Mini-Rant: Are my LBS wrench expectations out of line?

[Bob Ross]

Had a new 1" threaded headset installed in my old Bridgestone by the LBS yesterday. Nice guy, very conveniently located, he did the work in record time, and it was stupid cheap.

But I get the bike home, and:
- there's grease all over everything...headtube, front brake, front fender, fork. Not just little tiny dingleberries, but big gobs & smears of grease.
- the front brake was off-center, to the point where the front wheel wouldn't spin without rubbing.
- the front fender was even more out-of-round than it ever was (which in itself is a miracle, 'cuz I totally biffed that installation in terms of aesthetics), to the point where the front wheel wouldn't spin without rubbing.
- the quill stem was not reinstalled to its original, well-marked height.

Are my expectations out of line, thinking that I shouldn't have had to attend to any of that stuff after getting the bike back from a minor component replacement?

Sorry, just had to vent.

[pasadena]

[Bruce K]

My son is a race mechanic (CCB Continental Team) and works in a shop to actually pay bills.

This would be so far out of anything he would do or permit from any colleague.

Cleaning the bike and road testing are part of the deal.

BK

[cmbicycles]

High quality, fast, cheap... pick two.

If you have a good working relationship, maybe give the guy a call and say thanks for getting it done so quickly and inexpensively, however... then fill in the blanks. He will either get defensive or thank you for the feedback and do better next time.

A headset replacement isn't always minor, like when replacing a chain is maybe 2-3 steps, a headset is a handful more... but it isn't exactly rocket surgery either. It sounds like he was working quick and might benefit from slowing down a bit to meet what seem like reasonable customer expectations. Giving the bike back in better condition than before you started, that's the kind of service people pay (often more) for.

[doomridesout]

They missed two things every shop should do:

Test ride after working on it. This is the big one.

Clean it up, at least a little. Not every bike gets a detailing in every shop, but a once-over with a rag at least, if you've done greasy work.

No, your expectations are not out of line.

[eddief]

i'd expect something approaching perfection. might be instructive to let the owner or the mechanic know your feelings without too much emotion. You know how Columbo used to do it?

[FlashUNC]

No, they're not out of line.

[sales guy]

That would've never left me. It's super wrong for it to have left like that. LBS/IDB's are losing out huge all cause of things like this. Makes you not wanna go back now. I've had customers for 20+ years. And it's not cause I am giving them stuff for free or massive discounts. I bend over backwards to make sure they are taken care of. But I do that with all of them.

No reason at all you shouldn't expect good service. And no your wants or expectations are not out of line.

[biker72]

Where I work an after service test ride is mandatory. No excuses.

[unterhausen]

barring a test ride, giving the wheel a spin would seem like a good idea.

I wonder if there was a shift change involved. That was always the excuse we got when the mechanics screwed up an airplane. Like the time they ripped the tail off a c130 with some of the bolts still installed.

[berserk87]

I tend to vote with my cash. I've had experiences like this and did not return to the offending shop for any work on my bike.

[jumphigher]

How much was the installation, out of curiousity?

[ultraman6970]

It depends a lot of what you paid. If you paid like 10 bucks I think you shouldnt worry about it, is not that fix the problems will take too long to fix at home?

If you paid like 50 to 100 bucks then I would rant...

And thats the reason I try to get everything done at home, have a few home tools made to do stuff like headsets. If something goes wrong is my fault. The other reason i dont go to shops here is because they charge way too much for a 10 minis work, it is understandable but is not that I have the money to go either way, rather spend the money in the right tools or in the materials to get the poor guy tools made.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by jumphigher

how much was the installation, out of curiousity?

$20

[saab2000]

Definitely find a new mechanic. That is ridiculous. The mechanic appears to take no pride in their work.

But more importantly, the more of this kind of thing you can do yourself, the better. I no longer allow pretty much anyone to work on my bikes. I do it all myself because, 1) I'm better than most shop mechanics and 2) I know what's going on and 3) its very satisfying.