I’ve sat on this one for a few days now but it’s been bugging me so much that I’ve got to get it out.

After a play round the Chase on Saturday I popped into Swinnertons to ask about a Blue Pig – they’re listed on the Ragley website as dealers – as I’m very tempted by one.

The initial response was that no, they don’t have one at the moment, which I thought was fair enough, but this was then followed by

“I don’t suppose we’d even bother to get one in for you as no-one’s buying 26″ wheel bikes anymore and there’s no market for them”

Yeah, but I’m not everyone else, I’m me and I know what I want.

Surely if I’m showing a lot of interest in a bike frame with quite a large possibility of buying it they could spend a bit more effort in selling it to me rather than telling me I shouldn’t be interested because it’s got the wrong wheel size????

I regularly spend money in this shop but TBH with this sort of attitude I think I’m going to be putting it elsewhere from now on.

Surely a sale is a sale no matter what the wheel size?? Isn’t business important to these people? What’s up with them?

I have no idea how Ragleys are sold – but remember that shops have to buy stuff, and there’s usually no returns. They’d be buying in a frame in the hope that you come back, and want to buy it. And with a frame, it’s not like they’re getting it in so you can have a test ride, because you wouldn’t be able to test it.

Did you ask them to get one in?

I appreciate that but they didn’t even take any notice of how interested I was in it, just hat it’s not 650b or 29er so they couldn’t be arsed to find out whether I was going to hand over my hard earned.

Just to be clear did you tell them you wanted to buy one , or just wanted to have a look at one
Opps bit slow typing

Did you ask them to get one in?

After being told they wouldn’t bother because of the wheel size it didn’t seem worth while asking them to.

TBH not only have they lost a sale it now looks like Ragley have as I’m now considering a couple of other frames by other manufacturers.

Sourced elsewhere.

so its not a problem with LBS’s, just one shop.

Go to be a troll. Surely?

I’m to going to speak for the shop. But I often have to make judgements about how serious someone is, and how likely I’ll be left with unsellable stock. For example, today I fitted some fancy dynamo kit to someone’s bike, about £700-worth, that I got in and built up on his word – partly because he seemed genuine, partly because it wasn’t anything so unusual that I wouldn’t be able to sell it to someone else soon. Other times, I’m honest with people that I’m not going to get something in unless they put down a non-refundable deposit because it’s so specialist I’d have trouble selling it to anyone else.

I’m not a MTB expert, but even I know that 26″ stuff is old-fashioned now 😀

slightly off subject i did the same recently in a lbs ready to purchase a road bike which was £2900 the fella palmed me off with loads a bullshit so i binned him off an told him to shove it, and went an bought a carbon lefty instead from somewhere else

so its not a problem with LBS’s, just one shop.

+1

Or even a problem with one person in one shop.

I popped into The Missing Link in Droitwich last week on my way home from the Midlands and was very impressed. It surprised me a little that the chap (Mark – owner?) asked me what I ride and took a genuine interest. It was really nice. It made me miss having an LBS – no bike shop in my town.

The Pinkster – Member
TBH not only have they lost a sale it now looks like Ragley have as I’m now considering a couple of other frames by other manufacturers.

Sourced elsewhere.

So the salesperson read you exactly right – it would have been a complete waste of their time and money to get one in for you as you’re already considering other frames.

Go to be a troll. Surly?

Thank you Jamie

So who has actually decided that no one wants 26ers then because I’ve seen enough proof that people do???

Or even a problem with one person in one shop.

Aye, bikeind I bet 🙂

I popped into The Missing Link in Droitwich

if you knew the area well you’d realize how apt that name is

Hey, I’ve got a joke!

So, a man walks into a bike shop and doesn’t ask to buy a frame and is surprised when the shop doesn’t get in the frame he hasn’t actually asked to buy.

What. The. Chuff?

Some thoughts…

He was joking?
Were you suggesting you would like to fondle one to see if you liked it?
Were you suggesting you wanted to demo one?
Did you say how much are the blue pigs and how long to get one?

Swinnertons at the chase must get a lot of tyre kickers in there, most trail centre shops will do. If I want something I ask for a price and delivery time, if I want to look at something I understand that it’s not always possible.

Both my lbs try hard to give good service although one has been discourteous to two of my regular riding group lately so leaning towards the other for preference.

I don’t expect them to do anything funky that I can order online and is not a regular stock item for them.

In return I try and buy 75% of my consumables in store plus any bigger component buys unless they don’t do the brand.

I use the workshop for wheel builds and I hope a new bike will come from there in the next year or two.

slightly off subject i did the same recently in a lbs ready to purchase a road bike which was £2900 the fella palmed me off with loads a bullshit so i binned him off an told him to shove it, and went an bought a carbon lefty instead from somewhere else

So you didn’t really want a road bike, you wanted a fork?

Just for balance Mark and Jack and the folks at Swinnos have got quite a few things in for me to ‘have a look at’ on the strength of a phone call or an email. Great customer service and friendly helpful staff

My only experience of Swinnertons on the Chase was years ago when I snapped a lace before a ride. I went in to ask if they sold laces…they didn’t. The fella then went to the shoe display, pulled a lace out and gave it to me. He wouldn’t take any payment, so I bought some patches and a couple of energy bars.

I can think of far, far worse shops….

I’d like to hear Swinnerton’s side of the story.

TBH not only have they lost a sale it now looks like Ragley have as I’m now considering a couple of other frames by other manufacturers.

So you’d seriously not buy that particular frame now due to one throwaway comment in a shop?.

This is a great forum. Enjoyed reading everyones views on this tricky one.

I like this shop a lot, their staff are always helpful to me. Have provided lots of advice, let me use their tools to fix my bike and never have a problem with me filling up my hydration pack in their kitchen.

Nothing to add to the thread apart from Jack and Mark at Swinnertons are brilliant. Proper friendly bike shop there. Not been there in a while but can’t imagine it’s changed much.

I popped into The Missing Link in Droitwich last week on my way home from the Midlands and was very impressed. It surprised me a little that the chap (Mark – owner?) asked me what I ride and took a genuine interest. It was really nice. It made me miss having an LBS – no bike shop in my town.

😀

Cheers for popping in. Great to put names to faces off here too. Always good to chat to fellow riders anyway, as a customer I got fed up chatting to LBS owners that clearly had no passion for riding bikes, so I go the other way and strike up conversations about riding with customers.

if you knew the area well you’d realize how apt that name is

Probably why I fit in! 😉

I appreciate that but they didn’t even take any notice of how interested I was in it, just hat it’s not 650b or 29er so they couldn’t be arsed to find out whether I was going to hand over my hard earned.

Double edged sword to be fair. Of course if the customer is genuinely interested, a good salesperson would not go out of their way to discourage them from buying the product, in fashion or not. But an “interest” in something that is out of fashion, and would probably end up sitting on the shelf for a long time requiring 30/40/50% off to clear it out (and the shop almost certainly having to sell it for less than cost) isn’t strong enough to “just get one in” so to speak. My usual response to something like that would be to ask for a 10% deposit up front, that way the customer is showing commitment to buying the item, or at least covering your costs of either returning to distributor (if possible) or your margin loss if you have to discount it on to sell it if they change their mind on buying it. Also, asking for 10% up front really sorts the dreamers out from those that are really interested… Ask yourself this, if they’d asked you for 10% up front to order one in, would you have willingly paid it or not?

There is of course no excuse for poor service though…

I bought a pair of shoes from them years ago…when they arrived one shoe had no lace and there were scrunched up energy bar wrappers stuffed in it.