What to make of comment...

[SwissVan]

All I have to say is give them a chance to reply. I appreciate that you haven't named them' date=' but you also haven't given them a chance to make right for what sounds like an uncalled for comment.

 

I agree calling a bike cr@p is uncalled for but you are making assumptions about them and how they run their shop.

[/quote']

 

Sorry but if what Mampara heard "Everything on the bike is crap" is true then they lost all chances IMO. The customer has a possible comeback after work was done by them and that type of attitude sucks.

 

Perhaps the shop owner should be notified so that he can educate his staff, imagine if they had gone about it in a decent manner, perhaps they would be selling more...instead of getting bad publicity.

 

Loose tongues sink ships huh??

 

[Marius]

Absolutly

[TNT1]

 

Sorry but if what Mampara heard "Everything on the bike is crap" is true...

 

But what if everything on the bike is "crap?

I mean the first car I had was older than I was, nothing worked, I spent more time under the hood repairing things than driving, and towards the end the tempremental B!tch needed to be rolling along at like 50 before you could start it... So if someone had of called it a pile of cr@p, then I would have agreed. In fact my mates called the car satan...

 

[Marius]

I was going to say that TNT1 but did not want to go "there" hiehihehie, my GT 1.0 was also a piece of crap!

[AndreZA]

I know the stuff on the bike is not top of the line, but it's not crap. And all worked better before they worked on it.

 

 

[1hill@aTime]

my mtb is a piece of  , she doesn't get mentioned and think she knows that, cause i was moving her away from my bench on monday and bam, the handle bars against the side of my head, i think she was trying to say something......

 

one thing forsure i won't take her to my lbs, cause i know there will be comments.

[TNT1]

 

I know the stuff on the bike is not top of the line' date=' but it's not crap. And all worked better before they worked on it.

 

 

[/quote']

 

Fair, I was just asking

 

[slowpoke]

there is a huge difference between "entry level" and "cr@p"... entry level stuff can be 100% functional... so for a shop to call something cr@p just cos it's entry level is disgusting

[SwissVan]

Sorry but if what Mampara heard "Everything on the bike is crap" is true...

But what if everything on the bike is "crap?
I mean the first car I had was older than I was' date=' nothing worked, I spent more time under the hood repairing things than driving, and towards the end the tempremental B!tch needed to be rolling along at like 50 before you could start it... So if someone had of called it a pile of cr@p, then I would have agreed. In fact my mates called the car satan...
[/quote']

 

Thats part of my point, if they explained the situation in a 

sympathetic manner instead of p*ssing off the the customer they could have had the chance to upgrade the bike and sell something - think its called salesmanship or gift of the gab

 

SwissVan2007-05-09 04:45:08

[bobbie]

Unexceptable!!!

 

When youre a pro or not' date=' rich or poor, doesnt make you any better than anybody else.

 

The customer is always right and should get the best service possible, regardless.

 

[/quote']

 

you forgot to mention male/female.  I find that if I go to lbs they immediately decide (being a girl)  that i know nothing about the bike, components etc. etc. and try and take me for "a ride" so to speak. (maybe i just look dumb (must speak to my parents about that-..)

 

They use the most technical language they can to really try and impress me with their knowledge and therefore justify the amount they will charge before having done anything....

 

i know if i had to send a male friend into the shop with same bike, it would be a different story all together...and no doubt different price...

 

 

 

 

[dirtrider]

1. You got a very decent bike

 

2. Never return to this shop , there is not two sides to a story . just one side and that is the customers side !!!!

 

 

 

End of story

[nellie]

 

you forgot to mention male/female.  I find that if I go to lbs they immediately decide (being a girl)  that i know nothing about the bike' date=' components etc. etc. and try and take me for "a ride" so to speak. (maybe i just look dumb (must speak to my parents about that-..)

 

They use the most technical language they can to really try and impress me with their knowledge and therefore justify the amount they will charge before having done anything....

 

i know if i had to send a male friend into the shop with same bike, it would be a different story all together...and no doubt different price...

 

[/quote']

 

Hey Bobbie, the secret is to know what you want when you step into the shop.

