Name and Shame your cr@p LBS

davebelushi

What is it nowadays with people! Jesus. Who cares about your poor service experience. Get over it, it's not like they all slept with your wife is it. Or is that it?....

HellsCyclist

davebelushi wrote:

What is it nowadays with people! Jesus. Who cares about your poor service experience. Get over it, it's not like they all slept with your wife is it. Or is that it?....

I would care about buying from a shop that has many complaints about it. I do not want to be dealing with such issues so the more people that publicly complain about genuinely crap shops, the more people can make a judgement on whether to go to such shops. There is a benefit to comments based on customers experiences, whether they be good or bad.

davebelushi

It's all just opinions though isn't it. Pointless and unsubstantiated opinions.

kajjal

I tend to test bike shops by asking questions I know the answers to and seeing what they advise. Being tall numerous bike shops have tried to cram me into a bike that is too small. Also I steer clear of the Saturday staff who can be good for general stuff but are useless for any real detailed advice. Luckily my LBS is very helpful and stocks a large range of bikes.

paulbox

I hate being in a bike shop and overhearing sh!te advice being given to new riders looking for a bike, does my nut in. A couple of years back I heard a guy telling the sales assistant that he wanted a full suspension mtb. The SA replied, "you don't need a full suspension mtb to ride around here". He didn't ask him anything about the type of riding he was intending on doing, where he was going etc. Just got on his high horse about not needing a full suspension bike without explaining the pro's & con's of the bikes. Had similar in an E***s recently, I just wanted to tell the sales guy to stop bullsh!tting.

Twice recently I have had to go in to my local Halfords in Sunday, only "bike shop" open, situations. First time my mate had damaged a chain ring (mtb) and we were just trying to get a replacement so we could continue our ride. Sales assistant in the bike section told us that you can't buy replacement rings on their own... Second time I was rebuilding a mtb and needed some loctite, the main bike mechanic in there didn't know what it was, what it was used for and had never touched it himself.

Good service is everything, don't go back to anywhere that has treated you badly, and use opportunities like this to warn others.

On a positive note, I broke a spoke out on a ride a couple of weeks back, was near Berkhamsted so searched on phone for a lbs, came across http://www.lovelocycles.co.uk/ , their mechanic couldn't fix it there and then but got the wheel in to a state where I could ride home. Wouldn't take any money for his trouble. I will definitely be putting some business their way in the future.

drlodge

davebelushi wrote:

What is it nowadays with people! Jesus. Who cares about your poor service experience. Get over it, it's not like they all slept with your wife is it. Or is that it?....

Hey, if you had slept with my wife you'd know all about poor service experience.

paulbox

drlodge wrote:

davebelushi wrote:

What is it nowadays with people! Jesus. Who cares about your poor service experience. Get over it, it's not like they all slept with your wife is it. Or is that it?....

Hey, if you had slept with my wife you'd know all about poor service experience.

on-yer-bike

no one has mentioned Cyclops in Tonbridge. Now that's a surprise.

luv2ride

PaulBox wrote:

I hate being in a bike shop and overhearing sh!te advice being given to new riders looking for a bike, does my nut in. A couple of years back I heard a guy telling the sales assistant that he wanted a full suspension mtb. The SA replied, "you don't need a full suspension mtb to ride around here". He didn't ask him anything about the type of riding he was intending on doing, where he was going etc. Just got on his high horse about not needing a full suspension bike without explaining the pro's & con's of the bikes. Had similar in an E***s recently, I just wanted to tell the sales guy to stop bullsh****g

This.

I remember getting my first road bike from Halfords, a alu Boardman Road Team, and really not feeling I was getting good advice from the sales assistant, or decent answers to my questions at any rate. Luckily another more experienced cyclist was picking his new Boardman Pro Carbon (a 2nd bike for commuting on the Bike2work scheme) who clearly knew his stuff and talked me around the bike I was interested in whilst the SA was elsewhere. If I hadn't been lucky enough to speak to this guy I would've ended up with a bike one size too big (shop wanted to sell me a large, but chose medium after a good discussion with the other customer). His advice was priceless.

