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terrible bike shop experience, spent 200 dollars for nothing

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terrible bike shop experience, spent 200 dollars for nothing
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flag nsandstrom
O+
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 13:15 Quote
They did give an estimate
https://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=220175&pagenum=1


I see that a star ratchet is mentioned. is the hub a DT Swiss 240 or 350?
Mine makes that kind of sound as well, even newly serviced.
flag friendlyfoe
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 13:44 Quote
nsandstrom wrote:
They did give an estimate
https://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=220175&pagenum=1


I see that a star ratchet is mentioned. is the hub a DT Swiss 240 or 350?
Mine makes that kind of sound as well, even newly serviced.

HAHA so he was told that they couldn't confirm if it was a linkage or BB creak and couldn't replicate it. He had them replace the BB anyway and wherever this squeak is coming from didn't go away. He also got a total list of all the parts they saw as needing replaced with a quote for labour, and then they went ahead with the work.

It's really hard to be nice about this. OP sounds pretty unreasonable.
flag rahrider
O+
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 14:04 Quote
Jolldizzle wrote:
danielchen wrote:
I hub is still going to be bad and that the bike does not work r.

I’ll say it since no one has yet, you are what bike shops call a nightmare. It’s sounds like you came in with your clapd out bike due to your lack of maintenance on it and are frustrated that a bunch of warlocks don’t work in the back performing miracles.

Well, what days do the warlocks work? I'll take my bike in that day!
flag HaggeredShins
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 14:16 Quote
Jolldizzle wrote:
I’ll say it since no one has yet, you are what bike shops call a nightmare. It’s sounds like you came in with your clapd out bike due to your lack of maintenance on it and are frustrated that a bunch of warlocks don’t work in the back performing miracles.

Didn't want to say it as bluntly but yes, this is what I wanted to write at first.

Moving along with the bluntness, OP if you're still reading this thread, do note that no mechanic on earth will do favors for a customer who's an ass. Please do read between the lines here.

Now none of us have any way to know how you actually approached the situation, but judging by your need for three separate threads to address your upset along with your general demonstration of knowledge (or lack of) about working on bikes, it isn't unreasonable to make assumptions that the shop didn't enjoy working with you any more than you them.
flag Loki87
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 14:36 Quote
Here´s the thing.
As was already stated, mechanics are not wizards. A creak on a bike can be anything and if you think you got it nailed down to a general area, chances are you´re completely wrong and it´s actually caused by a part on the opoosite end of the bike.
So as a rule of thumb, when asking a shop to solve a non specific problem such as a creaking sound, be prepared to spend A LOT of money. It´ll take them time and spare parts to rule out any possibilities and if at any point you abort the process you very likely end up with a huge sum of money for labour and parts and a bike that still creaks. If things go especially bad they need to exchange every single part until they find the culprit. Of course this is just hypothetical and a good shop should have a general idea of where to start, but you get the idea.
That´s nobodys fault, it´s just the nature of paying someone to sort something out that isn´t causing a specific performance problem.

That said, this imho is one of the biggest reasons why people feel ripped off by bike shops. Getting your brakes bled due to them not working is a straightforward process. Everyone involved knows what to expect. If the bike is properly maintained there´s absolutely no reason for the mechanic to do anything else to the bike.
If however you want them to fix a creaking crank, on a bike with a neglected, old drivetrain and bearings that never got serviced in 10 years, then things will end up in tears.

As for this specific case, there´s two important aspects.
First off, afaik you agreed to exchange all the parts you listed. You never were given a promise that would fix the creaking, they only told you those parts would need exchanging which i can only assume was true.
So they didn´t do anything bad there.
Secondly, they didn´t solve the noise problems, but your bike is in proper working condition?
Again, you were never given a guarantee they would be able to solve this without exchanging parts until the culprit is found.

And here we have a perfect example why the first thing you do is get some basic tools and tighten everything yourself. Anything that can be easily taken off, you take off, clean, inspect, regrease and retighten. If after that the problem persists, you at least can give the bikeshop some hints on where not to look.

As a lesson for the future, never take a bike into a bikeshop with an unspecific, non performance related problem. If you still want to do it, be prepared to throw cash at them until the problem is fixed.
flag Jolldizzle
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 14:59 Quote
rahrider wrote:
Jolldizzle wrote:
danielchen wrote:
I hub is still going to be bad and that the bike does not work r.

I’ll say it since no one has yet, you are what bike shops call a nightmare. It’s sounds like you came in with your clapd out bike due to your lack of maintenance on it and are frustrated that a bunch of warlocks don’t work in the back performing miracles.

Well, what days do the warlocks work? I'll take my bike in that day!

I’m still trying to find out myself. I need a reverb bled and I’m positive only warlocks can get those right.
flag Cura
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 15:14 Quote
Yeah, not gonna lie. These kind of f*ckers ruined my whole day when I used to work at a bike shop. They come to fix a small problems which occurs to be a big problem after a bit closer look.
You call them about your concerns regarding the service and they either accept your offerings or decline them. Either way they complain online and yell at me when picking the bike back, even though everything was done as agreed on the phone.

