A Customer Rant... stories from LBS about PIA customers

[WickedWheels]

If this thread goes well it should be REALLY good...

Here's one of my favorite ones...

A woman came into a shop I was running with a Thule roof rack. She wanted to return it 1 1/2 years after she "special ordered" the system for her Buick. She sold the Buick a few months after getting the rack and no longer needed it (it was still in the box). She wanted to get her money back.

*we had a 30-day return policy and no returns of "special order" items. The policy was clearly posted.

I explained to her that the shop with NEVER sell a roof rack system for a 10 year old Buick, that she's WAY past the return date, that we don't take returns on special-order items. Then I offered her a full store credit to make her happy.

She did not want the credit. We went back and forth for about 10 minutes about what should be done. She wasn't satisfied with anything less than cash and asked to speak to the manager. I removed my baseball cap, turned around 360 degrees and said "Hi, can I help you?"

She turned bright red, said "I'm going to talk to my husband about this", stormed out and never came back again. I'd like to think that her husband told her that she was being an idiot and was too embarrassed to get his store credit.

[avalonracing]

You might be sorry. I hear that most of the pro teams will be using 10 year old Buicks as team cars this season.

[William]

You might be sorry. I hear that most of the pro teams will be using 10 year old Buicks as team cars this season.


http://www.bedford.k12.va.us/bstc/autotech/carbid/images/skylark82b.jpg


Not that there's anything wrong with that. :rolleyes:




William

[rwsaunders]

I worked for a bit in HS at a KMart, and we routinely had people return 1/2 full buckets of paint, well worn shoes and lawn mowers (always complete with bent blades). My favorite.....a bent stormdoor with a torn screen and grass blades stuck in the screen. The customer acknowledged that he had the door for a couple of years, but never got around to returning it. No receipt either.

[pale scotsman]

Had a lady come in on a weekday afternoon with her son and his MTB. She was screaming that the "brakes" didn't work, the kid was late for school that morning, and the bike was a POS. She was so pissed she was shaking. Not only that she was absolutely gorgeous.

I immediately put the bike up on the stand and noticed that the rear brake top tube cable stop nearest the headtube was splayed open, and the brake cable was just a dangling.

Then I tried to turn the handlebars, with the kids jacket tied around them btw, and noticed the bike would not turn more than a few degrees. The jacket was tied so tight that the brake cable could not move freely and that's what ripped open the stop.

Once I showed her this she calmed down a little. I managed to bend the stop back, and touch up the chipped paint pro bono.

[Louis]

The customer is sometimes right?

[JohnS]

I always get customers getting upset because we don't have what they want. The funny thing is, what they "want" isn't even made...but it's my fault that we don't have it. :confused:

[I Want Sachs?]

Had a lady come in on a weekday afternoon with her son and his MTB. She was screaming that the "brakes" didn't work, the kid was late for school that morning, and the bike was a POS. She was so pissed she was shaking. Not only that she was absolutely gorgeous.

...

Once I showed her this she calmed down a little. I managed to bend the stop back, and touch up the chipped paint pro bono.

And after the son went off to school, what happened? ;)

[Dave B]

I worked for a day in a TJ Maxx in grad school. First day training there was a lady beating the crap out of her kid in the back. Full on screaming and punching him. I ran back and grabbed her so she woulod stop.

She began swearing at me and I polietly asked her if she could refrain from hitting her child. How could I help her. She kept after it and started after me. I caught her hands and "escorted" her out of the store.

She was the manager's sister and I got fired. :rolleyes:

Never under estimate the power of Trash!

[Steelhead]

I worked in LBS shops for several years, and still pick up a shift now and then for the pro-deal. My fave is the guy/gal that comes in and wants:

"I'm looking for a bike that I could ride on the MTB trails as well as to school and do a triathlon on and I want to ride the MS 150 so I need longer training miles and it has to be light and in the $350 to $450 price range, oh yeah adventure racing too and maybe urban assault. Where is that bike?"

We had one notorious guy that always came in to look at the Litespeeds and wanted to talk for literally an hour about the specific material qualities of titanium and how titanium has this and that and how the defense department kept titanium secret during the cold war and do you know that titanium has a blah blah blah drag coefficient at high speeds and can withstand X lbs of torque but not too much torque when it is used in an airplane body? Oh yeah, let me tell you about those Crank Brothers pedals and what the original design was supposed to be and how they came out with this design by accident, and do you know that bicycle facories in Taiwan and China use child labor and that even though they use child labor it is the same as using adult labor in the US because they start at an early age and so by the time they are 15 or 16 they are considered master builders so child labor is not all that bad, and the US Government has made it sound worse than it really is, and I only pay in cash because I don't want the government knowing what I buy and that the toll roads are illegal and they shoudln't track where I am that is why I don't have a toll tag, and AAAAAHHHH !

Thats about the time that one of the guys pages you away from this guy since you only engage him once and then you learn. I see him around town doing the same thing at all the shops, Whole Foods, etc...

[Blue Jays]

My favorite is when people complain about the charge to "slap in" a new headset and vow to do it themselves. They proceed to go home and whack the component with a 2 x 4 piece of wood.
They subsequently must return to the shop to purchase a new headset to replace the damaged one and have it properly installed by a bicycle mechanic with the correct knowledge and tools. ;)

[flux]

My favorite is when people complain about the charge to "slap in" a new headset and vow to do it themselves. They proceed to go home and whack the component with a 2 x 4 piece of wood.
They subsequently must return to the shop to purchase a new headset to replace the damaged one and have it properly installed by a bicycle mechanic with the correct knowledge and tools. ;)

"Help me learn to build up a bike!" thread?

[SadieKate]

My favorite is when people complain about the charge to "slap in" a new headset and vow to do it themselves. They proceed to go home and whack the component with a 2 x 4 piece of wood.
They subsequently must return to the shop to purchase a new headset to replace the damaged one and have it properly installed by a bicycle mechanic with the correct knowledge and tools. ;)What happens when they return with a cracked headtube?

I'm talking about the bike's headtube . . . .

[csm]

I always get a kick out of the "just riding around" when it happened stories.
like JRA is how your headtube and fork got bent.

[Dino]

When I was a yoot, I worked at an LBS. We had an interesting fellow who liked to come in and lurk about. He was maybe 6'3", lanky build. One day he decided to pull the trigger and bought a shiny new $350 mtb bike. It got interesting when he absolutely insisted on buying the 14" frame size we had. Only the 14" came in red and he had to have the red (ATMO understands). And he was happy as a clam. Although he looked like a monkey humping a football, this 6'3" dude and his 14" mtb bike rode everywhere together wearing jeans and usually a backpack. When we had not seen him in some time, we found out that he had been picked up by state-patrol almost 400 miles away for riding along the shoulder of the interstate. No, he was not all there, but he found a happy place on that bike.

[Sandy]

Great thread!! Allows us look at the lbs with a different perspective and obtain a feel for what you must go through much too often.

Looking forward to reading about more incidents. Must be a zillion of them in bike shops.

Great story. The woman was absurd. No way you could have satisfied her with her outrageous demands.



