Customer abuse @ Performance of Fair Oaks CA

I know that you don't go to Performance Bike for their great customer
service, you go for the low prices and convenient hours. That said, you
also don't go with the expectation of being mistreated!!

My negative outlook on Performance started about six months ago when I
went there with a friend to help choose a road bike. A specific Fuji
bike was in the right price range and appealed on many levels. We had
the bike out on the floor and she was looking at I was evaluating the
fit. I held the wheel between my knees and the handlebars and had her
sit on the bike while I evaluated the fit. While we were doing this a
manager comes up and decides to take over. Without warning he forces
himself between me and bike, nearly causing her to fall off! This upset
me, but I continued anyhow. Later, when we were discussing the reach and
the possibility of a handlebar swap he started moving the saddle
forward. I told him that's not how you adjust reach, but he got angry
and said "just wait, I'll show you!" I finally settled on the 47cm
frame even though he was suggesting the 44. Interestingly, Fuji's site
suggests either the 47 or 50 for her height! Idiots...

So... last night I'm there with a neighbor. Everything is going fine at
first. I pull out some bikes just to look them over with little concern
about their size at first. My neighbor, being excited, is sitting on
all of them, but I ignore it since that's not what I'm looking at
anyhow. We're down to the last bike before we decide which one we
should have him test ride when the manager (a different manager) comes
over and says that the bike is too big (duh, thanks). I start to pull
out the next smaller size when he immediately takes over and doesn't
allow me to see how that size fits. Deciding to avoid a confrontation I
went away and started browsing the rest of the store while he gave his
advice. Later, my neighbor calls me over to show me what they'd settled
on. When I got there he said that this was the right size frame. I
nearly laughed. It had a traditional geometry (horizontal top tube) so
you'd go with a larger seat tube length than with a compact geometry
frame. That said, he'd put my almost 6' neighbor on a 54cm frame! I
said something about the bike being far too small, that he was sitting
nearly upright, far too cramped in the top tube, and besides the saddle
was far too low. He said "no, the seat is in the ideal position! See
how his top leg is horizontal, that's ideal!" Top leg? Who looks at
that? Then he went on about how the bike had a relaxed top tube
geometry (huh? Relaxed head angle, relaxed seat angle, etc, but top
tube?). I said no, that the saddle was at least 4cm too low! He
started getting angry and barked "Fine, the bike is too small!" and
stomped off. At the desk I could see him telling the other people
something or other while staring at us.

There was more, but that's the general gist of the experience. Amazing.
I'm seriously considering contacting their corporate number, though I
expect that they won't have much concern.

For now, I'm done with Performance.
--
Work and recreation are not often effected at the same time.
One using a bicycle in business makes an exception to the rule.
- Dr. Edgar H. Earl, Rochester. (~1892)

How many people get sold the wrong size bike at a "real"LBS? Lots.
Your friends are lucky to have you to go with them and save them from
making a bad purchase. Performance is great for prices and selection-
far better than 99% of LBS's here in NJ. Like Sym's says - an
educated consumer is our best customer. At least Performance has a
variety of sizes so you can narrow it down. Many LBS's have one odd
size and say "we can order it" and expect you to buy s bike that may
not fit sight unseen. I would be thankful if a Performance opened
nearby.

On Mar 10, 3:52*pm, Rex Kerr wrote:
I know that you don't go to Performance Bike for their great customer
service, you go for the low prices and convenient hours. *That said, you
also don't go with the expectation of being mistreated!!

My negative outlook on Performance started about six months ago when I
went there with a friend to help choose a road bike. *A specific Fuji
bike was in the right price range and appealed on many levels. *We had
the bike out on the floor and she was looking at I was evaluating the
fit. *I held the wheel between my knees and the handlebars and had her
sit on the bike while I evaluated the fit. *While we were doing this a
manager comes up and decides to take over. *Without warning he forces
himself between me and bike, nearly causing her to fall off! *This upset
me, but I continued anyhow. Later, when we were discussing the reach and
the possibility of a handlebar swap he started moving the saddle
forward. I told him that's not how you adjust reach, but he got angry
and said "just wait, I'll show you!" *I finally settled on the 47cm
frame even though he was suggesting the 44. *Interestingly, Fuji's site
suggests either the 47 or 50 for her height! *Idiots...

