Hattons Cycles @ Illovo Eston Race absolutely useless

[Nicko]

Hey guys

 

So I must get this off my chest, I'm a bit pissed off, and I hope in return this causes them loss of business. Unfortunately I'm not sure which branch of hattons cycles this was at the race, all I know is that the guy running the show was an Indian guy around 40. Maybe someone knows which branch he is from...

 

So on saturday I broke my chain, but fortunately I had a spare new one, so I fitted it, and checked it out, and everything seemed fine.

Anyway so I went to a the Illovo Eston race on sunday, and whilst riding to the start my chain started skipping badly... I wasn't sure why, I figured maybe the cassette was stretched and the new chain wasn't running properly or something.

 

So I went to the Hattons stand, asked the guys for a bit of help... Told them what had happened and what I thought it was. We looked at the chain, and saw one link wasn't 100%.

So the guy says we can just put a quick link in there, and he was certain it would fix the problem, although I was a bit hesitant.

Anyway he says 100bucks to fit the quicklink (which was marked R40). I told him he's mad, and he basically gave me the "what other options you got" look. So I paid for it.

 

Needless to say it didn't help at all. Furthermore I see that he put an 11speed quick-link on my 10 speed chain.

 

I must say it was the most unhelpful service I've ever received. Am I being unreasonable here, or do I have reason to rant???.

[eddy]

 

my chain started skipping badly... I wasn't sure why, I figured maybe the cassette was stretched

 

 

Am I being unreasonable here, or do I have reason to rant???.

 

I think it is perfectly reasonable.

 

If your "cassette was stretched" they should have been able to fix it without any effort or cost..............

Edited August 5, 2013 by eddy

[Maximis]

It was probably hattons in Pinetown, they were at karkloof as well... And yes they are useless. I had a similar experience with them regarding a really bad creak in a friends crankset. They over charge you on the smallest things on race day because they know you have no other option. Really sad...

[Guest]

I think quick links are usually about R25.00

[CAAD4]

I think quick links are usually about R25.00

 

What about labour?

[Guest]

R100.00 bucks labour plus R40.00 link . I reckon a bit steep. Although labour on a Sunday is double time for clock time labour.

[CAAD4]

Everyone's entitled to charge for their services, stretched cassette or not... Sounds like another jra scenario..

[BikeMarketcoza]

R100.00 bucks labour plus R40.00 link . I reckon a bit steep. Although labour on a Sunday is double time for clock time labour.

\

If you going to have top rates for labour the quality of work should match the price

[King_Crispy]

\

If you going to have top rates for labour the quality of work should match the price

What he said

[Stretch]

what the hell is a stretched cassette?

 

Someone providing a service on a Sunday is always going to be expensive, like it or not. If you changed a chain the day before, depending on how old your drivetrain is, you are always going to have some slipping/skipping. Your first mistake was changing the chain without taking it for at least a small 10k ride

 

as for them wrongly or rightly identifying a buggered link - cant really comment on that. As for the price...well if you had a chainbreaker I am sure you could have bought it for 40 and done it yourself, or, paid 100 and get them to do it...but it is highly likely that was not the problem at all...and they should have identified that straight off....was it a new chain?

 

edit - just seen it was a new chain...99% it was running a new chain on an old worn drivetrain that was the issue..

 

and..sound like pmb branch

Edited August 5, 2013 by Stretch

[BMXER]

Guys, Its like buying a 2lt Coke at the Ultra City and trying to equate the price to Spar...

[spiderkzn]

Hey guy I think I know who you can contact as their company based in Umhlanga Rocks:

 

Address: 329 Umhlanga Rocks Drive

Tel: 031- 584 8999

Fax: 031- 584 8998

Email: dushen@hattonscycles.co.za

 

http://www.hattonscycles.co.za/

[Nicko]

I hear what some of you guys are saying. Yes it is a sunday, he's probably paying his boys double time, and he's there to make a profit etc etc. I understand this.

 

What really peeved me off, was that he didn't really seem to care about my problem, he only seemed to care about my R100. Secondly the link literally took less than 5mins, so I think R60 labour is steep, but whatever.

Thirdly if he had fitted the correct link and it had worked, I wouldn't be complaining. But like I said he didn't even care enough to check he was putting the correct link.

And lastly if he had listened to what I had said about the cassette possibly being stretched then maybe he could have just said "well then you're out of luck, sorry man". It irritates me that he didn't even appear to be too clued up on bikes.

 

Well my advice to anyone would be to stay away from them at the KZN races... perhaps I just had a bad experience, but bad enough to never use them again.

[NotSoBigBen]

What the heck is a 'stretched cassette'?

[Stretch]

What the heck is a 'stretched cassette'?

It is when your tdk tape had been taped over too many times

[wouterretief]

Hey - it's steep and it was on a Sunday and you did not have much of a choice - if only what he did and charged you for was worth the rate hey.