Sandy

[WickedWheels]

Here's another one...

My very first month working in a bike shop I did a flat tire change for some kid. The kid comes back a couple of hours later with his father saying that I stole the "chromies" off his valves. I swear that they weren't there, but look around the store, look through the trash, everywhere! I can't find them and the store doesn't have them in stock. So the store owner offers the now-agitated father money for replacement of the caps saying, "I'm sorry we don't have them, will this cover it?" The father goes off, swearing, cursing and wants those EXACT valve cap covers. At this point I tuck my tail between my legs and pray that I get to keep the job that I've wanted for so long and let the shop owner deal with it. After being berated by the angry father for a few minutes the owner of the shop looks at him and says, "Get the F&CK out of my shop!!!"

That was the end of that. I kept working for the guy for 5 more years. And now, 12+ years later, he's still the nicest guy I've ever met in this business.

[WickedWheels]

Great thread!! Allows us look at the lbs with a different perspective and obtain a feel for what you must go through much too often.

Looking forward to reading about more incidents. Must be a zillion of them in bike shops.

Great story. The woman was absurd. No way you could have satisfied her with her outrageous demands.



Sandy

I hate to say it, but it's the crazies that make retail fun. And for some reason bicycles attract them like flies to *****.

[Dino]

I was always shocked at how angry so many customers could get when they would bring in a bike with a flat, or stretched cables.
"This piece of $%# does not shift! I want a refund/ exchange/ something!"
And I really did not work in an LBS for all that long (mostly high-school and some college) and I saw so many bent forks come in (JRA) with a tweaked down-tube. Or a bike that would suffer endless flats that had some huge crease in the rim from curbing it. "I was JRA..."

I tend to blame the evil-empire department stores for the greater mentality of retail experiences. The Sears' and Wal Mart's of the world who will take back just about anything (and so often even stuff they did not even sell in the first place). It tends to strip any sense of responsibility from the mass consumers. "oh I'll just take it back, its their fault anyway." Those companies train their customers to expect everything for nothing. But thats a whole 'nother rant, and I ain't going there today!

[saab2000]

I have a cousin who fits in with the 'thumper' crowd if you know who I am talking about. She and her husband have absolutely no issue with purchasing something from a major store, using it for the period they need to use it and then returning it. Because they can. They once bought camping equipment from Target and returned it after their camping trip.

Hmmm.......

[sbrjw]

Last year I had a Grandma and Grandson come in. She wanted to buy him a bike for his birthday. I asked what style bike he wanted, he said racing. I cautioned Grandma that road bikes start at around $700, Grandma told the young man he could spend up to $900. I hooked them up with one of my salesman, an hour or so later I saw them leave with an entry level road bike. A couple hours I get a call from the kids Dad asking if we always sell $700 bike to kids. I explained that we do not sell bikes to kids, I sold the bike to Grandma, I also explained that I have sold $5000 (Trek Project 1) to parents for their teenage kid. The Dad accused us of doing anything for a buck and said he would be in within the hour to return the bike. Dad, Mom, Grandma and the kid all came in, started in on me again for selling a $700 road bike to a kid, I again explained that if a kid comes in, by himself without an adult he is not allowed to buy a bike, I sold it to the Grandmother. The Mother got real *****y, said my attitude stunk and she was going to get her son a bike but because of my attitude she wanted her money back and they would go elsewhere. I returned their money, the whole time her *****ing at me, I finally asked them to leave the store. The whole time Grandma is just standing there, I felt bad for her, bad for the kid, I'm wondering what I did wrong, I was just stunned. The parents attitude was that I should've made a judgement call and not sold such a bike to a kid, they wondered what kind of parent would buy their kid a $5000 bike. I tried to explain that all I can do is offer advice, If someoned wants to buy a $10000 bike, it is not my place to say no. To me that would be like someone going into a Chevy dealer to buy a Corvette and them telling the person only thing they will sell them is a Lumina.

[PaulE]

I have a cousin who fits in with the 'thumper' crowd if you know who I am talking about. She and her husband have absolutely no issue with purchasing something from a major store, using it for the period they need to use it and then returning it. Because they can. They once bought camping equipment from Target and returned it after their camping trip.

Hmmm.......

Long ago my wife was in the training program at a fine department store no longer in business. As part of the program she had to do a stint as a department manager in the flagship store in Manhattan. The store manager, who was a total b!tch to every and all employees in the store, would regularly borrow shoes, ***elry and clothing items to wear to various social functions. After the function such items, including the worn shoes, would be returned to inventory for sale to customers as new! At least the used "borrowed" pantyhose went back to the manufacturer as defective.

[mosca]

I wrenched in a small shop during the late '70s, early '80s. I remember one customer who brought in a cheap road bike fork with a damaged steerer tube and asked for a replacement. When I brought out a replacement fork to show him, he said no, he just wanted to replace the damaged tube. I told him it was all one piece, at which point he accused me of trying to rip him off, "what kind of scam is this", etc. As he stormed out, I managed to wish him good luck, and ever since I've wondered how many shops he visited before he finally realized the truth.

[Sandy]

Here's another one...

My very first month working in a bike shop I did a flat tire change for some kid. The kid comes back a couple of hours later with his father saying that I stole the "chromies" off his valves. I swear that they weren't there, but look around the store, look through the trash, everywhere! I can't find them and the store doesn't have them in stock. So the store owner offers the now-agitated father money for replacement of the caps saying, "I'm sorry we don't have them, will this cover it?" The father goes off, swearing, cursing and wants those EXACT valve cap covers. At this point I tuck my tail between my legs and pray that I get to keep the job that I've wanted for so long and let the shop owner deal with it. After being berated by the angry father for a few minutes the owner of the shop looks at him and says, "Get the F&CK out of my shop!!!"

That was the end of that. I kept working for the guy for 5 more years. And now, 12+ years later, he's still the nicest guy I've ever met in this business.

Who? The angry father or the shop owner?? :rolleyes: :)


Stupid Serotta Sandy

[BURCH]

I have a cousin who fits in with the 'thumper' crowd if you know who I am talking about. She and her husband have absolutely no issue with purchasing something from a major store, using it for the period they need to use it and then returning it. Because they can. They once bought camping equipment from Target and returned it after their camping trip.

We actually had friends that did this and they eventually were put on the blacklist at Target. When my buddy went to return something for his wife, they said he was on the no return list because of too many returns by his wife. The whole story is so funny. Can't believe they were blacklisted...Even target has to protect itself from the return idealogy that Walmart has created.

After being berated by the angry father for a few minutes the owner of the shop looks at him and says, "Get the F&CK out of my shop!!!"

Good for him.
All over a couple of cheaps parts. What is wrong with people?

[sspielman]

Here's another one...

My very first month working in a bike shop I did a flat tire change for some kid. The kid comes back a couple of hours later with his father saying that I stole the "chromies" off his valves. I swear that they weren't there, but look around the store, look through the trash, everywhere! I can't find them and the store doesn't have them in stock. So the store owner offers the now-agitated father money for replacement of the caps saying, "I'm sorry we don't have them, will this cover it?" The father goes off, swearing, cursing and wants those EXACT valve cap covers. At this point I tuck my tail between my legs and pray that I get to keep the job that I've wanted for so long and let the shop owner deal with it. After being berated by the angry father for a few minutes the owner of the shop looks at him and says, "Get the F&CK out of my shop!!!"

