How to fire a customer in 10 minutes or less

[moment8]

Brian @ The Path. Much respect for your response, thanks. I will PM you.



David.

[donkey]

Originally Posted by joyride153

so the path should always have some bike boxes in the back? I never been there, is it accessible after hours?

thanks

Unfortunately for you....we bring them in every night. But if you can make it by between 8 and 7 during the week we almost always have some.

Originally Posted by moment8

Brian @ The Path. Much respect for your response, thanks. I will PM you.



David.

Likewise, respect!

B

[SAR_boats]

Originally Posted by moment8

He's 6'-0", I thought a large Epiphany would fit better. The condition of the frame...it's okay, still new (but built up previously).

Brian is right, just because the head tube is reamed doesn't mean it was built up, just that the head tube was reamed. Quite a few high end manufacturers do head tube reaming in-house to remove excesses welding filler metal on the inside of the headtube and to ease the build process at the bike shop.

If there were no divots in the paint of the rear dropouts or on the seat tube where the front derailler clamps on then the bike hasn't been built.

I have not seen the frame in question so I don't know what the actuality of the situation is but if what Brian said is true then the frame wasn't built.

The sizing of said frame is another matter. Every manufacturer is different so one man's medium is another's large. 6' tall is usually on the borderline between a med and a large frame so it could go either way. I would be lying if I said that I have never seen a shop sell the wrong size frame just to move product but I was not there during the fitting interview, I don't know Ellsworth sizing, and I have never met your friend.

As for the color situation, I am sure he was told that the discount applies only to stock on hand (perhaps this happened with the sizing as well) and I would bet that your friend decided that $700 was too much to pay for a blue frame and settled for black instead.

Finally, no one held a gun to his head and made him buy the damn frame. It was his choice and if he was truly dissatisfied or had serious doubts, he could have simply not bought the frame. I understand the excitement over the prospect of getting a new bike, especially at a discount, but in the end it was still his decision.

But believe whatever you want. You seem pretty convinced that your friend got screwed and I doubt that no amount of evidence, apology, or service will make you believe otherwise.

[perrygeo]

When I asked one LBS guy for an opinion on tires, he turned around and checked what he had in stock before answering.

Same shop, different guy. I was asking for a headset spacer for my gf's bike .. nothing fancy just a cheapo piece that any bike shop has lying around. He kept insisting they didn't have any. What he was basically saying was "leave me alone, I'm too busy to be bothered by something that wont earn me commission". I badgered him till he finally put down his wrench, opened the drawer and handed me one. Lazy bastard.

Ahhh that felt good. Now we need a thread to vent about the asshole drivers who try to kill me on my morning commute.

[duke777]

Originally Posted by joyride153

so the path should always have some bike boxes in the back? I never been there, is it accessible after hours?

thanks

Most of the time I see boxes out side the shop during business hours. Don't know about after hours but I know almost all shops have boxes by their dumpster.

If you go too late think the recycle guys would clean them up.

[cru jones]

..

[rhill]

Went to the LBS to get an overhaul on the bike. Paid a grip for it and then when I asked if they could throw in a t-shirt...the owner laughed and said NO but I might be able to give you a discount. Plus the overhaul job they did sucked. I went online to YouTube and fixed up all of thier errors or laziness in repairs. I wont be going there any time soon. Too bad since it is right down the street.

[KushD]

I went in to a big LBS and asked if they had or could get me a roof rack that would fit on my factory rack, he says "go online and get the part number and we'll order it for you"

wanting to support a local LBS and get the right mounts (thule or yakima) I went to another big shop and told the guy that I wanted to support my LBS and that the other shop I went to told me to go online... he says that roof racks mess up cars and he's crashed into low clearance before... I should get a tow hitch rack.

[RacinJason]

Is this for real?

It has to be some kind of joke.

Brian is a Pro and I can confidently say that he is 100% correct. I have worked at frame MFG's and there is no way to keep every frame dust free. Reaming is done by the high end frames companies to insure you that the powder coating and other metals are clear for the customer to install the head set.
You would have had grease in the steer tube and many other markings on the frame.

