You bought from someone else… now you expect the reseller you didn’t purchase from to support you!

[tomjasz]

Seriously? You saved a few bucks and bought on Amazon. They don’t respond, now I should provide support? Nice guys finish last.
I still respond. I’m a a nice guy but that doesn’t buy dinner. One call, OK. Two calls and I still try to help. But FFS use Google. It’s easy. Now f*ck off.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Was today retirement day?

 

[Dallant]

It depends on how many you’ve bought from him before. Or might buy from him in the future. Or all the services and accessories I might buy from him. Or the other folks who hear good things about him and/or ebikes.

 

[AstroTurf]

i think, if thats the business you are in, then provide service... it does not have to be for free though!

for, without making a profit today, i wont be in business tomorrow.

 

[rich c]

Pretty universal for small business. I ran a small custom woodworking business for 8 years. I had someone call about cutting out a flower shape from their wood. We spent 10 minutes on the phone. Then they showed up and talked another 10 minutes. I spent 10 minutes cutting out the flower. I charged $45 and they had a fit. I explained it was a 30 minute job, I used a $3000 machine, and they interrupted my work on a $10,000 job. Of course they didn't understand, so I suggested they invest in their own bandsaw for the next one.

 

[MikeDD]

I bought my Turbo Levo demo in another state. My local Specialized dealer services it and they got the battery replaced under warranty.

 

[Merle Nelson]

i think, if thats the business you are in, then provide service... it does not have to be for free though!

for, without making a profit today, i wont be in business tomorrow.

I agree with the basic concept here if a person is going to keep dealing with customers.

Tom, I've seen in other posts that you were looking forward to retirement day and you would have stories to tell. If that's what you're committed to I wouldn't say a word about it.

However, it sounds like you have an abundance of knowledge. We all do best when we're contributing somewhere in life in my opinion. But, it doesn't have to be for free or in a way that has us feel taken advantage of.

How about consulting but getting 'dinner' or paid well for it? I told my wife once, See that guy with a sign that says, will work for food? I could pretty much carry a sign that says, will work for gratitude. Well, that and being paid well.

 

[Mike_V]

Seriously? You saved a few bucks and bought on Amazon. They don’t respond, now I should provide support? Nice guys finish last.
I still respond. I’m a a nice guy but that doesn’t buy dinner. One call, OK. Two calls and I still try to help. But FFS use Google. It’s easy. Now f*ck off.

YOU should be paid for each of your answers.
Micropayments? I suppose but pay they must.

 

[PDoz]

People pay by the minute for phone sex , and even lawyers .

As soon as the conversation moves from purchasing advice , push the button and divert to the payline " It sounds like you are screwed, our professional services cost $x per hour, press 1 to continue "

( spot the person with decades of answering phones at 2 am and not getting paid)

 

[PatriciaK]

I know some (many?) people suck. But, there are also many people who don't. If I have a problem with my Espin that they can't fix, or it's out of warranty, or my personal "mechanic" can't take care of it, I would expect to pay someone else to do the job. My problem, in the area where I have that bike, would be finding someone willing to do the work at all, even with pay. I sure wish there were more shops that just focused on maintenance and repair instead of being all snooty if I'm looking to pay for work on a bike they didn't happen to sell me. The irritation goes both ways .

 

[Dallant]

