Poor service CWC

[SeanBadenhorst]

I had really bad service from 4ways cycle lab.

Took 6 days for my service.

Was told a list of replacement items before even 2 min ( some internal parts)

 

My complaint was on

Bad service , phone dropped in my ear, bike taking 6 days

 

Questionable ethics

Told to replace parts before even attempting to properly look at it, after making a ruckus was sent photos of my parts ( apparently)

 

Lodged complaints with head office and with scott on bad service and quality of product.

 

Was basically told sorry you feel that way but we and our guys are right.

 

Scott guy gave me a 20 min phone call where i was constantly compared to pros who have to do full service almost monthly....

 

Cycle lab H.o didn’t even bother to phone me, just 3 emails. And then used my strava km as baseline on a 9 month old bike. Thats after telling them i have ridding different bikes and the 2800 - all watt bikes sessions and trainer sessions prob = around 1800 or 1900 probly in the region of less that 1800 on actual bike. That showed them that on ave i ride outside twice a week, regardless of distance or conditions road or mud...

 

Then checked that against the cycle lab records and promptly decided i have never done any maintenance on my bike because it is not on their record.

 

Closed by saying oh you say you wont buy from us again, ok sorry you feel that way but sure we respect that.

 

I will not recommend cycle lab to any one! They just don’t care. Not at store not at head office

 

Hi Jacques. Posting my email to you here for perspective: Following your detailed complaint relating to ‘bad service and shocking attitude’ from Cycle Lab and SCOTT and having spoken to all staff involved, I have the following response:

 

You booked in your bike just after 11h00 on Sunday 27 January asking for a major service and for it to be ready for collection the next day, Monday 28 January. It’s very unusual for us to agree to a next-day collection for a major service, but in cases where the customer specifically requests this, we try to make an exception, as we did for you.

 

Wynand, who was attending to you and who is one of our most experienced workshop staff members, quickly discovered, through his experience, that your bike’s drivetrain was worn to the point that it would require replacement in order to function efficiently. This can be seen by an experienced eye (wear on the chainring and cassette teeth as well as elongation/sag of the chain) as well as with confirmation of the chain-measuring tool. He also noticed it would need new bearings based on the creaking noise it made when pressure was placed on the pedal while the bike was stationary.

 

You said the bike was rather new (you purchased it from Cycle Lab Fourways on 13 March 2018 – approximately nine months prior to your bringing it in for its first service with us). As you will have been recommended by the Cycle Lab salesperson when you bought the bike (this is a compulsory part of our bike sales process), you should bring the bike in for a free check/tune-up after 6 weeks, which it appears you didn’t do. We sent you a SMS with a voucher code when you paid for the bike that allows you to redeem this 6-week tune-up. We have no record of your bike being brought to our workshop prior to your late January 2019 visit.

 

Had you brought your bike in for its free six-week check-up/tune, you would have been recommended to have a minor service done three months later. At that minor service, we can normally detect a pattern of wear and would then make a recommendation on when you should consider the first major service, or a subsequent minor service. This usually depends on how much you ride per week. Based on your Strava account history, you ride on average twice a week outdoors and in 2018 you rode at total of 125 hours. I know this includes indoor training and the outdoor rides weren’t all on the SCOTT Spark, but it does indicate you ride outdoors regularly, which is quite normal in South Africa (and obviously encouraged!).

 

Your bike was returned to your home by Deane, our workshop manager, after hours on the Monday (28 January). It had been stripped, checked and reassembled without any work taking place because you wanted the bike to be returned that day. He presented you with photographs of your worn/rusted pivots, bearings and drivetrain. You say you don’t know for sure that these were your parts. It’s not in our interests to show you anyone else’s bike’s parts. We do this because it’s visual confirmation of our mechanics’ assessment. We also returned your bike’s old/worn/rusted parts after the major service was done. It’s not in our interest to give you anything other than your bike’s parts, the external ones of which should be recognisable. It’s common practice at all bicycle store workshops to do this.

 

Because you asked for SCOTT to give their opinion, this meant contacting the SCOTT technical guy, Johan, the following day, Monday 28 January (he doesn’t work on weekends). He was in Cape Town on business and couldn’t take our store’s call right away. He called you on the Wednesday, 30 January. He agreed to giving you a discount on a new pivot kit.

