Customer dis-service
I put in a half day at work today transporting newly received vehicles to the proving grounds for some testing. Afterwards, I finally got my way overdue haircut, wrote checks for bills and mailed them out, then went for a ride at Stony Creek. My knee pain came back and upon further investigation, I noticed my seat post has slipped yet again.
The bolt head for the seatpost clamp was nearly stripped from overuse, so I decided to head to a nearby bike shop after the ride. I’m not a fan of this bike shop in question, but I go there maybe once a year because of proximity.
Customer service (at least with the one sales guy) was horrible – I previously had an issue with worn suspension bushings on my Giant NRS. The shop ordered the replacement parts, and after I attempted to install them, I realized they were incorrect. No worries. I brought the frame in to show the guy why the parts wouldn’t fit and what he needed to order. Two weeks later, the second kit showed up, and it was wrong again. My bike was out of service for over 3 weeks, and he more or less told me “there’s nothing I can do”. I ordered the kit through another shop and had parts in 3 days.
Well, I thought I’d give that shop another chance. I walked through the store to see if they have a replacement seatpost clamp. No luck finding it on the displays - the same sales guy approaches me and asks if I need any help. I explain what I’m looking for, and he asks if I brought the bike. I went out to my vehicle, got my bike and wheel it in. He looks it over, finds the same problem I told him and says "I found what's wrong with it". Look at the big brain on Brad...
He removes the bolt from the clamp and goes looking in the shop. He comes back empty handed and I ask him if he has a replacement clamp. Let me check…
I walk around the store to see if there’s any other purchases I might need. I pick up about $50 worth of stuff.
He comes back empty handed again, and then decides to call the other store. They tell him they have a black one and a silver one – so I ask, "what size are they?"
Dumb looks abound. Clueless. "Let’s measure my frame to see what size it is." Sales guy pulls out a rusty pair of calipers – “can you read this? Looks like it's about 30mm.” I inform him there are about 20 different seatpost sizes and “about 30mm” isn’t quite specific enough. [turns out it’s 31.8mm]
Another shop employee notices my bike, comes over and checks it out. He asks a bunch of questions while complimenting it. "Thanks", I said.
I overhear the cell phone conversation and butt in - "How late is the other store open?" “About another hour”. Do they know what sizes they have? “The parts aren’t labeled”. Can they measure them? “Let me ask”. Silence on the other end… “Measure? Measure what?” The sales guy asks me “so, which one did you want? The black one or the silver one?”
My eyes roll so far back I can nearly see through my skull. I breathe in deeply, bite my tongue and say “thank you for your time”. I leave the other potential purchases on the counter and roll my bike out of the store, shaking my head in disbelief.
The other employee notices my disgust and follows me out of the store. He asks if anything’s wrong. I relay the story, and he offers to measure my bike and order the part. Don’t worry about it. I’ll still frequent the store as long I don’t have to deal with him.
On my way home, I stop at REI with the thought they might be able to help. I roll my bike inside the store. A mechanic sees me with my bike and asks if it needs service. I explain the issue, he looks for a bolt (no luck), but then comes back with a clamp from his inventory. Realizing I'm an educated customer, he hands me tools while helping someone else - it fits, I install it. $15.90 out the door. Done in less than 2 minutes.
Bike’s happy, so I’m happy. The 100 miler for tomorrow is back on.
The bolt head for the seatpost clamp was nearly stripped from overuse, so I decided to head to a nearby bike shop after the ride. I’m not a fan of this bike shop in question, but I go there maybe once a year because of proximity.
Customer service (at least with the one sales guy) was horrible – I previously had an issue with worn suspension bushings on my Giant NRS. The shop ordered the replacement parts, and after I attempted to install them, I realized they were incorrect. No worries. I brought the frame in to show the guy why the parts wouldn’t fit and what he needed to order. Two weeks later, the second kit showed up, and it was wrong again. My bike was out of service for over 3 weeks, and he more or less told me “there’s nothing I can do”. I ordered the kit through another shop and had parts in 3 days.
Well, I thought I’d give that shop another chance. I walked through the store to see if they have a replacement seatpost clamp. No luck finding it on the displays - the same sales guy approaches me and asks if I need any help. I explain what I’m looking for, and he asks if I brought the bike. I went out to my vehicle, got my bike and wheel it in. He looks it over, finds the same problem I told him and says "I found what's wrong with it". Look at the big brain on Brad...
He removes the bolt from the clamp and goes looking in the shop. He comes back empty handed and I ask him if he has a replacement clamp. Let me check…
I walk around the store to see if there’s any other purchases I might need. I pick up about $50 worth of stuff.
He comes back empty handed again, and then decides to call the other store. They tell him they have a black one and a silver one – so I ask, "what size are they?"
Dumb looks abound. Clueless. "Let’s measure my frame to see what size it is." Sales guy pulls out a rusty pair of calipers – “can you read this? Looks like it's about 30mm.” I inform him there are about 20 different seatpost sizes and “about 30mm” isn’t quite specific enough. [turns out it’s 31.8mm]
Another shop employee notices my bike, comes over and checks it out. He asks a bunch of questions while complimenting it. "Thanks", I said.
I overhear the cell phone conversation and butt in - "How late is the other store open?" “About another hour”. Do they know what sizes they have? “The parts aren’t labeled”. Can they measure them? “Let me ask”. Silence on the other end… “Measure? Measure what?” The sales guy asks me “so, which one did you want? The black one or the silver one?”
My eyes roll so far back I can nearly see through my skull. I breathe in deeply, bite my tongue and say “thank you for your time”. I leave the other potential purchases on the counter and roll my bike out of the store, shaking my head in disbelief.
The other employee notices my disgust and follows me out of the store. He asks if anything’s wrong. I relay the story, and he offers to measure my bike and order the part. Don’t worry about it. I’ll still frequent the store as long I don’t have to deal with him.
On my way home, I stop at REI with the thought they might be able to help. I roll my bike inside the store. A mechanic sees me with my bike and asks if it needs service. I explain the issue, he looks for a bolt (no luck), but then comes back with a clamp from his inventory. Realizing I'm an educated customer, he hands me tools while helping someone else - it fits, I install it. $15.90 out the door. Done in less than 2 minutes.
Bike’s happy, so I’m happy. The 100 miler for tomorrow is back on.
posted by Circus Freak at 10:14 PM
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