Bike shop quoted me €90.. final bill €200

Large bottle small glass · 22-10-2020 11:05am

Communication from the shop was very poor and they needed to be way clearer. 90 becoming 200 without any communication is completely wrong.

In general terms with bikes, particular cheaper bikes, we benefit from 3rd world production prices and seem reluctant to pay 1st world prices.

Hard to make a living fixing kids and low end bikes.

A mechanic I knew a few years back used spend a full half day every week going through the weekly collection of kids bikes of all qualities and in all types of poor condition and preparing quotes. About half the quotes would be rejected.

For lbs to supply a good service and to attract good and properly trained mechanics, then it needs to compete with similar trades. Most bike owners don't want to pay those prices and what we have is a Mickey mouse operations in lots of shops and a huge variance in quality and prices.

LBS, especially for shimano prices where they are tied to national distributor, will often pay more for some parts that we can sometimes get online direct at a discount from large multi national retailers

ted1 · 22-10-2020 11:20am

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

A mechanic I knew a few years back used spend a full half day every week going through the weekly collection of kids bikes of all qualities and in all types of poor condition and preparing quotes. About half the quotes would be rejected.

That probably reflects more on him. Surely a good mechanic can see a bike coming in and quickly see if it’s worth fixing.

byrnem31 · 22-10-2020 12:01pm

If they quoted you 90 and it ended up being 200, tell them no.They did not call you to inform you of the extra work and you did not give the go ahead. I had my car fixed recently for the nct. A few bulbs and other bits and pieces. They also found out my front brakes needed new calipers or that
They called me before they done the work and done it when I gave them to go ahead.

If that's the case, then a shop can do any amount of work and screw you for it.

There is a well known mobile cycle call out mechanic on Facebook. He would charm the pants of you with his low prices and commitment to providing a quality service. However, there are loads of complaints about him doing this very thing. The wife called him down to her mams house few years back to fix my sons bike without my knowledge. She agreed a quick tune up for €25, he worked on the bike and the bill came to €90 as he said it needed extra work.

I came home and seen the bike still in bits. I brought it to the penny farthing and they said nothing had been tightened or fixed on the bike. They felt sorry for me and because I bought a trek off them, fixed the bike for free.

The point I'm trying to make is, stand up to con men. There are plenty of better shops out there.

Kevhog1988 · 22-10-2020 12:03pm

How do i stand up to him when he has my bike?. im presuming its either i pay up or he keeps the bike i bought for my sons xmas present

Seve OB · 22-10-2020 12:14pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

How do i stand up to him when he has my bike?. im presuming its either i pay up or he keeps the bike i bought for my sons xmas present

you have to just say it to him. if you say nothing, you get nowhere. ask him why so expensive? ask him why he did all the extras without asking you first? ask other local shops to quote you and compare, and tell him the difference along with the other price comparisons above.

if he doesnt break, i guess you could tell him you will be going to the small claims court or somehting

Sleeper12 · 22-10-2020 12:22pm

If you ask in the consumer or legal forum you'll find that you don't have to pay for any work that you didn't give permission for.

I wasn't there so I don't know the exact wording of your conversation with them but if you definitely only asked for a service & they quoted (estimate is different to a quote) 90 euro then that's all you have to pay. As estimate isn't a quote & in some circumstances they can charge more than the estimate but never more than a quote

Macy0161 · 22-10-2020 1:05pm

I'd also say you are going to "name and shame" on boards.ie. You could also use the "cash only" and say you'll be wanting either a VAT receipt or you'll be reporting to revenue and social welfare.

Kevhog1988 · 22-10-2020 2:28pm

I have him removing the pedals and im not paying for the cleaning. I definitely wont be going there again and will be leaving a google review to that effect.

con747 · 22-10-2020 10:20pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

So breakdown i got was:

Full Service: €90
Deep Clean: €25
Bar Tape: €25
3 x inner cables: €6
Bottom Bracket Axle: €20
Pedals: €35

Thoughts please?

Purely out of interest OP, what is the make and model of this bike?

