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To everyone who's saying "honest mistake", I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell...
Smell_it +1
You mean to say if you work in a LBS you actually have to do something to get your monthly pay packet...
The injustice of it!!
Whilst I have some sympathy for the OP, if I was the shop owner I'd be a little peeved at being asked to do the spannering on a bunch of new components bought elsewhere. If you are too cack-handed to do the work yourself you should be prepared to pay a little more (in this case for the new hub and spokes) and buy them at the shop that is getting you out of a self inflicted hole to allow them to make a living wage. Or learn to do the work yourself.
If the LBS of the country could form themselves a little union and collectively only work on internet bought components after payment of an "internet levy" or after the major online chains paid them a retainer, the riders on this country would quickly become better mechanics or learn the value of a local service.
Convert if he didn't want to do the job he should have simply said no.
convert stop trolling its way too obvious
as funky said besides they were charging labour which I am sure earnt net profit for the shop
Convert if he didn't want to do the job he should have simply said no.
Probably should have- if they all did collectively it might make us (the buying public) rethink our choices. I'm not saying we should just hand over our cash unthinkingly but imo buying all the components to do the job elsewhere from an online retailer but without the wherewithal to do the job yourself and then to take them to a place that sells the very same products is a bit cheeky.
This does not give the shop owner/ wheelbuilder carte-blanche to rip you off but maybe goes a little way to understand why they might want to.
If the LBS of the country could form themselves a little union and collectively only work on internet bought components after payment of an "internet levy" or after the major online chains paid them a retainer, the riders on this country would quickly become better mechanics or learn the value of a local service.
Survival if the fittest. Isn't it. One of my LBS exists solely to sell the best bikes ever made (whoever they're contracted to stock at present) and charge a fortune over halfords/the Internet for tubes and lube.
I'm not really sure if I know where to stand on the LBS versus the rest of the world debate..
On the one hand a lot of enthusiasts slag off their LBS, and the LBS is undoubtedly losing some profit on high end boutique parts and equipment to the internet shops..
On the other hand the LBS seems in general to be the one area of retail where the customer is never right, and they're sooo flippin' busy doing a roaring trade that they don't have time to provide an acceptable level of service..
and in other news I popped into my LBS yesterday afternoon, to collect one of my bikes and a wheel that they were also building for me, and they had saved me the last piece of Victoria sponge that they had specifically put to one side for me...
LBS win as far as I'm concerned
Don't get me wrong.. I quite like the folk in my LBS, and I would say that getting on for 50% of the staff there are almost approaching something like personable.. 😀
Assuming the OPs story is true then what the shop did is totally outrageous and probably downright illegal too . I wonder if the people trying to excuse this behaviour would be so charitable if the shop in question was Dave Hinde ?
Knowing both the op and shop, there is definatly more to this 'story' than has been posted here. Straight accusing them of theft and naming them is disgusting. With the op's history.
That's at least three people that know the lbs. I that case get them, on give their side, let them defend themselves/clear their name.
I can only guess that the people who are offering excuses for what happened are people in the bike trade?In which case .. surely these people should be trying to remove the bad apples that are giving their profession a bad name.
I've worked in the bike trade for years, as many on here know. (Don't anymore)
But I had a similar incident happen to me when I worked in a sports shop just after leaving school.
A chap came in late on a friday, after the latest Pete Sampras racket that had just arrived that morning desperate to play with it that evening. So I grabbed the racket out of the box showed him it. He then asked if he could have it strung in the top of the range string at a certain tension.
I said no probs, cut the strings out whilst chatting to him and restrung the racket. He paid for the string and racket left capped to bits.
The next morning he called to say the racket had been strung in the same strings as original. (He was right, but at the time this was an unusual string to factory standard) Kicking off that we had ripped him off. We apologised and gave him the refund of string.
I genuinely never thought to check and my intentions where to get the customer out the door with what he wanted for his match that evening.
I'm not defending the shop entirely or saying the OP is completely wrong, as I wasn't there and only have an internet rant to go off. I'm just saying there is a good chance it was a mistake.
The glass is always either half full or half empty.
convert - Member
Convert if he didn't want to do the job he should have simply said no.
Probably should have- if they all did collectively it might make us (the buying public) rethink our choices. I'm not saying we should just hand over our cash unthinkingly but imo buying all the components to do the job elsewhere from an online retailer but without the wherewithal to do the job yourself and then to take them to a place that sells the very same products is a bit cheeky.
This does not give the shop owner/ wheelbuilder carte-blanche to rip you off but maybe goes a little way to understand why they might want to.
What an utter load of bollox. Should a car garage turn down work if I asked them to bleed my brakes if I didnt buy the car from them?
