[Closed] Name & shame bad bike shops?

The name, shame and flame game is at the heart of this community.

My local shop talk down about anything that isn't made by Hope or Orange.

Last time I went in, it went a bit like this...

Me : "I'm having a couple of problems with my brakes and wondered if you could have a look at them and sort them out"
Them: "what brakes are they"
Me: "Custom Avid Elixir"
Them: "there's your problem, you need to get rid of them and get some Decent brakes"
Me: "it's a four month old bike, I wont be buying new brakes or it"
Them: "mmmmm they will never work as good as hope brakes."

Not planning on going in again.

Don't see the need to "Name and Shame" though, it's only my opinion, I am sure people are capable of making their own mind up.

Definitely name. Enough places get talked up here, why would sharing experiences not go the other way?

Trouble with this is one idiot staff member in a shop could drive a customer away (and to threads like this). At least keep it to the OPs experience of consistently bad!

Thank Al.

Neal, that sounds just like this shop!

Today I asked for advice on setting up bars and stem options, and was just told "you've got the wrong bike" and that "they don't make bars longer than yours". 620mm!

When I said I haven't got the money for a new bike now and would like some advice so I can buy better bars or stem, he said "you'd just be wasting your time".

cb, I've had a different staff member (or pair of them) each time I've been in.

[quote=nealglover ]
Me : "I'm having a couple of problems with my brakes and wondered if you could have a look at them and sort them out"
Them: "what brakes are they"
Me: "Custom Avid Elixir"
Them: "there's your problem, you need to get rid of them and get some Decent brakes"
You'll never get better advice.

One of my LBS's sold me a secondhand flat bar road bike with mountain bike STi levers & road bike caliper brakes, I questioned it at the time & they assured me it was fine.... I only buy clothing from my LBS's

Edit - it was the shop owner too!

There was(is?)a shop in Durham that was 3 miles from my house, every time I went they'd take the mick out of my (Tange Prestige custom HT) bike, they sold a small framed FS to a mate of a mate who was 6'1" telling him it was 'spot on' & were just generally totally condescending.
I switched my LBS to one in Guisborough, 45 mins drive away & still use them 20 years later.

snowcatsmiling - Member

Hiya all,

I've wasted the time and money of my local Specialized dealer on several occasions to the point where they know me and have identified me as a time waster and a pain and don't want to indulge my flights of fancy anymore. Despite me asking them the same questions in various ways they continue to refuse to give the answers that I want to hear. I checked them out online and reviews all say the same as I experience:

They're knowledgeable and self assured and are not a free resource for me to tap at will as they actually have other customers to serve, and cant afford to waste their time on people who just want to ask endless pointless questions with no intention of making a purchase or who disregard good advice when given the first time .

It seems that all they want is someone to walk in and proclaim, "I am not a time wasting idiot who wants to use you as a substitute for google, I am a paying customer who wishes to make a purchase rather than just kick tyres, pump forks and stretch cables all day long before squealing about being mistreated behind the veil of anonymity on an on line forum where I can do some damage and make myself feel big ".

So, do we try and get people sacked on here? Mods?

Hiya all,

I've wasted the time and money of my local Specialized dealer on several occasions to the point where they know me and have identified me as a time waster and a pain and don't want to indulge my flights of fancy anymore. Despite me asking them the same questions in various ways they continue to refuse to give the answers that I want to hear. I checked them out online and reviews all say the same as I experience:

They're knowledgeable and self assured and are not a free resource for me to tap at will as they actually have other customers to serve, and cant afford to waste their time on people who just want to ask endless pointless questions with no intention of making a purchase or who disregard good advice when given the first time .

It seems that all they want is someone to walk in and proclaim, "I am not a time wasting idiot who wants to use you as a substitute for google, I am a paying customer who wishes to make a purchase rather than just kick tyres, pump forks and stretch cables all day long before squealing about being mistreated behind the veil of anonymity on an on line forum where I can do some damage and make myself feel big ".

So, do we try and get people sacked on here? Mods?

Muddyfunster, 🙂 Umm...maybe you work in a bike shop? you're definitely not a psychic because your take on how it went down is totally wrong.

I've gone in there to buy stuff. Do you think people who don't expect a shop to be able to advise on products before buying are the only ones who should be allowed to buy? Do you think that staff's only job is to press buttons on tills and not provide service?

