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Hi,
I recently put a deposit down on a new eMTB and LBS said it would take one week to prep before I could have it. The bike is now available for collection but upon searching the web I noticed the bike is now being discounted by a couple of online retailers. Since I've not got the bike yet or fully purchased it, do you think I am being unreasonable to further negotiate with the LBS to try and give me some extra discount?
do you think I am being unreasonable to further negotiate with the LBS to try and give me some extra discount
I'm not sure I'd expect a bricks and mortar online retailer to price match a box shifter online business.
It's also hard to know how the online retailer is in the position to offer a discount - just a reduced margin to sell off the last of the stock (that they bought in quantity to get a discount not available to a LBS) or because the distributor has offered them the rest of this year's stock at a discount so they can afford to pass a bit on. Regardless, you know the LBS won't have bought the one they have bought and have prepped for you on such favourable terms.
I'm not an ebike owner, but from what I read there are significant advantages to owning a eMTB bought from a LBS local to you, and you have a good relationship with, when it comes to warranty faff.
I reckon once you've paid your deposit you are making an agreement
that being said, you are within your rights to cancel the transaction and purchase over
I wouldn't though, i get missing out on a sale etc etc, it is what it is, you could maybe do a halfway thing.. "hey I've just noticed that these have gone on sale here and here, don't suppose i could be cheeky and ask you to invisframe it for me please?"
I had a frame on order which was then widely reduced by a couple of hundred quid. I mentioned this to the shop who checked with the supplier (Banshee) and then refunded the difference. They also offered stock to the same value but I was just shifting everything over from another frame so didn't need that much.
Are you likely to get your deposit back if you cancel the purchase? And is the bike already on its way to the shop being checked over etc?
I guess the amount it's being discounted by would guide me, but ultimately I'd have to remind myself that I was quite happy to purchase it at the price offered by the LBS.
I did already get invisiframe included in the sale albeit £100's worth, however the discounts out there are about £1200 off at the moment. That's a bitter pill to swallow, but I did think if they could do something to lessen the impact as I wasn't expecting a precise price match and at the time I had no room for bargaining as prices online were the same as the LBS's.
just remember when you have to take it back to the shop, because its an ebike they have regular visits, how much easier it is to drop it off at your lbs than having to post it to some shop somewhere.
this convenience is worth so much more than money
As above, the approach I would take would be, if I cancel my order and loose my deposit, will the discount I can buy it online exceed the difference, and the possible hassle for dealing with warranty issues that will inevitably arise, as it is a emtb 😉
Then assuming its close enough, I think I would mention it to the shop and ask if they would be kind and offer to match the price meet me halfway or something like that, be nice, and ask without expectation....
Be polite and transparent and tell them what you've told us, the supplier might help them if they've only just ordered it for you anyway.
a) As Convert said, it would be unreasonable to expect a bricks & mortar shop to price-match an online retailer, even before you'd decided to buy it, and
b) what do you suppose a deposit is for?
It can't hurt to ask them nicely, you might get a "gesture of goodwill" out of them. But you're in no position to negotiate, you've already bought it.
If the store you bought it from had reduced the price then I'd be disappointed if they didn't honour the lower price on settling the balance, but the answer to "I could've bought it cheaper from elsewhere" is "well, you should've bought it from there, then" I'm afraid.
that being said, you are within your rights to cancel the transaction and purchase over
Not if it was bought in-store, the "cooling off period" only applies to goods bought unseen (eg, online). If you've simply changed your mind then you're beholden to the store's Returns policy which could say something like "goods may be returned within 14 days but any deposits paid are non-refundable."
Get a mate to call up the shop and ask about buying the exact bike you've ordered and see what price he's quoted. Get him to ask about price matching and you'll have a good idea what the options are! 😉
Some brands are changing deals offered to shops all the time to push certain stock through. One day there's a discount, next day it's gone. Outside of that window you're out of luck. I won't mention names but some brands have also been giving better prices to one dealer than another locally, which hasn't been going down well.