Recently I lucked upon a Trek Rail 5 at a dealer 4 hours away and bought it sight unseen. I had a Powerfly FS 9 on order from my local Trek guy but was told it wouldn’t even be a possibility til summer 2022. Obviously, my Trek dealer was disappointed when I cancelled and showed up with a bike he couldn’t get.
Of course, as a Trek dealer, my expectation is that he will always honor Trek’s warranty. When an issue came up with the front brake rotor making noise, he adjusted things but charged me a $20 shop labor fee. It didn’t fix the issue but he was willing to pursue a warranty claim if I wanted to.
I decided to take it to another, larger Trek dealer that’s a sister store to the sports retailer I bought it from. They ended up fixing the issue via contacting Tektro, who replaced the rotor under warranty at no cost and they threw in a shock adjustment.
IMO, everyone was happy. My local guy, while willing, was not really loving having to deal with this, even though I’ve bought two Allant+7 (and a recent 625wh spare battery) in the last year. The big retailer has a much larger staff and a company satisfaction guarantee and the knowledge that I had made a large purchase from the corporation. They seemed happy to help and did a great job. I’m happy because the Trek network in the Midwest is alive and well and is one of THE REASONS I bought from Trek.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Recently I lucked upon a Trek Rail 5 at a dealer 4 hours away and bought it sight unseen. I had a Powerfly FS 9 on order from my local Trek guy but was told it wouldn’t even be a possibility til summer 2022. Obviously, my Trek dealer was disappointed when I cancelled and showed up with a bike he couldn’t get.
Of course, as a Trek dealer, my expectation is that he will always honor Trek’s warranty. When an issue came up with the front brake rotor making noise, he adjusted things but charged me a $20 shop labor fee. It didn’t fix the issue but he was willing to pursue a warranty claim if I wanted to.
I decided to take it to another, larger Trek dealer that’s a sister store to the sports retailer I bought it from. They ended up fixing the issue via contacting Tektro, who replaced the rotor under warranty at no cost and they threw in a shock adjustment.
IMO, everyone was happy. My local guy, while willing, was not really loving having to deal with this, even though I’ve bought two Allant+7 (and a recent 625wh spare battery) in the last year. The big retailer has a much larger staff and a company satisfaction guarantee and the knowledge that I had made a large purchase from the corporation. They seemed happy to help and did a great job. I’m happy because the Trek network in the Midwest is alive and well and is one of THE REASONS I bought from Trek.View attachment 94677

Don't forget that you prepaid quite handsomely for this service and not necessarily for a better bicycle. And you will continue to do so with everything that you add, like the extra battery.
Not saying that it doesn't have value and as with most products a portion of the population (mostly women) appreciate the extended warranty/service plan.
As for me driving all over the Midwest with a bicycle for this or that is a deal breaker. I fix it myself and am on the road RIDING typically in less than 30 minutes.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Seriously? You saved a few bucks and bought on Amazon. They don’t respond, now I should provide support? Nice guys finish last.
I still respond. I’m a a nice guy but that doesn’t buy dinner. One call, OK. Two calls and I still try to help. But FFS use Google. It’s easy. Now f*ck off.

I kinda sorta know what you mean. I'm very handy with any household repair/installation and most computer issues. I've helped a great many in the past, especially in emergencies like getting the heat back on in the middle of a snowstorm or the electricity when a tree takes out their service line.
But this has led to too many "friends" asking me to help with things they just want done or are too cheap to pay for. I don't know what makes them think that I want to crawl around their basement or attic for a beer... but I learned quite a while ago that a firm NO and call filtering is my best friend.

 

[PDoz]

Not saying that it doesn't have value and as with most products a portion of the population (mostly women) appreciate the extended warranty/service plan.

I'm more than capable of fixing my own bikes, but appreciate customer loyalty from my lbs +/- manufacturer of choice. What gender should I identify as?

 

[Dallant]

Don't forget that you prepaid quite handsomely for this service and not necessarily for a better bicycle. And you will continue to do so with everything that you add, like the extra battery.
Not saying that it doesn't have value and as with most products a portion of the population (mostly women) appreciate the extended warranty/service plan.
As for me driving all over the Midwest with a bicycle for this or that is a deal breaker. I fix it myself and am on the road RIDING typically in less than 30 minutes.

Yes, yes, I know the great expense argument. Are you counting all the tools you’ve had to buy or the times you screwed up in a repair/replacement? All the updates you can’t get free of charge? I don’t believe you'd have dealt with this issue in 30 minutes without having to buy a new rotor and wait for it. That’s great that you want to deal with these things yourself. I do a fair amount of general maintenance myself.
I’m certainly not “driving all over the Midwest” any more than I always do to visit family and such. The retailer I took it to was 5 minutes off the highway on my way to visit my grandson. They did the adjustments, they called Tektro, they put the new rotor on, they threw in a shock adjustment and checked the Rail over, they fixed it and charged me nothing. That’s definitely a far cry from the struggle I see others dealing with so it’s worth a bit more to me.
BTW, insulting women like that is bad karma.

