How to fire a customer in 10 minutes or less

[Permagrin]

Don't assume I know nothing about bikes just because I'm not a man and if I have questions don't act like I'm wasting your time, give me the brush off or speak to me like I'm an imbecile. I'm there to buy and learn and we all started at the bottom at sometime in our lives.

[mtnbikerfred]

Station: You're Fired!! You clearly cannot follow simple instructions. I said ONE THING. I hope this is all from the same shop (which should have remained nameless), otherwise you may get the award for being the worst customer ever!!

You should quit what you're doing and open your own shop

[ericfoltz]

1. Take my money for a special order and never order the part (this gets a lifetime boycott).

2. Have someone wearing one of your jersey's not yield when I am going uphill (this gets a 3 month boycott).

3. Have a crappy selection of after-market parts.

[allison]

Multiple shops. FWIW, I've gone back to them all since, so they weren't deal breakers, but still not cool.

Never order what I/we've asked to be ordered. If money is the problem then just say so and we'll pay half up front, etc. But don't say you ordered it when you didn't.

Name calling in front of the customer (I didn't overhear it, but the customer did).

Not being able to work on a bike when we are from out of town and can't come pick it up the next day (also, not having a bike built up when it sounded like it was for test ride).

Not having anything useful in stock. Ever.
Installing parts incorrectly (pretty sure the bottom bracket on one of our bikes is still cross-threaded due to the initial installation of a different crankset).

[pinoiryder]

i always say it takes months to gain a customer but it only take a second to lost one..

[station]

Originally Posted by mtnbikerfred

Station: You're Fired!! You clearly cannot follow simple instructions. I said ONE THING. I hope this is all from the same shop (which should have remained nameless), otherwise you may get the award for being the worst customer ever!!

You should quit what you're doing and open your own shop

Crap, I dunno man. Thought this was an open rant kind of thread.

haha





Hey!!! People are posting a bunch. Sure all on the same post, but whatever. I'm dealing with work issues and trying to fit STR in when I need a sanity break!! hahaha

[gooseaholic]

I was not gonna post anything, but this just happened.I just got off( literally) the phone to find out a new part was installed without even asking me.I have the said new part at home which is also brand new. I will pay for it but not real happy with the fact it was done without my consent.

[station]

Originally Posted by bighit8

I was not gonna post anything, but this just happened.I just got off( literally) the phone to find out a new part was installed without evening asking me.I have the said new part at home which is also brand new. I will pay for it but not real happy with the fact it was done without my consent.

That's what I was just bitching about! Was it at a little shop on the coast who's name rhymes with RBC?

[OTHRIDER]

Order a part for me - just two or three days I'm told. Follow up after a week - any day now. Almost forget it's ordered. Two & a half weeks later I get a call - it's in!!!! I get there about two hours later and they sold it to someone else.

[foofighter]

walk into a LBS ask where they keep those bells (at the time i forgot the name of it) said
salesgirl looks at me and say what kind of bell?
I said the kind you put on the handle bar and you make it sound off w/ your thumb...
other sale guy chimes in and says...oh incredibell.
Me: BINGO that's it. do you have it?
Girl: no i dont think we ever carried that here.
Me: Looking incredulous. Are you sure? because I bought one a few months back for my other bike.
Girl: oh hmm...i can special order it for you and let you know when it comes in...
Me: ok fine

********

Same sales girl happened to my friend:

Friend: hi i'm looking for some cogs for my singlespeed conversion i'm doing
Girl: we dont seem to have any in stock.
Friend: are you sure? my friend just bought one yesterday?
Girl: I dont see any
Friend: *walks out in disgust*

Moral of the story...knowledgable staff that tells the truth is key, if they dont know say I dont know dont lie.

