Chrome Molly

Other than full retail trauma, my LBS's are pretty upstanding in terms of my and other customer interactions I overhear.

In my hometown this not the case though, based on this morning's experience. Kid walks in with a name brand mountain bike with shifting issues. Says it was working then all of a sudden it stays only in the large cog on the rear. The sales person immediately recommends a new rear derailleur without looking at it. Then says installing it is three weeks out. I noted the mechanics sitting around when I entered the store.

Noting the crazy talk, I lean over the kids bike and it is pretty obvious that the cable attachment bolt for the RD came loose and this was a 5 minute repair with no parts needed. I audibly scoffed, and walked out in disgust and will not return.

Now I am contemplating if I should have donned my bicycle repair man cape and fixed the kids bike out front of the store with my saddle bag kit while the owner watched. Only on my first cup of coffee so that didn't happen.

How do your local shops rate in terms of ethics?

malcala622

I would've called out the bike shop mechanic for being dishonest.

gomango

That's very sad news.

Hope it's not one I do business with, as it would really set me off as well.

Perhaps a note to ownership noting the particulars?

DMC707

I might have had to say --- "the fixing bolt/nut is loose -- maybe that's part of the problem?"

Chrome Molly

I should have but didn't. Thus the guilt and the thread...

The part that struck me about the situation was that the "sale" was from a sales person and not the mechanic.

At my LBS there is a distinction between sales and mechanics. The sales people when asked about a repair immediately escort the customer to the service area and get them to a mechanic. I have seen that proper handoff at my LBS many times.

I have also seen the "false need for a new bike" discussion, but in most of those cases it seems that the customer is looking for validation to buy a new bike, instead of "fixing up" their old one. That is more of a slippery slope than a pure violation of an implied ethical contract, IMO. I can usually understand why the LBS would steer a customer to a new bike in that case, though in many cases that would be an unnecessary purchase.

Kilroy1988 

I only frequent one LBS out of a few that are within about 50 miles of here, because I've always had great service. Their prices are reasonable and even when work is officially quoted rather high for my tastes, discounts or "we'll give you a break" always seem to apply. I am, of course, a regular customer, and can't speak much for how they charge someone coming in off the street.

I have noted that when folks walk in with an older bicycle or one in a state of disrepair, the mechanics are quick to suggest a whole new set of cables, brake pads, tires and tubes, etc, plus all of the accompanying labor... I understand that they need to sell these things and also that they want a bicycle leaving their shop in top condition, but I would personally want to salvage functional components before replacing them. Especially when the bill starts adding up, I imagine half of the folks would rather walk out and never end up fixing the bicycle, rather than spend such sums to get it road worthy!

-Gregory

Chrome Molly

The TCities shops are mostly decent. At least the ones I frequent. Some exceptions that I am aware of but won't name names.

This was in my old stomping grounds where I grew up. My expectations there are always lower, but hopefully not unethical.

thinktubes 

I took a wheel in for truing at rhe Poney Shop in Evanston. They said they did their best, but some of the spokes were seized so they couldn't get it "perfect". Only charged me $5. Wheel looks perfectly straight to me. Good doods.

malcala622

Youre right there is a distinction between salesperson and mechanic but honesty must goes all around the shop...the salesman must know to consult the mechanic first if its a simple fix or a new part is truly necessary.

xiaoman1 

Coffee or not I would have offered to help out whether "in" the shop or outside...if truly a nut/bolt issue it might have "helped" not only the kid but also made the manager aware of the B.S.
If it wasn't an easy fix....well, we all can learn something.

Now to your question about ethical LBS, I can only speak for Helen's in Westwood, Westwood Ca.
I have the utmost respect for Gilbert the lead in the repair area...honest and willing to help not only with advice but and occasional small part or tool loaned....more interested in building "good will" which helps the other side "sales" in operation.

This is the attitude that keeps people coming back....I am sure that there are honest mistakes and we all make them, but on the whole, G.W. saves the day.
JM2C's, Ben

Chukbacca

There are gobs of bike shops around me.

Ironically there are two within two doors of each other. One is a 1970s Schwinn dealer who has had the same owner for the duration and gets God awful reviews...and they have been this bad since the 70s as when I recommend the lbs next door my mom scoffed and said 'your dad hated that place.'

The cool lbs happens to be a trek dealer. All my family rides are beaters. I go in about once a year for a new chain, or something that I need immediate gratification for. They remember my name, talk about my girls... They are so awesome that I sometimes regret not buying everything from them (tubes, tires, etc).

I am thankful that I found my honest lbs, they could have tried taking me for a ride numerous times.

greg3rd48 

The owner and mechanics of my LBS are not only the most trustworthy folks that I know of in the business but great people in general. The owner has been in the neighborhood since the '70s and they NEVER upsell anyone, donate time and bikes to charity, gladly teach cyclists maintenance methods (I have learned a great deal from them) and just love the cycling life. Anyone is made to feel welcome there and I often recommend friends and coworkers to them. In the NYC area this is a gem to have within a 1-2 minute ride!

repechage

Ethical lapses are just the modern way right now, streaming daily out of the District of Columbia.
The infection is quite virulent.
The magnitude and frequency is much higher in the auto repair industry.

On all time favorite is the exchanging of the cabin air filter in many cars, it is in the dash board... Sounds intimidating, often a five minute exchange by dropping down the glove box door ( requires manipulating the limit stops) and accessing the filter tray... I smirk when I hear $70 labor.

qcpmsame 

The LBS actions are sad, and somewhat depressing to contemplate. Our daughter was just taken to the bicycle cleaners by an Atlanta LBS. Sold her a bill of goods about the RSX group on her R500 Cannondale, I put each component on that bike and it was in good nick. Makes me ill just to bring it back up. They replaced the deraileurs and brake/shifters with cheaper junk. She got a life lesson, but she won't allow me to go after the low lifes.