 

[AHicks]

Seriously? You saved a few bucks and bought on Amazon. They don’t respond, now I should provide support? Nice guys finish last.
I still respond. I’m a a nice guy but that doesn’t buy dinner. One call, OK. Two calls and I still try to help. But FFS use Google. It’s easy. Now f*ck off.

I can't agree at all. Not in the real word. If you run your business properly, your back room should easily make as much profit as your front end. More in many cases. If it doesn't, it's most likely being run incorrectly/inefficiently. Check out the successful shops of about any type.

It's about your mind set. If you're burnt out - take a beak or get out completely. If you own the business, maybe it's time to get somebody to run the retail (people) side for you if you can't afford to give it up. There are people who enjoy working with customers, and are quite skilled at steering a conversation. Those guys are called salesmen (OK, salespeople!). Not all people, including myself (like you, too grumpy), get along with this type person - but they make the company they work for money - or they find themselves looking for work.

Spent most of my career working retail, and eventually burnt out. Made a major career shift that allowed me to bury myself deep in a huge warehouse where I didn't need to deal with retail people (only rarely), and absolutely loved it! Easily as satisfying - and no jerks to deal with (other than my boss, who would have fired me, if I didn't get along so well with HIS boss! ).... -Al

 

[ki11a]

Well it doesn't help that some customers really don't have any common sense/critical thinking skills or even how to type an email properly. Is it my responsibility to teach someone who doesn't know how to email, to write an email? I don't think so. Most of these people are not willing to learn anything new anyways.

All in all its a lose lose situation.

 

[RunForTheHills]

I try to treat all customers equally well, but some customers are more equal than others. That is way it works for most businesses. That and some lines of business are hard to deal with and are not very profitable in the long run, so you need to get out of that business and focus on what makes you money.

 

[AHicks]

Businesses and hobbies don't mix well at all. A lot of retirement funds are lost that way over and over again! Tough lesson....

 

[Gionnirocket]

Well it seems in my attempt at a little levity, I ruffled a few parties

I'm more than capable of fixing my own bikes, but appreciate customer loyalty from my lbs +/- manufacturer of choice. What gender should I identify as?

You're in luck... nowadays there's many to choose from. And if none of the existing nail it down for you, there's still about 20 some_odd letters to choose from that can be added to the ever growing string.

Yes, yes, I know the great expense argument. Are you counting all the tools you’ve had to buy or the times you screwed up in a repair/replacement? All the updates you can’t get free of charge? I don’t believe you'd have dealt with this issue in 30 minutes without having to buy a new rotor and wait for it. That’s great that you want to deal with these things yourself. I do a fair amount of general maintenance myself.
I’m certainly not “driving all over the Midwest” any more than I always do to visit family and such. The retailer I took it to was 5 minutes off the highway on my way to visit my grandson. They did the adjustments, they called Tektro, they put the new rotor on, they threw in a shock adjustment and checked the Rail over, they fixed it and charged me nothing. That’s definitely a far cry from the struggle I see others dealing with so it’s worth a bit more to me.
BTW, insulting women like that is bad karma.

I didn't mean to suggest that, and I believe I did say that it does have value. But again you paid for it in advance.
Trek putting an inadequate rotor on the build that deformed almost instantly and which required that you hump the bike to two different shops for replacement... I don't consider any great value. Same goes for waiting months for a proprietary way over priced battery. It's all in perspective.
And yes if I have to order a part obviously that isn't included in my 30 minutes of repair time, but it's no different than waiting for a battery or rotor in your case...so what's your advantage? And while I wait I typically still have use of the bike nor do I have to hump it back for a second visit to do so.
And most bike repairs can be done with basic hand tools, Hex wrenches, box /open_end wrenches and a ratchet of which I've owned for most of my life as they have a million and one uses. And the few specialty tools that I've purchased are a far better investment then the gas used humping a bike around town. Again, not better for all... but better for me.
And lastly my comment about women wasn't meant as an insult to them... as they typically have other priorities and rightfully so.
I'll let my uncle Vito explain.

New video by Gionni Rocket

photos.app.goo.gl

I know.... I'm a dick.