Bad bike services

[Pure Savage]

Ha ha, my local bike shop knows they only have about half a day to service my bike. I never book and I am pretty sure it messes with their day but I have never been let down once. 

[popcorn_skollie]

Page 6 and Odinson's post still has me in stiches. 

[Shebeen]

Who would have thought that a bike shop in Malmesbury would do 200 bikes a month

Not me for one!

They are obviously doing something right.

[Shebeen]

Page 6 and Odinson's post still has me in stiches. 

What is so funny about page 6? 

[Shebeen]

I feel the following is really important, not just for this thread but Bikehub in general;

 

a lot

 

As you were....

 

Foe amusement sake I shall refer you to this old gem...

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

[ChrisF]

Anton so if you were the bike owner and I accused your shop of damaging my bike during a service on a public forum, how would you handle it differently ?

 

I was most impressed with Bike Addicts FIRST reply ..... and possibly it should have been their only reply to the OP on this thread ....

 

 

The only thing they could have done differently .... it should NEVER escalate to the point where a business owner resorts to bad language ..... 

[Danger Dassie]

Have you looked at what it costs to get certified?

 

In order for a shop or individual to recoup that sort of cost the customer is going to be paying vehicle labour rates.

I'm with Phillip as far as mechanics go.

 

But if the shop is a properly setup entity it's a negligible cost as often the training is cross subsidised by the brands, and training/certification of staff can be claimed against the business. They can still earn a decent income without the customer paying vehicle labour rates.

 

The value and mitigated risk of staff who are both competent and certified is far and away beyond the cost to be recouped. It takes one expensive ****** on a customer's bike to swallow up that cost saving.

[ABrooks]

It would be great if OP or bike-addict could comment on the outcome of the whole situation. The damage to the linkages was quite extensive, as well as the apparent fork damage, and would be horrible to the reputation of the bike shop if they indeed caused it, and if they caused the damage we should get a heads-up before considering to make use of them.

[Rigardt@Scott]

It would be great if OP or bike-addict could comment on the outcome of the whole situation. The damage to the linkages was quite extensive, as well as the apparent fork damage, and would be horrible to the reputation of the bike shop if they indeed caused it, and if they caused the damage we should get a heads-up before considering to make use of them.

I'm guessing by the way that whole thread unfolded that Bike Addict was not at fault... well that, and the fact that no one elze has brought up similar experiences at Bike Addict.

 

Crazy how much damage one post can cause to a shop's reputation (and someone's livelyhood for that matter).

[ChrisF]

I'm guessing by the way that whole thread unfolded that Bike Addict was not at fault... well that, and the fact that no one elze has brought up similar experiences at Bike Addict.

 

Crazy how much damage one post can cause to a shop's reputation (and someone's livelyhood for that matter).

 

But then again ..... 

 

surely most of us have seen this type of situation play out time and time again on social media ... enough to KNOW there is more than one side to any story.

 

 

At worst it would mean that I would walk into such a store "more alert" .... BUT, all the publicity also means that I wont forget this store's name in a hurry ....

 

 

And as you rightly say, this appears to be a "one off" situation (though 2 or 3 others have commented negatively as well).  Certainly much better all round publicity than some other stores which have been called out time and time again for "false" specials, even people posting before and after screen shots showing the "sale" to be no more than an adjustment of the RRP ..... THAT leaves a much more lasting negative impression on MY mind ....

[Spoke101]

I'm with Phillip as far as mechanics go.

 

But if the shop is a properly setup entity it's a negligible cost as often the training is cross subsidised by the brands, and training/certification of staff can be claimed against the business. They can still earn a decent income without the customer paying vehicle labour rates.

 

The value and mitigated risk of staff who are both competent and certified is far and away beyond the cost to be recouped. It takes one expensive ****** on a customer's bike to swallow up that cost saving.

 

In a big city yes but in a one horse town there is no way a shop can drop 150k on a piece of paper stating he knows what he is doing.

 

From experience on the job training works just fine if done correctly, start at the bottom and work your way up. I also doubt the training covers out of the box scenarios like stuck seat posts, how to rebuild a Campagnolo STI or a back pedal brake or free coaster hub. 

 

People still make mistakes no matter how qualified they are, and that is where insurance should come in.

 

As a side note I wonder how many world tour / world cup mechanics are certified.

[Eldron]

In a big city yes but in a one horse town there is no way a shop can drop 150k on a piece of paper stating he knows what he is doing.

 

From experience on the job training works just fine if done correctly, start at the bottom and work your way up. I also doubt the training covers out of the box scenarios like stuck seat posts, how to rebuild a Campagnolo STI or a back pedal brake or free coaster hub. 

