Ranalagh Bike Shop

Trevor E

So I was cycling into college yesterday and I got my third flat wheel in 12 hours so I decided to get a new tube and punture repair kit and the nearest shop was the one in Ranalagh.

They came to €9.50 for a standard 700 x 23 tube and a repaire kit. So I asked for a receipt and with a groan he handed me a slip of paper with €9.50 witten on it and not even the shop name on it. So I asked for it itemised and he said he couldn't do that as the till was not set up for that.

Also, neither the tube or the repair kit had a price on them. I took them because I was despirite but two of my friends had also gone there recently and been charged different prices. :mad:

Not cool!!

blorg

I am not entirely sure what your problem is, that sounds like a completely normal price for what you bought.

Demanding an itemised receipt for a tube and puncture repair kit, WTF?

bryaner

Cheap as chips, actually cheaper than 4 bags of chips..

lukester

9.50 for a tube and repair kit, sounds bloody cheap to me.

FWIW, years ago I wanted to put slicks on my old MTB commuter, rang around for the particular Schwalbe model and that little shop in Ranelagh was the cheapest by far. The geezer was good to deal with too.

Morgan

Trevor E wrote: »

So I asked for a receipt and with a groan he handed me a slip of paper with €9.50 witten on it and not even the shop name on it. So I asked for it itemised and he said he couldn't do that as the till was not set up for that.

Are you claiming expenses or something?

forza_milo

Just because you're paranoid doesn't meant that they're not out to get you...

Golfanatic

7-8 euro for a tube 3 for a repair kit, you got a good enough deal saved a 1-2 euro

gimmeaminute

If someone hacked off my legs in Ranelagh and I needed to purchase new ones from a bike shop, I would crawl on the bloody stumps to Think Bike in Rathmines.

I was treated like dirt by the owner of that shop, in a similar situation to the OP's and I will never darken its door again.

kev23f

gimmeaminute wrote: »

If someone hacked off my legs in Ranelagh and I needed to purchase new ones from a bike shop, I would crawl on the bloody stumps to Think Bike in Rathmines.

I was treated like dirt by the owner of that shop, in a similar situation to the OP's and I will never darken its door again.

i'll second that, i used to live 5 minutes from that shop, but the guy in it was so unbelievably rude i never went there again.

Doctor Bob

Every customer is entitled to an itemised receipt. citizensinformation.ie even goes as far as to specifically recommend it. I don't think it's up to us to judge anyone else's reasons.

As for the shop itself, I've had mixed experiences. I once went when I lived in the neighbourhood, thinking I should support my LBS, and the lock I bought was overpriced and didn't work properly. Another time, I got a puncture as I was passing nearby and he very kindly interrupted his lunch to fix it at short notice.

Morgan

Doctor Bob wrote: »

I don't think it's up to us to judge anyone else's reasons.

Isn't that the point of this thread?

Explosive_Cornflake

kev23f wrote: »

i'll second that, i used to live 5 minutes from that shop, but the guy in it was so unbelievably rude i never went there again.

I'm not a fan of the shop either, It's the closet one to me in work, but I'd never go there again. I've walked in the rain to rathmines instead.

Doctor Bob

Morgan wrote: »

Isn't that the point of the internet?

FYP.

blorg

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Every customer is entitled to an itemised receipt. citizensinformation.ie even goes as far as to specifically recommend it. I don't think it's up to us to judge anyone else's reasons.

It's a tube and a repair kit FFS coming to €9.50. Sure you can demand it, but you are being a tool.

The internet has judged and its judgement is final.

IM0

Explosive_Cornflake wrote: »

Explosive_Cornflake

your a chick right?
cool name :cool:. that is all.

ROK ON

I think the OP is annoyed in that he may have assumed that the shop simply made up the price.
This happens a lot. Certain bike shops in town have no real prices. So if you are a regular or they are happy you get a good price etc.
I buy consumables in Cycleogical and Cycleways. Some guys in both shops who probably know my face by now will give a much better price.
Just the way it is.

keenan110

I have mostly good experiences of the guy in Ranelagh, last week he rreplaced two broken spokes for only €5, can't complain about that price!

Trevor E

blorg wrote: »

I am not entirely sure what your problem is, that sounds like a completely normal price for what you bought.

Demanding an itemised receipt for a tube and puncture repair kit, WTF?

I seem to be misconstrued. I did't say that I paid an unreasonable price or mean to sound like that. I said 3 people went into a shop and they all bought the same items and they all paid different prices.

The itemised receipt was only to see was there set prices for the items, nothing else.

forza_milo wrote: »

Just because you're paranoid doesn't meant that they're not out to get you...