However, even though I ended up with the right size frame, I discovered that Halfords had built up my new bike with the wrong, lower spec forks. To their credit they replaced them 9 months later when I realised the problem and took it in, along with saying "I'm glad you came back in, we've had a pair of Road Team carbon forks knocking around for a while and couldn't work out why!" :evil:

mamba80

I think thou there maybe some awful experiences suffered by some...including me, the bike trade is sooo competitive, that these shops ether change of go bust.
I could name 3 local shops to me and one huge online retailer where I ve had bad service BUT every case was an exception, word soon gets around and Buck bikes would soon be out of business if they treat every customer as alleged, there r only so many muppets to fool

I also have to say that the service I ve had when things have gone wrong with Canyon and Rose goods has been amazing, puts any LBS to shame.

drlodge

Evans...spent 2 hours driving into Woking and Guildford yesterday afternoon to get a Specialized mech hanger that was showing as in stock on their web site, neither shop had it in stock. The chap in Guildford said they don't actually stock it anyway!! I mean WFT?!

The bike isn't mine nor at my place, but since I was in Guildford now anyway I went by my flat and picked up the hanger alignment [bending] tool, went back to the g/fs and straightened the damn thing...for free. It now works a treat, and probably better aligned than if I'd simply replaced the hanger.

Should've just straightened the thing in the first place...it was pretty bent though.

Dizeee

I have a very interesting story about Pure Motion Cycles in Byfleet, Surrey. It is breathtaking.

I will write the full story and catalogue of woe at a later date as my "case" is still ongoing and I am awaiting the last of my insurance money through, however, the finer points are:

I have been a customer of theirs for 2 years and spent a monumental amount of money there on a bike and various bit's including services for all my bikes. We're talking around 5k over 1 and a half years.

I was involved in a very low impact shunt on my Carbon bike a few months back. It bent the front wheel, as this got caught up in the car's wheel arch as the car was turning across my path. I took the bike to them straight away, for it to be assessed. After a week, and no phonecall or update, I collected it, to be told in very vague terms "everything needed replacing, it is a full write off". I got it home to find it had not even been touched or looked at. I put the chain back on the ring as it had come off and the Campag Athena gears returned to perfect working order. I then washed the bike and looked at it in detail. Not a mark anywhere. Then I took it to various other LBS' for an opinion, and we all came to the same conclusion. It needed a new front wheel obviously, and out of caution we decided to replace the front forks. I also chose a few other bits to replace cosemtically like some new shifters and a new seat, plus new bearings etc etc. PMC basically wrote it off on paper to get them another £ 3 - 4k sale on the basis that it was an insurance payout and therefore ok. They didn't listen to me, didn't communicate with me and just would not deal with me. My bike is discontinued, and therefore cannot be replaced, and all I wanted was for it to be fixed.

A different LBS totally saved the day, specced up an exact joblist and parts list plus full price to fix it all. They also sourced the last remaining fork for my bike from the supplier in front of me on the phone, as well as a single gear lever plus other parts. PMC told me it couldn't be fixed, there were no forks available, you can't buy just gear shifters and so on and so on. Everything they said was complete bullshit, and proven to be the case as I now have a fully sorted bike back, fixed and running like a dream. They have not seen it yet but will soon when I turn up at one of their shop rides. That will be funny.

There is so much more than that though. The manager is only interested in making money and sales. He promises various things, whether it is quotations, work to be done by a set date, this and that, and none of it ever materialises. They charge hugely for very little and their quotes always differ when it is time to collect. When my new bike shop fixed and stripped my bike they called me in to show me all of the problems they had found from what PMC had done to the bike, incorrect grease, no grease, shot bearings, over tightened BB and just sloppy workmanship. Interestingly many of the LBS' I have discussed PMC with know who they are and have had customers come in having had problems with them and wanting to change.

Plus, most of the local riding groups I ride with have all had some sort of negative experience of this sort with them too, and know who they are. They have a real reputation amongst some of the rider's around here.

The level of disappointment is immeasuarable however I have now find a much better LBS who I trust so ultimatley I have won in the end. Plus I now have had an interim payout from the car drivers insurance, so that has covered the cost to fix the bike. Lessons learnt.

drlodge

So who's your new LBS then?

Dizeee

Just to add, as far as PMC know, (or at least the manager anyway as I was out riding with their mechanic who is actually a lovely guy at the weekend on a sportive), I am without a carbon bike and am awaiting a look at / test of the replacement model. This was 6 weeks ago. Of course I was promised lot's when I went in to collect, he said they would get in a tester of the new model for me to look at, sit on etc etc etc. Have I heard anything back? lol course not. Not a sausage. But then this is their way. You are never contacted by them, ever. All you get is a text to say "bike ready for collection" which is usually days after it was supposed to be ready.

Dizeee

drlodge wrote:

So who's your new LBS then?

I'll tell you on Sunday as I plan to come out and ride with Charlotteville this weekend. Unless your doing TVS on Sunday?

drlodge

Dizeee wrote:

drlodge wrote:

So who's your new LBS then?

