Cyclelogical - wow

tunney · 30-03-2009 3:26pm #1

So I was in town at lunch today at the doctors, while in town I decided to nip into Cyclelogical to get a new tyre. Normally I don't shop there but as I'd shredded a tyre on a commuter yesterday I'd no choice.

I'm standing at the counter getting served by a youngish guy that seemed okay. He's struggled with the visa machine when a bloke comes in and says he thinks he has a slow puncture and asks if he could borrow a pump. Youngish guy says no, don't lend out tools, sorry. Bloke replies, its okay he doesn't want to borrow it he can just use it in the shop. Reasonable response I thought. Sales guy still struggling with the visa machine so the owner, I think, comes over and says, and I quote - "We don't do punctures, so buy a pump or fcuk off".

My jaw hit the ground, I couldn't believe it. The guy asking for a pump went ballistic and rightly so.

I can't believe that a shop owner thinks it is okay to talk to potential customers like this. I will not be returning to Cyclelogical again even though it wasn't me abused like this.

scottreynolds · 30-03-2009 3:29pm

Cricky..... you were both lucky to be served.

FrankGrimes · 30-03-2009 3:44pm

Hope 'went ballistic' involved taking a pump off the shelf, sticking it where the sun don't shine and pumping that pr1ck up so he looked like that fat chick off Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and then throwing in a DDT for good measure.

petethedrummer · 30-03-2009 3:47pm

Years ago I went in and asked to borrow a pump and they told me nicely they don't lend them out. Probably due to their location they are constantly bothered by people coming in for them.They should put a sign on the door indicating their policy to save themselves having to tell punters to f%ck off.

I don't like their customer service in general (apart from one youngish guy) so I don't shop there.

DirkVoodoo · 30-03-2009 3:49pm

Ah well, they are doing themselves no favours in the long run.

My friend fixed my squeaky cranks for me yesterday, as I was quizzing him about bike maintenance and other such things, he said to me when he worked in a shop in Australia, the owner said to him "Treat every bike like it's your own". He said that was when his bike repair skills improved.

Frankly, I wouldn't trust a place that has such disregard for customers. After I got my bike (which I bought there) it's 6 week check-up, I saw just how poor a job they had done on it and told myself I would never go back.

A lot of people have good experience there, it seems you have to do a fair bit of business to earn this privelege. I wouldn't do business with a place that has one customer service policy for the cervelo buyers and another for some guy looking to borrow a pump.

Ghost Rider · 30-03-2009 4:04pm

I've found Cliff in there to be a genuinely helpful bloke, but some of the others can be a bit obnoxious.

Would it really kill them to have an old track pump on stand-by? They should look on their location as a blessing, not a curse.

A prominently positioned sign reading "WE DON'T LOAN OUT PUMPS ETC." would probably solve their problem but it wouldn't exactly contribute to a friendly atmosphere for the uninitiated...

Raam · 30-03-2009 4:05pm

Ghost Rider wrote: »

A prominently positioned sign reading "WE DON'T LOAN OUT PUMPS ETC."

There is one right in front of the till

MadHatter · 30-03-2009 4:08pm

petethedrummer wrote: »

They should put a sign on the door indicating their policy to save themselves having to tell punters to f%ck off.

Last time I was in there (last Summer) they did have a sign over the counter saying they don't lend pumps/tools. I guess they were getting asked a lot. That's fair enough if that's their policy.

However, there's no excuse for that behaviour. Who's to say the bloke on the receiving end won't be in the market for a high end road bike in the near future? If he is, he'll be spending his money elsewhere now.

RobFowl · 30-03-2009 4:12pm

Got some forks there a few years ago and founf them helpful but FFS that was just off the wall :eek:

Lumen · 30-03-2009 4:13pm

Vélo · 30-03-2009 4:21pm

I won't be going in there unless it's absolutely necessary or I'm in the mood for scrap!

DirkVoodoo · 30-03-2009 4:23pm

Aquinas73 wrote: »

I won't be going in there unless it's absolutely necessary or I'm in the mood for scrap!

Or a scrap seeing the way that chap was treated. Seriously, I hate that kind of "Gordon Ramsey school of business" attitude, if some place told me to "f**k off" I would be looking for some kind of apology, its bang out of order.

Genghis · 30-03-2009 4:26pm

That's shocking stuff, really small minded.

Long before I was really into cycling I had an old bike I was trying to repair myself. I was looking for a particular nut, and brought along the bolt I needed it to fit. I asked in there if they would have a nut to fit (i.e. for me to buy), and they basically hounded me out of the shop. I didn't go back until quite recently, and like you Tunney, only because I needed something there and then.