I didn't waste a penny of their money....anyway, I don't know what other issues you've got in your life but you're completely wrong about me and what happened so I'll stop wasting my own time in writing to you.

I didn't do anything wrong. No idea why you felt the need to attack me and twist my question, which I asked for the good of the community, around.

You'll never get better advice

Junkyard's advice was better.

(Well, not a actually advice, more like his spannering skills, now they are set up right they have been spot on for a long while)

There was(is?)a shop in Durham

I would get a complex if it wasn't for the fact that I've had a very different response elsewhere in the NE 😕

That's your opinion. There are two, usually very distinct sides to each story as evidenced by [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/my-lbs-refused-my-business ]this[/url] thread as just one example.

You say you are posting for the good of "the community" but I dare say if the people you are referring to had a say they could, if they chose, paint a different picture of you. You are the type of person who ruins any sense of community.

What you are doing is venting your spleen by starting a thread with zero facts from a position of total anonymity. You have your version of how your feelings were hurt by non specific events, I've simply twisted your words to illustrate how things can be twisted by someone else. Or rather, to show what you may well have done to convey injury on your part from relatively benign circumstance.

Why didn't you complain in the shop at the time? If you were dissatisfied with the service you were getting why didn't you say so? Why didn't you express your dissatisfaction to the member of staff? Why didn't you ask to speak to the manager? Have you contacted the shop first and foremost?

If you had done any of these things you could have included them in your thread but you clearly didn't because as it stands you have a post about nothing other than stirring up bad feeling towrds local bike shops . You've spun a story there about how you feel like you've been somewhat condescended to. Stop the world.

Just like so many other people you are sniping at peoples livelihood from behind a computer with nothing to substantiate your opinion. You want to damage someones business and other peoples lives because you think, in your mind at least, you have been wronged. You start a thread asking to name and shame local bike shops, your probably the same guy who flares up when he doesn't get the part he ordered from CRC in 24hrs.

Grow up.

I have seen good and bad.

In the end the worst thing is when the wrong guy tries to answer your question (ie the roadie who is covering the whole shop at lunchtime) rather than saying not sure/will find out etc just randomly suggests something.

I expect the workshop guys to let me know if something I have or plan to buy is a PITA to maintain/fix etc.

There are probably 6/7 bike shops where I live now. I avoid several as they are just Race focused.

In the end I have better luck with LBS in terms of random spares, quick fixes and the rest that I choose to use them.

muddyfunster

I can understand why you goat has been well and truly got but in all fairness, your attitude is not doing LBS any favours.

Maybe something along the lines of "I'm sorry to hear about your experience, with our customers we try really hard to offer good advice and service and are able to communicate with everyone from beginners to those with custom requirements" would get you a bit more business.

Just a thought 💡

Woody

You got a response from an individual not a shop. This is a site almost exclusively inhabited by individuals (and some spam bots). Therefore people can vent back at your venting 🙂

behind the veil of anonymity on an on line forum where I can do some damage and make myself feel big

Hmm...mirror.

Anyway, back to the point. Shops are a service industry, and if they aren't made aware of their bad service they'll never change.

If someone speaks out and then they change, that's a good thing. If they don't change, people who have heard about it know what to expect and can make their choice. That doesn't make me a person who is bad for the community. However, people who hijack a well-intentioned forum and then go on to say "people like you" may be considered in a different light.

Thomas's Cycle Revolution, Ipswich. Unlike Arnie, I won't be back.

I do know how you feel and been in those shops, but you got to remember that the bloke is probably on £6 an hour or something rubbish and therefore doesn't particularly give a toss about you as they themselves feel they have no real value cos they can't even pay the bills.

Thomas's Cycle Revolution, Ipswich. Unlike Arnie, I won't be back.

Now that's interesting, because I've been in there several times for a browse and a chat (just round the corner from one of our sites) and only been well received. Friendly, chatty, that sort of thing. I've never bought anything because my LBS, run by a friend, is just round the corner from home. Having said that, I've never been in when they've had a shop full of real customers.

Whilst MFs comments are a bit strong I agree with his sentiment. If you have a bad experience In a shop dragging them through the internet is not going to change a thing but could be very harmful to the owner. If you haven't spoken or written to the manager / owner to bring this to their attention then you're going about this in the wrong order.