I'll tell you on Sunday as I plan to come out and ride with Charlotteville this weekend. Unless your doing TVS on Sunday?

Ah do I know you...? Not sure if I'll be with the Villains Sunday as its a beginners ride. But might do that them some extra miles afterwards, we'll see. I've only done TVS once on a Saturday, nearly killed me.

Dizeee

Im sure you do, I'm James, do the Wedn TT's from Normandy, usually do the Sat TVS run and have done various Sunday rides with the local groups. I ride with Nick W a fair bit, did the Surrey Classic century with him yesterday.

Dizeee

drlodge wrote:

Dizeee wrote:

Not sure if I'll be with the Villains Sunday as its a beginners ride.

Oh in which case I might have to re think. Maybe TVS after all then.

drlodge

OK I'm crap with names, might know your face when I see it!

Dizeee

drlodge wrote:

OK I'm crap with names, might know your face when I see it!

I think I might be getting you confused with the little guy who rides for Charlotteville, in his late fourties and hunches over his drops like an ironing board! I'll just check Strava and see if I can work out his name

drlodge

Dizeee wrote:

drlodge wrote:

OK I'm crap with names, might know your face when I see it!

I think I might be getting you confused with the little guy who rides for Charlotteville, in his late fourties and hunches over his drops like an ironing board! I'll just check Strava and see if I can work out his name

I don't think that's me :roll: I ride a Rourke that fits me right proper. You thinking of the chap who typically rides a fixed gear?

Dizeee

Not sure, he has an old bike, in fact he used to have a greeny purply Omega but sold that on to someone else locally as I saw him and it at last Wednesday's Normandy 10 TT...

asprilla

East Street Cycles in Walton on Thames.

I keep going back and giving them the benefit of the doubt and then regretting it. Last time I had a bike in there to fit a headset (I don't have a press) and I thought I'd change the BB to match the colour. They fitted a Hope BB as requested but they fitted a 73mm wide MTB one with spacers and then claimed that if I'd previously had one without spacers then I'd fitted it incorrectly and it would be dangerous.

I tried explaining that road BBs are only 68mm wide but they weren't having any of it.

drlodge

Asprilla wrote:

East Street Cycles in Walton on Thames.

I keep going back and giving them the benefit of the doubt and then regretting it. Last time I had a bike in there to fit a headset (I don't have a press) and I thought I'd change the BB to match the colour. They fitted a Hope BB as requested but they fitted a 73mm wide MTB one with spacers and then claimed that if I'd previously had one without spacers then I'd fitted it incorrectly and it would be dangerous.

I tried explaining that road BBs are only 68mm wide but they weren't having any of it.

Did you get the BB replaced to a 68mm one, if not what was the chain line like? Sounds like very crap and unprofessional service to me.

ESC are what used to be Brown's Cycles I think, who were at the half way before moving to WoT. More a seller of BSOs than proper bikes.

lawrences

About Bikes Evesham.

Charged my parents 180 quid for a new BB and service on my bro's 230 quid bike.

Moonbiker

I have a theory that good LBS's don't exist much anymore since the internet was invented, they nearly all closed down.

The ones left do well by but ripping off people off who are new to cycling, or making money from people who take there bikes to a shop to get a puncture repaired. Or from the customers who don't mind paying £40 for there gears to be indexed etc.

asprilla

drlodge wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

East Street Cycles in Walton on Thames.

I keep going back and giving them the benefit of the doubt and then regretting it. Last time I had a bike in there to fit a headset (I don't have a press) and I thought I'd change the BB to match the colour. They fitted a Hope BB as requested but they fitted a 73mm wide MTB one with spacers and then claimed that if I'd previously had one without spacers then I'd fitted it incorrectly and it would be dangerous.

I tried explaining that road BBs are only 68mm wide but they weren't having any of it.

Did you get the BB replaced to a 68mm one, if not what was the chain line like? Sounds like very crap and unprofessional service to me.

ESC are what used to be Brown's Cycles I think, who were at the half way before moving to WoT. More a seller of BSOs than proper bikes.

It was a Hope external BB (Hollowtech II style) so the chainline wasn't affected because the extra 5mm mean the crankset couldn't be fitted. The only different between a road and MTB BB in this case is a plastic tube that sits between the cups and protects the crankset axel; it;s 5mm longer for MTBs. In this case I just swpped it for a spare road one I had as it was too much like hard work to argue.

I now use Neil's Wheels in Molesey (and they have a new shop in Kingston) and they are excellent.

majormantra

^^truth.