You can't dwell on not telling the kid what they were doing to him, but if you had a ghost of a chance of finding the young man it would go a long way in good guy points to help him out. I do agree with you about not darkening the doorway of that shop ever again. I would look for a way to get the word to the owner, as recommended above. Let them know how his business is being represented, and that the salesman needs some ethics training. Karma will eventually get back to them however.

Bill

The Golden Boy 

Why didn't you give me a holler when you were in the WB?


The LBSs around here are/were good to me and saving money where they could. Looking at/fixing little stuff right away, telling me the cheaper/easiest fixes, what they could skip and the pros and cons of each way of doing it... One shop closest to my house went out of business, the one downtown is difficult to get to/park at and the one just out of town is... just out of town.

vonfilm 

My favorite LBS is in an old building in a north central Austin neighborhood called Hyde Park. The guys there are always friendly, helpful and their prices are fair. They know how to work on old bikes and always acted excited about the old bikes I would bring in when I got stuck on something. More than once they got something loose for me without a charge. Before I learned to work on bikes, they built a couple of C&V bikes for me. PM me if you want the name of my favorite LBS.

bargainguy

It's not exactly a secret that most independent bike shops get the highest margins from (in descending order): 1. Service. 2. Parts and accessories. 3. New bike sales.

Now as to the bike shop that wanted to replace the RD because of a cable issue and then make the customer wait three weeks for it. I'm a firm believer that when you're on someone else's turf (meaning inside said bike shop), you have to give the benefit of the doubt to that shop, at least at first.

So I would have taken the salesperson aside - far away from the customer - and just simply asked, what's going on? I don't mean to pry into your business, but it looks like a simple 5 min. cable repair, not a three week wait for a non-needed part. Then watch for the reaction, and whether or not the salesperson acknowledges there might be an error in diagnosis.

Without knowing the salesperson's reaction, it's hard to gauge what I might do next. The salesperson might fess up and admit that no parts need be replaced, then take the bike to the repair folks so they can do either an instant repair or at least give the customer a repair ticket for service if they can't do it at the moment.

But if the salesperson becomes all defiant, and especially if the service dept. concurs, then I would quietly leave the store (remember, you're on their turf) and wait for the customer to walk outside. I wouldn't do an instant repair in the bike shop's parking lot, that's just asking for trouble. I would simply point out the fact that replacing parts didn't seem necessary and let the customer decide what to do next.

I might follow all that up with a call or visit to the shop's owner or manager. So much of these situations gets lost in the trenches. We don't know if it's the store's policy to replace parts whenever possible (and unnecessary), or what their service backlog is, or whether other factors are at play (service employees calling in sick, for ex.). If I were the store manager or owner, I would really want to know all this, because my employees might not be telling me. Of course, you want to approach the owner/manager in a non-confrontational manner, because otherwise it looks like you're just trying to stir up trouble and what business is it of yours anyway?

Chrome Molly

Purely blew through town and already gone. That said it would be cool to get a C&V ride together someday from WB up to a destination like the Parnell Tower. Lots of great riding in the area without the epic challenges of big hills and too much traffic.

Anyone wanting a sense of the area's scenery should watch the US Open from Erin Hills to see the outtake shots.

fender1

Most retail seems to be a random walk anymore when it comes to service. My kids have taken to calling me "Ron Swanson" ( Parks & Rec) character. There is one episode where he (Ron) goes to a home center and when approached by an employee is asked if he "needs help?" He responds"Go away. I know more than you." When that scene played out my son and daughter both blurted out "OMG, its Dad!"

Retail, looks to be a really difficult way to run a business and employee costs obviously loom large in the model. Ethics often run a distant second in those types environments. I try to stay out of most retail bike places. They most likely never have what I am looking for.

Narhay

Could it be what seemed like a loose cable clamp on brief inspection was something less easy to fix in reality and did require a new RD?

Chrome Molly

Considering the kid walked in and was diagnosed in five seconds, probably not, but who knows. The RD looked well aligned to me, but was not connected.

Maybe there is a back story, but seemed unlikely.

SkyDog75

I like the guys in my local shop. The shop's been around a long time with the same staff and they're competent. They've always been honest to me and haven't ever tried to oversell me.

Sometimes I feel kinda bad for not patronizing them more, but maybe in part to a frugal upbringing, I don't like paying shop labor rates for work I can do myself.

obrentharris 

I patronize two local bike shops.

1. Black Mountain Cycles in Point Reyes Station, California. This is a one-man operation run by a man whose knowledge, helpfulness, and ethics are unimpeachable.

2. Sunshine Bikes in Fairfax, California. All of the sales people in this busy shop also do repairs. I think the absence of personnel who's only job is to sell stuff may be one of the primary indicators of an honest shop. It helps too that the owner is a very knowledgeable and honest man who will personally spend 5 minutes rummaging through the bins to find that obscure step-down ferrule for me. He models that behavior to his employees. This shop has a huge following of repeat customers.

Call me fortunate.
Brent

tolfan

I went to a shop for headset bearings and the guy wanted to take the headset off the bike for reasons that I cant figure. I am sure the guy was just an idiot

Ballenxj

I hope this is not your Bike Store anymore?
I guess my local Bike Shop is a bit different. All the employees are both sales and mechanics. One of the bike work stations is right behind the register. That, and every time I go in, they seem to be busy. I take that as a good sign.
They have treated me good so far.