There out for you too, you just don't know it yet

ROK ON wrote: »

I think the OP is annoyed in that he may have assumed that the shop simply made up the price.
This happens a lot. Certain bike shops in town have no real prices. So if you are a regular or they are happy you get a good price etc.
I buy consumables in Cycleogical and Cycleways. Some guys in both shops who probably know my face by now will give a much better price.
Just the way it is.

Thanks for your reply. I didn't relaise that that was how it worked with these shops. Can't complain if its broadly excepted so.

blorg

Trevor E wrote: »

I seem to be misconstrued. I did't say that I paid an unreasonable price or mean to sound like that. I said 3 people went into a shop and they all bought the same items and they all paid different prices.

The itemised receipt was only to see was there set prices for the items, nothing else.

It's his shop, he can charge what he likes for the items. No law says he has to charge the same price to everyone. You can buy the stuff or not. If you were so concerned you could have just asked him how much each item cost rather than demanding an itemised receipt.

As ROK_ON says shops will often give discounts to regular customers (they also load him up with free water bottles I believe.)

Next time demand a free water bottle. And a loan of his pump.

bbosco

blorg wrote: »

It's his shop, he can charge what he likes for the items. No law says he has to charge the same price to everyone. You can buy the stuff or not. If you were so concerned you could have just asked him how much each item cost rather than demanding an itemised receipt.

The customer is absolutely entitled to a receipt, no matter how annoying it might be for the owner to produce one for a relatively small transaction. As far as I can tell, the OP isn't complaining about the price. He's complaining about getting less than satisfactory service when he asked for something to which he's entitled.

droidus

Plus there is also an obligation to display prices:

Q1. I was shopping in my local supermarket yesterday and there was no price displayed for some products. Is this legal?

In general, retailers must display the selling price of every item offered for sale. More specifically, the European Communities (Requirements to Indicate Product Prices) Regulations 2002 requires that all products on sale to consumers must show a selling price in euro and a large number of products that are sold by weight or volume must show a unit price by reference to the metric measure. A price indication should be either on the product itself or on the shelf edge label.
By law, traders are obliged to display the selling price in euro and in certain circumstances the unit price (the price per kilogram) for all products offered for sale to consumers.
If you are concerned that a retailer is not adhering to the law in this area, please contact the National Consumer Agency.


http://www.consumerconnect.ie/eng/Hot_Topics/FAQs/Price-display/

If a retailer decides to give discounts, its up to him, but he is also legally obliged to display prices and issue proper receipts.

el tel

Not that it adds anything to the debate but I'm surprised that €9.50 for a tube and repair kit is considered reasonable. Must be Dublin prices In an dire emergency I would begrudingly stump that up but I paid £2.99 for a Conti inner tube and £2.99 for a Cure-C-Cure kit from my LBS last week and he's considered expensive.

Trevor E

bbosco said

As far as I can tell, the OP isn't complaining about the price. He's complaining about getting less than satisfactory service when he asked for something to which he's entitled.

Your right I'm not complaining about the price, although I d be more accustomed to paying "el tel's" prices. I ll be taking a trip up to ASDA next time up north to stock up.

My gripe was that he just picked a price at random to charge me.

blorg

bbosco wrote: »

The customer is absolutely entitled to a receipt, no matter how annoying it might be for the owner to produce one for a relatively small transaction. As far as I can tell, the OP isn't complaining about the price. He's complaining about getting less than satisfactory service when he asked for something to which he's entitled.

Fair enough, I think it is overkill myself. He got a receipt, just not an itemised one. Maybe try asking for an itemised receipt next time you buy a bag of penny sweets or whatever they cost these days. No, total is not sufficient, I want a count of the cola bottles.

If he had pushed the matter I am sure he could have got the guy to break the €9.50 into two parts on the written receipt (there is no obligation to provide a printed one) but FFS.

I don't think I have ever been in a supermarket in my LIFE where everything was priced properly. Maybe better get on that one droidus.

As to the price good luck getting a tube in a Dublin shop for £2.99 (€3.50). That is a GOOD online price from the UK, CRC do cheap "Airwave" tubes for that price (they are fine as far as I can make out) and you are unlikely to get better unless buying in bulk (I do and this gets it down to £2 for Airwave or ~£2.50 for "brand" name tubes from Ribble where I do a massive order once a year or so.)

By contrast Wiggle just to pick an example sell Conti tubes for £4.99 (€5.75) and I have been asked for as much as €8 in a Dublin shop (I didn't buy it.)

I have mixed experiences with the guy in Ranelagh, generally with the quality of his wheel truing, but his prices and service have always been more than reasonable... he generally fixes anything on the spot which is a rare service indeed.

Bottom line, "I didn't get an itemised receipt for my reasonably priced tube and puncture repair kit" does not, IMHO, justify starting a thread on the internet to complain about it. Not in the Cycling forum anyway, maybe try Rants & Raves.

droidus

blorg wrote: »

I don't think I have ever been in a supermarket in my LIFE where everything was priced properly. Maybe better get on that one droidus.