So... last night I'm there with a neighbor. *Everything is going fine at
first. *I pull out some bikes just to look them over with little concern
about their size at first. *My neighbor, being excited, is sitting on
all of them, but I ignore it since that's not what I'm looking at
anyhow. *We're down to the last bike before we decide which one we
should have him test ride when the manager (a different manager) comes
over and says that the bike is too big (duh, thanks). *I start to pull
out the next smaller size when he immediately takes over and doesn't
allow me to see how that size fits. *Deciding to avoid a confrontation I
went away and started browsing the rest of the store while he gave his
advice. *Later, my neighbor calls me over to show me what they'd settled
on. *When I got there he said that this was the right size frame. *I
nearly laughed. *It had a traditional geometry (horizontal top tube) so
you'd go with a larger seat tube length than with a compact geometry
frame. * That said, he'd put my almost 6' neighbor on a 54cm frame! *I
said something about the bike being far too small, that he was sitting
nearly upright, far too cramped in the top tube, and besides the saddle
was far too low. *He said "no, the seat is in the ideal position! *See
how his top leg is horizontal, that's ideal!" Top leg? *Who looks at
that? *Then he went on about how the bike had a relaxed top tube
geometry (huh? Relaxed head angle, relaxed seat angle, etc, but top
tube?). *I said no, that the saddle was at least 4cm too low! *He
started getting angry and barked "Fine, the bike is too small!" and
stomped off. *At the desk I could see him telling the other people
something or other while staring at us.

There was more, but that's the general gist of the experience. *Amazing.
* I'm seriously considering contacting their corporate number, though I
expect that they won't have much concern.

For now, I'm done with Performance.
--
Work and recreation are not often effected at the same time.
One using a bicycle in business makes an exception to the rule.
* * * *- Dr. Edgar H. Earl, Rochester. *(~1892)

Rex Kerr wrote:
My negative outlook on Performance started about six months ago when I

I forgot to write about another incident...

A coworker took his bike there to have the drop bars replaced with tri
bars with barend shifters on the end of the aero bars. The first time
that he rode it in to the office I was looking at it and something
seemed wrong. I noticed that the rear shifter was on the left aero bar.
I commented that they were on the wrong hands, but you could get used
to that. Looking closer I noticed that it was much worse (which wasn't
immediately obvious due to the cables running inside of the frame)...
The front shifter (the friction one) was controlling the r-der, and the
rear shifter (the indexed one) was controlling the f-der!! They'd
installed them completely backwards!

Didn't the installer wonder why he didn't have to trim the der
adjustment? Why he wasn't getting indexing? Why was the front one
clicking into positions, but not the rear? How could you miss that?

--
Work and recreation are not often effected at the same time.
One using a bicycle in business makes an exception to the rule.
- Dr. Edgar H. Earl, Rochester. (~1892)

wrote:
How many people get sold the wrong size bike at a "real"LBS? Lots.

Oh, I know that... but it still doesn't excuse Performance either.

I know that 'real' LBSs do that too because my first LBS bike was far
too small. Even with an extra long seatpost I couldn't get enough leg
extension and finally quit riding the bike. The problem there was that
I actually wanted to buy the next size up (that he had in stock), but he
convinced me that I wanted the smaller one! Prior to that I'd only
ridden dept store bikes, one size fits none, so I didn't know any better.

-Rex

--
Work and recreation are not often effected at the same time.
One using a bicycle in business makes an exception to the rule.
- Dr. Edgar H. Earl, Rochester. (~1892)

Let me put in a good word for my favorite Performance store, in San Rafael,
CA. They have everything I could possibly want, and it's well displayed, so
you can browse without having to deal with a counter person on each and
every item. When I have needed help, I have found their staff to be
extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They are a few blocks from Recyclery,
a nonprofit which sells used donated stuff--I have had them refer me there
when it was appropriate.

On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:29:02 -0700, Rex Kerr
wrote:

Rex Kerr wrote:
My negative outlook on Performance started about six months ago when I

I forgot to write about another incident...

A coworker took his bike there to have the drop bars replaced with tri
bars with barend shifters on the end of the aero bars. The first time
that he rode it in to the office I was looking at it and something
seemed wrong. I noticed that the rear shifter was on the left aero bar.
I commented that they were on the wrong hands, but you could get used
to that. Looking closer I noticed that it was much worse (which wasn't
immediately obvious due to the cables running inside of the frame)...
The front shifter (the friction one) was controlling the r-der, and the
rear shifter (the indexed one) was controlling the f-der!! They'd
installed them completely backwards!