[gooseaholic]

No station it was not that shop.But if the shop had just called me a said,"you need this" I would had said ok.
In all Fairness I understand they are just trying to make the bike work,but they do have my number.I dont want the shop to lose money,I could have brought them the part.They did give me a discount on the part which is cool,but they would have not had to eat a 60 dollar part.All in all its pretty fair, but since the thread is about how to improve customer service. Just this 1 thing "call me before you put on parts I did not ask for"

[gregOREO]

#1 blame a snaped chain, bottoming fork, stripped caliper bolt on a "user error"
#2 attempt to charge a customer on a warranty repair
#3 fixing a warranty problem by removing a washer and adding locktight
#4 having your bike serviced at the shop multiple times and the owner of the store tells you there is no record of your bike being in the shop(when i heard that my bike was at the shop for about two weeks) nor ever being worked on

all that from one shop!!!!
anyways got my bike back yesturday and you wont see me there again

[mfoga]

Originally Posted by gregOREO

#1 blame a snaped chain, bottoming fork, stripped caliper bolt on a "user error"
#2 attemot to charge a customer on a warranty repair
#3 fixing a warranty problem by removing a washer and adding locktight
#4 having your bike serviced at the shop multiple times and the owner of the store tells you there is no record of your bike being in the shop(when i heard that my bike was at the shop for about two weeks) nor ever being worked on

all that from one shop!!!!
anyways got my bike back yesturday and you wont see me there again

Wait you really have a bike?

[gregOREO]

Originally Posted by mfoga

Wait you really have a bike?

yeah Dino was wrong i do have my own bike no more loaners lol
took it out to fullerton loop last night for a ride with the guys

[Zippy]

Deap breath, thumb and forefingers together, find your center, try not to dredge up hateful emotions...

It goes like this:

Went into a shop for a new chain, lackey behind the parts counter says they only have hollow pin, I express my doubts:

Me: "I'm not so sure a hollow pin is as strong as a solid one"
Lackey: "Well, why do you think they make bikes out of hollow tubes?"
Me: "Em, because it's lighter that way..."
L: (Contemptuously) "No, becasue it's stronger"

Whatever.., I buy hollow pin chain and it BREAKS (gasp!) in 20 miles in the middle of a VERY important race for me, so I go back to confront Lackey about his awesome parts choice and it's like I just told him him Mom is turning'tricks on the corner. Dude can't believe I actually broke one and stammers:

"I-I ride those chains on my DH bike and they never brake!"

That's great douche...try taking a physics class...

I buy SOLID PIN chain and all has been well for a full year. Not shopping there EVER AGAIN.

[boludo]

Zippy, that is one cool story. Hollow tubes. What a bozo that guys was. Screw taking a class, he needs a truck load of common sense shoved down his throat.

now go calm yourself down.

[donkey]

Originally Posted by boludo

Zippy, that is one cool story. Hollow tubes. What and idiot that guys was. Screw taking a class, he needs a truck load of common sense shoved down his throat.

now go calm yourself down.

In the shop rats defense.......the word from SRAM has long been that their hollow pin chains are the strongest of their line(except for the 991 cross-step).

Were you using the powerlink or did you push the pin back through?

Just curious....as there is always 2 sides to a story.....and being a lifelong shop employee....I'm reading through all of these examples and imagining the other side of the story(except for rude/ignorant behavior....there's only one side to that!)

B

[davidB]

I wonder what the LBS owners/employees reading this thread are thinking. Love to hear their input (in another thread maybe?) Obviously a few of these things can be explained from the other point of view/shop policy/etc. Can't please everyone ya know

edit: apparently the path employees are quicker than i am (post above) ^^^^

[2wheel_lee]

Originally Posted by Zippy

Whatever.., I buy hollow pin chain and it BREAKS (gasp!) in 20 miles in the middle of a VERY important race for me, so I go back to confront Lackey about his awesome parts choice .

Did the pin actually break?

With some of the stories above, I can definately see both sides.

[reflux]

Not taking the time to listen to the customer and actually process the conversation.