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[Closed] Specialized you are a disgrace

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Duty of care from brand should mean no matter what shop you go into franchise or not that you get the exact same level of service from all.

Let's hope they read this forum then, because so far nobody has actually complained to the shop...


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:21 pm
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I stand by my brand bashing though regardless.

Except you're bashing the wrong brand. Still, facts, eh?


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:22 pm
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An inch is not a minor buckle. Sometimes you can get it back again, sometimes not.
That said, the problem is with the shop, not SBC. That's some dumb ass stance to take, and a good way to alienate a customer and loose business. I'd tweet or email the shop if I were you, being reasonable, not shouty, and ask for an explanation


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:23 pm
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To be fair the eyelets are probably pulling out of both rims after jnrs hucking


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:26 pm
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Right, Devil's Advocate time.

If the store is carrying Specialized branding then it's understandable why someone would immediately associate terrible service with the brand itself. Not everyone is an expert in the franchising arrangements of where they've bought a bike from and you'd expect nothing less than top level service from Spesh.

I'm a very loyal customer of Specialized and have been since 2003. If stuff goes wrong (and I include ancillary components not manufactured by Spesh themselves), they generally fix it without quibble. I've had two new rear shocks in that time, no questions asked.

Maybe the OP should ask their friend to email Specialized UK directly with their side of events?


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:33 pm
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how can a slightly buckled rear wheel amount to needing both wheels changed for £200.

Who knows really, the mother didn't ask. Had she asked the reason then you might be in a better position to rant.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:38 pm
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jimdubleyou - Member 
Let's hope they read this forum then, because so far nobody has actually complained to the shop...

She has done, albeit in a rant of obscenities.

Poddy, I know some wheels cant be brought back from buckling but a brand new bike at Christmas with a small deviation should be a no brainer.
If I'd come on here with video of said wheel (which I don't have before you lot start) I reckon the majority would have said yeah that'll be fine to true up.

PJM, finally gets the brand bashing. Sorry for being a simpleton but if you convey yourself as a brands shop....then you are that brand.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:41 pm
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She has done, albeit in a rant of obscenities.

The thread that keeps on giving!


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:45 pm
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Yep, I always give bonus points for the first the retailer hears of a problem is in one of these threads.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:46 pm
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If the buckle was an inch she's going to be back into the lbs shouting obscenities when the wheel goes again. Obviously the spesh concept store didn't handle it well but any customer that shouts obscenities would be asked to leave and not come back in any bike shop I've worked in.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:48 pm
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I'm still wondering what bike costs £200 - sounds like a shed unless the child is on 12" wheels

(edit - hardrock) doh


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:50 pm
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An inch offset is a fair old 'buckle' IMO.

Sounds more like juniors been kicking the crap out of it for a week and maybe the concept store just weren't too keen on simply straightening a wheel for it to fail again in a few more weeks...

Still, evil scheming buggers! Bloody VAG!


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:51 pm
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I had a similar problem with a toaster.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:56 pm
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BadlyWiredDog, did you leave it in the drive behind the wifes car?


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 1:59 pm
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great thread, it's like watching a schizophrenic argue with themselves.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 2:06 pm
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STW finest, at no point have I said she shouted obscenities whilst in the store. That was a phone call this morning after she had the bike back from LBS. 😆

The inch I estimate is purely that, an estimation. The tyre rubs the chainstay yet still rotates freely.
Whilst young'un may well have been doin sick skids and jumping kerbs, it makes no difference as to how it occurred and what damage it did. He could have crashed I don't know.

But £200 for new wheels compared to a £23 fix screams rip off shop. So in that respect, Specialized Concept Store Birmingham you are a disgrace.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 2:08 pm
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I've seen my LBS turn away people wanting wheels trued with the pretty reasonable justification that it's a bad enough buckle that it will likely only end up back in the shop again in a few weeks. An less savvy customer might even blame said LBS for ruining a wheel that 'only had a buckle'. The shop might recommend changing the rim or a whole new wheel, which could be quite a shock after the customer originally only went in looking for a repair that should only really cost a few quid.

Alternatively, it's probably Brexit's fault.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 2:20 pm
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The inch I estimate is purely that, an estimation

That pretty much sums up the whole story.

I do find it hard to believe that a £200ish bike would have £200 wheels on it.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 2:21 pm
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When I had a Specialised bike as an insurance replacement it came with a few minor faults that I thought the local Spesh' concept store would sort out for me...they could but would have to charge me and then I'd have to claim the money back from the provider of the bike. I misunderstood the concept of the er... concept store, as quite rightly pointed out they are stand alone businesses not an all embracing Specialised brand service provider, at least for faults on a new bike. I think they should drop the 'Concept' tag because it gives the wrong impression of Specialised ownership of the stores.
Nice bikes though.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 2:26 pm
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But £200 for new wheels compared to a £23 fix screams dodgy repair

Just for funsies


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 2:37 pm
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is the kid a bit of a fattie? Maybe they thought he needed prpoer enduro wheels to take his weight?


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 2:37 pm
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no one knows the facts...

From what I understand, unknown damage is caused in unknown manner to bike.
Woman who has little knowledge of bikes asks for a repair.

Is quoted £200
Gets it done for much less elsewhere.

