Bigjmeister Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Has anybody else had bad service from the Service Department at Cycle Lab Fourways? I can't believe how shoddy their workmanship is. I took my bike in for a headset and BB service on 25 November 2014. One week later the crank arm moved off the spline as it wasn't torqued to spec. I had to cycle about 20km home with one crank as I was alone and it was during office hours. I complained about it at the shop and the technician on duty at the time informed me that he has heard similar complaints about this technician in the past... If that wasn't bad enough, this week I felt that my headset was loose and took it to my local bike shop, Johnson's Cycles in Edenvale. Ken told me that there was dirt and corrosion in the headset and had to do a full clean and relube. Basically I had to pay another bike shop for something I already paid Cycle Lab to do. I then called Cycle Lab to ask them for a refund for the work that I paid them for but was not done adequately. Apparently a decision was taken by top management that it was too late for a refund as 5 months is far too long for a headset and BB service to last. The best that they could offer was a bike wash and lube...as if I would ever take my bike to their workshop again! They also said that if I brought the matter to their attention so that they could see the issues, they would have redone/refunded me immediately; just a warning to everyone out there. It seems that this is a really unprofessional outfit and that they have much to learn in the way of customer service; I gave the workshop manager, "Ido," ample opportunity to restore my situation or compensate me in some meaningful way, but he refused to play ball. Cycle Lab have lost a customer and I will inform my local club and my friends not to support this business.
Odinson Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 It's been quite some time since November '14. But, as Wahoofish asked, how many km's done since then?
Cruz Addict Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Has anybody else had bad service from the Service Department at Cycle Lab Fourways? I can't believe how shoddy their workmanship is. I took my bike in for a headset and BB service on 25 November 2014. One week later the crank arm moved off the spline as it wasn't torqued to spec. I had to cycle about 20km home with one crank as I was alone and it was during office hours. I complained about it at the shop and the technician on duty at the time informed me that he has heard similar complaints about this technician in the past... If that wasn't bad enough, this week I felt that my headset was loose and took it to my local bike shop, Johnson's Cycles in Edenvale. Ken told me that there was dirt and corrosion in the headset and had to do a full clean and relube. Basically I had to pay another bike shop for something I already paid Cycle Lab to do. I then called Cycle Lab to ask them for a refund for the work that I paid them for but was not done adequately. Apparently a decision was taken by top management that it was too late for a refund as 5 months is far too long for a headset and BB service to last. The best that they could offer was a bike wash and lube...as if I would ever take my bike to their workshop again! They also said that if I brought the matter to their attention so that they could see the issues, they would have redone/refunded me immediately; just a warning to everyone out there. It seems that this is a really unprofessional outfit and that they have much to learn in the way of customer service; I gave the workshop manager, "Ido," ample opportunity to restore my situation or compensate me in some meaningful way, but he refused to play ball. Cycle Lab have lost a customer and I will inform my local club and my friends not to support this business.not to sound like i am defending the shop but 5 months after you brought the bike to them for the headset you realized something was wrong? i do tend to agree with the shop on this, sounds to me from your rant you are looking for a monetary " give me free stuff so as not to bad mouth you reward. i understand mistakes happen and i have a long history with the shop but from past experience if i have ever had an issue it has been dealt with professionally and speedily( not months after the fact by the by).no-one is perfect and perhaps the technician was having a "Monday" in the workshop but a week or perhaps a month after a service to go in and say by the by this is the first i have ridden the bike and have noticed this is wrong someone can look at it. months after with several hundred km under the belt you are taking a chance. in fairness you have stated that they would have corrected at no charge to you immediately if they had been made aware.
Bigjmeister Posted May 6, 2015 Author Posted May 6, 2015 How many K's since November?About 700 km based on the fact that I ride about 30km a week, nearly every week. No races or any rides longer than 50km since the service, so one can't blame my sweat dripping down the headset; I usually only ride with water and I wipe down my bike after every ride.
Bigjmeister Posted May 6, 2015 Author Posted May 6, 2015 been raised more than once before, Thats really interesting. One of my friends, a good cyclist and well connected to other cyclists, told me that Cycle Lab Fourways is supposed to be the "best." After this incident, I have changed his mind.