 

You mention that you’re a weekend rider and not a serious racer. This has no effect on the wear and tear of moving parts on a bicycle. What does have an effect is the regular maintenance (or lack thereof) of these parts, which is why we (and other bike shops) recommend at least two minor and one major service a year if you ride regularly. As you probably know, riding in wet or muddy conditions can accelerate wear on moving parts, especially your drivetrain, pivots and bearings.

 

Deane collected your bike to do the Major Service and then delivered at your home afterwards. This is not a normal offering for customers. He went out of his way here.

 

Regarding Wynand putting the phone down on you: he said you became abusive and he didn’t feel it was warranted. Instead of getting emotional and defending himself, he decided to rather end the call. He asked Deane to call you rather.

 

The chainring: Yes, they made the error of replacing it with the incorrect one and needed to order the one you wanted. This was our fault for which we apologised.

 

Jacques, it’s important that you are aware that Cycle Lab is a very customer-centric business. We go the extra mile for our customers. It’s not in our interests to treat customers badly or replace parts that don’t require replacement. We employ humans, who do make mistakes at times, but we always apologise where it’s warranted and try to ensure our customers are happy.

 

Where we might not have met your expectations, there was a good reason (as explained above). What I would like to point out is that had you brought your bike in for it’s 6-week check/tune-up, this is unlikely to have become the issue it has. To ride a bike for nine months before taking it for any kind of service is quite a lengthy period, but not necessarily excessive (depends how much it’s been ridden and in what conditions).

To expect any mainstream bike shop to complete a Major Service in one day is also a bit of a push. As I said we can do this if there are no complications and we have the capacity. But your request to bring SCOTT into the picture added a complication which was unfortunate.

 

I have tried to cover everything in this response. If I have missed anything, please let me know. I have also been as objective as possible, trying to see the situation from your perspective and our perspective. I can see you are a keen, committed bicycle rider and runner, which is fantastic. I know you said you will never buy another SCOTT or return to Cycle Lab again, which is obviously unfortunate. We hope you’ll change your mind, but respect your decision either way. 

 

Sean Badenhorst, MoreCycle Marketing Manager

[BaGearA]