It's worth asking though. £1200 is a big difference.
Is your size included in the online sales?
Has your bike had invisiframe fitted at your request?
Just talking to the shop.
In a similar situation once and the importer decreased the price to the shop enough that they could offer me a suitable discount so that everyone was happy.
Failing that, simple maths, is the deposit and invisiframe (if already fitted) less than the potential saving shopping elsewhere?
Was the bike in the shop when you ordered or did they have to order it in? if the latter there's a fair chance for some negotiation if it's discount from the distributor you're seeing online. Certainly doesn't hurt to ask.
If the pricing online had gone up, would you be offering to pay more???
I say stick to the deal you agreed.
I understand your frustration but a bricks and mortar shop is not the same as an internet retailer they should provide better service and they have greater costs. You have entered into a contract to buy at that price
No harm in politely asking - then decide if you want to go ahead or not but if you do not then don't expect your deposit back - and for goodness sake do not take it there for warranty work
It is an ebike, it will fail - the gamble is how soon it will - would it be easier to be on good terms with the bike shop to help fix the issues or not?
You've bought the bike at a price you were happy with, if the shop isn't discounting the price then expect to be told they can't if you do ask. No harm in asking, but expect to be told no chance (then anything they offer is an improvement).
Talk to them. Be honest.
If they have a really bad attitude (don't know why they would) then you've still got the nuclear option of pulling out, maybe losing your deposit, but leaving them in the hole too - if the build is quite custom. THIS IS NO ONE'S PREFERRED OPTION.
They explain, nicely, that there's nothing they can do. At this point, I'd say you have to swallow it.
They offer (it might be your idea) something like the free invisiframe above or maybe chuck a free set of replacement tyres, brake pads and a chain in. At this point you take what's on offer and recognise that you will have LBS backup for warranty claims etc - as above, it's an eeb.
They price match.
Obviously there's a spectrum here. But if you're up front with them, that's the best way to start.
If the pricing online had gone up, would you be offering to pay more???
I say stick to the deal you agreed.
What a stupid comment.
Talk to the shop (its that simple) - as others have (I think) mentioned, it may be the distributors are discounting them (2026 stock on the way?) and so your LBS should be able to pass that saving onto you. If they refuse to budge then you've got a call to make which might involve losing your deposit depending on the terms you've agreed to...
Next week on the forum:
"My LBS has closed. Where can I take my ebike to be repaired?"
Sorry OP - this isn't aimed at you but the demands of the great British public to reduce prices inevitably results in the closing of shops and distributers and the de-skilling of shops as they can't afford to pay for training and pay wages that keep hold of good quality staff.
Having worked in a bike shop, it grates every day when someone buying a £6k bike demands a discount to match an online shop when you are on minimum wage and can barely afford a basic Ridgeback at trade. So the good people leave for better paid jobs and the customer complains that the service is rubbish. Well, yeah of course it is! Now pop your new bike that cost the same as I earn in 5 months on the back of your £50k Audi and go and tell your mates that you supported your LBS.
I know this sounds bitter and I am a long time away from the industry (having left because the pay is crap) but currently margins are pitiful and sales are low. By all means ask if they can do anything on the price, but bear in mind any discount is straight off the bottom line of the distributer or retailer and that sale may well mean the difference between profit or loss for the month.
The industry is in such a state that within a very few years the only bricks and mortar bike shops will be Go Outdoors, Decathlon and Halfords.
Now pop your new bike that cost the same as I earn in 5 months on the back of your £50k Audi and go and tell your mates that you supported your LBS.
Try not to be too judgemental...
a few quid less, i wouldnt say anything. £1200... defo ask. Thats a serious chunk on money.
Many shops 'price match' or 'price promise', so its not like you are asking the unthinkable.
Let us know what they've said will you please OP?
Try not to be too judgemental...
