December Bike Shop Experience

[Eddy Gordo]

End Nov beginning Dec I have been looking for certain parts. So I decided to check all the different online shops at my disposal. I also decided to check a few shops around the the southern suburbs as I am at home and finally get to visit some stores that I normally wouldnt.

Now when I am on holiday I tend to look skrif. I don't shave so my face looks a mess with wavy facial hair and i am always in shorts 3/4 or on the knee and a not so nice sweater.

 

Bike shop 1 I tend to go to often as its near my work and I always get great service and a good deal. I have my bike serviced a few times and I am always satisfied. Staff are also always friendly they greet and are eager to help. Always a good experience and will be going in there somtime this week.

Bike shop 2 is just as good, if not better and I have also had my bikes serviced by them and had certain parts fitted etc and I am always happy with their work. They always prepared to fix some of my mistakes as well. They are always accomodating.

Bike shop 3 hmm. Lets see If I recall correctly the have a bell at the door so when you walk in in rings. Then again I might be mistaken anyways from past experiences I hate going in here but decided WHOOOOSSSSSAAAAAAAaaaaa just look for what you want cause they will have it. Anyway, this shop has a huge selection of spares parts etc. However I spent about 15 min in the shop. When I walked in no one acknowledged my presence greeted whatever!! My 13 yr old was with me and asked me if there is something wrong with this shop cause the service is so slow. I told him they probably think I don't have money to buy anything. Well anyway the time I was in there I could have packed my pockets full and walk out these guys would not have noticed. Eventually someone walks past me as I was more or less in the same place for the time I was in the shop. The guy asks about 4 different people before someone was willing to help. I say willing cause when I walked in and while I was there, there were only 2 other customers. The guy comes over to help me but he doesn't even know anything about the spares etc. So after spending about another 10 min, remember WHHHOOOOSSSSSSSAAAAAAA, I leave. My son says that must be the worst shop in Cape Town!!!

So off to Bike Shop 4 which Everyone raves about. Well let me tell you this shop sucks eggs, and I dont care what the loyal followers have to say I will never set foot in there again. Shop is located in a very upmarket area and when you walk in the bell chimes for this I am certain. No one looks up or greets or acknowledges my presence. The counter has one guy busy with a customer, and I walk straight to where I want to be and start looking at some very expensive parts. I see one of the items I want which costs around R1000. I look around and the workshop is full of guys having a lekker chat and laugh. One guys looks straight at me but ignores me, so I leave.  This was poorly pathetic

Bike shop 5 I have only recently started doing business with and these guys are always nice. Their work is great and on this particular day I went in there and I was refered to bike shop 3 and I told him I dont like going in there but if its my only choice.... My son says when we leave what a nice man and what a nice small shop. Yeah I like it too and technical chats are always welcome.

Bike shop 6 I have used in the past about 6 times and should actually go there more often as the guys and the girl are always friendly and eager to help. But they always so busy!!!

Bike shop 7 Well I cant say I like this shop but I also cant say anything bad. These guys always acknowledge your presence, eager to help and willing to explain.

Bike shop 8 Another sore topic very similar experience to bike shop 4 except that these guys have a gate and they have to buzz you in. No one greets everyone is having a chat and no one bothers to see if there is anything I need. So I leave, and they happened to have about 3 of the items I wanted.

Bike Shop 9 well what an awesome experience. Just a pity they dont carry alot of stock. Guys were very friendly and eager to help even though the shop was full of people!! Well done!!!

Bike Shop 10 Although this is an online shop, they were the only shop willing to give me a discount on some hope hubs. I paid a very good price and will def use them in future. I communicated via email and replies were quick. I went and collected and was helped very nicely.

Bike Shop 11 Well this person kinda does online business via adds. Always replies to my emails etc. At one stage he even told me to decide if I want to support local economy(which I do always) and make business better locally etc bla bla. I am also in business and understood where he is coming from. I have ordered something from him and waiting eagerly. I hope you reading this now, as I will definitely be doing more business with you as well. However and this probably goes out to most bike shops. People like choices/ variety and CRC offers that and only a few shops in Cape Town would have certain items readily available. I almost bought a set of wheels from him but I really wanted them in white. I am kinda disspointed that I didnt take it from him as I am sure I would have had a nicer experience. I bought the white wheels from CRC. They arrived a week late with DHL. Even though CRC refunded part of my shipping and DHL waived my import fees, I am now very hesitant to deal with either as this made me a week late. I do business with DHL as well and we are now using a different courier.

Now don't get me wrong, I am the kind of shopper that likes to browse first, but at the same time I like to be acknowledged when I walk in and be offered some assistance.
Now I gonna say something controversial and I don't care.
Those of you who know me will know I can am pretty mellow but don't push the wrong buttons.
I am 1.88m tall a little heavy.

Bike shops 3, 4 and 8 cater for upmarket gent who probably walks into there shop in a shirt and tie. People get judged by the way they look before these guys will offer assistance and unfortunately I am glad to say those shops will never see me again!!! What businesses and people dont seem to understand these days are that there are no more 2 or 3 similar shops. You now get about 50 shops selling the same stuff. I am not too worried about price as long as its similar. Hence its easy for me to walk out and buy somewhere else and pretty soon alot of people will adopt the same attitude. 