 

People still make mistakes no matter how qualified they are, and that is where insurance should come in.

 

As a side note I wonder how many world tour / world cup mechanics are certified.

 

Campy Shimano Total Integration? When did that happen????

 

/comic sans of course/

 

I really enjoy how a brand name becomes so popular that is transcends the brand - a little like "Hoover".

[Spoke101]

Campy Shimano Total Integration? When did that happen????

 

/comic sans of course/

 

I really enjoy how a brand name becomes so popular that is transcends the brand - a little like "Hoover".

 

Hahaha, I'm a lazy person  

[stefmeister]

I'm guessing by the way that whole thread unfolded that Bike Addict was not at fault... well that, and the fact that no one elze has brought up similar experiences at Bike Addict.

 

Crazy how much damage one post can cause to a shop's reputation (and someone's livelyhood for that matter).

It's for that reason that a business owner/customer care needs to do everything to keep their customer happy. Even if you're not wrong, first thing to do is apologise for the inconvenience caused and assure the client/customer that a thorough investigation will be sought. Just doing that will have an irate customer calmed down significantly.

Take the time to communicate effectively and politely to avoid any misunderstandings, without questioning his/her credibility and in this case calling your customer a p**s. A simple phone call can do wonders, but if it needs to either invite the person over or get in your car and pay him a visit. It's amazing what this can achieve in this modern age where all communication is via impersonal texting.

 

If you get this right, chances are you won't have people going on social media to air their grievances. Although some people are kans vatters to score anything for free, most that end up here, or elsewhere are frustrated by lack of service, poor communication and basically feeling helpless.

Also, people are more inclined these days to trust advise from people they know. If our OP goes around telling his friends about his experience, chances are it will have even further reaching effect. Running a business you should always look at the potential cost of resolving the issue. Is a new damper dial really worth it? Treat your customer right, and the OP would probably be a repeat customer and you'll make that money back in a month or two. Piss him off, and there is no way to even start calculating the potential loss in business.

 

I get the feeling that there is only a small amount of people in the bicycle industry that are capable of good service. The rest come across as a bunch of has-been/never-been cyclist/bro buddies that day dream more about cycling and are more focused on their lingo than representing their products/brands. 

It's time the industry grow up. Our bikes cost as much as a small car, and as much a Volvo to maintain. Surely some professionalism, and less cool kids pretending to 'business' isn't too much to ask?

[Rigardt@Scott]

It's for that reason that a business owner/customer care needs to do everything to keep their customer happy. Even if you're not wrong, first thing to do is apologise for the inconvenience caused and assure the client/customer that a thorough investigation will be sought. Just doing that will have an irate customer calmed down significantly.

Take the time to communicate effectively and politely to avoid any misunderstandings, without questioning his/her credibility and in this case calling your customer a p**s. A simple phone call can do wonders, but if it needs to either invite the person over or get in your car and pay him a visit. It's amazing what this can achieve in this modern age where all communication is via impersonal texting.

 

If you get this right, chances are you won't have people going on social media to air their grievances. Although some people are kans vatters to score anything for free, most that end up here, or elsewhere are frustrated by lack of service, poor communication and basically feeling helpless.

Also, people are more inclined these days to trust advise from people they know. If our OP goes around telling his friends about his experience, chances are it will have even further reaching effect. Running a business you should always look at the potential cost of resolving the issue. Is a new damper dial really worth it? Treat your customer right, and the OP would probably be a repeat customer and you'll make that money back in a month or two. Piss him off, and there is no way to even start calculating the potential loss in business.

 

I get the feeling that there is only a small amount of people in the bicycle industry that are capable of good service. The rest come across as a bunch of has-been/never-been cyclist/bro buddies that day dream more about cycling and are more focused on their lingo than representing their products/brands. 

It's time the industry grow up. Our bikes cost as much as a small car, and as much a Volvo to maintain. Surely some professionalism, and less cool kids pretending to 'business' isn't too much to ask?

 

 

This is so true. I worked a bit in the retail space and have come to realise that screw ups are the best place to win a customer over for life - we had one or two big bugger ups from our side, but an apology and admission of guilt (without excuses), and going the extra mile to fix the issue usually results in a customer for life that gives you glowing reviews and word of mouth business.

 

There are of course propper kansvaters that can really damage your brand - but most people can luckily see through that. 

 

But yeah, agreed - never a smart idea to call a customer a p**s - even if they are in the wrong.

[Dirkitech]

Campy Shimano Total Integration? When did that happen????

 

/comic sans of course/

 

I really enjoy how a brand name becomes so popular that is transcends the brand - a little like "Hoover".

Also like Tazer and Teflon!