Service

Customer service means different things to different retailers, as I found out yesterday when shopping for a new bike. After sourcing this little beauty online, I headed straight up the freeway intending to buy it and be back home before the rush hour.

Before leaving I rang the store to check they had the bike in stock. Although the bloke did say, "Um, we’ve got some out the back but I think there’s one on the showroom floor." This was a telling comment to which I should have paid more attention.

Sure enough, upon arrival I found they didn’t have any on the floor, only in the box. We mucked around for fifteen minutes as he went back and forth attempting to confirm if they had my desired size. Finally he reported the bike was there.

Now I'd become frustrated, thinking I’d be delayed while they assembled the thing. "Okay," I said, "how long will it take to put together ?" He shuffled his feet and said, "We don’t assemble them." I was totally confused, standing amongst some twenty other bikes on the floor to hear they were only being sold in the box.

So I asked him, "What, are you a wholesaler ?" "Nup, it’s just that we want to get rid of that line, that’s why they’re discounted." "Well, why didn’t you advertise they weren't built ?" Ignoring this he offered, "If someone orders it from say, Darwin, then we won’t be able to ship it if it’s already out of the box." Huh ?

By then I’d had enough and accused him of false advertising and wasting my time. "I want to buy a bike," I told him, "not a box of parts which needs assembly." In response he could only mumble apologies, but he knew exactly what I was talking about.

Within thirty minutes I scored a comparable bike, out of the box and ready to go, at Universe Cycles in Parramatta. The salesman not only fitted some extra parts but undertook to provide three free services, on top of the warranty. Now that’s real service.

Comments

[enkew]

Yeah, service as a concept is dead.

[Paul Wallbank]

I wouldn't say service is dead, but with price being the main driver of sales it's difficult for retailers to provide service when there's bugger-all margin to be had.

Nice bike, Adrian. Where are you going to ride it?

[Juffy]

Service isn't dead (particularly in bike stores) but you have to be prepared to walk out of a few before you find one where the staff give a toss.

[Dom]

We all want more and want to pay less for it.

[Miles]

And what's wrong with that? :)

[Anthony]

I agree with Adrian and recommend Universe Cycles in Parramatta. That's around the corner from where I used to live and I use them a lot. They have on several occasions provided free work for me - eg adjusting gears or truing a wheel.

[Anthony]

As a general rule, don't ever buy a bike that needs assembly. You'll have to take it to a real bike shop to get them to sort out the problems you'll have with it (you will have problems) and the extra cost will wipe out any saving you may have made.

[MikeFitz]

Anthony's right. With three sons, manys the time I have had to file bits of ill-fitting metal bike parts in a Christmas Eve assembly frenzy.

"Some assembly required" - The three most terrifying words a parent can read on Christmas Eve.

[adrian]

Some research reveals that Standards Australia advises bicycle assembly be done by qualified bicycle mechanics. Apparently critical issues are brake pad locating and brake adjustment, fork bearings, handle bar tension, pedal adjustment, etc to meet safety requirements.

[Harry Buttle]

re the Choice bike article, they are wrong -

"A bike is the right size when your child can: Sit on the saddle and rest the balls of both feet on the ground."

Nope, that will generate knee injuries (the cartilage between the kneecap and the thigh bone, potentially requiring surgery), you shouldn't be able to reach the ground from the saddle with your feet, you "step down" onto a pedal to do that.

[MikeFitz]

Thanks Adrian. With all those things that can go wrong, it's amazing they all made it to adulthood despite my bike assembly skills.

[Dataceptionist]

I tried to buy something from Kmart last night, only to get it to the register and be told it "wasn't for sale". Somehow it scanned saying I couldn't buy it. And no one could tell me why, they just kept repeating, "when it comes up like that we can't sell it". It was on special, but it was the last one in black (heaps of other colours) and I even offered to pay full retail for it. No dice.

[BillC]

Mate, a $360 bike - what do you expect?