Hi Jacques. Posting my email to you here for perspective: Following your detailed complaint relating to ‘bad service and shocking attitude’ from Cycle Lab and SCOTT and having spoken to all staff involved, I have the following response: You booked in your bike just after 11h00 on Sunday 27 January asking for a major service and for it to be ready for collection the next day, Monday 28 January. It’s very unusual for us to agree to a next-day collection for a major service, but in cases where the customer specifically requests this, we try to make an exception, as we did for you. Wynand, who was attending to you and who is one of our most experienced workshop staff members, quickly discovered, through his experience, that your bike’s drivetrain was worn to the point that it would require replacement in order to function efficiently. This can be seen by an experienced eye (wear on the chainring and cassette teeth as well as elongation/sag of the chain) as well as with confirmation of the chain-measuring tool. He also noticed it would need new bearings based on the creaking noise it made when pressure was placed on the pedal while the bike was stationary. You said the bike was rather new (you purchased it from Cycle Lab Fourways on 13 March 2018 – approximately nine months prior to your bringing it in for its first service with us). As you will have been recommended by the Cycle Lab salesperson when you bought the bike (this is a compulsory part of our bike sales process), you should bring the bike in for a free check/tune-up after 6 weeks, which it appears you didn’t do. We sent you a SMS with a voucher code when you paid for the bike that allows you to redeem this 6-week tune-up. We have no record of your bike being brought to our workshop prior to your late January 2019 visit. Had you brought your bike in for its free six-week check-up/tune, you would have been recommended to have a minor service done three months later. At that minor service, we can normally detect a pattern of wear and would then make a recommendation on when you should consider the first major service, or a subsequent minor service. This usually depends on how much you ride per week. Based on your Strava account history, you ride on average twice a week outdoors and in 2018 you rode at total of 125 hours. I know this includes indoor training and the outdoor rides weren’t all on the SCOTT Spark, but it does indicate you ride outdoors regularly, which is quite normal in South Africa (and obviously encouraged!). Your bike was returned to your home by Deane, our workshop manager, after hours on the Monday (28 January). It had been stripped, checked and reassembled without any work taking place because you wanted the bike to be returned that day. He presented you with photographs of your worn/rusted pivots, bearings and drivetrain. You say you don’t know for sure that these were your parts. It’s not in our interests to show you anyone else’s bike’s parts. We do this because it’s visual confirmation of our mechanics’ assessment. We also returned your bike’s old/worn/rusted parts after the major service was done. It’s not in our interest to give you anything other than your bike’s parts, the external ones of which should be recognisable. It’s common practice at all bicycle store workshops to do this. Because you asked for SCOTT to give their opinion, this meant contacting the SCOTT technical guy, Johan, the following day, Monday 28 January (he doesn’t work on weekends). He was in Cape Town on business and couldn’t take our store’s call right away. He called you on the Wednesday, 30 January. He agreed to giving you a discount on a new pivot kit. You mention that you’re a weekend rider and not a serious racer. This has no effect on the wear and tear of moving parts on a bicycle. What does have an effect is the regular maintenance (or lack thereof) of these parts, which is why we (and other bike shops) recommend at least two minor and one major service a year if you ride regularly. As you probably know, riding in wet or muddy conditions can accelerate wear on moving parts, especially your drivetrain, pivots and bearings. Deane collected your bike to do the Major Service and then delivered at your home afterwards. This is not a normal offering for customers. He went out of his way here. Regarding Wynand putting the phone down on you: he said you became abusive and he didn’t feel it was warranted. Instead of getting emotional and defending himself, he decided to rather end the call. He asked Deane to call you rather. The chainring: Yes, they made the error of replacing it with the incorrect one and needed to order the one you wanted. This was our fault for which we apologised. Jacques, it’s important that you are aware that Cycle Lab is a very customer-centric business. We go the extra mile for our customers. It’s not in our interests to treat customers badly or replace parts that don’t require replacement. We employ humans, who do make mistakes at times, but we always apologise where it’s warranted and try to ensure our customers are happy. Where we might not have met your expectations, there was a good reason (as explained above). What I would like to point out is that had you brought your bike in for it’s 6-week check/tune-up, this is unlikely to have become the issue it has. To ride a bike for nine months before taking it for any kind of service is quite a lengthy period, but not necessarily excessive (depends how much it’s been ridden and in what conditions).To expect any mainstream bike shop to complete a Major Service in one day is also a bit of a push. As I said we can do this if there are no complications and we have the capacity. But your request to bring SCOTT into the picture added a complication which was unfortunate. I have tried to cover everything in this response. If I have missed anything, please let me know. I have also been as objective as possible, trying to see the situation from your perspective and our perspective. I can see you are a keen, committed bicycle rider and runner, which is fantastic. I know you said you will never buy another SCOTT or return to Cycle Lab again, which is obviously unfortunate. We hope you’ll change your mind, but respect your decision either way.  Sean Badenhorst, MoreCycle Marketing Manager

And so continues the shortsighted idea of bike shops replying to threads like this

 

Wonder if bike addict have learned their lesson...

[Mudsimus]

And so continues the shortsighted idea of bike shops replying to threads like this

 

Wonder if bike addict have learned their lesson...

Surely they have the right to respond? You cant compare this to the replies of bike addict. Business is not a one way street, and at the moment Im siding with the shop.

[CAAD4]

Congrats on your new role Sean.

 

 

Hi Jacques. Posting my email to you here for perspective: Following your detailed complaint relating to ‘bad service and shocking attitude’ from Cycle Lab and SCOTT and having spoken to all staff involved, I have the following response:

 

You booked in your bike just after 11h00 on Sunday 27 January asking for a major service and for it to be ready for collection the next day, Monday 28 January. It’s very unusual for us to agree to a next-day collection for a major service, but in cases where the customer specifically requests this, we try to make an exception, as we did for you.

 

Wynand, who was attending to you and who is one of our most experienced workshop staff members, quickly discovered, through his experience, that your bike’s drivetrain was worn to the point that it would require replacement in order to function efficiently. This can be seen by an experienced eye (wear on the chainring and cassette teeth as well as elongation/sag of the chain) as well as with confirmation of the chain-measuring tool. He also noticed it would need new bearings based on the creaking noise it made when pressure was placed on the pedal while the bike was stationary.

 

You said the bike was rather new (you purchased it from Cycle Lab Fourways on 13 March 2018 – approximately nine months prior to your bringing it in for its first service with us). As you will have been recommended by the Cycle Lab salesperson when you bought the bike (this is a compulsory part of our bike sales process), you should bring the bike in for a free check/tune-up after 6 weeks, which it appears you didn’t do. We sent you a SMS with a voucher code when you paid for the bike that allows you to redeem this 6-week tune-up. We have no record of your bike being brought to our workshop prior to your late January 2019 visit.

