Argument with LBS
nickfrog
Posts: 610
Hiya,
Ordered a 9-speed SLX rear mech GS last week from my LBS.
Did not have the time to fit it this week so asked them to. I removed the old mech and cleaned the chain/cassette and the rest of the bike last week to near new condition and dropped the bike today. Even the cable is almost new and not frayed.
I picked the bike up and they wanted £75. I am sure the rrp of the mech was £50 when I ordered it but now it says £55 on the Madison site. Has that changed recently ?
Is £20 a resonnable charge for fitting a new mech and indexing ? How many minutes should it take ?
Thanks
Nick
Ordered a 9-speed SLX rear mech GS last week from my LBS.
Did not have the time to fit it this week so asked them to. I removed the old mech and cleaned the chain/cassette and the rest of the bike last week to near new condition and dropped the bike today. Even the cable is almost new and not frayed.
I picked the bike up and they wanted £75. I am sure the rrp of the mech was £50 when I ordered it but now it says £55 on the Madison site. Has that changed recently ?
Is £20 a resonnable charge for fitting a new mech and indexing ? How many minutes should it take ?
Thanks
Nick
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errr yes.
Seems more than reasonable to me, especially as you didn't have time yourself.
They probably fitted a new cable too.
1) break the chain
2) fit the derailler
3) put the chain on
4) fit the cable
5) index
at least 15 mins if it works like a dream and he's quick. they probably charge by the 30m too.
are you happy with the shifting and service?
sorry mate , but it sounds like you're being a tad tight.0 -
I can't even imagine paying £75 to get an SLX mech on my bike. That's insane.0
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That's if that's what they're charging you, that's what they're charging you.
Agree a price in advance next time.0 -
It has nothing to do with being tight, it's not about the money but about the principle. It's clearly my fault for being too busy and not asking for the price first. They did not change the cable as it just about finished stretching (it's about 100 miles old!) as I asked them not too.
The chain is a SRAM PG990 with a powerlink thingy...
It looks like Madison have increased their price on 01/10 and I am sure they had quoted me £50 for the mech, plus they normally give me 10% off. I naively assume that either free fitting at full SRP or £5 to fit the mech would have been sufficient, hence my surprise at £75.
I normally CRC things and DIY but I thought I'll support the LBS not expecting to pay twice as much, that's all...Alex wrote:That's if that's what they're charging you, that's what they're charging you.
Agree a price in advance next time.
So you reckon £50 labour would have been reasonable ? Where do you draw the line ?0 -
My LBS says "fitting one component, eg brake, mech, £15-£20" and I think that is reasonable, and is probably the norm. They need to charge at around £50 per hour to make the whole enterprise worthwhile. If your time is worth more than that, you'll pay, if it isn't you won't (unless you lack the skills or tools). The shop is charging perfectly ordinary prices, whether you think that is worthwhile depends on your own circumstances and values.0
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What I find so funny about that price is for £13 more if you fitted them yourself you could get new shifters and front mech...
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop ... t_1147.htm
The mind boggles...
The mech on its own is £35 pounds on Merlin - so it's really 'only' £40 to fit it. Crazy.0 -
As Alex says, always get a quote first, preferably in writing. The shop should, if it differs markedly from this, call you.
I would charge £15 min to fit and index a mech. £20 is in the ball park.0 -
Looks like the rrp has gone up by £5 between the time I ordered and today...
With the usual 10% I assumed it would be around £60....
Anyway, you can't have it both ways...
yeehaamcgee, I am house husband with two kids mate ! I guess I was lazy and I've paid the price !!
Cheers guys...0 -
Is your LBS Madison?
Mech prices range from £35 - CRC to £60 - Halfords. Madison is £55 so up near the top.
Should normally check the price to fit, but all the bike shops I've been in have a menu of priices for basic jobs.I don't do smileys.
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Parktools0 -
I only ever get the LBS to do stuff i either 1. cant or 2.mess up
Would always rather do it myself
I paid £10 to have a very slight buckle taken out the other week. Prob only took him 5 mins, but i dont have a jig, so i didnt really mind.
I guess you have to rationalise the £20 paid against the value of your time.
How much do you think would have been reasonable ?0 -
Get a quote first. I never do anything on my commuter bike as I don't have time and they charged £20 to fit new forks which by all accounts is not a complicated job. I was happy enough with that.
I do my own road and mtb fixage though, in as much as I can.Whether you're a king or a little street sweeper, sooner or later you'll dance with the reaper.
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Giant Anthem X4
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ive 3 kids and work full time and id have fixed it myself really! lol
naaa understand why you wanted to get shop to do it but I think £20 isnt too bad a charge!
think u'll know next time to do it yourself!