I've been cycling quite a few years now and the first 3 or 4 years i was quite clueless as to what i wanted when i went to my lbs. So i stood uhm-ing  and ah-ing and looked a bit daft i guess. (i mean...if there was something wrong with my deraileur i would say something like "...there's a thingy at the back somewhere that keeps making a noise...so do you know what it is and can you fix it please?...")

 

And especially when you go to buy stuff - if you just say i want ...hmm, shoes for example;they can sell you any nonsense they want or on the flip-side of the coin, issue you with the most expensive stuff available and possibly you won't even be happy with what you purchased

 

So do a bit of 'research' before going so you can do your shopping with convidence - tell them that you are going to need the shoes for road-cycling, you're not a very competetent cyclist...so not necesarily going to need top of the range products, tell them what you like and give them a price range that you will be able to spend on shoes.

 

Ask them for advice, but it's still your decision(sp?)

 

this is what i do and have no problems with getting exactly what i want nowadays, hope it helps

[Ratty]

MichH, you are in the process of buying a bike from them, that would explain the good service!  I don't know the bike shop so can't comment on them, but have had a lot of issues with other bike shops. 

The one I bought my mtb bike from gave me great service until they had my money.  From the start my bike had problems with gears.  It went back to them twice with no success.  Took it to other shops, one eventually fixed it but stuffed up my brakes.

 

On the way back from a ride I took it to a shop which is 35kms away from me.  They fixed the brakes, serviced the bike and now it works better than it did when it was brand new.  They suggested my set up wasn't correct and said I must bring it in sometime which I did.  They didn't charge me a sent (Place I bought the bike from initially charged me R250)!  They also offered me advice on how I should be braking, tips on tire pressure etc etc and also what shoes I should buy (mine are crap).  The shoes they suggested aren't ones they are allowed to stock so they weren't even being salesmen. 

 

What a pleasure going to a shop like that.  They have me as a customer for life.

 

Ratty2007-05-09 07:20:30

[MichH]

Yah Ratty, that's why I put a disclaimer on my email. Time will tell, I'm happy so far. I hope that Mampara contacts them, or they contact Mampara and the problem is resolved.

[Ratty]

 

(i mean...if there was something wrong with my deraileur i would say something like "...there's a thingy at the back somewhere that keeps making a noise...so do you know what it is and can you fix it please?...")

 

And especially when you go to buy stuff - if you just say i want ...hmm' date=' shoes for example;they can sell you any nonsense they want or on the flip-side of the coin, issue you with the most expensive stuff available and possibly you won't even be happy with what you purchased

 

[/quote']

 

I get really pissed off with bike shops that just sell the stuff to beginners and don't explain it.  Where I go now the guys give me the cheaper and more expensive options and explain the differences and then its up to me to decide.  Hey some of the time they tell me NOT to take the expensive one.  I've learnt so much in the last two weeks since I went there and already after two rides I'm riding fast and more confidentally just with a few miner changes on the bike and how I ride, all thanks to them.  

 

 

 

[mikes bikes]

Hi All

 

In response to the comments made about us we would like to take the time to give you some feedback.

 

We apologise if we offended anybody!

 

We are a service and maintenance orientated shop. When your bike is serviced regularly and kept maintained etc you will have more pleasure in riding your bike.

 

We are not a "rich" shop and have helped all different kinds of people from all different walks of life. We have sold many entry level bikes (starting at R 2280.00)

 

No bikes deserve to be called names - it was a tactless slip and we apologise.

 

We are a new shop and accept that there are going to be hiccups, we are committed to good service and a friendly environment.

 

With regards to the wheel in question: the hub needs to be opened up and accessed. We advised the customer of this and he chose to ignore our advice. The spokes were  not tensioned enough and this was causing the noise to dampen out. now that the spokes are tensioned to the correct Nm the noise is now audible as it is no longer damped by the loose spokes. We have only ever worked on the wheel, not the bike as a whole and therfore cannot be held responsible for the condition of the rest of the bike.

 

Should anybody have any queries please dont hesitate to contact me either on 011 888 8868 or mikesbikes@vodamail.co.za

 

Regards,

Gail