How to fire a customer in 10 minutes or less

[Kid A]

Originally Posted by mechmann

i guess i can handle that, knowing that i am of course not really retarded.

most def signiture worthy

[FyrFytrRyn]

1. telling me you will call marz, manitou, or X to get parts, and then never call me back.
2. find out some schmoe gets the 10% off but i dont, im here at least once a week, or at least used to be.
3. rebuild my rear wheel, and "forget" to trim the spokes, resulting in a flat. must have been the 15yr old tech???
yeah i dont go there anymore, i just do it all myself. and i mailorder.

[FisherFanHye]

When you walk into a shop and have over three grand to spend and you get the, are you sure your ready to by a bike today?
Glendale has some of the worst bike shops I've ever been to

[Chewyeti]

i went down with a HUGE chunk of cash in my pocket to everyones favorite shop, looked at coilers and stinkys... and cash did not talk. Looking at 07,s even tho the 08's were in stock.

The 07's were mildly discounted... basically I was told that some guy would come in and buy them even if i didnt... was a matter of time


Cash and Carry is King

[schleppp]

Give me great customer service, sell me an awesome bike, and take care of small issues as they arise... All in a plot to get me to come back and spend more money!!

I hate The Path!!

[nintense]

This tread, but I have to disagree on this one.
custom wheels can be cost different due to the nipples, spokes, and the builder.

Originally Posted by davidB

to add another to the store i already complained about...

say "we can't do that" when asked to drop the quoted price of a wheelset i wanted down almost $200 because that's what another shop had quoted me on. Seriously, it shouldn't cost $740 for hope pro 2's with mavic 819's. But go right on ahead *******.

[Padre]

Getting sold a bike that clearly won't fit you.

My first bike I bought from a shop in Costa Mesa:
Specialized StumpJumper size Large (I'm 6'6)

[Bergsteiger]

Going to a shop where you feel like they are doing you a favor by helping you, or taking way too long to acknowledge your presence, EVEN when there is no one else in the store. How about going back to the same shop and never really feeling like they know you or have seen you before, even though you are there every week.
When I sold skis/snowboards, I loved talking to people about where they have been, where they are going, conditions, and just generally spreading your love for the sport. I don't want to feel like I have walked in to 7/11 where they take your money and kick your ass out the door.

[davidB]

Originally Posted by nintense

This tread, but I have to disagree on this one.
custom wheels can be cost different due to the nipples, spokes, and the builder.

all i remember is that the spokes were the same (dt swiss, double butted). If you can justify a $200 higher difference in nipples and build then i'd guess you'd be right, but who knows.

Unfortunately the shop I got them from (the path) is kinda known for building good wheels. So i'll take "build" out of the equation as well. Them some expensive ass nipples from that other shop

[gregOREO]

Originally Posted by Padre

Getting sold a bike that clearly won't fit you.

My first bike I bought from a shop in Costa Mesa:
Specialized StumpJumper size Large (I'm 6'6)

Im also talking about a store in Costa Mesa
i just got my bike back from the repair and it has to go in again because they didin't fix it right

[thephat]

Originally Posted by mtnbikerfred

So "Lackey",

What have YOU done that you KNOW burned a customer for your shop?

I'd really like to keep this thread to specific things we'd all like to see improved at our LBS. I'd just as soon not have any shops/employees named UNLESS you're admitting it was your fault...

As the owner of a shop, there are plenty of opporunities to piss customers off.

With 20 employees, there is usually somone having a tuff go of it, and they will piss customers off till you can catch it and fix it.

I always feel like a tool when I can't remember somone's name, and I know that I have been introduced to them, or talked to them more than once. It also sucks when I can't remember the specifics of our last conversation. No matter how many names and conversations I retain, some seem to slip away.

One of the worst things is damaging somone's bike. There have been a handfull of instances over the last ten years where equipment in the shop for repair has been scratched, lost, stolen, dented etc. This is never easy to explain and sometimes even when you replace the item (free off course), the customer leaves feeling betrayed. Off course, there are also instances where we are blamed for damage that we know for fact was not our fault.

Sometimes you piss a customer off for price reasons. We try to be competive in the marketplace for customer service reasons. We know that even if you have the money to spend, and know that you got better service, it is annoying to find out that you could have saved a lot of $. The problem is two part. One is that the market place is big, and quick to change. The other is that this business is barely profitable in the first place.

Thinking back to earlier in this post, I think the tuffest thing is when you do your best, and somone still feels betrayed. There are so many opportunities for something to go wrong when you combine sales and repairs for a passionat client base. We have 20 humans all of whom will inevitably make mistakes. It is too bad when somone takes it personally even after you do everything you can to work it out.

[SheDevil]

Hmmm....

1. Sending a pro rider into a shop for a part....when I say pro I mean Olympic medalist pro, but yes a foreigner....and having the owner talk to him like he was an idiot. Having the same said owner repeat this performance to myself and several friends.

2. Having any owner reprimand their staff in front of clients...and this goes for ANY business. Have seen this in at least two shops and multiple businesses.

3. Me being in the middle of the street trying to rescue baby ducks and have a bike shop vehicle that was clearly marked drive AROUND me instead of stop like everyone else was.

4. A shop tell me they don't sell downhill bikes because "nobody does that anymore, and there's no market for them."

I wish my memory could fade with some of this...but I'm a consumer...and those things sting a little.

[Kid A]

Originally Posted by SheDevil

1. Sending a pro rider into a shop for a part....when I say pro I mean Olympic medalist pro, but yes a foreigner....and having the owner talk to him like he was an idiot.

think this is okay if a french roadie....

[SheDevil]

Originally Posted by Kid A

think this is okay if a french roadie....

Italian

[Kid A]

Originally Posted by SheDevil

Italian

you did see the , right???

well, imagine could not have been paulo as I am sure they would have spent as much time with her and them some

[SheDevil]

Originally Posted by Kid A

you did see the , right???

well, imagine could not have been paulo as I am sure they would have spent as much time with her and them some

They use to race together a lot...but not Bettini...and I did see the winky....



I hate being brutal with my reply btw...nobody is perfect.... and mishaps ehh....whatever, they happen. I only get ruffled over blatant stuff. There are some great shops out there...and I've had some really good times at a few LBS's. I also want to say thanks for all the support and events they put on!!!! All in all ...it's more positive then negative...but you asked a touchy question, so I answered.

[Winger]

Taking my money for a bike and telling me they could finally order my size (after months of me patiently waiting & checking back) and telling me I would have it by next Friday.

I called on Thursday to make sure everything was on for Friday.....and was told they were mistaken and couldn't order the bike and never called to tell me. I would have been OK if he had called me a week earlier to let me know, but in a week's time my new bike excitement had grown out of control.

I'll never forget the disappointed look on the owner's face as he wrote out a check to return my money. I've never been back since.


**this shop is in OC, but I've never seen it mentioned on this site**

[Kid A]

Originally Posted by SheDevil

They use to race together a lot...but not Bettini...and I did see the winky....

hey, i was thinking Pezzo..

[amor587]

Walking into a bike shop asking them to install a star nut onto a new fork (note: the fork was not yet installed on a bike so I carried it in my hands) and they said that it will be ready to pick up in 4 days. Needless to say I left with my fork and went to another shop that installed it while I waited in 5 minutes.

[slowSSer]

Originally Posted by 2wheel_lee

9. "We don't have it, but we can order it for you." - I hate this when I first need to find out if that particular clothing item even fits or is comfortable. I'm not going to order it unless I first try it on!

so I take it you don't shop at REI?