 

Had you brought your bike in for its free six-week check-up/tune, you would have been recommended to have a minor service done three months later. At that minor service, we can normally detect a pattern of wear and would then make a recommendation on when you should consider the first major service, or a subsequent minor service. This usually depends on how much you ride per week. Based on your Strava account history, you ride on average twice a week outdoors and in 2018 you rode at total of 125 hours. I know this includes indoor training and the outdoor rides weren’t all on the SCOTT Spark, but it does indicate you ride outdoors regularly, which is quite normal in South Africa (and obviously encouraged!).

 

Your bike was returned to your home by Deane, our workshop manager, after hours on the Monday (28 January). It had been stripped, checked and reassembled without any work taking place because you wanted the bike to be returned that day. He presented you with photographs of your worn/rusted pivots, bearings and drivetrain. You say you don’t know for sure that these were your parts. It’s not in our interests to show you anyone else’s bike’s parts. We do this because it’s visual confirmation of our mechanics’ assessment. We also returned your bike’s old/worn/rusted parts after the major service was done. It’s not in our interest to give you anything other than your bike’s parts, the external ones of which should be recognisable. It’s common practice at all bicycle store workshops to do this.

 

Because you asked for SCOTT to give their opinion, this meant contacting the SCOTT technical guy, Johan, the following day, Monday 28 January (he doesn’t work on weekends). He was in Cape Town on business and couldn’t take our store’s call right away. He called you on the Wednesday, 30 January. He agreed to giving you a discount on a new pivot kit.

 

You mention that you’re a weekend rider and not a serious racer. This has no effect on the wear and tear of moving parts on a bicycle. What does have an effect is the regular maintenance (or lack thereof) of these parts, which is why we (and other bike shops) recommend at least two minor and one major service a year if you ride regularly. As you probably know, riding in wet or muddy conditions can accelerate wear on moving parts, especially your drivetrain, pivots and bearings.

 

Deane collected your bike to do the Major Service and then delivered at your home afterwards. This is not a normal offering for customers. He went out of his way here.

 

Regarding Wynand putting the phone down on you: he said you became abusive and he didn’t feel it was warranted. Instead of getting emotional and defending himself, he decided to rather end the call. He asked Deane to call you rather.

 

The chainring: Yes, they made the error of replacing it with the incorrect one and needed to order the one you wanted. This was our fault for which we apologised.

 

Jacques, it’s important that you are aware that Cycle Lab is a very customer-centric business. We go the extra mile for our customers. It’s not in our interests to treat customers badly or replace parts that don’t require replacement. We employ humans, who do make mistakes at times, but we always apologise where it’s warranted and try to ensure our customers are happy.

 

Where we might not have met your expectations, there was a good reason (as explained above). What I would like to point out is that had you brought your bike in for it’s 6-week check/tune-up, this is unlikely to have become the issue it has. To ride a bike for nine months before taking it for any kind of service is quite a lengthy period, but not necessarily excessive (depends how much it’s been ridden and in what conditions).

To expect any mainstream bike shop to complete a Major Service in one day is also a bit of a push. As I said we can do this if there are no complications and we have the capacity. But your request to bring SCOTT into the picture added a complication which was unfortunate.

 

I have tried to cover everything in this response. If I have missed anything, please let me know. I have also been as objective as possible, trying to see the situation from your perspective and our perspective. I can see you are a keen, committed bicycle rider and runner, which is fantastic. I know you said you will never buy another SCOTT or return to Cycle Lab again, which is obviously unfortunate. We hope you’ll change your mind, but respect your decision either way.

 

Sean Badenhorst, MoreCycle Marketing Manager

[ChrisF]

 

.....

 

Had you brought your bike in for its free six-week check-up/tune, you would have been recommended to have a minor service done three months later. ....

 

 

Most interesting to read this part of the reply ....

 

 

Having bought a SCOTT from a DIFFERENT dealer about 6 months ago I find this part of the reply VERY interesting ...    

 

YES, the option of a free checkup was made - certainly NOT a compulsory thing.  My bike did go back about 2 months after the purchase, for a small technical item, which was sorted out while I waited.

 

Once again I was told of the requirement for an ANNUAL service.

 

 

I have since spoken to two different SCOTT service centres closer to home, once again only told to ensure the ANNUAL service is done.