That was the end of that. I kept working for the guy for 5 more years. And now, 12+ years later, he's still the nicest guy I've ever met in this business.

What struck me most about these stories was the common denominator that there had been a failure to communicate. This is a PERFECT example of clear communication solving a problem!

[Steelhead]

I worked for REI for awhile and they really do have one of the best return policies in the business. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. If you are not satisfied, bring it back and we'll make it right.

Hence this story: I was back in customer service when a couple brought in a his/hers pair of goose down sleeping bags that were top of the line when they were new. They wanted to return them because the down in the bags had lost it's loft, and they wanted new bags or their money back. Typically not a problem, if that were to happen.


These bags were purchased in 1968. It was then 2003. They wanted replacement down bags when their bags lost their loft after THIRTY FIVE YEARS. They would not take no for an answer. The GM came down and explained to them that products, even high end products do have a life span. Kinda like returning tires with 45,000 miles on them cause they don't have any tread left. They went on and on about how they were members and all this stuff.

The GM returned the bags, gave them brand new down bags and told them not to come back to his store. True story. :)

[Dino]

The REI sleeping bag story....
Oh man...I hope that was not my Dad makikng the exchange! I'm kidding, but seriously, if you need something returned/ exchanged, regardless of age - see my father. He has written the book on how to do that. The funny thing though is that my Dad's story would not have ended with the GM asking him to never come back. Instead, my Dad and the GM would have ended up drinking rum into the wee hours of the night, swapping stories and just having fun. He and the GM would have become great buddies and ended up fishing together on weekends.
Seriously, he is like Obi Wan. "You will honor my exchange regardless of age or condition, and celebrate we will afterwards..."

[drssyoon]

So, y'all younguns... My REI number is below 1,000,000. A local REI youngster looked at it and said, "Wow, a 6 digit number. That's so cool." What is yours? I joined in 1979.

[gt6267a]

So, y'all younguns... My REI number is below 1,000,000. A local REI youngster looked at it and said, "Wow, a 6 digit number. That's so cool." What is yours? I joined in 1979.

i was 4

[39cross]

Not a bike shop story - but a tale of the hazards of retail.

When I was in my late teens I worked the 6-midnight shift at a grocery store in my home town. It was a Saturday night at about 11:50, I had just put away the meat for the weekend (grocery stores were actually closed on Sundays, believe it or not, how quaint it seems now) and I had come back up front to help ring out the last few customers. There are maybe three of us still working in the store. Guy who's obviously just come from a local bar says he wants to buy some hamburger, to which I tell him sorry, it's put away, we're about to close up. He leans across the counter, grabs me by the shirt, knocks the glasses off my face, and starts launching into a fine stream of invective, as they say. My co-worker tells him to get out of the store, threatens to call the cops (the police station was right around the corner), and he leaves. We never see him again. I never got so close to having the crap beat out of me.

Gave me a healthy respect for the power of ground meat.

[MilanoTom]

Quote:
Originally Posted by WickedWheels
Here's another one...

My very first month working in a bike shop I did a flat tire change for some kid. The kid comes back a couple of hours later with his father saying that I stole the "chromies" off his valves. I swear that they weren't there, but look around the store, look through the trash, everywhere! I can't find them and the store doesn't have them in stock. So the store owner offers the now-agitated father money for replacement of the caps saying, "I'm sorry we don't have them, will this cover it?" The father goes off, swearing, cursing and wants those EXACT valve cap covers. At this point I tuck my tail between my legs and pray that I get to keep the job that I've wanted for so long and let the shop owner deal with it. After being berated by the angry father for a few minutes the owner of the shop looks at him and says, "Get the F&CK out of my shop!!!"

That was the end of that. I kept working for the guy for 5 more years. And now, 12+ years later, he's still the nicest guy I've ever met in this business.

What struck me most about these stories was the common denominator that there had been a failure to communicate. This is a PERFECT example of clear communication solving a problem!

This one is also a perfect example of how to create a loyal employee.

Tom

[Squint]

I hate to say it, but it's the crazies that make retail fun. And for some reason bicycles attract them like flies to *****.

Yeah, bike shops seem to attract crazy people. Many years ago, there was this crazy guy who looked like Lenny from Of Mice and Men but scarier.

He would come in periodically and make us nervous. One day he came in and put on the top of line Giro helmet backwards and said it was perfect but the problem was that it was too expensive and that he could get it for much less in the city (fat chance since Giro prices were fixed even back then). I really wished he would only visit the stores in the city and leave us alone.

Later, the manager told me that that guy was at the store another time and had a breakdown and was frightening customers.

[davids]

Yeah, bike shops seem to attract crazy people. Many years ago, there was this crazy guy who looked like Lenny from Of Mice and Men but scarier.

He would come in periodically and make us nervous. One day he came in and put on the top of line Giro helmet backwards and said it was perfect but the problem was that it was too expensive and that he could get it for much less in the city (fat chance since Giro prices were fixed even back then). I really wished he would only visit the stores in the city and leave us alone.Reminds me of the time a guy approached me and a friend as we were waiting by the side of the road for some slower members of our group to catch up. I'll start by saying that this was not the kind of road where you'd normally see folks out walking. The gentlman was a bit...scruffy.

He wanted to know how many gears our bikes had. "18", said my friend. I answered, "27." (I was still in my triple phase back then...) He started telling us about his bike, that had 40 gears. And another one he saw that had about 50... Fortunately our friends showed up, and we made our apologies and hit the road.

[William]

My Lbs has rabid Beavers running around. Last time in there my daughter had to wrastle one of those toothy buggers off my leg.....

[roman meal]

That same man would come into I shop I worked at years ago, who was convinced that people, at night, would dig their fingernails ever so slightly into the trek headbadge on his bike, leaving an impression.

We kept a stock of older Trek headbadges, and each week he would come in a buy one to replace the old one that someone dug with their fingernail. Trek probably thought we were running a branding scheme in the basement.


Yeah, bike shops seem to attract crazy people. Many years ago, there was this crazy guy who looked like Lenny from Of Mice and Men but scarier.

He would come in periodically and make us nervous. One day he came in and put on the top of line Giro helmet backwards and said it was perfect but the problem was that it was too expensive and that he could get it for much less in the city (fat chance since Giro prices were fixed even back then). I really wished he would only visit the stores in the city and leave us alone.

Later, the manager told me that that guy was at the store another time and had a breakdown and was frightening customers.

[JohnS]

So, y'all younguns... My REI number is below 1,000,000. A local REI youngster looked at it and said, "Wow, a 6 digit number. That's so cool." What is yours? I joined in 1979.
445***S---1996.

[Ginger]

My Lbs has rabid Beavers running around. Last time in there my daughter had to wrastle one of those toothy buggers off my leg.....

William...

It looks like your daughter is trying to get replacements for her front teeth...

