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Has anyone ever had a problem with their LBS cheating you on parts?
Ex. You buy a full crankset online, but you do not have the tools nor the means to do the install yourself. So you take it to your LBS to it installed. A few months later you start to have problems and glitches with, say the BB. When you take it apart, or have it worked on, you come to find out that the BB that is on there is not the BB that you had orginally bought and thought that you had installed.
Just wondering…
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"Mongoose" wrote
This is one of the reasons I do my own work on my own bikes. I got ripped by a LBS once, but I do have one LBS here that I can put my faith in.
I had to take my bike to one of the LBS’s so that I could have that new crank put on. Once I got home i had one of my buddies call me up and we got on the subject of my new crank, and he said that there was one guy that he knew that had used this same bike shop and he was sure that he got jipped on some parts after he started having problems with his bike. He couldn’t do anyhting about it though because he had moved out of town.
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"Mongoose" wrote
Damn that would burn my chaps! I feel for him, and I hope all is OK with your rig.
Yeah I wish that I had known this before I took it there. Now I am all on edge about. I know that I will be doing some serious checking on everything on that bike.
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I’m kinda a hard core old school type and it wouldnt bother me that much as long as the bike work’s like I want it to but I know what you mean.I went into bicycle villiage one time because my brand new bolt on rear axel got stuck from washing it and I couldnt get it off without thinking I was going to break the little handle on it you use to tighten and loosen it with.So I’m saying to this dude,"Do you have a wrench to loosen it from the other side so we dont break the handle??The dude does’nt say a word after litterally hearing me out and grab’s this ol’ beat up cheater bar and start’s wrenching on my brand new bolt on axel with the handle built into it to tighten and loosen it with.I was totallly speachless,I watched him ding and dent that handle and seriously take it to it’s breaking limit,I think it was a little deformed after he was done.
Ya know,it’s not that he screwed up the handle a little bit,like I said I’m kinda old school and like battle scar’s.But the dude just ignored me and grabed the cheater bar instead of doing it the way I asked him to.I would have just left if he didnt want to do it my way on my bike. -
Well all i could say is that perhaps the people who are doing the work are not necessarily the people who own the shop…And well sometime they are not as honest…I would complain to the owner…And well find another LBS.
I personally do all my own work…From major overhauls all the way to rebuilding forks and building wheels.
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The guy that does the majority of the work is the guy who owns the place. Any of the southest peeps of alabama or peeps of the columbus, GA area ever heard of Ride On Bikes???
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Well if the shops owner is doing that nasty business then all i could say is to pick up a book or two on how to repair your own bike and ask questions on forums like this….But one thing on forum questions is that some people do give bad advice….Not that they intend to but they themselves are at times misinformed..
If you check out people like SRAM and Shimano you can actually download technical manuals which really help…. Also purchase good quality tools.
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Believe me. I would love nothing more. Its just that I have to watch my budget when it comes to purchasing items. It took me four weeks to save up just for this crank set that I just purchased
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How about budding up with someone you ride with and share tools or the cost of them.
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Believe me. I would love nothing more. Its just that I have to watch my budget when it comes to purchasing items. It took me four weeks to save up just for this crank set that I just purchased
I just thought of somthing that might help you.I know a bike mechanic that I use that does bike work on the side.He’s been a bike mechanic for 30 year’s.Look around on craig’s list,post board at your local grocery store,or even in the new’s paper ad’s and try to find a bike mechanic that does work on the side.Seem’s like these actually understand you as customer a little more than the bike shop dude’s that have a boss or buisness hanging over them.
Of course learning how to work on your own bike would save you the most money.somtime’s you can just borrow tool’s untill you can buy them yourself. -
Don’t get me wrong. I really like to work on my bike, no matter how big or small the work is. The only problem I have with sharing the cost and tools with others. I am probably the only serious rider out of the bunch. The others just aren’t as serious and passionate about riding as I am.
That idea about looking for someone who does work on the side is good though in my case. I’ll be sure to look in to that. Thanks man.
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Tell my guys. If you got cheated on some parts , what would you do?
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I think I would walk into that bike shop with my bike and tell them what you are thinking.At that point they are going to give you there side of the story.you’ll have to deal with that on your own,but if you know for a fact that that bb is not the one you gave them to install,I would let them know that you know that that was not the same bb you gave them to install.It shouldnt be hard to get them to admit what they did wrong if you know for a fact they insatelled a different bb.
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I have a few LBS’s in the area. The ones I use are the two that donate to the local riding seen. Helping out with fund raising for new trails or leading weekly rides. They seem more interested in helping the local mt. bikers than make the almighty dollar. The other shops in the area seel mt. bikes but in my opinion sold to make a $ but were more interested in roadies (nothing wrong with that but not my thing)
Ask your local mt bike club or riers on which shop they prefer and why. First hand knowledge from others goes along way.
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"spazjensen" wrote
Tell my guys. If you got cheated on some parts , what would you do?
bring it to their attention, when confronted they should make it right.
so you gave them a BB to install and they took yours and put in another one? A lesser quality one I assume…that’s garbage if that’s what happened
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Well here in Canada we have something called the ‘Repair Storage and Liens Act’ that applies to automobiles and may apply to bicycles considering they are also considered a vehicle. Anyhow when a work order is made make sure everything is written in and agreed too. Parts, new or used, what part and quality as well as it has to be signed by you the person who is getting the work done. If everything is there and "they" the repair shop screws up you have a right to take them to court….Almost always you will win. You don’t need a Lawyer to do this. Usually the court will look at the work order agreement and will side with the client.
I am saying this because i was a licensed auto technician as well at presently i am a teacher. One of the subject i teach is work ethics and the law.
Things to look for on a work order.
Dated
Signed by you
What the bike is
What work is done
Estimated cost (the shop can only legally charge 10% more without consent)
Must contain the legal shop name, address, phone number, and business license.
Without some of these items on the bill you could also take the person to court. -
"FinsFan" wrote
[quote="spazjensen":2gxf34yu]Tell my guys. If you got cheated on some parts , what would you do?
bring it to their attention, when confronted they should make it right.
so you gave them a BB to install and they took yours and put in another one? A lesser quality one I assume…that’s garbage if that’s what happened[/quote:2gxf34yu]
To answer your question, no that is not what happened. I was just giving an example in which I used my BB as a part of.
The reason why I started this is just because I heard from a friend of mine that had used this shop. He said that he was 100% sure that they had cheated him on parts. Upon hearing this, I got real nervous. Well I just got back from picking the bike up from the shop, and to my relief it was all correct. I asked the mechanic if there was another BB that would have been compatible but of lesser quality and to my surprise he said no. So I guess that means that it would have been impossible to swap things around and still use the same crank arms.
For the record for all those that helped me make my decision on this crankset, it feels like the bike frame and the set are having some ginormous orgasam together. Sorry, haha. It works and performs like a charm. Thanks again ya’ll.
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ahh I got you now, I misunderstood before 😳
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"Mongoose" wrote
Hey, as long as you are having some MTB bliss, your on the right track! I told ya that they would work for your style of aggressive riding. My style aggressive riding got me and a tree singing the blues together today. Bruised shoulder and a bad toothache! Wow, I love it! BATTLE WOUNDS!
Sorry spaz, had to throw that into the pile!
Its cool.
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