Dealing with bike shops 101

Hey Casey,

That really bites the big one!!! Tell them to hurry it on up or else!!! It's not like you're getting it "for free", anyway. You paid for that bike, which means you paid for that warranty. You have all the right in the world to lose your patience, especially since there seems to be no great reason for it!!!

Must have heard the scream from up here as well, clicked right on this thread!!!

Good luck!

I'd be fully pissed. How about getting a new bike from them or one to borrow for training purposes. They owe you something for this.

Having worked in a bike shop... I would say the following options are not unreasonable as we did all of them at one time or another for folks. Sometimes, it was our fault something didn't get down (Oops) other times it was out of our control. But, we always tried to make it right!

1) If they have your bike in stock: a) Have them let you use the bike for until yours is ready - not likely b) Have them pull the headset / spacer from the bike and put it on yours - best bet

2) If they don't have your bike in stock, have them put a new headset in until your comes in (They must have a headset in stock that will fit your bike)

3) Have them loan you a bike until yours is ready

4) Go t a hardware store and use a washer as a temporary spacer

Best of luck,
Rob

Thanks for the advice and moral support eveyone!

MB: 1...(a) they don't do loaners (your right on that). (b) they don't have my bike in stock.

2. My headset is a kind they don't carry in stock, something about a threading issue that most bikes don't have now.

3. Again, no loaners.

4. The shop is right next to a Home Depot...if it were that easy I'm sure the manager would have already have just bought the threading type washer.


I think what I'm left with is to get in contact with Fuji, find out the phone number of their service rep in my area, call the rep and see what his side of the story is. I want to believe that my shop is doing everything that they can....they are waiting on parts for 2 other bikes as well so I'm not the only one. If it's the service rep who's dragging his/her feet then I'm going to apply pressure with Fuji. Sound like a plan?

Here is the letter I sent to Fuji early this morning:



To whom it may concern,



Last March I bought a Fuji Ace bike from Cycle Spectrum (which is still under warranty) 6030 W Behrend Dr. Glendale, AZ. I had searched all over Phoenix for a bike that was in my price range but also competitive. Being new to the Triathlon sport I needed a good road bike for a beginner level. I fell in love with Fuji bikes not only for their quality but the affordable price as well! After only my second Tri race I was able to place 3rd in my age group...not to mention my bike didn't brake down like at least two of the other guys in my age group had. How rewarding it was for me to pass by broken down riders and know I had made the right choice in the bike I was riding because it was handling perfectly under the same conditions.



The reason for this letter is I'm starting to feel a time crunch and my bike has problems that aren't being resolved in what I feel is a timely manner. My next race is in less than 2 weeks from now (Oct. 31st) and my bike has been in the shop for the last two weeks. I need to figure out where the communication gap is broken and get my bike issues resolved as soon as possible!



I took my bike into the shop a few months back complaining that I was hearing popping noises in the headset. The dealer made some adjustments and the noise stopped for a while but then came back. Again I took the bike in to the dealer and again they made adjustments and mentioned that if the popping noise came back they would need to order a part for the bike. Well, the noise did return and back to the bike shop I went. Now the bike has been in the shop for the last 2 weeks and the dealer claims that the parts rep for Fuji hasn't gotten back to him...not only that but he's waiting for parts on 2 other bikes he has in his shop.



Originally when I took my bike into the shop 2 weeks ago, the manager told me he wouldn't be able to reach the parts rep for a couple days because they were in Las Vegas at a Fuji bike conference (or something like that). So I naturally figured it would take at least a week to get my bike back. Now it's been 2 weeks and I just can't wait any longer.



Is there any chance that I can get the phone number to the parts rep or whoever my dealer would have to contact for a threaded washer for my headset on my bike? I don't want to place blame for my inconvenience on anyone until I fully understand who's at fault for this huge time delay.



I am a strong advocate for Fuji bikes as I have seen how well they perform and they are so affordable too. In fact I have even talked 2 of my fellow racers into purchasing Fuji bikes. Quite honestly the bike sells themselves...however, if this is the type of slow service that is to be expected when facing bike problems, I feel I might have to reconsider where my loyalty lays.



Hopefully we can work together to resolve this issue within the next couple of days!



A Concerned Customer,

Casey K. Shaw

Day 1.5 since I sent the email...no response, not even a generic "we'll look into that matter for you" email back...notta, zilch, nothing. After the end of today (day 2) I'm going to send a real nasty gram!!! Time to turn up the heat baby...oh and btw my Fuji respect meter has gone down from a 10 to a 7 and shrinking!