Didn't the installer wonder why he didn't have to trim the der
adjustment? Why he wasn't getting indexing? Why was the front one
clicking into positions, but not the rear? How could you miss that?

Sorry to hear that happened to you.

My performance guys have all been great and one of the wrenches is now
my personal friend.

One day I needed my pedal removed and had the bike out by my car in
the parking lot and the wrench came out to the parking lot with the
pedal removal tool and loosened it for me so I didn't even have to
bring it into the store. I brought him a DVD I burned because he did
that.

So while you had a bad experience, not all Performance employees are
like that.

Again, yours are bad, pushy, unknowledgeable and lacking experience.
No excuse for that. I wouldn't let anyone 'push me out of the way'.
That's just rude and more, it's bording on hostile. I'd report him.

Good luck.

Report them both. Don't you think Performance should know about this sort of
thing--otherwise, how are they going to fix it? Besides, you could be
helping protect other customers in the future.

On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:51:19 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:

Let me put in a good word for my favorite Performance store, in San Rafael,
CA. They have everything I could possibly want, and it's well displayed, so
you can browse without having to deal with a counter person on each and
every item. When I have needed help, I have found their staff to be
extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They are a few blocks from Recyclery,
a nonprofit which sells used donated stuff--I have had them refer me there
when it was appropriate.

An independent LBS referred me to our local community bike shop when
I needed a pedal dust cover. That was shortly after I'd got back on
the bike from a 14 year hiatus.

What hooked me is the smell of a real bike shop. The aroma of the
first LBS I'd visited in fourteen years (to buy a Razor kick-scooter
for some crazy inflated price) brought a flood of youthful memories
rushing back to me.

When I went into a second LBS a couple months later looking for Razor
replacement wheels, the smell hit me again.

The fact that the salesperson was a beautiful and knowledgable
mountain-biking woman really brought me into the new century. A few
weeks later, coasting home on the Razor. it dawned on me that I could
be riding a bike.

My two. stored, now classic, Euro-equipped bikes just needed to be
overhauled. When I rode the Witcomb into the shop looking for a
Lyotard dust-cap the owner, who has long since become a personal
friend and fellow "gang member", had never before seen Cam bar-cons.
He recommended OCB! where I fell in love/lust with the lesbian
mechanic manager*. After I'd found one, and only one, complete
Lyotard #23 Marcel Berthet pedal exactly like mine, but with a dust
cap for only $2.50, it became _my_ LBS.

The unmistakable "bike shop aroma" was most prevalent at OCB! and I
was hooked. Its existence has had more to do with my "re-birth" than
any branch of a seemingly impersonal chain store could have had.

Follow your nose.

*We later danced and drank together a few times. She once even
offered to show me more of her tattoos! I still love her though
she's moved on to a "real job".
--
zk

On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:52:07 -0700, Rex Kerr wrote:

I know that you don't go to Performance Bike for their great customer
service, you go for the low prices and convenient hours. That said, you
also don't go with the expectation of being mistreated!!

I don't know why you shouldn't expect great customer service. It's not as
if independent shops have a monopoly on that. In fact they're pretty
haphazard. One should expect a chain to have some uniformity and quality
control, but in my experience Performance runs the same gamut as
independents. The old Performance store in Irvine, CA, was the best LBS
in Orange County for awhile. But some others weren't so great. It all
comes down to the individuals working there.

I'm seriously considering contacting their corporate number, though I
expect that they won't have much concern.

I don't know why you wouldn't. They're the ones who can do something
about it. There's not much we here can do.

OTOH, I've stopped doing this. I figure if they can't get their act
together, it's not my job to help them figure out how.

Matt O.

On Mar 10, 12:29*pm, Rex Kerr wrote:

Didn't the installer wonder why he didn't have to trim the der
adjustment? *Why he wasn't getting indexing? *Why was the front one
clicking into positions, but not the rear? *How could you miss that?

Cause he was probably too busy texting his GF or BFF or some such
nonsense.

To me, it's like this:
Want good Mexican food? Go where wife or son must translate, and even
though they can't understand me, they're still nice to me and serve me
really good food. (In other words, LBS)
Want fill belly quickly with many calories, much grease, and half the
flavor and the price? Taco Bell. (In other words, Performance.)

ABS