As someone else said, another bike shop would value their excellent location in terms of passing cyclists, and there could well be a way that they could 'rent' or 'deposit scheme' an old pump or something, either for a small charge, or a smile and a 'No charge, maybe we'll meet again next time you need something for the bike'.

I wonder if the owner would come on here and defend the policy, or is he happy for this sort of message to be associated with the shop?

kenmc · 30-03-2009 4:29pm

Wow, that's pretty shocking. I've seen the sign there all right, but there's no need for abuse like that. It wouldn't hurt them to have a track pump chained to the counter for folk to use in an emergency - there's a good chance that while in there they'd buy a new tube or puncture repair kit or something at the same time which would more than offset the cost of providing the pump there as a service - as it stands now they'll sell nothing to the occasional wander-in-er, nor to any of his 10 friends who he'll tell about the bad experience.

MadHatter · 30-03-2009 4:31pm

Incidently, a mate of mine had the same experience in Cyclelogical a couple of years ago when they wouldn't lend him a pump, but they were polite about it at the time.

Recently he got a puncture an popped into Cycleways as it was just round the corner. They told him the usual - they didn't fix punctures, just replace tube and min charge of €15 or something. However, if wanted to buy a puncture repair kit and fix it himself on the street, they'd give him a lend of a pump. He did this and went away a happy man.

Now, I wouldn't be the biggest fan of Cycleways either, but at least they gave a reasonable alternative rather than a bollicking. And they also made a sale (however small) and kept a customer happy.

kenmc · 30-03-2009 4:47pm

MadHatter wrote: »

And they also made a sale (however small) and kept a customer happy.

And he told you about it, and now you're telling more people, so they're getting free positive publicity from cycleogicals negative press.

ba · 30-03-2009 4:54pm

customers in cycleogical used to demand a new tube every time they blew their own tube from over-inflating it. i'd imagine the lads in the shop, fed up with this removed all tool borrowing privileges from the public. true this does them no favors as there are always passing cyclists looking for assistance, but that shop is small and would quickly fill with commuters and couriers hindering the lads ability to serve a customer eyeing a new Cervelo frame or whatever.

not many people have a track pump so when a newbie picks up one to use it is very easy to over inflate... pop!

agreed, that language is out of order. but how many times does that bloke (with the slow puncture) need to be told? he knew exactly what one of the lads was saying when he used the word 'borrow'.

Morgan · 30-03-2009 5:02pm

ba wrote: »

customers in cycleogical used to demand a new tube every time they blew their own tube from over-inflating it. i'd imagine the lads in the shop, fed up with this removed all tool borrowing privileges from the public.

That sounds a bit unbelievable to my cynical ears. How much pressure does it take to "blow up" a tube using a track pump? 150psi? More? It's not like it would be a regular occurrence. Unless Cycleogical has some form of high-powered uber-trackpump which the general public couldn't possibly use safely

.

Killgore Trout · 30-03-2009 5:11pm

Recently I rang ahead to the clowns in Cycleogical to check if they had a pair of specific tyres in stock - I also made sure to explicitly state the size: answer - "yes we have loads of them". Got in less than an hour later and they had none - "oh we must have just sold the last pair". I protested that they said the had LOADS, not just a single pair, and the fella's attitude was smarmy and sarcastic. There were other members of staff present and none of seemed to give a damn - it appears this attitude is endemic to the lot of them. I have never been treated so badly as a potential customer in my life.

The only reason I'd go back would be to rifle for bargains in their closing down sale - here's hoping.

beans · 30-03-2009 5:15pm

I've received great service and awful service from both Cycleways and Cyclelogical in the past. I prefer Cyclelogical because I feel there's less bullsh!t from them.

I'd be happier being told straight-up what the score is than to be mind-****ed into buying an inappropriate tool by some sales-kid, even if he said 'thank you sir'. Diffrn't strokes and all that

DirkVoodoo · 30-03-2009 5:35pm

What about Joe Dalys? You could argue that while they are not as central they are certainly as accessible (Luas right beside it, abundant parking) and I can't see them acting like this.

I went in when my sister was looking for a bike, she had to leave before they opened after lunch so I just went in to ask about prices. I noticed two of my chain ring bolts had fallen off and so I asked the young lad in there would he have any spares. He ran off to see what he had, came back with a box of little assorted parts and fitted the two bolts. A 5 minute job, but this was saturday around 2pm and there were a few people in the shop and it was clear I was only here to say "How much is that?" without comitting further. I asked him how much for the bolts and he said not to worry about it (with a smile, no "you're wasting my time" looks).