You are right and you try not to be but it does grind you down after a while. I guess it's the feeling of not feeling valued at all. I had one customer who came in and bought a high end Enduro bike, then said "I want to do all my own maintenance, can I book an hour of your time so you can tell me everything I need to know about bike maintenance?"
Sure, it's taken me ten years of doing this everyday to get to this level of knowledge and skill. You want me to pass all of this on to you in an hour so you can then make me redundant. That's how it works with all trades isn't it.
Then during covid - when bikes were in very short supply and demand was high we had a woman come in and buy a £1000 hybrid bike. She asked for a discount giving us this big sob story about being a nurse and needing the bike to get to work in order to save lives as the busses weren't running and her husband was furloughed etc etc. We fell for it and sold the bike at cost.
A week later she came in to collect it and asked if we could help her put it in her car. I went out with her and as we walked to the carpark she said "this is very exciting, new bike day and new car day - picked up this beauty this morning!" So I loaded her discounted bike into her brand new Audi Q7... A week later she was back asking for discounted lights/locks etc as she was such a good customer.
So one by one the good guys left, because after all if you can fix a bike, you can fix a fighter jet (apparently). Then the customers come back and shout at the 18 year old for not being able to fix their bike, but is cheap to employ.
I don't miss it at all.
Anyway, back to the OP - I hope you get a result that you are happy with and everyone in the supply chain makes some money.
A bricks and mortar store is never going to compete on price with an online store. If you're happy sorting out warranty issues etc., buy online. If not, pay the extra for bricks and mortar.
Next week on the forum:
"My LBS has closed. Where can I take my ebike to be repaired?"
I'm reminded of,
One time, I needed new rock climbing shoes. I had a good idea of what I wanted, went to my FLclimbingS and tried on a few shoes. And by "few" I mean "pretty much every pair in the store." What I settled on was something wildly different from what I thought I wanted.
I then looked online, and what I now knew were the right choice was considerably cheaper online even after (long story) a "mate's rates" discount. At which point, I could have gone "thanks for your time" and walked out, bought them online and saved maybe 25% on the purchase price. But I figured, that's a ****'s trick, the store's markup probably covered the assistant's time with a few quid in change to keep the lights on, and the solid advice I received after initially rocking up all cocksure was literally priceless.
Then stores like that go bang and people go "we don't understand why..."
I get that shopping online for eg cat food or something makes sense and I agree with it, but with an actual store you're paying for Value-Added. Who's (ahem) footing the bill when your climbing shoes are the wrong style? Where are you going to take your mail-order bike for servicing? Who (outside of STW) is going to advise you whether or not to buy a Panasonic TV over a similarly-specced Toshiba? Where can you go lie on two dozen different beds to choose a mattress you'll be lying on for thirty thousand hours of your life?
Why is there an assumption that the online store isn't also a bricks and mortar store?
That’s my thought, as mentioned before it’s sometimes the distributor that drops the price to the shop so it can be passed on to the customer. All my bikes have been bought discounted by the distributor/manufacturer at the end of year sale and the discount passed on to me.
If the pricing online had gone up, would you be offering to pay more???
I say stick to the deal you agreed.
What a stupid comment.
Talk to the shop (its that simple) - as others have (I think) mentioned, it may be the distributors are discounting them (2026 stock on the way?) and so your LBS should be able to pass that saving onto you. If they refuse to budge then you've got a call to make which might involve losing your deposit depending on the terms you've agreed to...
Thanks for your stunning analysis there. Some people subscribe to living a vaguely ethical life, however.
If the world was full of nice people, you'd hope that the shop would voluntarily pass on any unexpected savings to the customer anyway. But sadly I suspect they hew to the average degree of selfishness like yourself.
Why is there an assumption that the online store isn't also a bricks and mortar store?
Why is there an assumption that if the retailer is both, prices will be the same online as in store?
My assumption was that the OP walked into a shop, went "I'll have one of those please," then came home and found better prices offered online by other retailers. Was that incorrect?