[Steelhead]

So, y'all younguns... My REI number is below 1,000,000. A local REI youngster looked at it and said, "Wow, a 6 digit number. That's so cool." What is yours? I joined in 1979.

Member since 84' but not sure what my number is.

Also - I got an REI Visa Card last year knowing that I would be buying an engagement ring. It pays 1% on non-REI purchases and 5% additional dividend on REI purchases. Watching the mail box daily for that nice dividend check this year ! :banana:

[Ozz]

My Lbs has rabid Beavers running around. Last time in there my daughter had to wrastle one of those toothy buggers off my leg.....
jeepers....that beaver stole her teeth!!! ;)

REI #: 963***
Since 1979

[JohnS]

Also - I got an REI Visa Card
I got one and they kept raising my credit limit, evn though I charged nowhere near the max. I called them up and had them drop the limit. They did and then 2 months later I got a letter saying that they were upgrading me to a Signature card with no spending limit. :crap:
PS The dividend amount is available online right now.

[Peter P.]

I have a cousin who fits in with the 'thumper' crowd.

Any idea why they call 'em "thumpers"?

[ZONIE]

When I was a yoot, I worked at an LBS. We had an interesting fellow who liked to come in and lurk about. He was maybe 6'3", lanky build. One day he decided to pull the trigger and bought a shiny new $350 mtb bike. It got interesting when he absolutely insisted on buying the 14" frame size we had. Only the 14" came in red and he had to have the red (ATMO understands). And he was happy as a clam. Although he looked like a monkey humping a football, this 6'3" dude and his 14" mtb bike rode everywhere together wearing jeans and usually a backpack. When we had not seen him in some time, we found out that he had been picked up by state-patrol almost 400 miles away for riding along the shoulder of the interstate. No, he was not all there, but he found a happy place on that bike.

I had almost the same thing. Except the dude was maybe 5' tall and insisted on getting the 22" frame because it was the same price as the 14". His theory, if I am paying the same price I am getting the most material I can get.

I think we had to put blocks on the pedals of him. :crap:

[JohnS]

Why is it that it's always the customers that you've never seen before (and will never see again) who ask "What can you do for me about the price?" and not the "regulars" that you'd occasionally give a deal to?

[Dino]

Why is it that it's always the customers that you've never seen before (and will never see again) who ask "What can you do for me about the price?" and not the "regulars" that you'd occasionally give a deal to?

Crikey....price hounds is another set of stories! "I'll pay full price for the bike if you throw in a free helmet, gloves, pump, etc..."

It seems that in recreational sports equipment, everyone feels very entitled to some kind of deal. A buddy of mine once sold ski equipment to a very popular NASCAR driver and his wife and he said that the driver was pushing the shop staff around (not physically, but with his attitude) and asking for deals on everything.

[mosca]

Funny, someone once called our shop claiming to represent ZZ Top and asked what kind of deal we could give them on three Schwinn King Stings (must've been early '80s). My boss told them he thought rock stars could afford to pay full price, and that's the last we heard about that.

[JohnS]

...and then there's the people who don't want the display model, even though there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. What do they do when they buy a new car and it has 6.4 miles on it? How about when they meet the woman of their dreams and find out she's not a virgin???? :confused: :crap:

[stevep]

william never did deliver the hamburger that night


Not a bike shop story - but a tale of the hazards of retail.

When I was in my late teens I worked the 6-midnight shift at a grocery store in my home town. It was a Saturday night at about 11:50, I had just put away the meat for the weekend (grocery stores were actually closed on Sundays, believe it or not, how quaint it seems now) and I had come back up front to help ring out the last few customers. There are maybe three of us still working in the store. Guy who's obviously just come from a local bar says he wants to buy some hamburger, to which I tell him sorry, it's put away, we're about to close up. He leans across the counter, grabs me by the shirt, knocks the glasses off my face, and starts launching into a fine stream of invective, as they say. My co-worker tells him to get out of the store, threatens to call the cops (the police station was right around the corner), and he leaves. We never see him again. I never got so close to having the crap beat out of me.

Gave me a healthy respect for the power of ground meat.

[WickedWheels]

What struck me most about these stories was the common denominator that there had been a failure to communicate. This is a PERFECT example of clear communication solving a problem!

I don't think there was a failure to communicate. I shortened up the story because I didn't feel like typing up a book, but in the first story the woman was told our return policy, why it was in place and what the problem was. In the second story the angry father was repeatedly offered CASH and an apology for an item that probably wasn't there in the first place.

[JohnS]

I don't think there was a failure to communicate.
I think he was making a joke. He was saying that the owner telling the man to "get the f*ck out of my shop" was clearly understood communicatiion... :p

[WickedWheels]

I had almost the same thing. Except the dude was maybe 5' tall and insisted on getting the 22" frame because it was the same price as the 14". His theory, if I am paying the same price I am getting the most material I can get.

I think we had to put blocks on the pedals of him. :crap:

Many many times I've refused to sell those type of people the bike. I figured that losing the sale was better than losing the reputation of the store. It's especially tough when it's a father that wants to get his 7 year old a mountain bike that's my size (I'm 6') so that the kid "grows into it".

[fierte_poser]

Witnessed this one last year... guy buys a bottle of lube, takes it outside to his bike, comes back in complaining because the lube "comes out of the bottle too fast." He then wants to try other lubes to see if they have any that dispense the product at a rate that he considers satisfactory. Many quizzical looks from other customers and the staff member helping him. Don't remember how it ended, but I still remember his insistence that this was the lube he wanted, just not in this bottle. :confused:

[39cross]

william never did deliver the hamburger that nightI thought I recognized you out there in the parking lot, sitting in the Firebird scarfing down a Rolling Rock. :cool:

[WickedWheels]

I think he was making a joke. He was saying that the owner telling the man to "get the f*ck out of my shop" was clearly understood communicatiion... :p

I'm a little slow today. Sorry.

I've got another one, though, if anyone's still interested...

A couple walk into my shop to buy her a road bike. She's 4'10 on a good day (and hardly anyone was making "women-specific" bikes at the time). My shop had a deal going with Serotta for Saratoga frames in small sizes so I explained to them that being her height there weren't a lot of options. The least expensive option that I had for her was to go with one of those Saratoga frames and a build kit. I quoted her some really amazing price, too (something like $1500 or $2k for the complete bike).

So as I'm explaining this to her she's looking at me and nodding her head. Being this short I'm sure that she's had to deal with this her whole life. Her husband is starting to boil as I'm explaining everything. He's interrupting me, interrupting her... being the typical guy who knows best when it comes time for spending money, even if it's not on him. Meanwhile, he's wearing a $3000+ watch.

So now he's trying my patience and I'm getting p!ssed at the way he's talking to me AND to his wife. I see that the sale is lost so I tell him (very nicely) that this bike will last a long time, will improve her health and can ultimately be the last bike that she'll ever own. "After all, no one ever regrets getting too nice of a bike" and as he makes this ugly face and starts to interrupt me again I say "it's not like you're buying an expensive watch that will do nothing more than sit on your wrist and tell time worse than a $20 Timex".

