supergo

In article , Kenny Lee writes:


I can vouch for the Supergo in Fountain Valley. They gave me good
service and a good impression.


Yeah, I go to their sales and always buy too much too. Actually they're 4 bike
stores within a block of each other. Next door to Supergo is a store I think is
directed towards BMX, across the street is a pro shop, then around the corner
is a Performance store. I don't know how they do it, that close to each other.
Each have their own niche I guess.

In article , Wayne Menzie
writes:


I know REI runs at least a beginner bicycle maintenance course at the start
of each season so they've come up with some way around the liability. Of
course, if you have to be a member to to go the class then you'd be suing
yourself which may be possible but not generally recommended.

Yeah I went to the half day Saturday class they ran last year. I don't recall
signing any kind of waiver. I was just at the store near Pasadena looking at
their stands that are on sale. If I recall you do not have to be a member to
take the class but you do get a discount if you belong to REI.

I have a supergo story--2 actually. #1 is why I generally don't go
there. #2 is just amusing to me and is indicative of what happens when
big chains don't want to pay real managers because they'd rather just
leave a list of rules for their $8.25 an hour employees.

#1 went there to look for roadbike tires. I weigh about 220 and don't
ride 23--preferring something more like 25-28. They don't (didn't) have
any. Not ONE in a 700c size besides 2 brands of colored 23's.

#2 (hard to keep this short but I'll try


My twin brother wanted to buy (not just try but buy) a Specialized
Something Or Other but up where he lives, no one has them and the
factory is out of them it being Sept. He lives in California but at
the time still had a NC drivers licence. Turns out Supergo here in Santa
Monica has the bike he wants. He's ready to buy ($1300) but wants to
ride both a 56 and a 58 to see which one feels better for fit. He was
leaving for home the next day and really kinda wanted to take this bike
home with him because he lives about an hour from any real LBS's.


All quotes from here on unless in parenthesis:

I'd like to test ride a bike.

Fine, I just need to hold your drivers license

No problem, here you go. I'd like to ride the Specialized S* or O* in a
56 first and then a 58.

I'm sorry I can't let you ride a bike.

Why?

This is an out of state license.

But it's valid.

Doesn't matter.

(We're both (twins like I said) 43 year old white yuppies dressed like
every other brentwood yuppie in the place. He's in business casual and
I'm in LL Bean and Patagonia.

Us: We'll speak to a manager if you don't mind.

(This model and color was getting hard to find. We weren't upset with
the sales dude for stating the rules we just wanted to talk to someone
with discretionary power.)

The manager: Hi what's going on guys?

Well I'd like to ride a bike for fit before buying one but the other guy
says we can't with an out of state license.

That's right. I can't let you take a bike out without a CDL.

You understand I want to buy this bike today? Look, how about if I
leave the whole wallet with the license, my I.B.M. employee card, a
Social Security card and 4 credit cards?

No.

(okay now we understand that we don't have a real manager. We have a 24
year old who has keys to the door but can't make a decision for himself
on a sunday and that he doesn't really care if they sell a bike or not
he just wants to get to 5:00 without getting yelled at. So we decide to
see how far it will go)

I'll leave the wallet and the keys AND pink slip to the 3 week old
Toyota Solara out in your lot. Surely you believe that I'll bring your
$1300 dollar bicycle back to retrieve that?

No.

(at this point we still want to get the bike. We haven't lost all hope
and we haven't yelled or belittled the guy)

Look, I'll let you run the credit card for the Bicycle. If the 56 is
wrong, we just change the invoice to a 58.

NO

(I'm completely flabergasted at this point. We were basically offering
to buy the bike to test ride it for size and then he can do a return
which takes 30 seconds on a credit card so we can buy the other bike.
My belief is that the manager in his immature wisdom has turned it into
a control issue and has lost sight of the fact that the purpose of the
shop is to let people buy bicycles.

Us: Are you sure you don't want to think about this again? You
understand that tomorrow we're going to call your boss AND his boss at
corporate and that you'll most likely have to call me on the phone to
apologize when all I really want to do is make nice and buy a $1300 bike
right now.

Yes I understand that.

(we give up at this point. We've lost interest in him and the bike and
have no interest in leaving even .50 cents at supergo.)


I wonder how well the president of Specialized will like this story when
I tell it to him?

Not very much I guess.

All quote mode off.

We took our leave and never followed up with supergo. He was heading
back up on the following day and didn't see the use in it. Specialized
listened politely and offered to ship him a bike from a store in
another state but that didn't solve the which size issue and he later
found another brand at a shop closer to home.