I worked in retail for years and I'm fairly sure I upset a few people in that time, but every day I went to work with only the best intentions to help anyone who came in the door. Sometimes personalities clash and people walk away upset - we've all been there.

It might be that a few members of staff need a kick up the arse, wouldn't it be nice to see your LBS transformed rather than out of business...

I do know how you feel and been in those shops, but you got to remember that the bloke is probably on £6 an hour or something rubbish and therefore doesn't particularly give a toss about you as they themselves feel they have no real value cos they can't even pay the bills.

Sorry but you leave your problems at home, just because you don't think you're being paid enough it isn't done to let a customer get the raw end of your issues.

It might be that a few members of staff need a kick up the arse, wouldn't it be nice to see your LBS transformed rather than out of business...

😀 well said that man

My local specialized dealer (Leicester) are amazing, they were great in their tiny shop, and even better in the new place. Always helpful and do my little workshop jobs as soon as I walk in the door. The local giant dealer however is frequented by the biggest arsebandits you ever did see. The staff don't have a clue, or seem to give two hoots for that matter.

Swings and roundabouts.

My LBS used to be a bit meh, bit disinterested. Then an Evans opened up round the corner, the shop gets a bit of a makeover, and a much more welcoming attitude from the staff. They still cant stock everything that Evans does but I try hard as I can to give them as much business as I can, always use their workshop, buy tubes and lubes there. I've got a good relationship with the guys there now, they always try and find a spot to get my bikes fixed and I get a good natter about all things bikes. If I pay a little bit more there I don't care, just what a LBS should be. Thats Two Wheels Good in Crouch End, North London.

MF + 1.

Whilst MFs comments are a bit strong I agree with his sentiment. If you have a bad experience In a shop dragging them through the internet is not going to change a thing but could be very harmful to the owner. If you haven't spoken or written to the manager / owner to bring this to their attention then you're going about this in the wrong order.

Problem is that most people do exactly what the OP has done (although most won't go onto the web to complain unless they have a major axe to grind) ie. they try a shop once or twice and if they don't like the service they won't go back. The manager/owner should be aware of how the customer is treated by staff, it's part of their job isn't it? Unfortunately it is often the owner who creates the atmosphere/attitude.

You only have to look on here to see which shop owners/workers have the right attitude to customer service and appear to be doing quite well.

I've had bad experiences every single time I've been to my nearest Specialized dealer. They're unbelievably arrogant, hate giving advice and talk down to you until you're driven out of the shop with your soul in your shoes.

My LBS, The bike shop (original) in crossgates, Leeds, used to be a bit useless and didn't seem to know what they we're talking about. I wasn't going to bother using them again but i went in there on saturday, just to get a couple of small bits, only spending a few quid. But i walked out of there with a big smile on my face having got exactly what i wanted at a very reasonable price. I will now use them again and see how they go.

If muddyfunsters attitude is typical of LBS' then they can FO!
I'm not surprised snowcatsmiling has had a bad experience.

in almost 30yrs of using bike shops, i can honestly say the only bad experience i have ever had, is the one i am having now.

the company is JUSTEBIKES. who are based in suffolk and a new store in london.
if anyone is in the unfortunate position that they need to buy a ebike, please please steer clear of this shop.

Anyway, back to the point. Shops are a service industry, and [b]if they aren't made aware of their bad service they'll never change.[/b]

So, did you "make them aware" then.....

Or did you post about it on the Internet instead ?

 

Wills wheels. Not going to rant on, yet. I'd like to hear any stories of them being decent

I have two 'decent' LBS near me.
I used Big Foot Bikes in Hayes for servicing twice - both times they let me down badly - didn't do what they said they'd do, and made me feel like they were doing me a right favor.
The second is Bromley Bike Co - I've now used them for servicing twice, both times they did exactly what they said they'd do, and exceeded my expectations.
I now buy a few parts (mostly clothes i want to try on first, or bits I want to ask advice about) from them, and the prices are generally similar to on-line.
So I can recommend Bromley Bike Co, and I wont be going back to Bigfoot bikes.

I'd like to thank the lbs's of Manchester for making me a decent home mechanic.