He gets all p!ssed, says "it was a gift" and storms out with his wife.

I'm sure that I lost a customer for that store, but it felt SO GOOD!!! Besides, he wasn't likely to come back ever again and having those kind of customers is rarely worth the hassle.

[beungood]

When I was a yoot, I worked at an LBS. We had an interesting fellow who liked to come in and lurk about. He was maybe 6'3", lanky build. One day he decided to pull the trigger and bought a shiny new $350 mtb bike. It got interesting when he absolutely insisted on buying the 14" frame size we had. Only the 14" came in red and he had to have the red (ATMO understands). And he was happy as a clam. Although he looked like a monkey humping a football, this 6'3" dude and his 14" mtb bike rode everywhere together wearing jeans and usually a backpack. When we had not seen him in some time, we found out that he had been picked up by state-patrol almost 400 miles away for riding along the shoulder of the interstate. No, he was not all there, but he found a happy place on that bike.

Was it an Orange cross bike? Did the big lug have a couple of knives and a stick on him?..... :D

[Birddog]

Rei #691***

[sspielman]

So, y'all younguns... My REI number is below 1,000,000. A local REI youngster looked at it and said, "Wow, a 6 digit number. That's so cool." What is yours? I joined in 1979.

Holy Crap!....You must have been wearing sandals and eating granola before the New Deal....

(mine is in the 4 millions)....

[William]

Was it an Orange cross bike? Did the big lug have a couple of knives and a stick on him?..... :D


HEY! I resemble that remark. :)



William

[William]

My lbs probably thinks: "Oh great. Here comes that PITA that always wants orange stuff". :rolleyes:

:D




William

[sspielman]

My lbs probably thinks: "Oh great. Here comes that PITA that always wants orange stuff". :rolleyes:

:D




William


Youll be fine unless you ride through certain neighborhoods in Belfast....

[BURCH]

Why is it that it's always the customers that you've never seen before (and will never see again) who ask "What can you do for me about the price?" and not the "regulars" that you'd occasionally give a deal to?

Great point. I guess that those people wear out their welcomes at other places and have to move on to harrass other shops about getting a "better price". Some people live for haggling though. A friend of mine loves going to yard sales purely for the negotiation aspect of the experience.


BTW, I can't get enough of these stories. Keep 'em coming.

[WickedWheels]

Great point. I guess that those people wear out their welcomes at other places and have to move on to harrass other shops about getting a "better price". Some people live for haggling though. A friend of mine loves going to yard sales purely for the negotiation aspect of the experience.


BTW, I can't get enough of these stories. Keep 'em coming.

I always gave the regulars a little bit of a break when I could, but only when it wasn't asked for. They always made out better when it wasn't asked for.

I also found that the "sponsored" riders were a waste of time 90% of the time. The racers always thought that they were doing you a favor by wearing a jersey that had the shop name. They always expected more of a discount than you could afford to give, always complained about something or other, expected you to front for the massive team clothing order and then wanted to change their order after the items arrived (screwing everyone else in the process) and NEVER brought anyone else in or recommended the shop. Oh, and they would always bring in mail order catalogs for price comparison or mail ordered parts that they expected installed for free while they wait on a busy saturday (that they should have been using for training or racing).

1 out of 10 would actually be a good, loyal customer (even if the couldn't afford to spend a ton of money in the shop). This was the guy/girl who rode the nice old bike (never the latest and greatest mail-order faux-Eurotrash), always brought people in, and was always placing better than the rest of the type-A richer-than-god know-everything "sponsored" riders who always seem to miss a race or drop out because of a mechanical (such as the chain making the noise that chains always make when they're shifting).

My favorite customers were always the first-time PMC'ers or other charity riders. That or the high school kid getting his first road bike while all his friends are getting cars. Or the women that are getting their first road bike, need lots of coaching and then end up dating you for the discount. Those are always great.

[BUTCH RIDES]

Hello my rule stay away from bike shops
bye

[Steelhead]

Right out of college, I worked for a fine men's clothing store (think Oxxford, Brioni, Canalli, etc..) and we had a couple of Dr's that were always beating us up on price. One was very abusive in particular - he would roll up in a new Range Rover and just hammer us on how he never paid retail for anything blah blah blah.. One Saturday night as we were closing he came flying in the door all in a panic with a tuxedo minus the tie and cumberbun on. He had lost his tie/cumberbun set and had to have one to wear to a big event that night. He was on his way there and had to have it! BUT there was "no way in hell I'm paying more than $50 for it I dont care what you say!"

So the owner says OK, I have one back here that will be perfect for tonight, it is a manual tie not a pre-tied one, but I will be happy to tie it on you while you have a drink. Let me go get it and I will fix you a drink. So the guy calms down and gets all ready for his set and the owner brings him out a nice single malt scotch and proceeds to tie this on him. It was a $200 Robert Talbott set, and he rang it up for $50 cash, no tax. The guy pulls out a fat stack and peels off a $50 and runs out the door, resplendent in his Oxxford Tux with brand new tie set.

Brand new Lavender colored tie set! The owner had known for years that the guy was color blind, and the set had been in a cardboard box in the back collecting dust since about 1987. The owner sat back in a big chair and breathed a sigh of relief, saying he hoped he never saw that guy in his store again. :D :)

[William]

I like my little hole in the wall shop. I spend my dough there when I can. Come in sometimes just to shoot the chit. I’ve brought friends who have bought more in dollars then I have. They squeeze me in when they can. They let me take things home to try out occasionally to. I just like the folks there and they treat me right. Prices are better than most other shops in the area. Good people, good vibe (rabid Beavers not withstanding).


~And~....They know SteveP and fill me in on all the dirt. :D


William

[WickedWheels]

Brand new Lavender colored tie set! The owner had known for years that the guy was color blind, and the set had been in a cardboard box in the back collecting dust since about 1987. The owner sat back in a big chair and breathed a sigh of relief, saying he hoped he never saw that guy in his store again. :D :)

That's AWESOME!!!

It's funny how they're always driving Range Rovers, Audi's or some other foreign luxury car that's known for less-than-stellar reliability and Type-A owners.

[Steelhead]

I had another Doc (sorry physicians, but these guys were the worst) that came to an Oxxford trunk show we had just before Christmas. He had a lot to drink and got up on the block to be measured for a custom suit, a very fine grey flannel chalkstripe Oxxford, about $3800 custom. It was December, and at that time the turn around was about 9-10 months on custom Oxxford suits, so it would arrive just in time for fall the next year, hence the fall truck show. The guy insisted he had to have it no later than July as he wanted to wear it to a medical conference the first week in August, where he would be at an outdoor lunch and be receiving some sort of award. He ranted and raved about how much money he spent in there and all this stuff, and that they should be able to move him to the front of the line so he could have his new custom suit in August. So the owner and the Oxxford guy get together and talk it over, and the guy gets his confirmation that yes, he can have his new suit delivered and fitted in July to wear to his conference in August and look sharp at the afternoon awards ceremony at the Dallas Country Club.