I left saying that I would be back with my sister.

She bought a bike and some accessories 2 weeks later.

thebouldwhacker · 30-03-2009 5:37pm

I must say customer service in some bike shops often resemble video shop standards. Unless your a regular or want to spend €1000 you get little or no respect.
Recently after damaging both rims on my bike I went into a well known Cork bike shop. I asked him how much to straighten them, he grunted €50 per wheel... hmmm, then I asked him about buying new rims, he looked at me as if Iwas asking to borrow them and said 'oh its not worth your while, better off buying a new bike...' (dick)

So I held off a few days brought the bike into my local man who not only did the two wheels but serviced my gf's bike too (replaced a few things etc) all for €65.

Moral of the story?

Well I dont know... it makes no sense to me

thesunwashot · 30-03-2009 5:48pm

I've been in cycleogical recently to get spoke nipples and track nuts and they have been decent enough to give me them for free so I have a pretty good opinion of them.

Having only been in the shop 4 or 5 times in total though, I've seen two people come in and ask to borrow a pump so it must happen a lot to them. No excuse for rudeness though. You do get the feeling they don't need the business enough to be extra nice to everyone.

I do think that if you are riding a bike you should have what you need to sort out common situations (allen keys and some way of fixing punctures) but I did get caught out once and was glad that the bike shop in Rathgar lent me what I needed or it would have been a long old walk home.

ba · 30-03-2009 5:51pm

Morgan wrote: »

That sounds a bit unbelievable to my cynical ears. How much pressure does it take to "blow up" a tube using a track pump? 150psi? More? It's not like it would be a regular occurrence. Unless Cycleogical has some form of high-powered uber-trackpump which the general public couldn't possibly use safely .

very true. i heard them tell this to a customer. again a newbie wouldn't have a clue what recommended tyre pressure is.

Chips Lovell · 30-03-2009 7:50pm

Another happy customer.

Had a similar experience there myself before which led me to just stop shopping there for a few years. Went back again earlier this year because I had a wheel that needed truing and I hadn't the patience to get it right myself. This time around they were nice as pie to me and had the job done in a few hours. One spin later and the wheel was again out of true. So much for that. Won't be going back.

tunney · 30-03-2009 8:08pm

ba wrote: »

customers in cycleogical used to demand a new tube every time they blew their own tube from over-inflating it. i'd imagine the lads in the shop, fed up with this removed all tool borrowing privileges from the public. true this does them no favors as there are always passing cyclists looking for assistance, but that shop is small and would quickly fill with commuters and couriers hindering the lads ability to serve a customer eyeing a new Cervelo frame or whatever.

not many people have a track pump so when a newbie picks up one to use it is very easy to over inflate... pop!

agreed, that language is out of order. but how many times does that bloke (with the slow puncture) need to be told? he knew exactly what one of the lads was saying when he used the word 'borrow'.

No disagree completely. The salesguy was being vague and non-commital. The punter simply didn't understand.

ROK ON · 30-03-2009 8:11pm

Hi, just wondering how are these guys still surviving as a shop. I mean who is a regular patron.

Many of us on this site have experienced their unsalesman like conduct. Yet the shop still exists.
Any web-review of cycle shop I have read, this shop gets a hell of a lot of complaints.
Yet the shop still exists.

They must be pleasing some folk, I guess who are they i wonder.

tunney · 30-03-2009 8:12pm

beans wrote: »

I've received great service and awful service from both Cycleways and Cyclelogical in the past. I prefer Cyclelogical because I feel there's less bullsh!t from them.

I'd be happier being told straight-up what the score is than to be mind-****ed into buying an inappropriate tool by some sales-kid, even if he said 'thank you sir'. Diffrn't strokes and all that

So you'd be happy to be told to "**** off" in a very aggressive tone by a bike shop owner?

ba · 30-03-2009 8:14pm

somebody just doesnt drop the F bomb unless prevoked. i know all the lads in there from racing, and theyre very friendly. it doesnt make sense that one of them would say that to a confused customer.

Chips Lovell · 30-03-2009 8:21pm

ROK ON wrote: »

Hi, just wondering how are these guys still surviving as a shop. I mean who is a regular patron.

I've wondered that too. Think how well they'd be doing if they actually had some sort of customer service ethos.

kenmc · 30-03-2009 8:26pm

Yeah, how do you become a regular customer if you can't even become a customer first

Cyclelogical - wow

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