| Re: Bike query...
"Leo Lichtman" <l.lichtman@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:%7Amh.318838$Fi1.74809@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>
> "* * Chas" wrote: (clip) I think that it takes a lot of nerve bringing
a
> new bike purchased somewhere else into a LBS and asking them to make
free
> adjustments! How many posters who made that suggestion would work for
free
> themselves?
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> I have taken a bike, not purchased from them, into an LBS for work. I
never
> ask or expect it to be done free. However, they sometimes decline to
charge
> for something minor--this could be from pure generosity, or as a way of
> making me into a future customer.
>
> A shop can spend untold amounts on advertising, and never really know
how
> well it is paying off. OTOH, a helpful little freebe can be the basis
for a
> long and profitable future with a potential customer. Remember also
that
> people talk to their friends about how they were treated.
>
>
A number of years ago, Epson (the printer company) did some market
research. They found that if someone was satisfied with a product or
service they usually told 2 other people about it. If they were unhappy
they told an average of 17 other people about their experience.
Word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising especially when
there is a high probability of repeat business.
We were in business to sell bikes and cycling accessories and to do
repairs.
As I mentioned before working on a really cheap bike can quickly turn into
a can of worms. When you try to adjust the brakes you find the levers are
loose and the cables need to be adjusted, then the wheel bearings are
loose, the wheels need to be trued and the derailleurs are out of
adjustment.....
We did lots of small adjustments for free but when someone brought in a
brand new junker we were reluctant to even touch them. For one thing our
shop rate was reasonable and charging for labor helped keep a roof over
the heads of a number of employees. We made it a policy of trying not to
bad mouth someone's new junker bike but instead take a minute or two to
explain why we didn't want to work on their bike. We sold quite a few of
the people that we talked to into a better bike.
The inexpensive bikes sold today are probably are lot better than the
junkers sold many years ago. I think that a number of posters to this
thread have had experience with cheap kid killer bikes so their negative
reactions are more than just bike snobbery.
Chas.
|