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I just think it shows that some bike shops are not clever.
I guess 30-40% and they pay at 30-60days on invoice if they are cheeky?
You are getting profit mixed up with margin Hora. How long would an LBS run by the STW masses stay in business do you think?
A range of niche brands no-one has heard of, a free workshop, parts cheaper than CRC / Merlin and Hora as Finance Director mixing up profit and margin. And it'd be closed at the weekend because the staff would be out riding.
ach, your right. Forgive me, I've been working 7days/12hours aday manual labour recently. I can't even type properly 🙁
well I didnt like the attitude of staff in my local LBS's, so I set up my own and try really hard to keep customers happy, but it is very hard sometimes and not as easy as I thought it would be, but we do try.
I'm with Will.I.am on this one. A truly hard nosed approach by the bike shop would have been to appreciate the long term value of the OPs custom and to do the job FOC - what they did was pennywise, pound foolish IMHO.
An LBS near me charged me something daft for 3 or 4 cable crimps after their initial cock up caused me a repeat visit - you could tell the Saturday boy thought he was Donald Trump as he rang up the sale but did't appreciate he'd cost the owner a few grand from me in future sales
Ok go on then what's the profit on a Mojo HD frame? Anyone?
thought he was Donald Trump as he rang up the sale but did't appreciate he'd cost the owner a few grand from me in future sales
As a result of Psychle's experiences, I won't be shopping at that particular shop. Because I know there are other bike shops who would show more respect for my custom.
Sancho, some lbs's are truly cherished. Rare but like gems boy do they shine.
My fave closed down 🙁
and my potential other is in the middle of Scotland with no website darnit!
I can understand the shop owners points of view who have posted on this thread, we all have to make a living but........ given the circumstances and the OP's customer profile would you [b]really[/b] have charged him the tenner? Honestly!
I guess 30-40% and they pay at 30-60days on invoice if they are cheeky?
You seem to be forgetting that the OP has already admitted to haggling them down on the frame price.
As I suggested above - you cant have it both ways, you cant have 'online prices' but expect 'lbs' service.
Perhaps, and its only a suggestion, but perhaps, if they'd made the full margin on the frame rather than having to discount it, they might not have felt that they had to make any money on the service job?
You seem to be forgetting that the OP has already admitted to haggling them down on the frame price.
The only reason for this is that 3 years ago one of their (now ex) mechanics put a decent sized dint in the top tube of my Yeti (my only bike at the time, and the most expensive bike I'd ever owned). The offer was there to replace the front triangle, would've cost them around £300 or so from Evolution apparently, but I'd had the bike 2+ years (and bought s/hand in the first place) so couldn't see the point for an older frame (bike was fine structurally, dent was cosmetic really). So we agreed that at some point in the future we'd work out a deal when I bought a new frame... Yes, they gave me a reasonable discount, but I bet they're still making decent money on the sale, so the nett result for them is pretty good really, wouldn't you say?
I don't mean to be rude, but this does seem like a storm in a tea cup. If you don't like the shop, get your discounted frame - or not, if you feel strongly about dealing with them - and move on somewhere else. There's no right or wrong to it, you feel they ought to have fitted your crown race for free, they obviously didn't.
It's just a matter of opinion. And even if everyone on the STW forum agreed with you - which would be a first - what difference would it make? It's not really the High Court is it, Singletrackworld?
You clearly don't like the shop, how about you put your wallet where your principles are, cancel the frame order and go somewhere, where the service is to your liking?
well, never expected it to reach 100 posts! Was more a minor whinge really... which is what STW is for yes? 😉
At the end of the day, I want to like the store, I want to have a good relationship with them (we obviously share a love of quality bikes!)... I think part of the problem might be that I'm not their typical customer; I suspect their average punter is a touch more affluent then I (city boys and the like!) and possibly a little less 'hands on' then I am... I'd do all my own work if I could, but a tiny 1 bed in central London kind of precludes this... so occasionally I need a bit of an assist, it'd be nice if they could do this for a reasonable fee... not asking for freebies, just a fair deal. In this instance, I'm particularly miffed because I'd just (literally) committed to spending a considerable sum with them... I'll get the frame and take my discount (that I'm owed) but I don't think I'll be buying my wheels or fork through them, we'll see...
if you can afford 2000 you can afford 10 so stop moaning or find a way to DIY
blimey, wish I had 2 grand to spend on a bike let alone frame!
