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Old August 7th 04, 04:41 AM
Mike Jacoubowsky
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Default New Bike, Reputable LBS, So what is the Problem?

I agree completely with Tom's advice. $2500 for a bicycle should buy you
more than a hasty "shuffle."


In a peculiar way I resent that remark. I fail to understand why the
purchase of a $1000 bike ought to entitle a customer to any less effort to
make the bike roadworthy than a $5000 bike.

If an LBS doesn't take care of the people who buy moderately-priced road
bikes (or expensive ones, whatever), it's not just a customer *they* lose...
it can be a loss to cycling in general. Chances are that bike is going to
sit & rot away in the garage, and the potential cyclist decides that
cycling's not worth the hassle... just one more expensive toy that didn't
work out.

I believe a business can thrive by making sure that customers not only use,
but become addicted to the product. Those customers are going to come back
and buy all manner of accessories & apparel, and they'll want their friends
to join in their addiction. The $1000 bike customer can often provide as
profitable a relationship, sometimes more so, than the $5000 bike buyer. In
fact, without charging more for the initial product than others around, it's
possible that I make a lot more money off that customer than a shop down the
street selling a bike many times more expensive (because they're just
selling a bike and I'm hopefully selling cycling in general and creating an
addiction).

Or maybe my mind's still scrambled from my recent trip to France?

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

"tcmedara" wroteclip) At the very least, you should talk to the
manager/owner. If that doesn't work, then spend your cycling $$

elsewhere.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
I agree completely with Tom's advice. $2500 for a bicycle should buy you
more than a hasty "shuffle." When you talk to the manager, I would take

the
attitude that one or more of his employees may be driving away customers,
and he needs to be aware of it. He should also be aware that he may be
driving away a new customer who WANTS to continue to help him keep his

store
profitable. From all your comments, you are not short of money, and not
stingy, and you are not a pain in the ass.

He also needs to know that he may be employing one or more incompetent
mechanics. When the customer understands more about the problem than the
mechanic does, something is wrong. A good mechanic will home in on a
problem--he/she will be irresistably attracted to it, and WANT to fix it.
The incompetent will do what his mechanic did.





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