If you don't get on at shop A, go to shop B. If you don't get on there either then learn to build your own bikes.

Quite what anonymous bleating on an internet forum would achieve is beyond me.

Sadly, all the really bad bike shops have gone out of business, or been improved beyond recognition. The bad bike shop par excellence was Bob Finnie in Glasgow - he had a proper old shop with a wooden glass-topped counter and lots of wooden drawers behind, it was gorgeous. But Bob didn't like bikes, or people, unless you were 60+ and rode a 10-speed. The way he could make you feel 3 inches tall while explaining that indexed gears were a silly fad was a sight to see.

Or there was the big bike shop whose staff were experts at ignoring customers - we used to test this scientifically, by walking right up to the counter and timing how long it took for the person on the other side to put down his MBUK and talk to us. Saying hello first didn't help much.

But I could tell so many more stories about nightmare customers. Like the one who used to phone up every month and ask if I had a certain Brompton in stock - my answer was always no, but if he ordered now he'd have it in a month. Next month he'd phone up with exactly the same question. This went on for years. Or the person who ordered a custom Cinelli (those frames are a rip-off, but that's another story), specifying every part he wanted down to the spoke nipples. Then, after I built it exactly he wanted and told him that it was a pretty lightweight and spindly bike, and he should keep an eye on the Italian BB, he proceeded to trash it completely through the winter and then demand everything be replaced under warranty.

Pedal Revolution here in Norwich aint much cop as it seems everytime me and my pal who ended up going elsewhere to buy his 2k cross bike go in there we are invisbile and they make no effort to acknowledge us or offer any advice , its not that diffcult to say Hi is it ?

Ben your customer stories are much more fun, more please!

Cycle surgery in brum. ****less snobs. Ignored me when i wanted a new bike, had just sold a motorcycle and had a back pack with £5000 cash in it and they couldn't have cared less.
Evans in brum are like night and day by comparison and have been ever since. Especially the tall slim manager chap; he's the SHIZZLE when it comes to customer service.

The customers who used to really annoy me were the rich locals who bought absolute junk for their kids. Like the well-known (at the time) Taggart actor who brought in a third-hand wreck and wanted the absolute minimum done on it. I asked him if he wanted me to sort the dire brakes - "no, don't bother, he's only seven" was the reply.

They'd always turn up with these Costco specials with the forks on backwards, strapped to the back of a Mercedes or Lexus, and then moan about the price to fix "just a bike". I'm very glad I don't do normal bike repairs any more.

The people I get now are more eccentric and entertaining than annoying. Like the person who ordered a custom £6k recumbent online (including genuine carbon fibre racing car mirrors), flew up from the south coast to collect it with the intention of riding it all the way home, walked in the door and announced "right, I've never ridden a recumbent, what do I do?" 🙂

I worked in a ski hire shop once and a customer bought a set of skis back because they were faulty and wouldn't run parallel.

I'm pleased somebody mentioned Bigfoot Bikes in Hayes as being a bad bike shop. When I saw this post I instantly thought of the owner.

bencooper, we want more!

@Bencooper- I used to live just round the corner from your shop, and always loved going past on the way to mugdock and seeing the recumbent outside that looked like a fighter jet from the 60s (full metal faring, haha!)

For a while I worked at Cycle Heaven in York, specializing in all sorts of weird and wonderful bikes (Gazelle dutch bikes, brompton, birdy, mezzo etc) and used to get lots of eccentric customers. When you specialize in "alternative transport" many of your customers are the kind of people who aren't allowed driving licenses 😆
I once had a guy who came up on a train from Nottingham to buy one of [url= http://www.cycle-heaven.co.uk/bikes/brands/gazelle/gazelle-heavy-duty-men-s-women-s/ ]these[/url]- 3speed, uber heavy monster of a bike with a coaster brake (but very cool) and intended on riding it back.
He brought his SPDs with him (oh yes) so we popped em on, stuck a couple of water bottles in his basket for free, and away he went.
I gave him a call the next day to see if he made it home alive, and apparently he did! 10 hours, including a 1hr stop for fish and chips. Hard-****ing-core!
He owns a bakery somewhere in the outskirts of Nottingham, and uses it for advertising and deliveries. If anyone's seen it parked outside a shop up there, he bought that from me 😀