Miserable rude LBS owner.

[Globalti]

There's a LBS in Padiham near Burnley where I dropped in yesterday in passing to buy an inner tube and some chain lube. At the same time I wanted an opinion on a rather loose (new) chain joining link and was ready to buy a repacement link if they advised it.

The owner came storming up and snorted in disgust: "What make of chain is it? Huh, that's cheap Taiwanese rubbish. WHERE DID YOU GET THE BIKE?" and refused to discuss the matter any further. The poetry of his situation is almost perfect - he's angry that people are buying off the web yet he insults the few customers who do take the trouble to buy from his miserable depressing shop.

I give him six more months. I'll go the closing down sale though.

 

[fossyant]

The idiot lost a sale then - you'd have been happy if he'd offered another type of 'quick link' and bought it - you'd probably have gone back.... crazy.

 

[Dave5N]

I find a lot of LBSs like that. I reckon the owners have too much time on their hands.

 

[yello]

Give him another chance, praps he was having a bad day. We all have them.

 

[tdr1nka]

I had the same kind of thing with the owner of 'the' W*tc*mbe Cycles in Deptford(my closest LBS)a few years ago.

After a tube shredded on a busy day of appointments I rushed in to buy an inner tube from him which cost me nearly a quid more than anywhere else. I swallowed my pride as I was in a real rush to get moving.
Once I fitted the tube I realised I hadn't got a presta valve adapter for my pump I asked politely if I could borrow one to pump up my tyre.....................

'That'll be £2 please.' he said.
'Ah, sorry I've no more money, can I not just borrow one to pump up the tube I have just bought from you?'
'No.'
'Can I ask why not?'
'You'll get it dirty.'

He flatly refused to entertain any notion of helping in any way, he wouldn't even let me use the track pump that was in clear view, in case I broke it, and no, I couldn't borrow any of the workshop adapters because the mechanics 'were out at lunch'.
Regrettably I lost my temper, stacked my pump into one of his displays and told him exactly what I thought of him, his prices and vowed to tell everyone what a miserable old cn*t he was.

Oh oops, I've done it again.

Knowing that Wh*tc*mbe Cycles are a South London institution I felt seriously wronged until I read that Sheldon Brown thought their frames weren't exactly the best.

 

[longers]

Seems daft doesn't it?

I go out of my way to spend money in places where they've been particularly friendly or helpful when given the choice between them and a miserable so and so.

 

[TheDoctor]

My LBS of choice are brilliant!
While I was out riding, had an unexpected deflation event. Snapped my tyre lever getting the tyre off. Sandy, sticky, patchy, tyre back on, pumpy pumpy pumpy and all is good. Ho to the LBS to get new shiny levers, only they'd run out - more coming tomorrow.
But they gave me a used one so I'd get home OK.

I like Byercycles.

 

[Radius]

Regrettably I lost my temper, stacked my pump into one of his displays and told him exactly what I thought of him, his prices and vowed to tell everyone what a miserable old cn*t he was.

Oh oops, I've done it again.

Oh Dom. What with that and your teeth. Mr Attitude

 

[derall]

My ex-LBS were cr@p. Dee's in top Amersham, useless tossers who kept giving me wrong kit - ask for Presta, get Schraeder, that sort of thing. Eventually gave up on them after having an argument with them. Went in to get a 20" tube with a Presta. Doesn't exist, they assured me, only get schraeder on a 20". Pointed out that my 'bent was parked outside and most definitely had a presta on the front

Ah well, they retorted, if I insisted on using ridiculous continental rubbish I shouldn't expect to get spares.

Haven't been back in about five years, and Condor / Bikefix is now my LBS

 

[ELL]

My LBS seemed to be helpful enough when I didn't know anything about bikes (still don't know much) but when I went in a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike for the wife and I had to explain what lock out suspension was for him to turn round and say he had never heard of it before I sort of lost confidence in them. This wasn't some snot nosed Saturday boy either, it was the owner. Needless to say I go to the not so local lbs now for anything i need which is also where i got my current bike.

 

[Bollo]

I was going to chuck this one in a separate thread but I had a very pleasant interaction with my L(to work anyway)BS...........

HALFRAUDS!

I'd set off on the ride home which passes Halfords in Basingstoke about a mile out. In that time my chain had come off twice, probably because the chain was worn to cr@p and I'd not adjusted the tension for an age (Thorn with Rohloff and eccentric BB). I pile into Halfords, wander up to the bike section and ask the young'n behind the counter if I can borrow a spanner to reset the bolts that hold the BB in place. He looks at the bolts, selects the correct spanner size and offers to let me use the workstand. No purchase necessary. Great customer service, not just because he helped but that he did it with good grace. So, chapeau Halfords Basingstoke.

 

[Brains]

I used Whitcombe Cycles for a routine service and minor upgrade ....... Once.

However I hear from a mate that someone has recently bought up a share in the shop and put some money and effort into into it and it's now 100% better than it was. (So that brings it up to normal LBS level then)

Apprently the frame builder builds frames and the new guy runs the shop
Whatever he does he can do no worse. Main problem with the shop is the locations, if it was in Blackheath or central Greenwich they will sell 5 X more and get back the reputation on their frames, which are not bad, but for a similar cost I'd go to Roberts, Mercian or Thorn

 

[dodgy]

The thing with a lot of long standing Local Bike Shops is that they were established by an enthusiast, someone who spent hours dreaming of the day he could turn his passion into a business. Then he realises he's not selling Colnagos every day, and a lot of time he's doing mundane stuff like administration of his stock and making trivial repairs to un-exciting machinery. After a while, all machinery becomes unexciting and he can't even get aroused by a top-end Specialized. That's the moment when your lifelong dream of owning a bike shop becomes a millstone and you start snapping at customers. The ones that have been more sucessful are the ones who have a portion of their business online, at least they get to understand what stock is in demand that way, even if they don't make millions.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

I was talking to one of my customers and the subject of bikes came up and he shows me a few mountain bikes in the garage, his and his kids, and says he wants go get them all serviced. So he takes them into a LBS and they told him they were too old to bother with and he should get a new ones.

So I sent him to one of the bike shops I use and bingo all of them sorted out for around £70.00 and running like new, some shops are just tossers.

 

[andy_wrx]

Sweeping generalisation , but...

Many LBS are owned by cyclists of a certain age.

And many cyclists of a certain age are grumpy old gits.