Its like doing an annual service to a car just by filtering old oils and put them back into the motor.

I wish that there would be some kind of evolution in humanity so that these kind of guys would not exist. Just a bit higher education may be enough.

There is no such a thing as a free work or free parts in a world of capitalism.
flag Loki87
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 15:32 Quote
Cura wrote:
Yeah, not gonna lie. These kind of f*ckers ruined my whole day when I used to work at a bike shop. They come to fix a small problems which occurs to be a big problem after a bit closer look.
You call them about your concerns regarding the service and they either accept your offerings or decline them. Either way they complain online and yell at me when picking the bike back, even though everything was done as agreed on the phone.

Its like doing an annual service to a car just by filtering old oils and put them back into the motor.

I wish that there would be some kind of evolution in humanity so that these kind of guys would not exist. Just a bit higher education may be enough.

There is no such a thing as a free work or free parts in a world of capitalism. I am a finn and I say things as straight as math do.

The whole thing simply results from the discrepancy between what a bicycle represents to most people and the price the industry commands for parts as well as the mechanic for his labour (and rightfully so).
People view bikes as something basic, achievable, even necessary. The right to own a bicycle is in developed countries equal to a basic human right. It guarantees mobility and freedom and it can be bought rather cheaply due to cheap asian labout costs. For almost anyone it´s the first form of increased personal mobility and freedom at a very young age. And it´s simple.
The discrepancy arises when people want their "cheap" bike fixed by a person who commands a salary equal to their own pay and with parts that cost more when bought by a tiny bike shop than by a big corporation.
Suddenly the person who bought a whole bike at walmart for 200$ is confronted with the reality that a set of tyres costs 60-100$ and the half hour of work the shop puts into changing them will be another 30-40$.
This hits especially hard anyone who doesn´t have a deep emotional investment into bike riding as a hobby and therefore a means to justify the expenses.
It also hits them that a system as simple as a bike can still present a myriad of problems when it comes to diagnosing a symptom, especially when compared to modern cars which, while incredibly complex, offer the advantage of computer diagnostics for most problems.
This whole thing is a problematic setup from the beginning. Not enough information, a bad starting point due to screwed buy in prices and the feeling you as a customer get denied something that feels like a basic human right.
Like, getting told you cannot repair your car because of expensive spare parts you cannot afford is one thing, but being told you cannot have your freakin bicycle repaired? That´s something that hits most people on a deeper level.

This struggle will continue for bike shops until there´s a fundamental shift in the way we value our goods and get back to a way of repair and care instead of neglect and replace.
flag friendlyfoe
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 16:24 Quote
Cura wrote:
Either way they complain online and yell at me when picking the bike back, even though everything was done as agreed on the phone. .

LoL I currently work in the service industry at a place that offers quite a unique version of the service for a slightly increased fee (20 dollars). My favourite ever trip advisor review paraphrased was "I came in and was told it would cost 20 dollars and I knew I wasn't interested but I went ahead and did it anyway. It was exactly what they said it would be and I hated every second of it. 1 star. Don't go here." Trip advisor needs to not exist.

I think good bike shops do a better job of communicating when a repair is not worth doing when you compare the cost of repair to the worth of the bike. Just as many shops will do exactly what you ask even if it's not worth doing. The reason most people go to a bike shop is because they don't know any better themselves, so in my mind good customer service includes discouraging work that isn't worth doing.
flag HaggeredShins
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 17:30 Quote
friendlyfoe wrote:
The reason most people go to a bike shop is because they don't know any better themselves, so in my mind good customer service includes discouraging work that isn't worth doing.

This is becoming super complicated and a bit divisive with the advent of consumer direct sales. Bike shops historically earn half or more of their revenue from new bicycle sales alone and d2c is putting brick and mortar shops in a tough position. While in the past a lot of shops I knew well or had worked at put a heavy emphasis on selling new as opposed to fixing old, I would bet the tables have significantly turned to keep business flowing and some shops will be encouraging a lot more maintenance than would have been the case in the past. I've been out of the LBS game for a while now so perhaps this isn't the case everywhere, just an added .02 on your note.
flag friendlyfoe
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 18:12 Quote
HaggeredShins wrote:
This is becoming super complicated and a bit divisive with the advent of consumer direct sales. Bike shops historically earn half or more of their revenue from new bicycle sales alone and d2c is putting brick and mortar shops in a tough position. While in the past a lot of shops I knew well or had worked at put a heavy emphasis on selling new as opposed to fixing old, I would bet the tables have significantly turned to keep business flowing and some shops will be encouraging a lot more maintenance than would have been the case in the past. I've been out of the LBS game for a while now so perhaps this isn't the case everywhere, just an added .02 on your note.

There's an angle to that I've personally been wondering how bike shops would react to, and obviously it will vary between shops. Not only did D2C become part of the landscape but through the internet and access to information the way people shop for bikes has changed as well. Especially for someone like myself who has been in the sport for at least a few years, when I go to buy a new bike I'm doing a pile of research online and deciding on the 1 bike I absolutely have to have. My LBS only carries 3-4 brands and no matter how great the service I'm going to whatever shop carries the brand I want.