Hey - nothing to do with me. I'm just the messenger. If you have a problem with it speak to the NCA. Most shops do have some kind of price tagging system though, even if some of the prices are wrong.

Personally, shops that don't put price tags on their products drive me mad, and it also seems to be against the law. A proper receipt is not a scrawled bit of paper, it must have a stamp, an address and shop name or an identifying mark of some kind.

In Italy you get a receipt for even the smallest purchase...

blorg

droidus wrote: »

In Italy you get a receipt for even the smallest purchase...

And you as the customer can be fined by the police if you can't show it to them within 100 metres of exiting the shop. The reason for that is a history of massive tax evasion, it's not some sort of consumer protection thing.

Supermarkets missing prices on stuff drives me mad too but in the size of the bike shop in Ranelagh it is trivially easy to ask him how much anything costs if it doesn't have a price on it. IIRC he does have prices on most stuff too. In a supermarket I generally have to just take the item to the till and ask there how much they cost. Pain in the neck. I wouldn't mind so much if every supermarket gave me a personal shopper who knew the prices as I walked around.

droidus

blorg wrote: »

And you as the customer can be fined by the police if you can't show it to them within 100 metres of exiting the shop. The reason for that is a history of massive tax evasion, it's not some sort of consumer protection thing.

Interesting. I thought it was due to tax evasion by shops... I only mentioned it cos I thought it might be more 'euro' (and therefore better) or something...

SerialComplaint

I've found him to be fairly unhelpful too. He won't keep a bike overnight when repairing, and I had to make repeated calls to him to check up on a simple part - went on for best part of a week till I switched to Think Bike in Rathmines.

blorg

He doesn't have space to keep bikes. He makes this clear enough I would think and the flip side is if you want something done on the spot or same day he is one of the few that will do it.

ThinkBike are also a very good shop certainly.

kona

Bikeshop bashing gets old very fast. I have had good and bad experiences in everyshop. Get the **** overyerself. Prices change, a tube and a repair kit for under a tenner isnt a rip off. what were yer mates charged? €9.10 and maybe €9.35. Would you have complained if you paid less? **** sake?

The bad? well, I find the customers atitude has alot to do with it to be fair.

If you come in thinking your spending some $$ and its your right for your arse to be licked then, Im sorry but I think you should cop on.(Sweeping generalisation, not directed at OP)

A person with a smile and some patience will always be treated better than a arrogant tosser. How many people can claim to be in a good mood, and not make mistakes from 9-5? there will ALWAYS be a time when somebody isnt in the mood.

Im involved with both sides of the coin and in can tell you that its true.

Why cant we have a thread about good experiences?

gimmeaminute

kona wrote: »

If you come in thinking your spending some $$ and its your right for your arse to be licked then, Im sorry but I think you should cop on.(Sweeping generalisation, not directed at OP)

There's a fundamental difference between wanting your arse to be licked and the expectation of basic civility. So there is.

briano

I quite like that little shop in Ranelagh, I usually go to Think Bike in fairness, but if I am ever looking for something small I'll pop in there if I'm passing.

Got a BB lock-nut-tool or whatever they are called in there a few months ago. Went in, tried to describe what it was unsuccessfully for a few minutes until the guy in there said "Oh, you mean this yoke? It's been there for ages, give us a tenner for it"


Of course, you are all going to have to take me at my word that I paid that much for it. Maybe I should have asked for a recipt...

kona

gimmeaminute wrote: »

There's a fundamental difference between wanting your arse to be licked and the expectation of basic civility. So there is.

Have you worked in retail recently? like the last 3 years?

There is a growing minority of people with this attitude, who firmly believe that unless we take their pathtic offers ( like half the RRP), while licking their arse because we are so desperate for their few euro, we will go out of business. Cop the **** on.

Obviously there are others who dont fit this description, but youd be suprised the ****e that comes out of peoples mouths when they have to spend money.

Harrybelafonte

This is happening in most industries these days. If you don't let them shaft you they'll take their money to someone who will

kona

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

This is happening in most industries these days. If you don't let them shaft you they'll take their money to someone who will

It is quite sad, although there are people who do "get" the whole deal.

Off topic, but there was a amusing thread over in motors a few weeks ago, some moron was moaning about Ford Ireland providing a crap service and not servicing his car until the following week.
Then he acts suprised at this because he had ****ed off up north and bought it there. Well, If I was Ford Ireland Id have told him he can tow his car back and get the "Better Service" ,"Cheaper" up there.