"If" the 1st place looked at the wheel(s) and thought, that needs a new rim, maybe spokes and re-build, possibly from both wheels, £200 doesn't seem out of the order of possibility.
They might not want to take the risk to their reputation of repairing a wheel that may or may not last, and having the customer come back.

Woman with little understanding asks no questions, gets worked up over price and leaves with out understanding the work.

2nd place, as a small indie decides to true one wheel, at a lower hourly rate than big shop would charge, using no parts with the attitude, that it'll probably be ok.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 2:39 pm
 DezB
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[i] apparently they laughed at her[/i]

Disgraceful!


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 2:40 pm
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Do you replace wheels after buckling them?

Sometimes you have to, its not always viable to repair a bent wheel.

Let's see how long the bargain repair lasts, it will be weaker than the original and he buckled that, could well be a waste of £23.00, I blame Danny Macaskill.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 3:05 pm
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Sorry, I checked, turns out it was Morphy Richards toaster, not a Specialized one. Apologies for any confusion.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 3:12 pm
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but the toast was out of alignment and rubbing on the slot, yes?


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 3:21 pm
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I dunno, it was a friend of mine, she says basically the toast was out of line yes, but when she took it to a Specialized Concept store, they just laughed at her and offered her a cup of tea. Unacceptable.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 3:36 pm
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^Best post on this thread!^

lol


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 3:53 pm
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Poddy, I know some wheels cant be brought back from buckling but a brand new bike at Christmas with a small deviation should be a no brainer.

Pass me a wall to bang my head against..... 😉
An inch isn't a small deviation.
But that's not the point.

Carry on.... 🙂


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 4:27 pm
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at no point have I said she shouted obscenities whilst in the store. That was a phone call this morning after she had the bike back from LBS

They probably think they've dodged a bullet; nothing worse than doing work for nutters. It never ends well.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 4:28 pm
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The tyre rubs the chainstay yet still rotates freely.

One or the other not both .


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 4:36 pm
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An inch is far enough out for the rim to possibly be physically bent rather than just out of true, in that case, sure you could probably get it close to straight with a spoke key, but with the resulting massively uneven spoke tensions I'd expect it to buckle again pretty quickly.
The only way to be sure is to re rim it, probably not what a shop wants to do on a Hardrock as a full built wheel at that level will cost about the same and take less time.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 4:47 pm
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Ramsey Neil - Member 

The tyre rubs the chainstay yet still rotates freely.

One or the other not both .

Pedants the lot of you, I love this place.

It rubs slightly on the driveside chainstay but is able to do many rotations before the friction of tyre on chainstay bring the wheel to a stop.

I might open a bike shop.....with you lot as customers I'd be quids in selling new parts when its not required.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 4:53 pm
 D0NK
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ignoring the hows and whys this sounds* like a basic customer service fail from the spesh shop. If they really thought the bike needed new [b]pair[/b] of wheels then they should have explained why a repair was no good - and explained it in simply - presumably the mum isn't a cyclist herself - hell, there's plenty of cyclists who don't have a clue about maintenance/repair. Yeah they [i]may[/i] have been thinking of their reputation about bodging a repair they sure as hell haven't done their reputation much good the way they did handle it did they**.

I've bent a few rims, one enough so it wasn't ever quite true again, all were repaired and were never an issue later on so I'm disinclined to believe this £23 repair is some dangerous bodge likely to fail at any moment.

*nothing is certain as the whole story is so bloody vague.
**so the vague details seem to suggest


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 5:07 pm
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with you lot as customers I'd be quids in selling new parts

To STW members? Most are so tight they squeak when they walk.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 5:16 pm
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I can fully believe it was just crap customer service from an individual, its a shop, it happens, and bike shops are not known for checking the customer service capabilities of shop floor staff in a rigorous interview process*, but it is just an individual. Ask to speak to someone else, or ask questions. Throwing a huff or moaning achieves nothing.

*do you like bikes? Yes? congrats, you start Monday.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 5:21 pm
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I was once in Currys and the assistant just walked off mid-conversation for a fag break, we were looking at a Samsung TV at the time. Bloody Samsung, they should be ashamed.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 5:25 pm
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To STW members? Most are so tight they squeak when they walk.

😀

Sounds to me as if it's a communication thing.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 5:47 pm
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But £200 for new wheels compared to a £23 fix screams rip off shop. So in that respect, Specialized Concept Store Birmingham you are a disgrace.

Until we have the real actual true realife honest proper reason that they offered a replacement wheelset to repair a potentailly slightly wobbly (potentially cracked/bent/flattened/fubar'd) rim, then your rant will receive little support.
Too many variables.

On the other hand - the fact Spesh can openly offer push bikes at higher prices than some new cars, now that you [i]can[/i] rant about.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 5:51 pm
 xico
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This thread is STW at its very best.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 5:56 pm
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Its wiggles fault.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 6:19 pm
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Daily Wail been informed yet?


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 6:24 pm
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Im on the OPs side here, Spesh concept stores are the pinnacle of boutique BS. I say bypass pitchforks and go straight to throwing a chair through the window too.


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 6:47 pm
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Spesh concept stores are the pinnacle of boutique BS
I thought Pinnacle was Evans?


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 6:53 pm
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So are we saying the OPs friend paid 23 quid for a rim job?


 
Posted : 04/01/2017 7:07 pm
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