It sounds like your friend got a great deal.

Brian is a no nonsense guy. He would stop you or anyone else for that matter from buying a wrong size frame.

He has stopped me from wasting money on the more expensive things to show me things that work just as well.
I am positive he would do the same for you. I am glad you guys worked things out.

The path is a great shop


Jason
WWW.OCBIKEDOCTOR.COM

Originally Posted by moment8

hey Duke777, your out of line man. Tone it down a little will yah??? Looks to me your more bitter than me.

[68skunk]

The problem is that most bike shops hire kids without ANY training or experience working on bikes.

Here is my experience: Took a slightly untrue Mavic wheel into a shop, hand it over to the kid who says "I'll give it a try". He comes back 10 minutes later and says "dude I didn't have the right spoke wrench... and stripped a couple of nipples...sorry" Now the f..ken wheel is wobbling and needs new spokes and nipples. On top of that, he says he doesn't have it in stock and needs to order them.

My best advice to anyone is to learn basic bicycle mechanics and don't be afraid to work on your bike.

[XS NOIZ]

i have to say that a genuine understanding of the customers needs has to rank among the top things that impress me/deter me from shopping ANYWHERE. If i go into a shop looking to spend "around 100 bucks" on shoes because i'm 26 and on a tight budget, i don't want him to waste my time showing me $200+ shoes and telling me how great they fit and how i can't live without them. (I could only hope that for 200+ dollars, they would be comfy...that is, after all, why you are paying that much right?)

I also hate when shops try to get pushy. I know they aren't making a ton of money on my $15 worth of tubes or $100 for cycling shoes, but when the time comes and i have enough money saved to get a newer/better bike, I definitely don't want to go back to a place who only has time to spend on the guy who is adding $5k bucks to his credit card tab on an all carbon bike with titanium hardware. He's the type of guy i want to make friends with...passionate about something and isn't going to send you home with something you don't need because he has to make quota.

To date, some of the best advice i've gotten is from Perf. Bike off of alicia...this guy (can't remember his name) is down to earth and has to be about the most realistic person i know. Right out of the gate he was explaining to me:

"you need to focus on first things first...start slow and build the bike...you don't need carbon EVERYTHING unless you have nothing else to spend money on. Enjoy it...and last but not least, remember that the best bike in the world is completely useless if the rider lacks the skill to operate it to its fullest potential."

I have to say it really brought me back down to earth and appreciate what i have that much more. Its not the latest/greatest bike out there, but hey...i enjoy it and i appreciate the time he took to get me the answers i was hoping for.

[mikuteit]

Speaking of Performance Bike Shops...

My lbs used to be a cool place called Cycle World, then Bike USA. Both places sponsored our team, and the mechs were cool guys and good riders. Then Performance came in. All the good stuff was removed and cheapo parts and bikes hit the floor. I stopped going there except for small necessities, one of which is shift cable housing. For the 10 or 15 years or so that I'd been going to this shop before it became Performance, they had two boxed rolls of housing next to each other - 4mm and 5mm.

I went in to get some 4mm, and the 15-year old behind the counter has no idea what I'm talking about. I explain where it used to be and ask if it has moved? He's got no clue, and thankfully he goes to get the manager. I politely repeat my request and explain that they used to carry it. This moron tells me THERE IS NO SUCH THING, that there is only one size housing for shift cable!! And he does this with a know-it-all condescending, extremely rude attitude.

I walk the fool out to his own showroom floor and show him two bikes that he is selling that feature the different housing sizes. He shrugs and walks away and says "We don't carry it."

[KillerSloth]

This happened to me recently:
I got a new (used) bike, and ended up snapping the chain in half. So I went to the LBS, and had them install a new chain. They were looking at my bike, and pushing on the seat looking at how the suspension worked (Lawwill bike), which I am fine with... But in all of that looking, they didn't notice the mechanic didn't put the chain through the roller on my guide. they were looking RIGHT at it to, because they were looking at how it pivots around the BB. I didn't notice either (assuming they would do it right) and my chain fell off the next run... put the chain through myself, but now the chain is too short so I have to go back in...


