Dealing with the lbs

[MichaelM]

I went in to the lbs on the weekend, I have the cash aside, and have a good idea of what I'm after (one of two, though I do flip between them on a day to day basis), with a bit of effort/patience on behalf of the shop I'd have put a deposit down - that was my intention.

Anyway, I went and asked about specific upgrades (wheels/ Gampag for Shimano) and how much it would cost. The reply was a bit vague - yes they can change things as required - but they wouldn't tell me how much it would cost even though I specified what it was I wanted. I tried to push the matter but it seemed one assistant would ask another, who'd ask another and I started to get the impression they were a bit bored with me so I left.

I've just found the same bike on the net (not a major internet specialist) £300cheaper. It means I could buy the same bike, upgrade to Ksyrium Elites and still be £80 better off.

Do I go and ask the lbs to match the online price, or never show my face there again??

 

[mr Mag00]

no i wouldnt, they had their chance and blew it, but you can pm me the link to the bike please

 

[Tynan]

ask them, nothing to lose, perhaps it'll wake them up

seems to me a proper LBS shouldn't have 'assistants', there should only be a couple of staff tops surely?

 

[walker]

ask them and show them the price and see if they can match it, if not ask to see if they can throw in the upgrades for free. What you don't ask you don't get

 

[barq]

There is an argument for giving them a second chance because of the after sales support (god knows my former LBS had to have a few 'second chances' but it ended up being worth it). I honestly don't know whether I would go back after what you described, but if I did it would be with quite a critical eye. To be honest if they can't be helpful when you are virtually waving your wallet in their faces how good are they going to be later on? Its a moot point, you might have just caught them at a bad moment.

 

[stevenb]

My LBS in Dunstable are pretty good...apart from one young man who has no customer service skills whatsoever.....have used them for many many years and spent shed loads in there in the past......
They didn't offer my required bike model so next best LBS was Phil Corley in MK.....very profesional all round. They have many staff working there....mechanics, counter staff, assistants, the guvnor etc etc..

 

[Tynan]

you lot seem to have rather grand LBSes, mine have always been tiny, sometimes one man bands, certainly never more than one mechanic

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I find that I have more general bike knowledge than the sales blokes in the LBS...and I know nothing. All they know is that they have a MTB sales target to hit. I do most of my bike gear shopping on the net as i do not want a new mtb.

 

[Tynan]

my lot have just done well

decided to repair the old banger, smashed back wheel and front hub shot

they thought new back wheel, as I did, so about £50 all in, I ummed and aahed and said do it, thinking it'd be there as a spare after the new one come in 4 weeks and it'd be nice to have two sets of brakes again, never mind the back wheel collapsing or the front hub going completely

they advised against spending anything, they were horrified at the state of teeth on the front big gear, seemed surprised that it was still rideable

anyhoo, picked it up a few hours later and they'd saved the back wheel, straightened with two new spokes fitted, new front hub and new blocks in the back brakes

£22.50 all in

touch, wish I'd done it two months ago when it all wanted doing only I didn't want to spend £50

and they did some free air for some local chav kids that dragged their bikes in

 

[Twenty Inch]

Go in and talk to the owner/manager. Politely explain what you wanted, what happened, and why you're taking your business elsewhere. You owe it to them - it may be their wake-up call.

The LBS near to work is at war with itself. The owner doesn't want to manage, the manager thinks he's undervalued and so takes it out on the staff, the staff hate both of them and will sell you kit cheaply just to undermine the manager. It's really sad.

 

[Danny]

It sounds like you got a pretty poor response from your LBS.

However I know from friends who've worked in bike shops that they can be plagued with people who come in regularly to talk about possible purchases they might make at some vague point in the future, so I think staff some times give short shrift to people who they perceive as possible time wasters.

I'd give them one more chance, go in at a quiet time, and make it clear that you are ready to buy provided they can come up with a reasonable price and make the changes you want.

You need to remember that your LBS will do all the setup work on the bike for you, and should also provide a year's free servicing. If you buy on-line you will probably have to do a lot of the setup work yourself and maybe a fair amount of tinkering to get everything running right.

 

[ash68]

agree with Dannyg. Just bought an scr3 from my local bike shop. Could have got it £40 cheaper from Wiggle on t internet,but prefered to support my lbs. Any warrenty issues, I know they will sort out, plus a free check over service after 2 months. Think if you can get to know the staff they will help you and look after you. I always get a few quid knocked off when I buy stuff just for being a regular customer. Internet shopping has many good points, but a good reliable lbs is priceless and should be supported for when we need them.