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This is within a month -
It started out with ordering a saddle, got sent a saddle of a different colour, raised this with the seller, response was "we tried contacting you, didn't get a response, sent you the best selling colour instead, you can return if you want", to which i replied asking about return postage costs, this turned to radio silence.
Ordered a set of lock-on grips, got sent the slide ons instead, this was resolved ok, but still annoying in the first place.
I pop into a bike shop at a bike park, ask for a seal for a hope hub, some grumpy so and so was immediately of the stance that since they hadn't seen one before it didn't exist, even though they had "serviced loads of these hubs", i proceeded to quote the hope part number and referred them to the exploded diagram, surprisingly they found it did exist, they had a stroppy search in their spares box, but didn’t find any.
Finally, and the most annoying, bought a bike from one of the online brands, ride it once, was doing the post shakedown checks and got to tightening the cassette lockring, starting tightening, didn’t feel reassuring and solid, them bam, threads strip in the freehub body. Contact manufacturer, (well carried on string on convo we were having previous over chain length), say what has happened, no reply. I then make separate contact with the manufacturer, asking for help, am told I need to go to a LBS to source a new freehub, took it on the chin at this point and just sourced a new freehub. I fit new freehub, tighten the cassette, it feels a bit wrong again, I stop, have a look again, the cassette is on the piss, the plastic spacer that goes against the stop on the freehub is pushing over the stop. I contact the manufacturer again, explain the issue, I ask repeatedly how they’re going to resolve it, “can’t comment until we see it”, ok, fair enough. Manufacturer inspects, eventually find the cassette doesn’t sit right on the freehub body, acknowledging there’s something wrong with the cassette and damaged threads on the freehubs, their offer at this point is fresh cassette citing that the lockring can be tightened to the specified torque (though you’ve also agreed threads are damaged, that’s a whole other discussion over whether it’s still fit for purpose, ie how many removal and installs are the damaged threads going to survive). Note this all occurred with 30 days of receiving the bike, so I ask for money back, we have a silly back and forth on the phone where I say it’s my legal right for refund, they say they’ve right to repair, I leave it at go do some research and point them to some material, they eventually come back and agree to a refund.
I must say that CRC/Wiggle are very good when issues arise.
No. It’s you
😀
I bought a shop four years ago (nothing to do with bikes) and it has given me a whole new perspective on the general public
Mrs IRC worked in a clothes shop at one time. Amazing the number of dresses that are returned after obviously being worn to a night out. Maybe that hit on the profit margins partly explains why the shop has closed down.
Previously she worked in a high end fashion shop where a nationally recognized TV presenter did the same thing.
where a nationally recognized TV presenter did the same thing.
I alsways imagined they were "sponsored" in some way, as you never saw a female tv presenter repeat outfits. Assumed people who cared about that sort of thing were as nerdy as we are about bike tyres and it would serve as advertising for the shop or brand
After working in a shop, my sympathy for anyone who deals with the public is enormous. One example: we used to get loads of people coming in asking for a refund on CDs they'd blatantly just copied (early 2000s). They were very insistent about their rights, CDs still had the Woolworths price stickers on them and they had a receipt, how could I be so rude as to refuse them? I worked in an Our Price. Despite pointing out they were in the wrong shop, they'd continue to demand a refund. I learnt that the customer is usually wrong, and try and remember that when I'm dealing with customer service now
I worked in bike shops for 10 years, I found customers generally very reasonable, the trouble I found was being "stuck in the middle" in terms of where the shop sits. Something goes wrong, is usually manufacturers fault, but shop has to front the ramifications from the customer.
Did have one where a customer was using a 160mm bike for commuting along canal paths, the suspension was "too hard and dangerous", they felt unsafe riding it, what do you do with that?
Something goes wrong, is usually manufacturers fault, but shop has to front the ramifications from the customer.
this is the bit I never understand - if I buy a telly from John Lewis and it develops a fault I expect the shop to sort it out. I absolutely wouldn’t expect to be hearing a tale of woe about how their conversation with Sony as it’s simply not my concern. Bike shops seem to believe they’re a special case tho?
“stuck in the middle"
I get this but the bike manufacturers don't pay money in to the shop. Customers do.
X% of Customers will be dicks , most aren't.
Repeat sales keep brick and mortar shops open. If megabrandx is not backing up their product, maybe megabrandz will.
I bought a shop four years ago (nothing to do with bikes)
Ok Mr 'Rubber Buccaneer', if it's not a bike shop I'm taking a wild guess at the shop's speciality and imagining them customers to be an interesting crowd.
I bought a shop four years ago (nothing to do with bikes) and it has given me a whole new perspective on the general public
Checking out at Sports Direct last week, chatting to lady on counter (who was clock watching). Turns out she was 40-odd minutes from the end of her final shift. She said "the longer I worked here, the more I realised I don't like dealing with horrible people".
She was going to be a veterinary nurse 😁
Oh, and she stuck her staff discount on what I bought and said she was giving it to customers who were nice to her. 👍
bike shops are in a situation where if something on a bike breaks the part will will be replaced by the distributor, etc. the distributor may want to see the broken part first.
often the broken parts are OEM spec and not available on the retail market, so the shop isn’t in a position to replace like for like. if the shop does, for example, replace a wheel due to a failed hub they ay not have the exact wheel in stock and the wheel the shop receives from the distributor will be the OEM only job that came on the bike that will probably be harder to sell at retail than the one they put on the customer’s bike. it would also need an extra SKU which adds an administration overhead.
if they were in a position to replace a bike with a broken freehub for an entirely new bike and the distributor would credit them the cost of the bike then they would. returning a tv is a very different proposition for the retailer than returning a bike.
a bike is more akin to a car in so much as it is a collection of replaceable parts rather than an unserviceable item.
then factor in the notion that the shop may be lacking in clear policies (that huge retailers would have) and may have a shit manager who won’t give the staff or customers a straight answer or step up when there is an actual issue that needs to be resolved and you can understand how bike shops are different to john lewis
hope that makes sense, i’m typing at 3:20 pm in a room of 7 year olds making a hell of a noise.
the law in the uk is on the side of the consumer in these situations, but the practicalities of the situation are such that the shop can’t move as quickly as the customer wants, or actually is entitled to. it gets even worse when frames break and they need to go back to a regional hq which may be in an entirely different country.
Bike shops seem to believe they’re a special case tho?
Wasn't pointing it out fot sympathy, just point out that that is the reality of things. Too right the contract is with the shop, my biggest exception though is with bike manufacturers in the way things work.