Akrasia · 23-10-2020 12:11am

Why don’t you service your own bikes? It’s not rocket science, a couple of Allen keys and spanners is all you need for most of the adjustments, and you’ll just replace the consumable parts that need to be changed

Even stuff like hub and bottom bracket replacement are very straightforward and there are plenty of videos online

Chain replacement requires the right tools, adjusting gears can be fiddly but once you do it a few times it’s 2nd nature after that

Buckled wheels are a pain to fix and rusted or worn parts need to o be changed, but it will always be cheaper and more educational to buy the parts and replace them yourself

Seve OB · 23-10-2020 12:42am

Akrasia wrote: »

Why don’t you service your own bikes? It’s not rocket science, a couple of Allen keys and spanners is all you need for most of the adjustments, and you’ll just replace the consumable parts that need to be changed

Even stuff like hub and bottom bracket replacement are very straightforward and there are plenty of videos online

Chain replacement requires the right tools, adjusting gears can be fiddly but once you do it a few times it’s 2nd nature after that

Buckled wheels are a pain to fix and rusted or worn parts need to o be changed, but it will always be cheaper and more educational to buy the parts and replace them yourself

im sure its easy to service your own car also
im sure everyone could do their own tax returns
im sure everyone can pain their own house
im sure everyone can do their own gardening

im sure i don't need to go on and on

rubadub · 23-10-2020 3:06am

These shysters take the piss and usually quote a price just below the complaint threshold, what if they had asked for 10 grand? do they hold the bike hostage if you do not pay up?

I have asked this about private clampers before before limits came in, if you caught a 10million euro mc claren in your pub car park can you put a 1 million euro clamping release fee on it?

The max price should be set in stone up front to avoid this scumbaggery.

cletus · 23-10-2020 6:15am

Seve OB wrote: »

im sure its easy to service your own car also
im sure everyone could do their own tax returns
im sure everyone can pain their own house
im sure everyone can do their own gardening

im sure i don't need to go on and on

Apart from the tax returns, there's nothing overly difficult or complicated on your list.

Doing basic maintenance work on a bike is actually quite easy. Pick any single job (beyond perhaps building wheels), and there isn't much to it.

One of the biggest barriers to certain jobs is proprietary tools, but even that can be overcome by either shopping around, or a little ingenuity.

The list of things the OP had done are not all that difficult to do at home, and even more so had the shop stuck to the "full service" initially agreed

Wanderer78 · 23-10-2020 6:19am

cletus wrote:

The list of things the OP had done are not all that difficult to do at home, and even more so had the shop stuck to the "full service" initially agreed

Some people just simply don't have the tools, abilities or interest in servicing their own bikes, I'd love to ve able to do my own work, but some bikes can become complicated

cletus · 23-10-2020 6:27am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Some people just simply don't have the tools, abilities or interest in servicing their own bikes, I'd love to ve able to do my own work, but some bikes can become complicated

Not having the interest is one thing.

Both tools and abilities can be acquired.

If you'd really love to be able to work on your own bike, then bite the bullet and do it. Next time, say, cables need to be replaced. Buy the cables, and buy one tool you don't have (in this case a set of cable cutters). An individual tool will cost much less than a tool kit(unless you go the Park Tools route). Replace the cables, now you've picked up that ability, and you've added to your tool box for the next time around

Wanderer78 · 23-10-2020 6:29am

cletus wrote:

Both tools and abilities can be acquired.

True

cletus wrote:

If you'd really love to be able to work on your own bike, then bite the bullet and do it. Next time, say, cables need to be replaced. Buy the cables, and buy one tool you don't have (in this case a set of cable cutters). An individual tool will cost much less than a tool kit(unless you go the Park Tools route). Replace the cables, now you've picked up that ability, and you've added to your tool box for the next time around

Gets a bit more difficult when dealing with a modern mountain bike though, I'd say road bikes are evolving quickly also

Daroxtar · 23-10-2020 6:33am

If the OP is in a cycling club I'm sure there's a good chance that some of the other members would be fairly handy at fixing and maintaining their bikes and would gladly show him how to do the basics and give him a lend of a few bits and bobs to get the job done (in compliance with level 5 lockdown of course)

cletus · 23-10-2020 6:38am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

True

Gets a bit more difficult when dealing with a modern mountain bike though, I'd say road bikes are evolving quickly also

I don't have a modern mountain bike. Where do the difficulties lie?

