Poor customer service indeed!
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Poor customer service indeed!
Postby amca01 » Wed Nov 28, 2012 6:52 pm
Interestingly enough, several hours after the bike was apparently sold online, the ad was still up.
I don't know whether this is standard practice in the cycling world, but I was extremely disappointed, both in losing the bike, and in the shop's cavalier attitude. I shall not be having any deals with them again.
-Al
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby lump_a_charcoal » Wed Nov 28, 2012 8:17 pm
What if they refuse to sell it to someone else, then you decide later that you don't want it after all? They lose 2 sales.
The early bird catches worms, or something like that.
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby Stepr » Wed Nov 28, 2012 8:18 pm
Can understand the disapointment though.
Cheers
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby maestro » Mon Dec 03, 2012 5:39 pm
That's right, and they also apparently have the right to tell you that they will hold it for you when they actually have no intention of doing so.lump_a_charcoal wrote:I think unless you left a deposit, the shop was well within their rights to sell it.
Just as we have the right to dislike being treated in this manner and letting others know of the poor service.
If they weren't able to keep it for him, then they should have just said so. At least then you would understand that it could be sold earlier and make arrangements to view it sooner.
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby ldrcycles » Mon Dec 03, 2012 8:28 pm
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby AUbicycles » Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:29 pm
- On the first phone call, inform you that if someone else purchases first then they can't repeat the offer
- If they have your phone number, call back an inform you that the bike has been sold (would you be interested in another bike)
- Offer a small discount (Sorry we can't do $50, but lets do $15 - or instead "throw in a cheap bike lock")
I understand margins and when people are only buying on price, it is a tough business and retailers have to pick and choose as well. For you, it is also reasonable to walk out and keep shopping.
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby GreyhoundCycle » Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:40 pm
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby rkelsen » Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:53 pm
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby Mulger bill » Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:01 pm
Sounds a lot like it to me.rkelsen wrote:The old "bait and switch" trick.
London Boy 29/12/2011
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby winstonw » Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:11 pm
They'd have polished processes and systems, in all aspects of running a retail outlet, including sales enquiries....and they'd make sure every staff member is well versed in those....especially if they were a multistore group, where the actions of one store tarnish the name of all others.
It fascinates me retailers who answer the same questions day in/day out, cannot refine their sales spiels and processes, nor bring their staff up to speed on product knowledge. Every time I walk into a LBS, there's staff just hanging out, killing time, rather than getting up to speed on understanding the products they sell.
One of our group doing a 200k 3500m ride on Sat had a major bike service done the week prior. It was a serious inconvenience when her front braze on derailleur came loose from the seat tube. A good mechanic would follow a process. It would have taken 20 seconds to put a torque wrench on that bolt...and the bolt most likely wouldn't have come loose if fit with loctite and torqued to spec in the first place.
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby macca33 » Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:23 pm
maestro wrote:That's right, and they also apparently have the right to tell you that they will hold it for you when they actually have no intention of doing so.lump_a_charcoal wrote:I think unless you left a deposit, the shop was well within their rights to sell it.
Just as we have the right to dislike being treated in this manner and letting others know of the poor service.
If they weren't able to keep it for him, then they should have just said so. At least then you would understand that it could be sold earlier and make arrangements to view it sooner.
Agree wholeheartedly, particularly the portion that I've emphasised.
They ought to have stated no, we won't put it aside; or, yes we can, but pay us a deposit. Poor customer service as the title suggests - in my humble opinion.
cheers
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby bigfriendlyvegan » Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:30 pm
I was a ride mechanic on the 'Gong ride. You'd be surprised at how many broken down people said "I had it at the LBS this week and they did/said..." My favourite one was replacing a tube in a brand new tyre that looked as if a blind monkey had put it on and taken it off a hundred times with a set of pliers. The wire bead was through the rubber and that's what caused the explosive puncture. The woman who owned the bike was NOT amused. Then she saw her LBS owner ride past and sent her husband after him! I didn't wait around for the aftermath, but I reckon it would have been classic.winstonw wrote:One of our group doing a 200k 3500m ride on Sat had a major bike service done the week prior. It was a serious inconvenience when her front braze on derailleur came loose from the seat tube. A good mechanic would follow a process. It would have taken 20 seconds to put a torque wrench on that bolt...and the bolt most likely wouldn't have come loose if fit with loctite and torqued to spec in the first place.
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby LM324 » Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:02 pm
Anyway it is understandable why you would be angry (I would be too)
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby DentedHead » Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:49 am
Besides which, the store manager did put in a decent effort to find one for me. No point being a prick to the guy trying to do the right thing. Oddly enough, they had a massive surplus of the bike stands, and unicycles.
Dent.
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby birdbrain » Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:25 am
Sounds like the logical and businesslike thing to do.AUbicycles wrote:
- On the first phone call, inform you that if someone else purchases first then they can't repeat the offer
- If they have your phone number, call back an inform you that the bike has been sold (would you be interested in another bike)
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby Ross » Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:44 am
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby Mike Ayling » Tue Dec 04, 2012 1:29 pm
if you see a catalogue item that you like be waiting outside the door on the day that they come on sale and beware of the feral senior citizen cyclists who will fight to get to the bargains before you do!
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Re: Poor customer service indeed!
Postby open roader » Tue Dec 04, 2012 6:34 pm
In my experience, Bike Exchange vendors are notoroius at leaving listings/adverts online way after the items sell, in one case over 18 months after stocks of this one item were sold off. Even my former LBS proprietor who is a good friend of mine, admits readily he was reluctant to spend time on the computer updating his own Bike Exchange listings when there were bikes to be repaired and customers to be attended to. Listing shop stock on Bike Exchange and editing / updating listings takes considerable labour hours to perform regularly hence many stores simply do not devote the necessary time to meticulously updating their Bike Exchange listings - very frustrating, very poor business practice and another reason why bricks and mortar retailers are failing miserably to gain a foothold online.
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