I didnt want to write this after all the monday moaning, but I have to share this info. Particularly for the riders out there that want a shop that is gonna be easy to deal with as apposed to feeling like you dont belong there. My son was with me when I went to bike shop
2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 9 and he likes 9, 5 and 2 the most and remember he is only 13.

I have left out the bike shops names, admin can contact me for the names and decide if I should reveal who they are. Personally the owners of the stores who dont care should be more actively involved in them.

[martinsnyman]

Well done CWC, you came out tops again!

[Eddy Gordo]

Sorry man you may be a great guy but to bring race into it just does nothing for me.

Cool

good to know you not like that

[Shebeen]

so which one is your LBS?

[No Hare]

This hoity toity attitude sucks big time and because I look a bit scruffy when I relax, I get the same reaction from shop assistants. Its not a white thing, it a class thing, if you don't fit the mold, your out. PM me the names please, I don't have times nor money to waste at places were service will be poor.  

[Guest DieBees]

1, 4, 8, 9

[marko35s]

Sorry man you may be a great guy but to bring race into it just does nothing for me.

This.

Bad service is colour blind and you will experience the same level of indifference in these shops no matter what race group you are. Unless, that is, you enter the store throwing bags of R100 notes around and with your platinum Card stapled to your head.

[nazmo]

I experienced similar things when car shopping, and at 2 LBS's myself. It happens often.

I left a car dealer and bought a car at another dealer out of principle.

 

Did the same thing with an LBS, they lost R10k of easy business just due to attitude/lack of acknowledgement.  I needed a frame fitted, LBS 1 was chatting nicely to this oke with a very pricey Bianci at the service counter, when it was my turn "we very busy, bring your frame next week and we can have a look"... I then thought OK, lets ask about my potential bottom bracket issue (compatibility), the oke couldnt answer.  I was willing to get an ultegra groupset at a great deal to go with the frame.  LBS 2 on the other hand was awesome, made a plan and even tracked down a great deal on a SRAM crankset, and some DA groupset parts.

 

WRT buying a car, I was ignored because I probably looked young, I do look about 10 years younger than I am. Was especially bad at Mercedes and a specific VW. Learnt to just move on and that sales rep/shop owner will have lost out.

 

I do however believe, being non-white myself, its more a case of perceived class/spending power (though race to this age is still a posibility, from all sides).

 

I also really believe many sales people/business owners glance you once over and think you cant afford this or that.

[Bub Marley]

Wow. I wish I had the time to visit 11 different bike shops in a month. I kinda stopped reading after bike shop 4 I think. Boredom kicked in.

[Barry Stuart]

I don't see why you can't reveal who they are, you're recounting your personal experience without agenda. Without the names the post isn't really relevant. With the names you might at least affect how they treat their customers in future. Sometimes it's hard to separate racism from sheer incompetence and disinterest but I suspect, being a person of colour, you've probably got better instincts about these things than me. If that was the case, sorry, poor form on their behalf.

[Guest DieBees]

Race? Low shot. Do I sense self pity? Or low self esteem perhaps?

Im a big guy and get it as well. I think the shops think Im not a cyclist. So this is really a case of what you look like. Same here. Over weekends I look like a hobo, and I dont care either.

[neillp]

Was a nice read, and I was thinking that I have had similar experiences, and then you put race into it. Such a pitty.

[Craigwt]

Dude, Name the bike shops. Especially the ones with good service. Because in Cape Town, a bike shop with good service is hard to find.... at least thats been my experience.

 

A couple of weeks ago I bought a 5k set of wheels from a shop, while there, I asked if they also had a replacement part I needed and was told they would call me back first thing in the morning with the info (Their suppliers were closed). My name and number was put down on a big white board. I'm still waiting for the call.... Pathetic.

[Lurch the stalker]

This makes me think of that legend (not sure how factual it is) about the farmer going into the Mercedes dealership wanting to buy a car cash and they snubbed him so he went to the BMW dealership and they took his money.

 

I have to agree with the other comments, ok, we weren't there, but, I doubt race came into it.

I stand 2m tall and weigh in around 95kg's, and I am definitely not what you would call anyone's idea of a racing snake and I've had some instances where I have had to almost try convince somebody I really did want to buy something.

Having said that, I frequent two bike shops (Summit Cycles in Midrand, and Tool-Up in Midstream) that are roughly the same distance from me and I have only had good service from them and will always recommend them.

The difference, in my mind at least, is the owners are present and cyclists themselves.

At the end of the day, either you believe in giving good service or you don't, and ultimately the ones who give good service will always get my money.

I think you can see the proof of what people believe in terms of service when you buy online.

You are hidden behind some anonymous name so race cannot factor into it, and some will give you amazing service and others will not.

[Squier]

I broke off my rear derailleur this December whilst down in the Cape. Decided to give Chris Willemse a go as I had been a very loyal cwc online customer but had never had the opportunity to actually visit the shop. Oh the horror! I spent 50 minutes in the shop waiting for my order. They later realised that someone put my order on the counter, ready for pick up, but they were all to busy having a chit chat to care. That R85 delivery charge, to not have to go to the shop, is money well spent.

[Falco]

That's heavy reading, but I'm proud to say that my eyelids remained propped up until I got to the dark man part. Then I stopped reading.

 

FFS, not everything revolves around race, lose the damn chip on your shoulder.

 

I'm lily white, average height, average weight. I often go into shops and get *** service ~ it has NOTHING to do with who you are, and everything to do with general slack service in SA .

 

Get over it, man.