The fabric he chose was the heaviest wool they had in the line at the time, it was a winter suit designed for Chicagoans/New Yorkers and this guy was going to wear it in Dallas TX in August at an outdoor reception. I am sure all the other attendees there were in silk and Tommy Bahama, and this guy was walking around in a dark grey wool blanket. :D We laughed and laughed about this after his final fit and how he couldn't wait to take that suit to DALLAS! :D

[J.Greene]

In 1991 I ran the bike shop on campus at the University of Florida. We were funded by Student government and had a little repair facility located outside of the Reitz Student Union. I mainly fixed flats for sorority girls. I was happy to have every single customer. Not a bad way to make beer money iirc.

JG

[RABikes2]

My experience in the shop has been interesting. There really are many nice folks, terrific people who you enjoy seeing, they enjoy visiting, they like the service you give them and are sure to tell you how much they appreciate the shop, and they always bring in new business.

BUT ...

Here's two of mine ... same customer both stories.

I handle, from previews, ordering, receiving, displaying, all apparel and shoes in our shop. We have a particular customer that comes in occasionally; very well educated, in fact, a professor. Always looking for a bargain and to deal with him ... most of the time, he's a PITA. The shop guys run in all directions when they see him coming; if they're not busy, they attempt to look busy or hide.

So, one Monday late in the day, he comes in and states he was in over the weekend (the shop guys had already warned me) and he likes a particular PI jersey I have on the floor, but he's not sure the red in the jersey will match his bike. I swear he said this. I get out the catalog (I aim to please even the most difficult of customers ... okay, it's a game to me when I can accomplish it) and he starts reviewing the jerseys ... actually, the shades of red in the jerseys. Yes, I'm talking about the basic red, but the outlining pinstripes are a darker red and that's what he wants to match his bike. This goes on for over an hour, with two phone calls to my inside rep to ask questions regarding the different shades of red, when he decides that one of the jersey's red would probably match his bike better and wants me to order it. I call my rep, it's available, but even if it's shipped the next day (no, I'm not paying for overnight), it's going to be 6 days before the jersey is in the shop. Him and the family are leaving that coming Saturday for a vacation/bike trip out west (an elaborate biking/climbing trip) and he really wants the jersey for then. He expresses how he needs to match and look good while climbing on his bike.

I have him prepay (I'm not crazy), ordered the jersey, and it comes in the following Monday, but they're on vacation now. After many phone messages (one while they were on vacation, but numerous calls after I knew they were back from their vacation), "Sir, your jersey that was a special order is here, please come and get it.", when approximately three weeks go by and he finally comes in. He has the balls to tell me that he went home that first Monday, ordered the exact jersey online and two-day shipped it, so he could have it for his trip. He now plans to return the new jersey I got him to the online company he got his now used jersey from and get a refund from them. Amazingly weird.

Hold on ... there's more from this one. Months go by, he buys a pair of PI shorts from the shop. Apparently, he wore them a few times and washed them. However, he goes out on a ride and realizes that a seam has a defect in it, the stitching is coming undone. I've dealt with the company for years and it doesn't happen very often ... a fluke, but he got a pair. When I get to work this day, the part-time shop guy (duh) is holding this pair of shorts, inside out, and showing me the seam and telling me what the guy said, etc. I asked him what he did and he says, "Well, I gave him a replacement pair." I can smell the sweaty dang things 2.5 feet away. :butt: I looked at the guy and said, "You do realize those are worn, unwashed shorts and you are touching the insides?" He was clueless and says he can't smell them. :crap: Oh my gosh, they stunk. I refused to touch them and made him put them in a bag. The company told me to trash them and they issued us a refund. Unbelievable, but I had to re-enforce that day that no :no: apparel was returnable UNLESS it has been washed after wear. The customer hasn't been in for a while ... he's about due. I'm hightailing it out the back door next time I see this guy pulling into the parking lot. :rolleyes:
RA

[sspielman]

Wow....people have nerve. Why don't some of you people who have regular PITA'S take up a collection for a GIFT CERTIFICATE from a competing shop....and then proudly present it to the PITA after the next incident...start by being nice and say that you would like to present him with an award....and give it to him on the condition that he get the he11 out and never come back....

[Michael Maddox]

I handle, from previews, ordering, receiving, displaying, all apparel and shoes in our shop. We have a particular customer that comes in occasionally; very well educated, in fact, a professor. Always looking for a bargain and to deal with him ... most of the time, he's a PITA.

(singing) I know who you're talking about... :D


Here's a story from my days at the LBS.

So, we're sitting at the shop and this forty-something fellow--fat, balding, and very, very tan--ambles in. He starts looking around the shop, poking the mountain bikes and shaking his head. My co-worker goes over to him. It turns out that he's looking at BMX bikes, but doesn't see what he wants at the shop. We're a Schwinn dealer, so it doesn't really surprise me. However, he DOES want to talk.

Apparently, this man is the proud father of a pair of serious BMX'ers. They have LOTS of bikes, and win races all over the country, across which he proudly chauffeurs them. He rants a bit about the superiority of the BMX bike to all other bikes, then he mentions it's a "d@mn shame" that people are getting these mountain bikes when what they really need is a good BMX bike.

"It's lighter, faster, and better made," he says.

"Even adults can ride 'em. I do."

Giggles are now being audibly emitted from the shop area.

"Really!" he spouts. He's getting angry now, and who can really blame him? It's just hard to speak to this man and maintain a straight face.

"Hell, all bike racing in America pretty much owes its popularity to BMX!"

Okay, fighting words. This is a shop full of Cat 2 and 3 roadies.

"Really? You should come out to our criterium next weekend and show off your bikes," someone rejoins.

This is the opening he has been looking for. He introduces us to some form of BMX racing none of us has heard of, involving BMX frames with derailleurs and slick tires, on paved courses. "That's where your criterium comes from," he smugly concludes.

We finally just back down, convinced of this man's absolute insanity. "Well, just let us know if we can help you." He wanders about for a bit, but since he's essentially being ignored, his further attempts to educate us on the error of our cycling ways fall on deaf ears and strange silence. He leaves looking terribly unsatisfied.

We had a HUGE laugh about this, and to this day--20 years later--just saying, "You know, bike racing in America pretty much owes everything to BMX," will start a round of guffaws and old stories.

[Michael Maddox]

Here's one more:

So, it’s 1989 or 1990, and we’re hanging around the shop, as usual. In walks a young man—a very large guy, with close-cropped hair and pressed casual wear—he really LOOKS like a triathlete. He immediately asks to speak to a manager. He tells our manager that President Jimmy Carter is interested in bringing in a bike that needs some work, and he’s been tasked with “setting it up” for the following day.

“No problem,” my manager responds. “Just bring it in.”

The man leaves.

This seems weird, but in this part of Georgia, President Carter is somewhat of a fixture since leaving office 10 years earlier. In fact, my parents were involved in state politics in the 1960s and 1970s, so I have photos of Amy Carter and myself playing together as young children. I mention this, and it gathers some laughs at Amy Carter’s expense, as well as a few at my own. (Relating this story to my Dad, he has just stridently informed me that he was primarily involved with Carter’s opponents.)