Don't have an expectation then you can never be dissapointed.
. I think part of the problem might be that I'm not their typical customer; I suspect their average punter is a touch more affluent then I (city boys and the like!) and possibly a little less 'hands on' then I am...
Well, in that case, why don't you go to a nice socialist bike shop, a co-operative maybe, which has a sliding service charge scale, means tested and relative to your income. I kind of agree though, that riding a Yeti and buying a Mojo HD don't really scream financially challenged... London eh? Poverty is a two grand frame 😉
Don't mind me, I'm just grumpy cos my lymph glands are playing up and I'm saving hard to buy a new pair of handlebar grips from my idyllic northern LBS where everyone knows my name, you get free Jaffa Cakes, a big hug and a substantial discount as of right and they'll build up your bike for the cost of a stunted whippet 🙂
Don't be so silly.
It costs nothing to be polite, professional and respectful.
I've had random experiences with bike shops as a customer. However, my most recent was a supplier. Now here is a sorry tale. They asked me to take our gear in to show them as they thought it could be good for them. I arranged a time at their request, a time that suited them. I turned up on time, they made me wait 10 minutes while they had a natter, laughed about some stuff and generally p1ssed about. The lovely owners partner then proceeded to be so rude and arrogant that I actually laughed and said that maybe it wasn't such a great idea and that I'd maybe respectfully pack back up and go elsewhere. She then became moderately abusive and alluded to the fact that it must be quite demeaning to have to do such a 'sh1tty job' as I did and that I must be a bit fick like. Clearly she had no idea what I actually "do" (I own a large IT company but own a shareholding in this other company and as the shop is 100m from my office did this as a favour). It was really quite an eye opener.
Anyhoo, that little tale cost that shop 5 major purchases from my riding friends - so 4 roadies of 5k+ and one mtb of 7k that was almost a done deal. To make a point the boys and my wife who was one of their prospective customers went in individually and pointed out that because of the way they treated me they would purchase elsewhere. The owner rang me and pleaded with me to keep my mouth shut in future which i thought was quite ironic. I had a long discussion on business ethics with him but his view was that they had every right to be rude to who they liked, and i asserted that I had every right to voice my option when asked what Shop X is like. Sh1t was my answer for the above reasons.
Treat people the way you would like to be treated and the world will work with you, it's quite simple.
my lbs is the bollocks.
There has been a explosion of new bike shops round me.
1 ignored me for 30mins when trying on shoes despite several staff milling around.
2 refused a discount on a set of pedals despite me buying a shinny new bike at full price and the pedals being significantly more expensive than crc.
3 removed a stuck pedal from a crank for free without even being prompted after they didn't have a pedal spanner in stock and started chatting to me about why I needed it.
Guess which shop gets all my hard earned cash now?
I just had a crown race removed by my LBS - cost me their minimum charge, £5. It did come off a little deformed, so they also supplied another crown race.
I don't have any experience of working in a bike shop but I used to run a second hand bookshop. I used the 'treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen' method where I made my customers earn my respect. In fact, I remember one customer came in with his 10 year old son. The father barked "You got Harry Potter?" at me. I was considering my usual response of "the books are arranged by author, go and have a look" but I was in a good mood and the kid looked quite excited and a bit pathetic so I took pity and went to find it for them. The boy then snatched it out of my hand while father looked on smugly. So I told them they couldn't have it. Cue father storming out and son looking suitably upset.
There you go then, I disciplined the son for the guy and didn't even charge for it 🙂