 

 

 

Okay - back on topic ..... so even if the owner did not stick to the service schedule - why would a service take 6 days .... seems like another story where we will never hear the complete version ....

[PhilipV]

I

And then used my strava km as baseline on a 9 month old bike. Thats after telling them i have ridding different bikes and the 2800 - all watt bikes sessions and trainer sessions prob = around 1800 or 1900 probly in the region of less that 1800 on actual bike. That showed them that on ave i ride outside twice a week, regardless of distance or conditions road or mud...

 

Then checked that against the cycle lab records and promptly decided i have never done any maintenance on my bike because it is not on their record.

 

 

Hold on, did you do 1800km over 9 months without servicing it? And did you expect to do 1800km on the same cassette, chainring and chain without swopping the chain out and expect everything to be hunkydory with a single service?

 

If the shop has all the parts in stock, then a major rebuild is possible in a day, but it could take two days if suspension and pivots need servicing/ replacing. If the shop needs to order items, then it's up to the supplier.

Just be glad it's not a Ford, I would have been okay with a 6 day wait the last time, but alas, my next Bakkie won't look the same.

[MDJ]

There is always three sides to every story, but I personally appreciate shops that respond on the forum. The Cyclelab response sounds reasonable to me. I can imagine all the back and forth would result in a 6 day process.

 

We are all human and emotions are big a big part of being human. I dropped my bike off at my LBS one Wednesday morning and they promised it would be ready on Friday, but the part they needed didn't arrive - so it wasn't ready. I wasn't very happy but took a breather before freaking out. The reality is that sh*t happens, yes its often because people have screwed up - but a cool head/time-out and accepting apologies - makes for a much happier life .

[Bbbbbbbb]

Hold on, did you do 1800km over 9 months without servicing it? And did you expect to do 1800km on the same cassette, chainring and chain without swopping the chain out and expect everything to be hunkydory with a single service?

 

If the shop has all the parts in stock, then a major rebuild is possible in a day, but it could take two days if suspension and pivots need servicing/ replacing. If the shop needs to order items, then it's up to the supplier.

Just be glad it's not a Ford, I would have been okay with a 6 day wait the last time, but alas, my next Bakkie won't look the same.

No... making the same assumption as cycle lab based on the cycle lab history.

[DieselnDust]

This saga just makes me feel smug inside because I chose to have my bikes serviced by small family owned businesses where the staff know me by name, understand my ocd nature and attention to detail.

I trust them to deliver what is expected after we discuss expectations. And they always go out of their way to make the experience pleasant. Why? Because they are passionate and survival depends on fulfilled expectations.

[Mojoman]

This saga just makes me feel smug inside because I chose to have my bikes serviced by small family owned businesses where the staff know me by name, understand my ocd nature and attention to detail.

I trust them to deliver what is expected after we discuss expectations. And they always go out of their way to make the experience pleasant. Why? Because they are passionate and survival depends on fulfilled expectations.

I feel smug because I do all this crap myself....

[Eddy Gordo]

I feel smug because I do all this crap myself....

I thought all hubbers did

[Patchelicious]

I thought all hubbers did

Only the ones with toxic masculinity do.

[Eddy Gordo]

:-D 

[PhilipV]

No... making the same assumption as cycle lab based on the cycle lab history.

Actually, that's why I asked you. If I assumed anything, I would have just said it straight.

 

Nevertheless, I just checked my own stats, my current drivetrain is on just over 2000km and its on its way out, so you're 1800 is sort of decent. I was on my second set of pivots before I cracked the frame (3years old, 3000km,) second BB, original headset and second seatpost. Many many brake pads and tyres.

 

So maybe the shop wasn't out of line when they recommended new bearings and drivetrain components. It's pretty easy to spot a tired cassette and chain ring.

They probably didn't manage your expectations well, and maybe they reacted wrong. But I doubt that you are blameless in this.

 

Sometimes moving on from a shop is the right thing to do, and sometimes closing a client's account is the right thing to do. To be honest, I reckon you and cycle lab will both be better off if you don't go back to them. It isn't personal, it's business.

[Patensie]

Only the ones with toxic masculinity do.

cheap whiskey & snot all over phone. Thanks Patch!

[PhilipV]

cheap whiskey & snot all over phone. Thanks Patch!

Nee man sies.

 

 

 

Life is too precious for crap whiskey.

Drink the good stuff.