The motor Industry is ****ed and these clowns are pulling this crap, fair play to Ford for doing their own customers first.

bbosco

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

This is happening in most industries these days. If you don't let them shaft you they'll take their money to someone who will

Sorry if I've misunderstood you, but are you complaining about customers taking their business elsewhere if they can get a better price?

kona

bbosco wrote: »

Sorry if I've misunderstood you, but are you complaining about customers taking their business elsewhere if they can get a better price?

Its the way they do it. No issues with people shopping around. Its their attitude, its like unless you sell me that bike at a loss Im going elsewhere.

Then they get the hump when you dont play along.Im sorry but its a business not a charity, if you havnt cycled in 20 years, how the **** do you know what a fair offer is?
Many people are so paranoid of being ripped off, they think the Bike shops make 100% profit...they dont.

gimmeaminute

kona wrote: »

Have you worked in retail recently? like the last 3 years?

There is a growing minority of people with this attitude, who firmly believe that unless we take their pathtic offers ( like half the RRP), while licking their arse because we are so desperate for their few euro, we will go out of business. Cop the **** on.

Obviously there are others who dont fit this description, but youd be suprised the ****e that comes out of peoples mouths when they have to spend money.

So you're responding to my call for basic civility with 'cop the asterisk on'? Well isn't that Alanis?

I have worked in retail, though not in the last three years, and I would never have dreamt of speaking to a customer like I was spoken to in that shop. In fact I wouldn't dream of speaking to anybody in that manner, assuming they hadn't grossly offended or endangered me.

I'm not talking about the right of bike mechanics to look down on me, Lord knows they are superior to me in almost every way, but being a **** is being a ****, no matter where you are.

Harrybelafonte

bbosco wrote: »

Sorry if I've misunderstood you, but are you complaining about customers taking their business elsewhere if they can get a better price?

No, price is a different matter, it's more to do with the attitude after agreeing price. I'm paying you A to do B, so I basically own you now and I'll ask you to do a few extras free of charge and threaten to pull my custom if you have a problem with it. I understand that there is a fine line between that and being able to get more for less, however, this doesn't involve treating people lieke they're "the help".

SerialComplaint

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

No, price is a different matter, it's more to do with the attitude after agreeing price. I'm paying you A to do B, so I basically own you now and I'll ask you to do a few extras free of charge and threaten to pull my custom if you have a problem with it. I understand that there is a fine line between that and being able to get more for less, however, this doesn't involve treating people lieke they're "the help".

Try being a public servant for a few days.

Harrybelafonte

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Try being a public servant for a few days.

LOL, the experiences I've had that have allowed me to come to my opinion involved civil servants for the most part (but obviously higher up the ladder)

Lumen

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Try being a public servant for a few days.

Which part of "servant" do you not understand?

Reyman

I had a very good experience in that shop just a while ago. My chain broke and I was really stuck. The guy in the shop fixed it for me on the spot. excellent job and total price including parts --- €2.50.

Now there's service for you! My favourite shop in Dublin

gimmeaminute

Reyman wrote: »

My chain broke and I was really stuck.

Ha! My situation was exactly the same. Is it cause I is black, I can't help but wonder.

blorg

Reyman wrote: »

I had a very good experience in that shop just a while ago. My chain broke and I was really stuck. The guy in the shop fixed it for me on the spot. excellent job and total price including parts --- €2.50.

Hope you got an itemised receipt, what was the division between parts and labour?

Reyman

blorg wrote: »

Hope you got an itemised receipt, what was the division between parts and labour?

Nah, no - I didn't pay. Bought him a pint in Birchalls instead.

72hundred

In some ways I've to agree with the OP. I'd be a little struck too for a €9.50, looking back over my internet purchases recently. A repair kit and tube would come to about €6.50, so yea its more expensive locally but you are getting the convenience factor. Of course if you take it as a percentage (and I think this is where the OP's sentiments are born from) a 46% increase is ridiculous, but they know people need tube and repair kits.

BTW: @OP; don't ask for an itemised bill by way of trying to tell the shop assistant you think you've been over charged. It seems petty. Just voice any concerns.

blorg

The point is though 72oo that any shop in Dublin would charge around that, more in many cases. I've been asked for €8 for a tube alone. €9.50 with a repair kit is in no way an exceptional price. As for online, Wiggle have tubes at €5.75 on their own.

Sometimes LBS can be cheaper too, I got a brake nut recently in a local shop, when I asked how much, he shrugged and said "a euro?" Perfectly happy with that, same nut is €4.50 on CRC. I didn't report him for not having the price publicly displayed on the part he rooted out of his parts drawer.

If you don't like the price shop somewhere else.

72hundred

blorg wrote: »

If you don't like the price shop somewhere else.

Indeed I'm sure the OP (as I did) will learn the virtues of internet ordering a bulk of tubes cheap and carrying one in future!