Wanderer78 · 23-10-2020 6:47am

cletus wrote:

I don't have a modern mountain bike. Where do the difficulties lie?

The more money the bike cost, the more technical the components become, forks, shocks and droppers can be a handful, some lbs's won't touch them, too fiddly and time consuming, they'd rather send them to specialists

cletus · 23-10-2020 6:54am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

The more money the bike cost, the more technical the components become, forks, shocks and droppers can be a handful, some lbs's won't touch them, too fiddly and time consuming, they'd rather send them to specialists

Fair enough, but cables, chains, grips, pedals all remain easy enough to work on or replace, as does maintenance like indexing gears etc.

CramCycle · 23-10-2020 7:28am

MOD VOICE: Loads of reasons people do or do not service their own bikes. None are relevant to the OP, let's leave that Segway there.

grogi · 23-10-2020 7:47am

cletus wrote: »

I don't have a modern mountain bike. Where do the difficulties lie?

Hydraulic brakes can be pain in the sas. next time I need to do cable and bleed the thing, I'll simply buy a new set.

zerosugarbuzz · 23-10-2020 7:54am

If they quoterd you €90 and didn’t consult you regarding increasing the price then pay €90. You will be teaching them a valuable lesson and saving some other poor sod being ripped off. The reason shops do this is because they usually get away with it. Leave them a google review about their over charging too. So many businesses in trouble but not bike shops, pure greed

Curb Your Enthusiasm · 23-10-2020 8:06am

Had this happen to me before too. Dropped the bike in for a small repair job and they ended up replacing something else with a higher spec part for an extra amount. They even took my number when I dropped it in but never called.

Bad form.

Tell them to remove the parts and go elsewhere in future I'd say. Anyone that tries to take you for a ride like that doesn't deserve any business.

Wanderer78 · 23-10-2020 8:07am

cletus wrote: »

Fair enough, but cables, chains, grips, pedals all remain easy enough to work on or replace, as does maintenance like indexing gears etc.

again all true, but as others have mentioned, some bikes are a lot more complicated, and again, some people just arent wired for maintenance

grogi · 23-10-2020 8:28am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

again all true, but as others have mentioned, some bikes are a lot more complicated, and again, some people just arent wired for maintenance

Kids bike for a hundred certainly is

Wanderer78 · 23-10-2020 8:32am

grogi wrote: »

Kids bike for a hundred certainly is

i will agree most kids bikes would be easy enough for most of us cyclists, but some people just arent wired for it, had to recently do a bit of work on one of those cheapy kids bikes, easy number, parents and grandparents were unable to do the work

Hamsterchops · 23-10-2020 8:58am

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

needed cables, new bar tape and pedals apparently. I would have thought cables would be included in a full service. Bar tape and pedals for a kids bike can be massively expensive?

Like WTF is that all about, how could the bill be €90

Cables, bar tape, pedals and a service, ah come on now, they've taken you for a ride .....

Then they upped it to €200.

I'd be tempted to take them to court.

magicbastarder · 23-10-2020 9:01am

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

I have him removing the pedals and im not paying for the cleaning.

hopefully he won't put the dirt back on before you pick it up!

Seve OB · 23-10-2020 9:11am

OP any update?

magicbastarder · 23-10-2020 9:17am

he mentioned the above - not paying for the cleaning, pedals removed. which would knock €60 off the itemised bill.

problem with the bartape would be that it would not have been possible to revert that i guess.

Sugarlumps · 23-10-2020 9:22am

I’m back to driving to work since the pandemic hit, don’t think I’d ever go back to cycling.

Felt like l was constantly getting ripped off each time I needed a service or a part replaced. Sometimes costing on par to getting the car serviced. Looked after my bike well, cleaned and oiled every weekend. Only used for a 20 minute commute to work.

Hurrache · 23-10-2020 9:31am

CramCycle wrote: »

MOD VOICE: Loads of reasons people do or do not service their own bikes. None are relevant to the OP, let's leave that Segway there.

I see what you did there....

a148pro · 23-10-2020 9:45am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

some people just arent wired for maintenance

This in my case. I've done courses, watched youtube videos and tried, but anything beyond changing a tube and cleaning a drive train I just can't do. Whenever I start tinkering with, say, brakes, something else seems to go wrong because of the tinkering which I can't anticipate or figure out how to resolve.

Its an aptitude and I'd rather pay someone with the attitude to do it well than get frustrated, dirty and do it badly.

Macy0161 · 23-10-2020 9:48am

Sugarlumps wrote: »

I’m back to driving to work since the pandemic hit, don’t think I’d ever go back to cycling.

Felt like l was constantly getting ripped off each time I needed a service or a part replaced. Sometimes costing on par to getting the car serviced. Looked after my bike well, cleaned and oiled every weekend. Only used for a 20 minute commute to work.

It's no different to your car maintenance. You have to find a mechanic you trust.

Bike parts may not be cheap either depending on spec. I'm not sure whether there's been inflation, but a couple of years on for the winter bike (doesn't necessarily get weekly use even in non-lockdown times, especially because of gravelling too) but even I was a bit surprised in the price of a 105 cassette and chain from the online stores. No bricks and mortar can match those prices, then plus cables and time.

grogi · 23-10-2020 10:04am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

i will agree most kids bikes would be easy enough for most of us cyclists, but some people just arent wired for it, had to recently do a bit of work on one of those cheapy kids bikes, easy number, parents and grandparents were unable to do the work

I never argued with this. What's more, even those well able to deal with the simple mechanics of a bike often would love to just drop it in the morning and pick all serviced in the afternoon. I certainly would love to do that.

I wouldn't need to clean my hands. I wouldn't need the whole box of tools and consumables I use once a year. I wouldn't have another box of parts I bought that weren't compatible with what I had on the bike (chainline issues, derailleur capacity issues) etc.

But unfortunately I don't trust the craftsmanship nor genuity of many of the shops. If I do something myself, I know it needed to be done, know exactly how things were done and if the corners were cut (don't get me wrong, they are cut very often typically because I don't have a tool to deal with an issue at the time - but at least I know they were cut).

I don't trust the fair pricing either. I could live with €20 to just remove the cranks (I didn't have the crank puller at the time), but €60 for standard 7-speed freewheel was simply beyond ridiculous. I'd gladly pay a bit extra to have things local - but 200% over shipped price is not a bit.

It is in LBS long-term interest to be as honest and transpartent as possible. Otherwise they will be only left with wheening that nobody uses them anymore.

grogi · 23-10-2020 10:09am

magicbastarder wrote: »

he mentioned the above - not paying for the cleaning, pedals removed. which would knock €60 off the itemised bill.

problem with the bartape would be that it would not have been possible to revert that i guess.

It goes down to what you demand from the shop. You shouldn't demand to take parts away, you should demand to reverse unauthorised work.

If the work cannot be reversed (exp. removed bar tape was damaged in the process), they should cover the new one. The shop has only themself to blame.

If they don't, pay the bill and take them to SCC. Worst case you'll lose €20 and half a day in court. Financially it might not be worth the effort, but knowing that you stood your ground is well worth it.

23-10-2020 10:22am

It seems to me that the €90 "service" would include only tightening cables, pumping tyres and oiling chain.

All other items are extras. With those rates they are taking in €90 for 15 min work with no new parts.

If you do the maths it's like as if a famous RTE presenter rates were used for fixing the bike.

Wanderer78 · 23-10-2020 11:22am

a148pro wrote: »

This in my case. I've done courses, watched youtube videos and tried, but anything beyond changing a tube and cleaning a drive train I just can't do. Whenever I start tinkering with, say, brakes, something else seems to go wrong because of the tinkering which I can't anticipate or figure out how to resolve.

Its an aptitude and I'd rather pay someone with the attitude to do it well than get frustrated, dirty and do it badly.

i wouldnt be worrying about it, you re not alone, most would rather hand it over to a pro, ive been like that most of my life, but im just at the point, where i wanna give it a go now, and as you said, theres some great resources online to help you along, some simply dont have the time either to do the work themselves

CramCycle · 23-10-2020 11:33am

MOD VOICE: one more post about servicing yourself get a card, no more warnings.

B-D-P-- · 23-10-2020 12:51pm

CramCycle wrote: »

MOD VOICE: one more post about servicing yourself get a card, no more warnings.

Like a birthday card?

Sorry, I'll see myself out

Ronin247 · 23-10-2020 1:09pm

CramCycle wrote: »

MOD VOICE: one more post about servicing yourself get a card, no more warnings.

What about servicing bikes???

Sorry couldn't resist.

Got my coat.

Kevhog1988 · 23-10-2020 1:18pm

Akrasia wrote: »

Why don’t you service your own bikes? It’s not rocket science, a couple of Allen keys and spanners is all you need for most of the adjustments, and you’ll just replace the consumable parts that need to be changed

Even stuff like hub and bottom bracket replacement are very straightforward and there are plenty of videos online

Chain replacement requires the right tools, adjusting gears can be fiddly but once you do it a few times it’s 2nd nature after that

Buckled wheels are a pain to fix and rusted or worn parts need to o be changed, but it will always be cheaper and more educational to buy the parts and replace them yourself

Tbh the only time i would have had to do it was when my son was with me at weekends so not ideal if hes getting it as a xmas present. Im not the worst at maintaining my own bike but i wouldn't of understood the bottom bracket part or even that there was an issue with it. I had sold some lambs last week and had decided to try use that money in the local area to support a few businesses. Left a bad taste in my mouth now tbh.

Seve OB · 23-10-2020 1:24pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

Tbh the only time i would have had to do it was when my son was with me at weekends so not ideal if hes getting it as a xmas present. Im not the worst at maintaining my own bike but i wouldn't of understood the bottom bracket part or even that there was an issue with it. I had sold some lambs last week and had decided to try use that money in the local area to support a few businesses. Left a bad taste in my mouth now tbh.

Did you pick up bike yet? Question him at all?

Kevhog1988 · 23-10-2020 1:27pm

Seve OB wrote: »

Did you pick up bike yet? Question him at all?

I had a blazing row with the owner of the shop yesterday over the phone and he reduced the price. Called in today and when he saw me coming through the door he dissapeared and a young fella served me. Paid what i had agreed begrudgingly and chalked it down to experience. I left a bad review on google and ill send a text into the cycling club whatsapp about it later aswell.

Purple Mountain · 23-10-2020 1:27pm

Hi OP.
I know absolutely nothing about the mechanics of bikes but having a boy of a similar age, I know that paying €200 for a service on a SECOND hand bike is robbery. I bought a new bike from a reputable shop for my guy recently. €250.
Would you spook him out a bit?
Say because of the massive increase in price you were quoted (over 100%), you will need an invoice emailed to you before you pay. The cash only bit sends alarm bells.
Correspond with him only by email from now on for evidence in the future.
I'm raging for you.

a148pro · 23-10-2020 1:29pm

Wanderer78 wrote: »

i wouldnt be worrying about it, you re not alone, most would rather hand it over to a pro, ive been like that most of my life, but im just at the point, where i wanna give it a go now, and as you said, theres some great resources online to help you along, some simply dont have the time either to do the work themselves

I just bought Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, partly because I liked the name but mainly because I like reading about bikes. I will read it whenever I have a problem to learn more but doubt I'll take the chance of relying on my ability to do it, unless its to try followed by bringing it down to bike shop when I fail.

SouthWesterly · 23-10-2020 1:31pm

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

I had a blazing row with the owner of the shop yesterday over the phone and he reduced the price. Called in today and when he saw me coming through the door he dissapeared and a young fella served me. Paid what i had agreed begrudgingly and chalked it down to experience. I left a bad review on google and ill send a text into the cycling club whatsapp about it later aswell.

What price did you agree? What did he take off/undo?

Purple Mountain · 23-10-2020 4:07pm

I hope you got an invoice from him?

AndrewJRenko · 23-10-2020 4:24pm

Sugarlumps wrote: »

I’m back to driving to work since the pandemic hit, don’t think I’d ever go back to cycling.

Felt like l was constantly getting ripped off each time I needed a service or a part replaced. Sometimes costing on par to getting the car serviced. Looked after my bike well, cleaned and oiled every weekend. Only used for a 20 minute commute to work.

You need to find a new bike shop.

Bike shop quoted me €90.. final bill €200

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