Kurt

wrote:
|| I have a supergo story--2 actually. #1 is why I generally don't go
|| there. #2 is just amusing to me and is indicative of what happens
|| when big chains don't want to pay real managers because they'd
|| rather just leave a list of rules for their $8.25 an hour employees.
||
|| #1 went there to look for roadbike tires. I weigh about 220 and
|| don't ride 23--preferring something more like 25-28. They don't
|| (didn't) have any. Not ONE in a 700c size besides 2 brands of
|| colored 23's.
||
|| #2 (hard to keep this short but I'll try
||
||
|| My twin brother wanted to buy (not just try but buy) a Specialized
|| Something Or Other but up where he lives, no one has them and the
|| factory is out of them it being Sept. He lives in California but at
|| the time still had a NC drivers licence. Turns out Supergo here in
|| Santa Monica has the bike he wants. He's ready to buy ($1300) but
|| wants to ride both a 56 and a 58 to see which one feels better for
|| fit. He was leaving for home the next day and really kinda wanted to
|| take this bike home with him because he lives about an hour from any
|| real LBS's.
||
||
|| All quotes from here on unless in parenthesis:
||
|| I'd like to test ride a bike.
||
|| Fine, I just need to hold your drivers license
||
|| No problem, here you go. I'd like to ride the Specialized S* or O*
|| in a 56 first and then a 58.
||
|| I'm sorry I can't let you ride a bike.
||
|| Why?
||
|| This is an out of state license.
||
|| But it's valid.
||
|| Doesn't matter.
||
|| (We're both (twins like I said) 43 year old white yuppies dressed
|| like every other brentwood yuppie in the place. He's in business
|| casual and I'm in LL Bean and Patagonia.
||
|| Us: We'll speak to a manager if you don't mind.
||
|| (This model and color was getting hard to find. We weren't upset
|| with the sales dude for stating the rules we just wanted to talk to
|| someone with discretionary power.)
||
|| The manager: Hi what's going on guys?
||
|| Well I'd like to ride a bike for fit before buying one but the other
|| guy says we can't with an out of state license.
||
|| That's right. I can't let you take a bike out without a CDL.
||
|| You understand I want to buy this bike today? Look, how about if I
|| leave the whole wallet with the license, my I.B.M. employee card, a
|| Social Security card and 4 credit cards?
||
|| No.
||
|| (okay now we understand that we don't have a real manager. We have a
|| 24 year old who has keys to the door but can't make a decision for
|| himself on a sunday and that he doesn't really care if they sell a
|| bike or not he just wants to get to 5:00 without getting yelled at.
|| So we decide to see how far it will go)
||
|| I'll leave the wallet and the keys AND pink slip to the 3 week old
|| Toyota Solara out in your lot. Surely you believe that I'll bring
|| your $1300 dollar bicycle back to retrieve that?
||
|| No.
||
|| (at this point we still want to get the bike. We haven't lost all
|| hope and we haven't yelled or belittled the guy)
||
|| Look, I'll let you run the credit card for the Bicycle. If the 56 is
|| wrong, we just change the invoice to a 58.
||
|| NO
||
|| (I'm completely flabergasted at this point. We were basically
|| offering to buy the bike to test ride it for size and then he can do
|| a return which takes 30 seconds on a credit card so we can buy the
|| other bike. My belief is that the manager in his immature wisdom has
|| turned it into a control issue and has lost sight of the fact that
|| the purpose of the shop is to let people buy bicycles.
||
|| Us: Are you sure you don't want to think about this again? You
|| understand that tomorrow we're going to call your boss AND his boss
|| at corporate and that you'll most likely have to call me on the
|| phone to apologize when all I really want to do is make nice and buy
|| a $1300 bike right now.
||
|| Yes I understand that.
||
|| (we give up at this point. We've lost interest in him and the bike
|| and have no interest in leaving even .50 cents at supergo.)
||
||
|| I wonder how well the president of Specialized will like this story
|| when I tell it to him?
||
|| Not very much I guess.
||
|| All quote mode off.
||
|| We took our leave and never followed up with supergo.

That, imo, was your only mistake. Don't let stupidity rule they day.

He was heading
|| back up on the following day and didn't see the use in it.
|| Specialized listened politely and offered to ship him a bike from a
|| store in another state but that didn't solve the which size issue
|| and he later found another brand at a shop closer to home.
||
||
|| Kurt