So, I have a good bikeshop down the road from me. Big bike manufacturer linked up with a local sports/triathlon shop.

They have done loads of service work for me with reasonable charges and really excellent work. The mechanic in there is really good and very honest – for instance when I booked my Pitch in for complete bearing change, he wouldn’t let me and instead showed me how to open them up and use chain lube to give a new lease of life to them (which actually made them like new), so this saved me a fair amount of money – a more unscrupulous mechanic would have just booked it in and done the work.

I noticed that my rear hub was loose and so booked it in for a bearing change yesterday. The isntructions that the guy on the desk wrote down was to open up the hub and advise me which bearings needed changing and a price before doing any work.

I called up the mechanic this morning and he apologised because he had done the work before calling me and only realised afterwards. Knowing that a full Hope bearing kit is around £25 on Chainreaction I said this was no problem. He said that three of the bearings were shot and two of them were an odd size, so he had got them from their sister shop but they were a bit pricey.

Turns out that the two bearings he put in were £25 EACH!!! The other was £9 + £15 labour. So they want £70 odd quid off me when I go down to collect it.

To be honest, I’m rather stunned. I was expecting a £40 bill tops. I want to go and complain but it probably means gettinga mechanic who has done loads of good work for me in the past into trouble. There is no way I’m paying that bill though.

Any advice on sorting this amicably?

I wouldn;t be embarassed about challenging them on this.

they’ve done work unasked and charged 3 times the going rate for the bearings…

go down – explain the situation regarding expectations management and bills. they’ll probably be pretty sympathetic as you asked em to give you a price and they havent done before they did the work.

Offer to replace the bearings they’ve put in at your own cost and then source em yourself – just pay for labour

(online there is mbbearings dot com and simplybearings dot com plus many others)

most people wont be tools about a mistake like this

Ok, cheers guys. I’m off down there in a bit.

I called up the mechanic this morning and he apologised because he had done the work before calling me and only realised afterward

Go in and quote that, Say there is no way you would go ahead with it for that cost.

Be nice and polite and see what happens.

this happened to me over car servicing – the garage went ahead and did a full service when I had asked for a low mileage service – they explained they had done more work and asked for more money than the original quote. I objected and in the end we negotiated a price in the middle. You might say I was kind to them, but I wanted to keep using them. Bottom line is, if they do work without your agreement its at their own risk.

Say it as you have above. Not sure what bearings they bought at £25 each, that does seem excessive even if they are SKF etc.

Sounds like a great shop who won’t be trying to rip you off. Just explain your surprise and ask if they can reduce the price a little. Personally, i’d probably just pay it. How much did you save on those pitch bearings? Consider that a £30 lesson in mechnics.

i’d give em £40.

Make it clear that you take no issue with the labour cost but hope bearing kit is £25.90 retail.

Well, I went in, explained how happy I had been previously with the workmanship and service, but wouldn’t have said to go ahead at that price, and the tops I would expect to pay would be £45. The fella went off for 10 minutes or so, came back and charged me £46.

I am pleased, because its a good local shop and it is nice to have one close by that you can rely on for jobs you don’t have the tools, patience or experience of doing yourself. 🙂

Also, I suspect that there was a mix up between the two shops, and it was supposed to be £25 for the two sets rather than £25 each.

the tops I would expect to pay would be £45. The fella went off for 10 minutes or so, came back and charged me £46.

Buttered you up with some freebies and now just seeing how much they can squeeze out of you. Charging a quid more than your stated max was just to show they could. You’re their wife now Dave!

nice work 🙂

Do it yourself in future – depending on how much you earn its likely to be better value.

Its a half hour job max. I take home about £15/hour after tax so half an hour of my time is worth £7.50 rather than the £15 the shop charge. I can also get parts at the cheapest price and know that the job gets done properly. I dont have the faff of taking it the shop and Im unlikely to try and rip myself off – and even if I do its me who benifits.

good lad.

just proves you go in smiling and ready to talk you get taken care of. you go in shouting, you get nowt.

Yeah, I have done a front one myself before, but it was a case of time and space this week – both are in short supply, so expected to pay a bit for convenience (but obviously not that much).

fourbanger – I do feel like their bitch, but my name isn’t dave.

Do it yourself in future – depending on how much you earn its likely to be better value.

Its a half hour job max. I take home about £15/hour after tax so half an hour of my time is worth £7.50 rather than the £15 the shop charge.

That’s daft, it’d only make sense if you had to choose between taking time off or letting the shop do it.

my name isn’t dave

OK Dave
Wanna buy some pegs?

Bye scott!

Absolutely pathetic that someone felt the need to change it and email me to tell me off. Someone has far too much time on their hands

See the ‘Our Forum’ thread up top.

Did you mean “flipping stunned”?, sounds perfectly alright to me 😉 , however if you meant “fornicating furiously stunned” then tut-tut….sit on the naughty step and contemplate your actions for 15 mins.

Don’t worry bout it, i’ve had the same warning – I have to read through everything i type as i don’t often look up at the screen and i type/write as i speak, so naturally i tend to read back through everything i write and remove half of it then decide i can’t be arsed and don’t bother posting anything.

Guess i’ve brought up on the wrong side of the english language vernacular, along wi everyone else i know.

Don’t worry bout it, i’ve had the same warning – I have to read through everything i type as i don’t often look up at the screen and i type/write as i speak, so naturally i tend to read back through everything i write and remove half of it then decide i can’t be arsed and don’t bother posting anything.

Just type what you want, if the swear filter picks it up, fine, if it doesn’t, it’s not a banned word – easy 😀

I suspect next time you get overcharged the lovely people at bike radar forum might not offer such good advise 😉

iain1775 – Member

I suspect next time you get overcharged the lovely people at bike radar forum might not offer such good advise

Post it in the crudcatcher, you’ll get excellent advice. Not relevant, but excellent.

Absolutely pathetic that someone felt the need to change it and email me to tell me off. Someone has far too much time on their hands

Did I miss some silliness?

Glad you got an amicable deal sorted on the bearings OP.

OK Dave
Wanna buy some pegs?

😆

Dunno – I put a naughty word in my post and got an email telling me so

Came back on to see what the fuss was about

So what did I miss?