Luckily for the purchase I just made I went frame only so I was able to spend 1500 on additional parts I needed at the shop I primarily support. I wasn't sure how they would react when I said I bought a frame somewhere else but they were totally cool about it. They do amazing work and despite having a 4 week lead time on service right now said they'd have my wheel build done in a week.

I agree the business model definitely needs to shift to smaller show rooms and larger service areas. If that means charging more for service I'm totally fine with that. More importantly when bike shops are generous with customers who need something it builds up so much goodwill in the community. I always get downvoted for this but my favourite thing about the rise in ebike popularity is the number of new riders buying 6000+ dollar bikes from bike shops. I want my LBS to do well so they are there when I need them.
flag rahrider
O+
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 18:25 Quote
I think a few you of you are being a bit harsh. He clarified that what he was unhappy about is the rear wheel was worked on and in his opinion is not working right.

I think shops need to have some flexibility in how they see their customer's bikes. Some people ride claped out bikes. If you talk to the customer and understand that not everyone needs a perfectly maintained bike, you may be able to save an unhappy yelp review.

As far as I can tell, the OP bought an old used bike. Im not sure how well he expects it to run but if that is all he can afford he has a ride it. If I was his shop, I'd try to help him keep riding and when he discovers that his bike isn't worth repairing, he would buy a new one from the shop.
flag danielchen
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 20:19 Quote
HaggeredShins wrote:
So just to be clear, you paid 700 CAD (500 of my pesos) for:

1. Replacing brake pads (parts + labor)
2. Replacing bottom bracket (parts + labor)
3. Replacing the cassette (parts + labor)
3. Truing a rim likely bent beyond repair (labor)
4. Inspecting and servicing the freehub (labor + possibly parts)
5. Inspecting and servicing the linkage (labor + likely parts)
6. Replacing the added "many parts" not fully described in your post (labor + parts)

Without seeing your bike, which is probably crying for help from your description, and not knowing the "many parts" noted, I'm counting somewhere around ~3 hours of labor, maybe more, on top of parts and components. This total cost is really not crazy. Keep in mind a decent tuneup will run you around around $100 USD and a pro or race overhaul $200+ in labor alone. Shops will also usually charge you more for bringing in a dirty bike that is heavily out of repair (believe it or not, working on heavily worn out bikes is time consuming and more frequently than not requires added care, like for example in the case of your allegedly creaking bb, chasing, cleaning threads, possibly even facing).
no i paid 200
flag danielchen
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 20:22 Quote
Jolldizzle wrote:
danielchen wrote:
I am not going to mention any names, but i sill want to talk about the terrible experience

yesterday, i went to the bike shop and want them to fix my bb creak, bent rear wheel and hubs that sound like ZZZzzzzzZzzZzz. I went to them so that they can fix the problem, at first they charged me 500 dollars for replacing lots of parts including brake pads, and a cassette( but no rear hub or real rim) after that i told them i dont want the extrea things and only want to fix my own problem, fixinv weird hub, bent rim and creaking bb.

after that i told them that a screw on my linkage is loose and my tool cannot reach it, they added two extra hours of labour just for that.

they replaced the old one with a new bb but it still creaks, i asked them and they told me that its my problem that i did not ask them to do a full linkage service

after that, checked the rear rim and its still bent. the hub sounds like its greased but still sounds odd. i asked them and they told me that they cannot do anything about it.

after that i realised that there is this new loud sound that only exists when i have hard landings like doing bunnyhops. i also asked them and they told me that it is the suspension even though the sound comes from around the rear wheel.

the reason i am not pleased is because they never told me that the rear hub is still going to be bad and that the bike does not work any better.

I’ll say it since no one has yet, you are what bike shops call a nightmare. It’s sounds like you came in with your clapd out bike due to your lack of maintenance on it and are frustrated that a bunch of warlocks don’t work in the back performing miracles.
i am pissed only because of the rear wheel, which they told me that they can fix and then did not completely fix it
flag danielchen
Posted: May 17, 2020 at 20:24 Quote
friendlyfoe wrote:
Jolldizzle wrote:
I’ll say it since no one has yet, you are what bike shops call a nightmare. It’s sounds like you came in with your clapd out bike due to your lack of maintenance on it and are frustrated that a bunch of warlocks don’t work in the back performing miracles.

LoL I saw this post go up before there were any comments and am pretty shocked as well as pleasantly surprised at how kind the PB community is being today. The chain of events don't make any sense, why you would pay for a cassette and pads before the other problems are solved I don't know. That being said any even mediocre shop receiving a bike that needs a ton of work will give a full estimate before doing stuff. In this case it sounds like the bike needed more work than it is worth, and he should have been told that right off the bat.
exactly, the rear wheel is bent and cannot be fixed back again, but they told me to replace brakeboads and my cassett which is still totally functional instead of the hubs and rim

 


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