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You can buy child care for less than £20 per hour, so you can park the kids somewhere and fix it yourself and save maybe £10 - sorted 0
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I've just got a new Marin frame on warranty and for having my bike stripped and everything put on the new frame I was charged £45 so £20 to put a rear mech on seems a bit steep to me, especially as you bought the mech off them anyway.Smarter than the average bear.0
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No, £20 for a mech is fine, but paying for the repair of a product that failed, out of your own pocket - that is weird! Unless you bought it originally as a frame only, of course.antfly wrote:I've just got a new Marin frame on warranty and for having my bike stripped and everything put on the new frame I was charged £45 so £20 to put a rear mech on seems a bit steep to me, especially as you bought the mech off them anyway.0 -
Very :?alfablue wrote:paying for the repair of a product that failed, out of your own pocket - that is weird!
I've never been charged by a Marin dealer to fit swingarm bearings, or to replace the swingarm I broke.
Mind you, that's sort of not true. I did take it to a bike shop in town once to get bearings sorted when I couldn't get hold of the one I'd been before, and the guy there was told that because he wasn't a Marin dealer, and part of their warranty scheme, they would happily handle the bearing replacement with him, but they couldn't pay him for the labour like they would with a dealership - so they offered some deal on other things for him instead.
I still didn't have to pay a penny though.0 -
The bike was four and a half years old, I was very grateful to Marin for giving me a brand new frame at no cost {even if it is white} even though the shop said I would need the original receipt which I did not have. I was well aware that labour costs weren't included in the frame warranty and £45 seems very reasonable.The new frame is much better than the old one, I think I got a very good deal and i'm a happy bunny.Smarter than the average bear.0
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In that case £45 doesn't seem bad! I suppose it was based on about 1hr work.0
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It would seem your issue is with the £20 labour charge? £20 seems more than reasonable to me.
http://www.evanscycles.com/uploads/File ... celist.pdf
I mean just for example, my nearest Evans want £22.50 to fit two tyres!!
It would appear that you paid top LBS price for the component you had fitted, LBS's always charge the top RRP, otherwise they will never make any money.
Also they rely on the 'ignorant', people. As you well know bike servicing is pretty simple and straight forward provided you have the knowledge and tools. If you do not have this knowledge the LBS is always going to make it appear much more harder than it is. Think about it,it is no different to putting your car into a main dealer and being charged £200 for what is essentially just an oil change, dressed up as a 'service'.
Your are paying for the convenience if you are too busy, surely if you had the time to clean the bike to such a high standard as you stated, you had time to fit the mech?0 -
never buy stuff from a LBS, sorry to say this but LBSs alwlays rip you off with goods as this their only way to make cash, they tend to not buy in bulk so tend to get bad deals.
In turn they sell you stuff way over the typical RRP you get from internet,
id say £20 is typical price to fit a small part sadly, but i wouldnt at all say £50 a hour is fair as that plain stupid,.
it best to buy parts online then ask them how much to fit before you agree.
I think LBS are going to suffer a lot in the "current times" as people exspect prices based on what they see online , end of the day i have some sadness for them going under but this the way of a competitive market if you cant survive or be competitive then you kind of deserve to go under.
A good bike shop with good people can have decent prices and service costs and still make good money.. lots of small companys out there doing well.London2Brighton Challange 100k!
http://www.justgiving.com/broxbourne-runners0 -
I get great service from my LBS though, and they have lots of fiddly little things in stock that you can't really eyeball online.
They also have a great stock of clothes, helmets, gloves and pads, so I really don'y mind paying a few quid more to see and fit before I buy.0 -
The LBS has its place for many people, even if charging top whack - convenience if you need a part the same day, being able to view items, try them on. This is why they cost more. Many will offer reduced labour charges if you buy from them, and after sales care is easier to reach too.
Depends what you want, and what you expect. Small local shops can't hope to compete on prices with the big warehouse people selling OEM gear.0 -
there is a contradiction here - internet prices are usually well below RRP (the RRP is the same everywhere). Internet sellers can charge below RRP because they may buy and sell in higher volume than the LBS and are uinlikely to have anywhere near the same overheads as a high street presence requires.blablablacksheep wrote:In turn they sell you stuff way over the typical RRP you get from internet,
£50 per hour is not stupid - there are many costs beyond simply the mechanics wage - the premesis, heating, lighting, water, business rates, staff training, health and safety compliance, tools and equipment, marketing, VAT, business tax, employers NI contributions, holiday pay, many many more things. Also, billable work will not be available to cover every single minute a mechanic works for - there will be time that gains no income for the business. If you charge much less than £50 then you are stupid as your business will most likely fail.id say £20 is typical price to fit a small part sadly, but i wouldnt at all say £50 a hour is fair as that plain stupid,
Paying £50 when you can do it yourself may be stupid. . . .0 -
I would suggest the OP get's himself a job instead of watching Trisha & Jeremy Kyle all day, then mechanic bills won't be a problem?
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yeehaamcgee wrote:I get great service from my LBS though, and they have lots of fiddly little things in stock that you can't really eyeball online.
They also have a great stock of clothes, helmets, gloves and pads, so I really don'y mind paying a few quid more to see and fit before I buy.
+Potatoes
How many times is CRC going to have a rear mech barrel adjuster in and willing to drop it on your bike at a moments notice?0 -
Or a drawer full of mech hangers for a long since obsolete 1998 Marin Wolfridge 0