Why would any business turn down work because the parts didn't come from them.
It's why they charge labour. Some shops will even do free fitting on stuff bought from them.
Infact labour on bike repairs is probably the most profitable thing not parts.
If a rear mech has a retail of £85 pretty sure the bike shop will only be making £35 profit at the most.
Think about it before you come on trolling.
Knowing both the op and shop, there is definatly more to this 'story' than has been posted here. Straight accusing them of theft and naming them is disgusting. With the op's history.
Any chance that you could let the shop know so that we can get their side of the story.
Also can you give us a quick summary of the OP's history?
For those claiming it was an honest mistake - the builder called the OP to say his spokes were too short. Which was clearly untrue, as he went ahead and used them in the end. Dubious.
He was either lying about that, or at best did a shoddy job with the wrong sized spokes, and compounded it by charging for new spokes on top.
Can someone reveal the name of the shop so i know to avoid.
I think the OP did mention them in a coded message but I have no idea what that was.
Getting annoyed with people moaning about customers buying parts on the Internet then asking LBS p do other work.
The LBS's should be glad of any work. I suspect all the people complaining about it are in the trade.
Perhaps the guy was just having a bad week, has stuff going on in his head outside work, or was overly busy. Maybe give him the benefit of doubt this time?
We can all **** up at work from time to time.
Infact labour on bike repairs is probably the most profitable thing not parts.
LOL
Why would any business turn down work because the parts didn't come from them.
It's why they charge labour. Some shops will even do free fitting on stuff bought from them.
If you buy the parts from the shop, the shop makes the profit on the parts, and the profit on the labour. If you bring parts bought online, the shop only makes the profit on the labour. But the time taken is the same, the shop still has to pay rent, rates, wages, heating and lighting. So the shop makes less money.
Add to that, often people who pay less for parts want to pay less for labour too. Not always, but it's a common complaint.
If you buy the parts from the shop, the shop makes the profit on the parts, and the profit on the labour. If you bring parts bought online, the shop only makes the profit on the labour. But the time taken is the same, the shop still has to pay rent, rates, wages, heating and lighting. So the shop makes less money.
So I bought my bike from my LBS but I've since moved to a different area.
Will the new shop turn down servicing work on my bike as it will clearly effect their ability to pay the rent and the lighting bill if they service a bike that wasn't bought there 😉
As it happens, the new shop offers free fitting if you buy the parts from them.
So would they be better off not doing that work and accepting my servicing work instead ?
Dunno - I'm just suggesting why some shops might not be happy fitting parts bought online. I'm not a normal bike shop - I know how I make money, I have no idea how a normal shop does it 😉
Dunno
Me neither, it was hypothetical really (I haven't moved house, and I do my own servicing generally 😉 )
BruceWee - MemberKnowing both the op and shop, there is definatly more to this 'story' than has been posted here. Straight accusing them of theft and naming them is disgusting. With the op's history.
Any chance that you could let the shop know so that we can get their side of the story.
Also can you give us a quick summary of the OP's history?
Yep - I would be very interested too 😉
Maybe Shepleg would like to remind me who he is too - seeing as he knows me ..
An update ... Shepleg is Simon Powdrill ... aka LoCo ... as in the guy on page one who came to the LBS defence ..
Why post under a different user account though ...
Yep ... I can guess 😳
And just for the record. I have never met Simon Powdrill/Loco/Shepleg
What [i]about[/i] the OP's history?
I know the OP, and can not imagine him making something up or embellishing a story with a view to denigrating anyone's livelihood.
Infact labour on bike repairs is probably the most profitable thing not parts.
LOL
Why LOL?
Tell me, how much goes into the bank on £100 labour and how much on £100 of parts? 🙂
Thanks SaxonRider.
Its pretty clear where Shepleg/Loco/Simon Powdrill is coming from.
ps,
Are you one of the 2 Toms?
Nope. I'm 'The Flying Doctor'. Remember?
Tell me, how much goes into the bank on £100 labour and how much on £100 of parts?
Not apples and apples though is it?
New gear cable £1.99, fitting £10?
New Hope BB £70, fitting £10, (or more likely free if you bought it from the shop rather than for £10 less on CRC). The BB probably made more than £10 margin.
Guess it probably depends on the shop as a town center shop in a big city probably does more gear cables, brake pads and punctures.
Local higher end shops maybe a greater proportion of money in components? £100 labour would build a bike from components, there's more money in the components (the frame alone even?) surely?
SaxonRider - MemberNope. I'm 'The Flying Doctor'. Remember?
Of course. I hope with your very busy schedule you are finding time to ride?