The next day, just around lunch time, three guys—all neatly dressed in casual clothes and with earpieces—come in the door. They look around, and one comes immediately in while the other two go back out. Then, in they come with a bike and a President in tow.

My manager and I greet President Carter (who kindly acts like he remembers my father) and then begin to look at the bike.

“It’s been a little abused,” he laughs, “and I’d like it fixed back up.”

It’s a Japanese-brand mountain bike. The name escapes me now, but it was not a better brand of bike--gas-pipe steel, single-piece crank, the works. President Carter explains that this bicycle was a “gift from a Japanese diplomat” (whose name also escapes me), and that it is an unusual bike in that it is an early mountain bike made “before it got big over here.” It looks like it’s been stored under a compost heap. Anything rustable is rusting and it’s FILTHY.

“No problem,” my manager responds. He says he’ll work up a list of repairs and contact him with the estimate. “It shouldn’t cost more than a couple hundred bucks to clean it up and make it ridable.”

President Carter laughs and says not to worry about the cost. He just wants it fixed up. He thanks us, and one of his men pops over, signs our shop sheet, and says he’ll call in the next day or so.

They leave and my manager turns and says, “What did he DO to this thing?” We drag it into the shop area, trailing refuse and muck, no one eager to touch it, much less work on it. New-guy gets the chore.

We hosed it off with a pressure washer outside. Everything was frozen up, everything was rusted. The cranks wouldn’t turn, and it took hours to cut the things out of the bottom bracket shell after a day of soaking. But, it went back together. Labor outweighed parts something like 9-to-1. Then, after two days of solid work, our store owner comped the whole thing—we did it for free.

[Sandy]

Here's one more:

So, it’s 1989 or 1990, and we’re hanging around the shop, as usual. In walks a young man—a very large guy, with close-cropped hair and pressed casual wear—he really LOOKS like a triathlete. He immediately asks to speak to a manager. He tells our manager that President Jimmy Carter is interested in bringing in a bike that needs some work, and he’s been tasked with “setting it up” for the following day.

“No problem,” my manager responds. “Just bring it in.”

The man leaves.

This seems weird, but in this part of Georgia, President Carter is somewhat of a fixture since leaving office 10 years earlier. In fact, my parents were involved in state politics in the 1960s and 1970s, so I have photos of Amy Carter and myself playing together as young children. I mention this, and it gathers some laughs at Amy Carter’s expense, as well as a few at my own. (Relating this story to my Dad, he has just stridently informed me that he was primarily involved with Carter’s opponents.)

The next day, just around lunch time, three guys—all neatly dressed in casual clothes and with earpieces—come in the door. They look around, and one comes immediately in while the other two go back out. Then, in they come with a bike and a President in tow.

My manager and I greet President Carter (who kindly acts like he remembers my father) and then begin to look at the bike.

“It’s been a little abused,” he laughs, “and I’d like it fixed back up.”

It’s a Japanese-brand mountain bike. The name escapes me now, but it was not a better brand of bike--gas-pipe steel, single-piece crank, the works. President Carter explains that this bicycle was a “gift from a Japanese diplomat” (whose name also escapes me), and that it is an unusual bike in that it is an early mountain bike made “before it got big over here.” It looks like it’s been stored under a compost heap. Anything rustable is rusting and it’s FILTHY.

“No problem,” my manager responds. He says he’ll work up a list of repairs and contact him with the estimate. “It shouldn’t cost more than a couple hundred bucks to clean it up and make it ridable.”

President Carter laughs and says not to worry about the cost. He just wants it fixed up. He thanks us, and one of his men pops over, signs our shop sheet, and says he’ll call in the next day or so.

They leave and my manager turns and says, “What did he DO to this thing?” We drag it into the shop area, trailing refuse and muck, no one eager to touch it, much less work on it. New-guy gets the chore.

We hosed it off with a pressure washer outside. Everything was frozen up, everything was rusted. The cranks wouldn’t turn, and it took hours to cut the things out of the bottom bracket shell after a day of soaking. But, it went back together. Labor outweighed parts something like 9-to-1. Then, after two days of solid work, our store owner comped the whole thing—we did it for free.

I am the past president of my block's checkers club (even number homes only). Do I get President Carter's deal or could you do just a tiny bit better?? :rolleyes: :)


:banana: PITA Sandy :banana:

[WadePatton]

Watchit Sandy, this thread is too good to start down the owl-poop greased slope into padlock land. :D

Comments--on Doctors, not that there's anything wrong with that, but when was the last time you negotiated a price with them? How about--yeah, I'll give you 20% in here--you give me 50% off your office and labs. See how that hits 'em.

Observed at LBS some time ago. Owner was PO'ed at a local--well you guessed it--PHYSICIAN. Seem that the guy wanted to order frames and then not take delivery. I don't know what else, but owner seemed ready to bend a pump on the fellow given a chance.

Then in walks PIA himself. And owner switches it ALL OFF! How are you doing?, yes sir, no sir... I couldn't believe it. I can't do it. (And the guy bought a frame elsewhere that particular time.)

In the automotive service industry, my friends call the impossible customers "squirrels" and after working a little gravy--start bidding stuff too high...eventually they leave or they PAY the PITA markup. ;)

Dunno if I would have comped Carter's "ride". Hell wasn't it a gift anyway--time to grea$e the ma$hine. :D

[Dino]

In a recent (former) career, I was fortunate enough to have to deal with Type-A dudes (and dude-etts) all day long and pretty much exclusively via phone and email. It was a start-up biz so we all shared the load. But wow - what an experience. You think a Type-A doc/ lawyer/ etc is fun to deal with in person...give them the shield of a phone or keyboard. I could have published a book with the kind of entertainment I saw add heard. Many had vacation homes, or east and west coast offices (and often an office overseas). As a fellow cyclist I learned from some that they also kept multiple uber-high end bikes at these various locations (a Parlee and complete cycling wardrobe at each house for example). But rarely if ever can I recall any of these guys leaving us with the impression that they were good, if even legitimate people. All too often they would come in guns-a-blazin, using their status as an introduction and nothing could come to them fast enough. It was a tough experience. I'd rather deal with them face to face. I've found that 99% of them have a lot smaller bark in person.

Napolean must have a lot of decendents in his blood-line. :)

[WickedWheels]

I'll chime in with one more...

This did not happen to me, but to someone about 20 years ago...

A guy had a bike shop do a tune-up on his bike. The price was agreed upon and there were no issues. He left the bike at the shop for a year and a half. The shop was good enough not to charge storage fees, even though on the repair tag it clearly stated that bikes left after 30 days will be charged storage. So a year and a half later the guy comes into the shop. He looks over his bike, new tires, tubes, cables and all, and started to b!tch about the price of the tune up. The store owner calmly to a hack saw and sawed through the tires and tubes. Then he took cable cutters and cut all the cables. He gave the bike back to the PIA customer and said "Here you go. Now it's as good as when you brought it in. No charge!"

[keno]

alligator arms, too.

A very close personal friend was a member of a golf club outside Boston who told me this one. It was an OK kind of club, nothing real special except that it had a Senior PGA tournament each year. As a result, and because there were lots of folks with cash at the time, the early 90s, the club had a five year waiting list (like RS, sort of).