Ozzie NL Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Have indeed heard similar complaints before. Like quite a few who ride with the CL club, I view them as a riding club but not my LBS
Bigjmeister Posted May 6, 2015 Author Posted May 6, 2015 not to sound like i am defending the shop but 5 months after you brought the bike to them for the headset you realized something was wrong? i do tend to agree with the shop on this, sounds to me from your rant you are looking for a monetary " give me free stuff so as not to bad mouth you reward. i understand mistakes happen and i have a long history with the shop but from past experience if i have ever had an issue it has been dealt with professionally and speedily( not months after the fact by the by).no-one is perfect and perhaps the technician was having a "Monday" in the workshop but a week or perhaps a month after a service to go in and say by the by this is the first i have ridden the bike and have noticed this is wrong someone can look at it. months after with several hundred km under the belt you are taking a chance. in fairness you have stated that they would have corrected at no charge to you immediately if they had been made aware.Apparently the technician resigned. The manager tried to used it as a defence actually. Look, I didn't expect free stuff when I took my bike there, I was happy to pay the money. The fact that their workmanship was poor does not excuse the fact that I did not get what I paid for and I should be compensated appropriately. I wasn't asking for a punitive amount, I simply wanted a refund for something I had to pay again to get the job done properly. And if you read my initial post, I had an issue in the first week; I simply didn't think it was worth it to spend R100 driving my bike across town when the guy up road could retorque the crank bolts for R50.
WrightJnr Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 I was there today. For a spoke replacement on back MTB wheel. I got there before 9am, the security guild in the store could see I was there for workshop so he opened the door and said we only open at 9am but if it's only the workshop you need please come through. Went to the desk, opened the works order, got my SMS while I was standing there. Left shop. Got SMS at 2pm saying wheel was ready. I went through to collect, wheel was perfect. I then asked for some Shimano mineral oil, mechanic said unfortunately they didn't have at the moment for sale, only 1l bottles in the workshop, he said he'd make a plan. He then decanted 100ml into a clean bottle for me and said "here you go". No charge. I said are you sure? He said yip. Paid for my rebuilt wheel and left as a happy customer. Guess where I'm going next time I need assistance??
Guest notmyname Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 I was there today. For a spoke replacement on back MTB wheel. I got there before 9am, the security guild in the store could see I was there for workshop so he opened the door and said we only open at 9am but if it's only the workshop you need please come through. Went to the desk, opened the works order, got my SMS while I was standing there. Left shop. Got SMS at 2pm saying wheel was ready. I went through to collect, wheel was perfect. I then asked for some Shimano mineral oil, mechanic said unfortunately they didn't have at the moment for sale, only 1l bottles in the workshop, he said he'd make a plan. He then decanted 100ml into a clean bottle for me and said "here you go". No charge. I said are you sure? He said yip. Paid for my rebuilt wheel and left as a happy customer. Guess where I'm going next time I need assistance??um. cajees... no... cycle science.... mmmmm maybe pompies bike repairs(piet can really swing a wheel spanner)
Edge_Design Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 I was there today. For a spoke replacement on back MTB wheel. I got there before 9am, the security guild in the store could see I was there for workshop so he opened the door and said we only open at 9am but if it's only the workshop you need please come through. Went to the desk, opened the works order, got my SMS while I was standing there. Left shop. Got SMS at 2pm saying wheel was ready. I went through to collect, wheel was perfect. I then asked for some Shimano mineral oil, mechanic said unfortunately they didn't have at the moment for sale, only 1l bottles in the workshop, he said he'd make a plan. He then decanted 100ml into a clean bottle for me and said "here you go". No charge. I said are you sure? He said yip. Paid for my rebuilt wheel and left as a happy customer. Guess where I'm going next time I need assistance?? Sounds very similar to the service received by the OP too. He had a ridiculous complaint 5 months down the line with no evidence to back it up and they still offered him a free wash and lube! Sounds like pretty good service to me. I would have struggled to remain calm if I was on the receiving end of that story - he had the time to complain repeatedly to them, but couldn't find the time to take the bike to them to see if they'd help him out with his issues (at least he gave them a fair chance to give in to his demand for a refund!). The best part of the whole story is this : "They also said that if I brought the matter to their attention so that they could see the issues, they would have redone/refunded me immediately; just a warning to everyone out there." A warning that they will fix a problem if you show it to them - if I was in JHB I might use them myself!
WrightJnr Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 um. cajees... no... cycle science.... mmmmm maybe pompies bike repairs(piet can really swing a wheel spanner)"Wheel spanner" ?? Damn, time to upgrade that Peugeot bud.
Guest notmyname Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 "Wheel spanner" ?? Damn, time to upgrade that Peugeot bud.Lol. I'm just stirring the pot. But if you know of a medium early 90's pug mtb let me know.
Rick Sanchez Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 I have personally never had good service at any Cycle Lab. If I am in a hurry and need something now, I will buy it from them and I like riding with the club, but I won't service my bike there. Epic Sports, Specialized Lynnwood or Singletrack Cycles offer much better service.Although I have not yet dealt with Cycle Lab in Fourways.
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