An update ... Shepleg is Simon Powdrill ... aka LoCo ... as in the guy on page one who came to the LBS defence
If that's true, that is a bit of a shame'er.
He tried to bum u
mooman - MemberOf course. I hope with your very busy schedule you are finding time to ride?
I am, but mostly on the road to work. I have ridden with my older boys a few times, and will be out again this week. But nothing compared to what you are doing!
Not apples and apples though is it?
Be picky if you like, but that's how I'm comparing it, yes. Parts you have to buy. Labour you don't, you're paying the staff anyway. Simples. 🙂
I suppose you could argue that the parts are already on the shelf & paid for too, PeterParts you have to buy. Labour you don't, you're paying the staff anyway
what percentage take is your shop getting after they've paid you for an hour and then charged for an hour of your time
How does that compare to sales mark-up ?
Mmm, the plot thickens...
I have used this LBS loads but before they moved to current location. To start with very cliquey but when I proved my self as being not a time waster (this may not be palletable to all but is a fact of life IMO) they were brilliant, nothing was to much trouble. Last time I was in there I only recognised the son of owner and he was his usual sarky self and gave me a lump of discount.
Not apples and apples though is it?New gear cable £1.99, fitting £10?
New Hope BB £70, fitting £10, (or more likely free if you bought it from the shop rather than for £10 less on CRC). The BB probably made more than £10 margin.
here's an honest question..
I was told that most LBS make their bread and butter fitting £12 BBs and servicing uncared for bikes owned by people who wouldn't even be able to contemplate the concept of a £70 BB..
boutique higher end stuff is still a very niche market..
Is that right or bolleaux..?
i cant understand how people can say that this was an honest mistake, if it was why didnt the wheel builder come clean when the op turned up on his shop door way to confront him, he could of just appologised and said it was an honest mistake and gave him back his original spokes and refunded him, he only refunded him? a bike shops rep is only as good as their last job they did for you,if i were treated like the op i wouldnt be using that shop again either, and i do know the shop in question, don skenes mate a better shop by far, if that shop wants to stay open as long as skenes has, its not going to do that by treating its customers like that, ive do doubt the shop owner has got to hear about this by now, so he could do worse than come on here and give the op a further explanation, if only to save his shops rep, it could be quite as simple that it was all a missunderstanding but the wheel builder was to embarassed to own up to only he knows really, but from what ive heard im on the side of the op, plenty of other bike shops around mate
My LBS used to to similar stuff,and they closed down.
I was also loyal to them for years and never even got a jaffa cake even when i had suplied my fair share.
But on the argument of Buying online then taking to the local bike shop,What if i buy it In one shop (say in glentress on holiday) then go to MY LBS to fit it. Surely this is the same as buying online in the eyes of the shop.
PS, I buy on line for everything now, for several reasons.
1. Its Cheaper
2. All my parts are home serviceable (used to be a mechanic)
3. My Newlocal bike shop have all the staff frommy old LBS exceptthe owner.
So this thread has got me thinking.. and I apologise for the slightly off topic nature of my wondering.
Why is it that no LBS have partnered with one or more of the big online stores.? I am thinking of the Blackcircles car tyres model here. Customer gets the benefit of cheap online prices and the LBS gets the labour charge for fitting and the opportunity to diversify their business... As an off the top of the head example, use the space saved not holding large amounts of stock to open a coffee/cake shop or similar with internet facility of course so that customers can be ordering more stuff to be fitted while waiting for their current job to complete.!?!?
Am I mad.? Having worked in the bike trade (many years ago) I seem to remember that profit on parts and bikes was a pittance and only shops that had good servicing trade were able to make any money...
Feel free to shoot holes in my reasoning..
here's an honest question..I was told that most LBS make their bread and butter fitting £12 BBs and servicing uncared for bikes owned by people who wouldn't even be able to contemplate the concept of a £70 BB..
boutique higher end stuff is still a very niche market..
Is that right or bolleaux..?
Pretty much.
Unless they are targeting the super high end build market, which is quite different.
Even then the daily thoroughfare into the workshop of cheap bikes (if they are the only shop in town) keeps things ticking over.
Very few shops manage to target that area effectively though.
I was told that most LBS make their bread and butter fitting £12 BBs and servicing uncared for bikes owned by people who wouldn't even be able to contemplate the concept of a £70 BB..boutique higher end stuff is still a very niche market..
Is that right or bolleaux..?
Thing is you have to fit an awful lot of £12 BBs to match the profit you would make selling a £3000 bike .
As someone said above new hear cable and fitting £10.
Is that really what bike shops charge?
If so that is certainly what they want to be selling.
Probably making over 100% markup on the gear cable alone and then another £8 to fit is HUGE profit margins.