A frequent guest at the club was a quite famous, and now infamous, rhp, and his buddy, an lhp. The famous one approached the club president saying that he and his buddy wanted to join the club. The club president said that would be great and that he and his buddy should sign up on the waiting list and pay the non-refundable fee that would be applied to the cost of membership when their time came to join as full members.

The famous one said that they wanted to become members immediately and that they didn't intend to pay anything to the club for their memberships. When asked why would the club want to do that, the famous one replied that the fact that he and his somewhat less famous buddy were members would make the club real popular and be good for the club's business.

A more courteous than deserved "no thanks" was given to the famous one for his generous offer.

keno

[Tom]

I took a bike in for a spring overhaul in March one time. I'd been riding, it was as filthy as filthy could be but I was too much of an idiot to even rinse it off much. They got me back, though.

It came back perfect in all respects except the 13 and the 14 cog were reversed. I rode the thing for about 30 miles before I figured it out.

I laughed my *** off when I realized it. I know that one had to be on purpose and it was a great way of saying "Clean the damn thing at least a little next time, will you?" Harmless and effective.

[Dino]

I took a bike in for a spring overhaul in March one time. I'd been riding, it was as filthy as filthy could be but I was too much of an idiot to even rinse it off much. They got me back, though.

It came back perfect in all respects except the 13 and the 14 cog were reversed. I rode the thing for about 30 miles before I figured it out.

I laughed my *** off when I realized it. I know that one had to be on purpose and it was a great way of saying "Clean the damn thing at least a little next time, will you?" Harmless and effective.


That one wins this thread by far. We heard it from the customer and he liked it....beautiful!!

[Michael Maddox]

Agreed. That was awesome!

Of course, this leaves this open for the introduction of a "favorite shop pranks" thread.

My favorite? Water in the inner tubes.

[malcolm]

Wade, I'm an ER doc and I seldom barter anything except autos and I think I'm considered a good customer at my local shop at least I feed them fairly often. As far as barter with me goes for my services around 25% of what I do I'm not paid for. How much do you do for free at work?

[WickedWheels]

Wade, I'm an ER doc and I seldom barter anything except autos and I think I'm considered a good customer at my local shop at least I feed them fairly often. As far as barter with me goes for my services around 25% of what I do I'm not paid for. How much do you do for free at work?

Depending on who you are and what you look like. Some people have gotten A LOT out of me for free just for the right attitude or the right attire.

There was this one girl that showed up in high heels and a sun dress for a bike fitting. She was GORGEOUS... She bought shorts and a jersey, and then was walking around the shop in shorts, jersey and HIGH HEELS!!! (until eventually I got her into loaner shoes for the fit). All work stopped at the service department for a while... at least until I got her into the fitting corner.

I gave her all the specs off the fit and didn't charge her a dime (it was on the pretenses that she'll buy the bike from us, of course). She was so nice, so sweet and looked so damn good! It's now 4 years later and the thought of her still makes me smile!

[malcolm]

Wicked Wheels, I know what I look like, so I won't be waiting for anything at reduced price.

[WickedWheels]

Wicked Wheels, I know what I look like, so I won't be waiting for anything at reduced price.

You can always bring in a friend

[petitelilpettit]

I figured that I should add to this thread:

We have many customers like the ones described (the doctors expecting deals, the people complaining about pricing, etc...) However, there is one event that sticks out in my mind.

One day I was working in the shop, and we were a bit shorthanded. All of a sudden, we were rushed with a major amount of customers. So my co-worker took the couple that came in and I started to help out this gentleman who, for some reason, looked pretty sketchy. He was inquiring about Sidi shoes, so I began to show him the various models. In the mean time, my co-worker had finished with the couple, and then the phone rings. He answers it, and informs me that the call is for me. So I began dealing with the phone call, and my co-worker started ringing up some other customer. Somehow, we both forgot about the gentleman trying on Sidi shoes, who had on a pair of Genius 5's and was walking around in them. Next thing we know, the guy bolts out the back door while wearing the shoes. We both look at each other in shock, and notify my mechanic that the guy is running along the backside of the building and that he's walking off with some Sidis. My mechanic ran from the shop, caught the guy with a flying tackle, and then proceeded to sit on the guy until the police showed up. We found out that this guy was just released on parole a couple of days ago. We ended putting the shoes in the 50% off bin.

Crazy turn of events.

Pettit

[Blue Jays]

How about customers that visit the bicycle shop with their new Magna or Next brand "suspension" bicycle and complain because the shop doesn't have some oddball-sized, pressed-fit, nylon bottom bracket component?

[Steelhead]

A lot of shops won't work on the Wal Mart, K-Marrt Bikes. They turn them away due to there being not a whole lot they can do to/for them. I know of three personally that have a written policy, no department or discount store bikes in the service shop except maybe for a flat fix. No tune ups, no nothing.

[WadePatton]

Hey, sorry if I sounded as if I was putting off on _all_ medical professionals. There are effholes in every profession.

There is also pro bono in every profession atwo.

Wade, I'm an ER doc and I seldom barter anything except autos and I think I'm considered a good customer at my local shop at least I feed them fairly often. As far as barter with me goes for my services around 25% of what I do I'm not paid for. How much do you do for free at work?

[Blue Jays]

Steelhead, that sure could sure prevent lots of unnecessary headaches.
Heck, some of those bikes are a safety liability. I saw one horrendous "Denali" model with a two-piece handlebar! It was just begging to fail at the worst possible time, I'm sure. :eek:

[GregL]

I saw one horrendous "Denali" model with a two-piece handlebar! It was just begging to fail at the worst possible time, I'm sure. :eek:

You mean this little beauty?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3663046

[Blue Jays]

/\/\ Yep, that absurd twist-grip shifter results in a split handlebar. Nice, huh?

[gt6267a]

You mean this little beauty?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3663046

nice kickstand.

[Keith A]

whacu talkin' bout...this things got deep dish aero wheels and a straight blade fork...what more could you want? Oh yeah...a kick stand :D

http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/01/67/51/52/0001675152706_AV2_500X500.jpg

[Steve Hampsten]

BSO

bike-shaped object

nice

[AgilisMerlin]

don't forget the gripshift :D

[BUTCH RIDES]

Hello . what is wrong with these ? but I like a basket on the front too.
The bicycle store didn't want to put these on for me until I tipped the fellow a $ 50 .
bye

[vaxn8r]

Hey, sorry if I sounded as if I was putting off on _all_ medical professionals. There are effholes in every profession.

There is also pro bono in every profession atwo.
You can't barter legally in medicine anymore if you are also billing insurance. That's fraud. If you have partners it's also not cool/against partnership agreements to barter because receipts go into a pile to pay expenses first and then get distributed by a formula. There is no way to accomplish this if someone is bartering their time for personal goods.

If you are a solo medical practice and you leave insurance out of it, barter all you want to.

[WadePatton]

So --have a laugh-- read the reviews, YES there are reviews, of the BRO/BLO thing above. :bike: