Cycleways rant

LeftBlank

Need to get my bike fixed up - it's a Brompton and given that Cycleways are one of the few dealers, I thought that I should drop it into them.

Now I heard before that they have a crazy appointments system for the workshop, so I asked first to see if they could take the bike in today. The guy said that Thursday week was the first free appointment available. This was quickly followed by a shrug of the shoulders and a "that's how busy we are".

What use to anyone is a bike workshop where the first appointment is 8 days away? Surely they should split the appointments in two, have some planned services and some for bikes that need to be fixed in a hurry. As it is, I am now more likely to fix it myself, after ordering the parts I need on the internet.

kumate_champ07

thats just silly, they are heavily booked, are you more important than everyone else?

07Lapierre

LeftBlank wrote: »

Need to get my bike fixed up - it's a Brompton and given that Cycleways are one of the few dealers, I thought that I should drop it into them.

Now I heard before that they have a crazy appointments system for the workshop, so I asked first to see if they could take the bike in today. The guy said that Thursday week was the first free appointment available. This was quickly followed by a shrug of the shoulders and a "that's how busy we are".

What use to anyone is a bike workshop where the first appointment is 8 days away? Surely they should split the appointments in two, have some planned services and some for bikes that need to be fixed in a hurry. As it is, I am now more likely to fix it myself, after ordering the parts I need on the internet.

That's what i do.

Cienciano

Bring it somewhere else or do it yourself. If they're busy, they're busy. This isn't a valid complaint imho

buffalo

How dare all those other people with broken bikes drop them into the workshop before you.

Ah come on now, is this a serious thread?

yop

Just a chance to put down CW I suspect. Bring it somewhere else if thats the case. You will do very well to find a place to fix your bike within a few days.

HivemindXX

yop wrote: »

Just a chance to put down CW I suspect. Bring it somewhere else if thats the case. You will do very well to find a place to fix your bike within a few days.

Think Bike in Rathmines. Never had to wait to leave my bike in. Repair time depends on how much work is required obviously. Never taken more than a few days.

If you are willing to wait days (or even weeks) before you can even drop your bike that's fine. As far as I'm concerned Cycleways may as well not even have a repair shop, they are of no use to me whatsoever. If I need my bike repaired I need it done asap.

Before I also get put down as someone that (for some reason) has a problem with Cycleways I'd like to point out that I buy plenty of cycling accessories and parts there and have no problem with them or their staff. Good selection, knowledgeable staff, not the cheapest but very convenient location.

Squidgy Black

Large store right in the middle of the city centre, during the summer when everyone's out on their bikes.

I'm not surprised they're that busy.

Seanie_H

Cienciano wrote: »

Bring it somewhere else or do it yourself. If they're busy, they're busy. This isn't a valid complaint imho

Of course it's valid. It's a shop with a gap in their service.

Clearly given OP's situation there's an argument for a express repairs vs. general servicing. This is what stopped priorty boarding on Ryanair kicking off for so long

What if you have an event this weekend and bike prob on Thursday which you can't handle? Good to have the option of paying a bit more and getting it sorted instead of missing the whole thing.

Jawgap

buffalo wrote: »

How dare all those other people with broken bikes drop them into the workshop before your Brompton.

Ah come on now, is this a serious thread?

FYP - really Cycleways need a better scheduling system - the more vulgar bikes (Giant, Specialized etc) need to make way for the more aristocratic ones - that's the natural order of the world;)

sportloto86

LeftBlank wrote: »

Surely they should split the appointments in two, have some planned services and some for bikes that need to be fixed in a hurry.

Well, maybe they should. On the other hand majority of "planned ones" will tell you that they need it there and then. This is how most of customers roll now, demanding to be served whenever they show up, totally ignoring other customers.

cython

Seanie_H wrote: »

Of course it's valid. It's a shop with a gap in their service.

Clearly given OP's situation there's an argument for a express repairs vs. general servicing. This is what stopped priorty boarding on Ryanair kicking off for so long

What if you have an event this weekend and bike prob on Thursday which you can't handle? Good to have the option of paying a bit more and getting it sorted instead of missing the whole thing.

Cue the responses of "extorted to get a timely service" or screams of "my bike's service was bumped because somebody offered to pay more after I left it in". For example, what happens when everyone jumps on that service because something broke the week before the WW200 or the ROK? Do you actually bump those who didn't pay the extra, but left their bikes in in a timely manner just because someone else paid a premium? Pretty soon you're open to accusation of price-gouging.

Realistically, while there is an opening for this approach, there is also the potential for significant backlash. The difference with Ryanair is that they are a company that has no issue with being disliked by the public, but plenty of LBSes are not in the same boat. Two-tiered services work in some spaces, but I don't know about here. Not to mention that if the priority/ad hoc scheduling doesn't get taken up, you run the risk of an idle workshop, and lost revenue, just from a different place.

buffalo

Seanie_H wrote: »

Of course it's valid. It's a shop with a gap in their service.

Clearly given OP's situation there's an argument for a express repairs vs. general servicing. This is what stopped priorty boarding on Ryanair kicking off for so long

What if you have an event this weekend and bike prob on Thursday which you can't handle? Good to have the option of paying a bit more and getting it sorted instead of missing the whole thing.

I imagine we'd then see complaints of "CW wanted to charge me €x to get my bike fixed by the weekend - it's a rip-off!".

Clearly their service must be good if they're that busy with repairs, though I suspect it's more of a problem with bike storage space than a massive amount of repairs to do. But giving out because of queues? Sounds like a golden opportunity for someone to open up another repair shop in competition.

Ole Rodrigo

I use them for repairs from time to time. They are a nice bunch and do a great job. The booking system is as much a way of managing their limited floor space as anything.

BeepBeep67

They're running a business and have a system in place aimed at optimizing the productivity of their employees and profits for the company - am I missing something?

CramCycle

For anyone looking for a job with a bit of money to invest, get a decent size van/lorry, get a trading license, buy all the tools you need, park outside CW.

Apparently, you will be sorted

petethedrummer

LeftBlank wrote: »

Surely they should split the appointments in two, have some planned services and some for bikes that need to be fixed in a hurry.

Everyone is in a rush. Look at the M50 fast lane.

buffalo

petethedrummer wrote: »

Everyone is in a rush. Look at the M50 fast lane.

Is that the middle one or the right one?

Squidgy Black

buffalo wrote: »

Is that the middle one or the right one?

I thought they were all the same?

youcancallmeal

I find best thing is to just ring around and find out who can take a look at your bike on the shortest notice. Regardless of what kind of bike it is they will all do a fairly decent job unless it's some sort of really specialised stuff?