why not just adjust it and offer some advice? (Free advice, that is)

I find him an irritating little cock!
Seemed a reasonable question as to what's behind him always having a pop on my threads.

Least I know why you criticise me on the rare occasions I comment on your threads.

I don't like bellends using a person's depression to score cheap Internet warrior points.
If you think that's ok. Then you are as much of a job as you sometimes seem.

Cheers for your support but to be fair I don't think he was. I'm not even sure what thread he's referring to I've only been recently open about my depression as I find its helped my colleagues and patients become open. It's possible I've mentioned here in the past but I've really no idea.

Water off a duck's back.

[img] [/img]

So did we get the name of the takeaway?

Woot woot. The angry Police are here. Who am I here to question Sirs?

I think it's called.

Al's Coffee and Bicycle Repair Emporium.

Doing unpaid work, especially on bollocks like threaded headsets can often blow up in your face. Lets say the op tries to quickly adjust it as a favour to the customer. A week later, it shits itself, so the customer (lets call him Stevie) is in the shop having a screaming match with the manager saying the op caused the damage. The OP is off that day so can't defend himself or explain that he just looked at it.

He's gonna go on Facebook, he's gonna go on twitter blah blah blah, so before you know it the manager's making the work shop drop all current jobs, so this asshole will leave the shop, he's out time, and parts, and he wants to know why the op was doing free work on Stevie's bike.

Or a month later his headset shits itself while he's commuting, he gets distracted, falls and he breaks his arm. Stevie's solicitor is on the phone to the OP's manager....who is asking the op what he did to the customer's bike and why he didn't charge.

Or the OP inspects the headset but can't tell without investigating further...so he phones Stevie but can't get through. So he decides to go the extra mile and just quickly take it apart, but lo and behold the bearing cage falls apart and he's got a handful of rusty scrap, and perhaps doesn't have any spare bearings. So now they need ordered in and it'll take a week. He phones Stevie, Stevie goes ballistic. He only wanted it looked at, not expensive labour and parts. He doesn't want to pay. So now the OP's c of a manager needs to get involved.....you can see where I'm going.

The customers who demand the most / expect stuff done for free are often the ones who have the least loyalty or will be the first to kick off, either in the shop or via the internet. I've seen it time and time again. It's doesn't matter what the job is, in the customers eyes it's "just a simple job".

"My hub is making a noise, will you take a quick look a it?" Hub probably *ed

"My brakes are rubbing will you take a quick look at it?" Brakes probably need bled.

"My frame is making a clunking sound" Your Lapierre is broken.

Who slagged the customer off? Not me, I just presented his and my views. He was adamant he was right so why would he be bothered about it being discussed?

Euro + several. Nobody mentioned repairing the headset. Adjusting it as well as possible takes a couple of minutes at most and I f it's borked you just tell the customer that it's borked. They can like it or lump it.

That's not the way it works though is it? Fiddling with something you weren't asked to results in either a complaint when it's found to be ****ed and needs ££'s to put right or a claim that it worked fine before and the shop must have done it followed by asking for free work to put it right.

How many times have we seen chancers come on here screaming warranty or I was charged this for that and I didn't even ask for it etc... Leave well alone. It's less grief in the long run.

Oh, and any chance we can cut the school playground insults out? It really is a bit silly. :-/

At the moment,I hate "new potato" chips from the chippy

Oh, and any chance we can cut the school playground insults out? It really is a bit silly. :-/

/sticks tongue out.

Oi! Your a modulater, behave yersen. 😀

Doing unpaid work, especially on bollocks like threaded headsets can often blow up in your face

and he'd been quoted it for free so I didn't charge

Probably best that you don't offer to do something for free then get upset that the customer wanted to 'cash in' on his free service.. that had been offered [b]for free[/b].
or am I missing something?

I love Al's Saturday "I hate my customers" threads 😆

Careful dirks I asked that question then a whole shit storm kicked off.

I love Al's Saturday "I hate my customers" threads

Hopefully it becomes a regular feature, culminating in him losing his shit and going balls out Michael Douglas.

[img] [/img]

This sums up my attitude toward working for free

http://www.27bslash6.com/p2p2.html

Noooooo! Now the graphic designers are awake.

OP you could lend me that carbon frame? 😉

Used to get the same customer crap in the motor trade, just one of the reasons I left it.
Couple of examples; started at a new garage, serviced a guys Escort van. The tappets were noises so needed adjusting. Found a broken adjuster, the van had been previously serviced by the foremans fav mech(we were on a bonus scheme). I replace it, no more noisy tappets? Customer takes van away, returns next day, speaks to foreman. Over they come, foreman has "that look" on his face, hands on hips and says customer says there's something different about his van. "What have you done" asks he? After a bit of chat I explain, produce offending item,customer goes away happy unlike foreman!! Customer asks for me to service car from then on 😆

After a few more episodes like this another, better job came along.

As for lbs experience I've had good and bad but the bad has always been resolved without any shouting and I still use them. When I bike into town I drop my bike in rather than leaving it locked anywhere ie use the shop as a bike park 😆 On one occasion I asked them to hunt out some sus bushes(Kona)and I'd collect on my return. The workshop was quiet so they fitted them foc. This is a shop our family has used since it opened over 50yrs ago. They used to sell motor bikes and graduated from selling Reliant 3 wheelers, Lotus, early Fiats to being and award winning Honda dealer.
The bike shop is now leased from the original owners/families

Do you like any customers, or have you thought about selling up and buying a hermitage?

Is it just me or is Cynical Al feeling a bit unloved at the moment. It's like the whole world is ganging up on him. The Cafe incident along with most other threads he gets involved in have turned into handbags at dawn. He seems to like a bit of mod baiting too.
Chill out dude and we might be able to arrange a group hug for you.

I often get people (patients/insurance companies etc) seem a bit miffed when I tell them there's a fee for 'non contract/non NHS' tasks..
Insurance reports, notes for work, signatures etc...

Premises, staff, heating, and lighting all cost money!!

DrP

if I went to a bike shop and they said they'd do something for free, and then asked for money after the fact I'd pay up and never go back.

On the other side of the coin, we took a bike to a shopthis weekend to have a brake bled, they said £25 with new pads and bled, came back they had pumped up a tyre and re greased the pedals as well as the work (we would have thanked and offered a bit more if it wasn't till about 10mins later we noticed). £25 swapped hands. we'll be back in there if we need to be.

He'd been quoted it for free (a colleague's error) and so he wasn't charged.

But he though it was ridiculous to charge whether he'd been quoted it free or not. - the point behind this thread.

Premises, staff, heating, and lighting all cost money!!

DrP

TBH charging for things like signatures and pressing print on the computer [ then signing] are rather excessive , bear little relation to the actual costs involved. I bet almost none of yoru patients are better off than you

This is neither a personal dig at you nor the profession as you deserve to be well rewarded for what you do but some charges are piss takes that are then paid by the poor to the rich.

I quite like Ed bikes..I remember once the mechanic loaned me his bleed kit as he didn't have time do it for me, told me what to do, loned me the kit etc. That said I spend a small fortune i there..

Which one are you Al...I'm always trying to guess when I go in.

Jesus how's it the customers fault your colleague is a muppet and told him it would be free. Think you need words with your colleagues not the customer.

As an aside I recently found out you work for EBC which is a company I wouldn't trust with a bargepole, as a company you can't even be arsed to check the indexing on a new bikes before sending them out 😥

I think you need to step away from internet before you get in mega trouble.