Another one, that is just funny to me (same shop, and same guy):
They sell Giants (this is in NorCal, so I'm not really outing the shop, lol) and I was in there looking at some of them (twice actually, and he said the same thing). He said that "Giants are great and they don't make noise and squeak like Santa Cruz bikes". I don't think that he knows that Giant makes almost all of the Santa Cruz bikes, so he is almost bad mouthing the company he is trying to sell for.

[Heyitsdave]

I finally gave up after a couple visits on a snooty shop that is very close to my home.
Me, Hi, arent these kool stop brake pads on my road bike right here the ultegra style?
Them, yea, man.
Me, do you have any for sale?
Them, no we don't, yours are fine.
Me, okay I'll just go home and order them from Jenson




Me, Hi, I'd like 2 rolls of cloth rim tape suitable for a 26" mountain bike rim, please.
Them, With confused look, cloth rim tape?
Me, yes, you know, you put it on inside of rim so nipples/holes won't damage tube?
Them, Oh yea. No, we don't have any.
Me, what in the world do your mechanics use on your customers wheels?
them,rubber????
Me, OK I give up, goodbye forever.

[ubermick]

To this date, there has only been ONE bike store that HASN'T made me want to reach across the counter and choke the person on the other side. I know a lot of the reasons to shop local is the service - but honestly, I've gotten far better service from places like Jenson and Chain Reaction than I have from my local places. I've had shops back out of price matching, or get shady on their policies ("Well, we can't price match an internet place, because they probably charge shipping too."), sell usual stuff from well over MSRP (let alone what I can get it for if I shop around), but my biggest and most annoying complaints have generally been when I let someone lay hands upon Ike.

My latest gripe was charging $120 for a fork rebuild because I was headed out of town and didn't have the time to do it myself, having the fork explode on me 20 minutes into it's first ride, telling me that the problem wasn't their fault, since they didn't even TOUCH the uppers where the oil was leaking out (wait, didn't I just pay for a fork rebuild, as opposed to a HALF rebuild??) and that I'd have to pay for ANOTHER rebuild, then discovering that they forgot to install one of the o-rings when I fixed the problem myself.

Damnit, I even brought them beer when I picked it up first.

[forceinjection]

Making a phone call to the Block in Palmdale...to see if they had a part for my Cannondale Frame. Guy said yes, so I drive an hour to get there...come to find out they do not have part and they cannot even order it.

What really turned me off was when they looked at the frame, they were all confused. I had the manual which had the part number from Cannondale so they could order it. Since he wasn't a Cannondale dealer he could not order the part. So instead he looks in his Shimano booklet to see if they had it, which I knew was a big waste of time. Spent a good 5-10 min, just to say they couldn't help out. However, they should have never told me over the phone they had the part.

[protijy]

telling me parts will be in shop in a few days and havign it take weeks!

[BH1]

this happened today:

I walk in asking for a very common part, a single speed 15t cog/cassette... He tells me that is a "special order part". I look over his shoulder and I see about 20-30 of these hanging on the wall and I say "you have them right there. thats what I am looking for"... he turned around and looked at the cogs and says "oh, yeah, well, thats not what your looking for. Those are for single speed specific hubs, maybe you should go to that shop in burbank, they carry what you're looking for".

WTF!? Obviously he didnt want my money.

[hunterp101]

Here is one........
Sit on your ass talking on the phone and cut off questions from customers because you would rather talk to your boys about the ride you missed that morning. Then take another call and leave said customer standing around while you gossip like a 12 year old girl on a second and third personal phone call.

[kevinator]

Charging at least twice as much as any other shop for parts/accessories. Guess you need to pay for your new expansion huh?

p.s. AND after telling your employee I was an STR member = full price. Wah, wah, waaaaah.