Ripped off or just hard times?

[Caerus]

Ja, I dont see the point. Yes R20 deem it a fair price, how can one expect a service to be free. Should somthing be for free then it is probably because of years of support, or as a courtesy.

or they could do it for free in the hope you will be back to spend more money with them, this happened to me, they ended up fixing something & "popping" the tyre on, I offered to pay and they said no charge. I will in future spend money with them and recommend them for great service.

[Grondpad]

Um, don't most petrol station pumps require something to compress the "piepietjie" in the middle of the inflator nozzle before air willcome out?

 

I had to laugh at this. I think "piepietjie" is absolutely South Africa. It must only be us that use it and in a lot of ways. Strange how people knows exactly what you are referring to every time you use it. Your sentence just made my day. Brilliant!

[mikeMT]

@mikeMT: No problem. I'll send you a cheque by email

[Hairy]

or they could do it for free in the hope you will be back to spend more money with them, this happened to me, they ended up fixing something & "popping" the tyre on, I offered to pay and they said no charge. I will in future spend money with them and recommend them for great service.

 

Agreed with the above.

 

If times are tough you rather fight to gain customers and inflating a tyre is hardly any cost to the LBS. The fact that the manager / owner was on a call for 20min or so and the guy on the sales floor could not use the compressor, meaning you had to wait 20min is also a bad sign.

 

That free service would have aided in you returning there again when you are down in the area or in the very least there is the chance you pass on a good word to anther rider RE the shop.

 

Good service is free chaps.

[edkin]

Thanks hairy. That was my feeling. The people that I stayed with had already purchased 3 bicycles from that particular shop (at my recommendation). After my slightly bitter twinge, I resolved not to go there and when I told my host about it he also expressed the resolve not to go there any more.

 

Indeed, if I was really vindictive I would have named the shop and given the power of the hub, I'm very sure that he would have lost business in future.

 

However as it was only R20 I'm going to consider it school fees and move on. Still, R20 to blow up a tyre? Maybe the service stations should also start charging.

[tunariaan]

I am from George and most of the shops here give the locals a very good service

Firstly it sounds like you don't want to name the shop, so you are placing all of them in a bad light and they are always help full

 

Recently i phoned 2 of them for quotes on cassettes and front blades and they both gave me better prices than the best online shops in SA

Maybe you should have asked what i would have cost, and maybe you should approach them with a bit of a different attitude , i am sure it will make life easier and will get you way more freebies

It's all about the right attitude

[eddy]

Iron ... a little hint.

 

Keep one screwed onto either the front or back wheels valve for every bike. The day you are looking for one it is usually at home and home is far away from where you are.

 

I got stuck a while ago without my my repair kit and did not have one of those little adaptor thingies with me.

 

At the garage i used a pair of pliers and nipped the top off the plastic valve cap and screwed the cap back on. It had just enough "bulk" to allow the garage pump to seat itself and it worked like a bomb.

 

 

.

[TheV]

Seriously, I don't think R20 is an unfair or unreasonable charge by any means.

 

Nothing in life is for free... They could have possibly done something else in the time it took them to fix your cheap-ass wheel.

 

For example, they could have done a tubeless conversion for R2000 and made R 1400 profit.

 

You won't part with your R20 now, how easily will you part with it when the owner of a bankrupt cycling shop is collecting small change with a mug at the robot?

[arendoog]

Why did you not go to a garage ?

 

all you need is a valve adaptor ( R20 ) and you can do them yourself .Got me one at cajees R35 .Works like a charm

[Goodbadugly]

R20? Really. Get real. Less than 2 litres of petrol. Now tell me if you drive @100km/h to get 6.6l/100km in stead of 8.3l/100km @ 130km/h.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Goodbadugly

[Wyatt Earp]

Never ever have I come across a cheap pomp in my entire life.

[Baster Brak]

This last week I was in George preparing for the Knysna MTB. On Thursday I decided to refresh the slime in my tyres. I deflated the tyres and filled up with slime. Because its a mission to pop the tyres with a hand pump I thought I'd go to the local LBS around the corner and ask them to pop the tyres for me.

 

I walked into the shop and inquired from the young assistant. "No problem" he says and off we went into the workshop. He unscrewed the valve, popped the tyres, screwed the valve back on and job done. The time taken from start to finish was 20 minutes. Why so long? He couldn't start up the compressor while the owner of the shop was on the phone.

 

 

So you expecting him to work for free is not a rip off, maybe To even things out he could do the work for free for this weekend, and then on saturday afternoon you can mow his lawn, FOR FREE

 

As I was walking out I inquired out of courtesy if there was a charge, expecting there to be none. To my surprise his reply was "Aah yes, there's a R20 labour charge". I was really surprised because in Cape Town the local LBS's are happy to do the pop at no charge. I had to repeat my inquiry twice because I thought he was joking at first.

 

I paid up and walked out the shop with a strong feeling of been ripped off and resolved never to go back to that particular LBS again.

 

Granted he did do labour for me and he used electricty in starting up the compressor but R20? I have no doubt he thumb sucked that number. It could just as easily been R10 or R50. Its the principle of the thing that irks me, not the number.

 

What I should have done in hindsight was to have enquired up front if there was going to be a charge. I've certainly learned from this.

 

 

Why am I putting this post up? I thought was being ripped off but maybe I'm wrong and just spoiled by the good service from the Cape Town franchises. Perhaps times are hard in George and any revenue coming in is a delay from the wolves baying at the door.

 

Why am I not naming the LBS in question?

In hindsight I should have gone to the owner of the shop and confirmed that there was a charge. I didn't and therefore I have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

Moral of the story:

Whenever you go into an LBS in George enquire as to the charge up front, not after the jobeis complete

[Scott2luvit]

I am from George and most of the shops here give the locals a very good service

Firstly it sounds like you don't want to name the shop, so you are placing all of them in a bad light and they are always help full

 

Recently i phoned 2 of them for quotes on cassettes and front blades and they both gave me better prices than the best online shops in SA

Maybe you should have asked what i would have cost, and maybe you should approach them with a bit of a different attitude , i am sure it will make life easier and will get you way more freebies

It's all about the right attitude

 

Yeah I support Vicus and the boys, he's has always given me better pricing than the so called big online shops

[HeartCoppi]

At the end you paid up. And you know why.

 

I appreciate that you state that, you have learnt that; you should have asked if there would be a charge.

Its just as easy to say that there was an onus on the service provider, to state upfront that there would be a fee. Verbally or on visible signage.

 

It would have been strategic to have purchased something (even of small value like bombs or tyre levers) and I am sure that the charge would have fallen away.

[Baster Brak]

You must all remember your LBS also has to pay school fees, feed his family and pay his bills, so if he spends his entire day doing things for free he aint gonna be able to look after his wife and kids

[edkin]

@tunariaan and others

Thanks for the advice. As I mentioned previously, I have learnt from this experience and I will most certainly change my attitude in future. Not only in George but in other places (including Cape Town) as well.

 

If I have put all the LBS in George in a bad light, that certainly wasn't my intention as I'm sure they give excellent service. In fact this particular LBS did an extremely competent job for his R20 labour charge.

 

Its worth repeating, This post is all about me and an attitude change and a more intelligent way of approaching all LBS. From now on all charges WILL be discussed up front to avoid unpleasant surprises after the job is done.