jbhowat

Well. I have been known to occasionally lose my cool and become a bit crass with employees in retail stores who are being idiots. Today I went to pick up my g/f's bike at Performance, where she purchased it - (their 4th attempt in the 200mi she's ridden to actually get the derailleurs setup right so she can shift properly). I could do it but I feel like screw it, it was never right let them fix it...

Anyway, as the mechanic brought it out he rolled it on its back wheel and BOTH of us noticed something rattling. I asked what it was, not angrily or as an accusation and he goes "I don't know". So he rocks it a few times and we (together) pin it down to the fork/headset/steerer area - something is rolling around.

I ask if there is a way to somehow pull it apart and make sure it isn't something serious, new bike with warranty and 100% satisfaction guarantee and all. He says "no, there's a crown there you can't get inside the fork (which is probably true, but he said it really condescendingly and I just verified it on my fork by popping off the stem cap and putting a coat hanger all the way down into the fork - feels like it narrows a lot but there are two holes - one leading into each blade.).

Anyway, he keeps saying "I don't know" like an idiot, even when I ask if there is anyway he can check it out or make sure it is safe (he responded by looking at the fork - one side - from standing height and saying "its not cracked" :v. Eventually I'm a little amazed at all of the "don't knows" that aren't at least followed by "I can leave the bike here and check it out for you, see if I can find any problems". I see the manager for that shift sitting behind him, I know her. She is watching out of the corner of her eye.

Finally he says he doesn't know again and doesn't know what he can do so I say "Are you saying you can't even help me by taking a look at it?... You're the bike mechanic..."

He responds with:

"you're and *******" like, loudly. To my face. Luckily I'm not someone who would be anything but shocked and amused - I know people who would have punched him in the teeth in my situation.

Manger says OOOOK!!! and comes over. She says "you're done" he walks away and yells "HE IS!!!"

She says she'll leave it here for the mechanic to look at in the morning, possibly they might warranty the fork if they can't figure it out it is likely glue (which I knew, but didn't want to sound all know-it-all in front of a mechanic and seem like an *******).

Anyway, she tells me "I'm sorry, it is his birthday ... (at which point I almost bust out laughing)... and he didn't really want to have to be here today"... I say "that's not my fault and no matter WHAT that isn't something you say to a customer.

I walked out and remained calm the whole time, got the store and district managers #'s on the way out. - where 3 other customers approached ME and told me he was way out of line and that I wasn't being unreasonable at ALL - one lady threw her stuff on the checkout counter and told the clerk she wasn't going to shop here if that is how customers are treated (these people were all congregating/staring because of the loud and obnoxious attitude he was giving me every time he said "i don't know" - I'm sure you could hear "you're an *******" outside the building he said it so loud).

Anyway - how do I proceed? I'm so fed up with this place and the general foul attitude that myself and others I know have gotten from many employees and management. Once I was invited by a mechanic back into the work area to look at my g/f's bike. There are no signs about employees only, and I figured I was invited. After 3-4 minutes back there the head store manager came back and yelled at my girlfriend and I like we were idiotic little kids for being back there (HEY GET OUT OF THERE WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!?!?!!). I told him the mechanic asked us to come back and he said "I don't care what he asked you to do, you are NOT allowed back there"
I just said "ok, must have missed the sign..." (there isn't one to this day).

So, what should I do? I'm mildly worried that this ******bag is going to tamper with my g/f's bike and end up causing damage. They have a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and at this point I'm pretty much ready to tell them to take the bike back and shove it (They take more used bikes back all the time for various reasons - and then sell them at a discount).


Yes I know, take it to a real bike shop but honestly I feel like with a 100% satisfaction guarantee I shouldn't have to go pay someone $50 to fix this, or spend time working on it myself. The fork thing has me a little worried - I'm more worried about what "Drew" the mechanic might do to the bike...

dcbikeguy

You expect me to read all that you ***hole?

operator

posting in epic thread of ringo proportions

jbhowat

Thanks for your help, guys.

Non-**** forums would ban you for crappy no-content posts like that. But I guess with the new management here we tolerate a lot more BS.

PeddlingPilgrim

The shop mechanic is going to yell at you!

Was this your first negative experience with them, did he fix the dérailleur shifting issue?

heckler

wow that sucks. my shop lets me in the back, and doesn't call me names.

kergin

You sound like a real piece of work. Go to hell.

RazorWind

Is there another performance bike you can go to?

Az B

Only *****holes take thier bikes to Performance.

Az

jbhowat

No, this was the FOURTH time it was in to fix the problem it had (we discovered on the first real ride) when we bought it. Part of the problem is that it isn't my bike and it is way too small for me. My g/f is new to riding and has never ridden a road bike before - so she doesn't recognize when it isn't working "right" like I would. So it takes a time when I am behind her and she is shifting often (which is rarely as she is just working up to the Colorado climbs) for me to go "wait, that isn't right". I think now she understands when it isn't working right, but we didn't do hardly any outdoor riding over the winter.

dcbikeguy

OK - here's a comment. What kind of moron would continue to shop at a store that treated them like crap? And then later write a lengthy post on an internet forum, pining for some cheap sympathy? And your writing style is quite lame..."and then he said, and then I said, and then people were like so angry, whah, whah, whah!" Get a grip clown - shop somewhere else, and don't shout from the mountaintop that you were stupid enough to shop there for as long as you did.

Better?

maalea

Did you call the district manager?

I think he would want to make it right.

stoked1

+1

milchad

Email corporate and they'll probably give you a gift certificate. Not that you want to continue being a Performance customer, but you did buy the bike there.

jbhowat

Yes, 40 miles away.


Of course I can take it to MY LBS, which is great and when they built my bike they did it right and I've had no problems AT ALL. My girlfriend was looking to try out the sport and Performance had a sale and she got this bike for pretty cheap. The issue isn't the quality of the bike. You're right, Performance was a poor choice but for her budget there wasn't much of a choice.

You guys are right, only an idiot would bring their bike to the McDonalds of bike stores, but I still hoped they would be able to make it right, for free. We are both poor college kids.

TheKillerPenguin

As a bike mech, I'll say that dude was a complete ****** nozzle. I'd assume that seeing as the mech was a dick to you, they'll do what they can to keep you as a customer and will take extra special care of your bike. Its what we'd do at my shop.

waterrockets 

It sounds to me like you were looking to pick a fight, and you found a weak victim. The wrench should be fired, but come on.

You should return the bike for a refund and go buy elsewhere. They're never going to make you happy.

The other alternative is to stay home and let the GF handle it.

PeddlingPilgrim

I should have read that, I was too busy focusing on the confrontation.

operator

Dude. The guy went to performance for service. Haha.

patentcad

Thank God. Good grief man, what else is there on BF?

I'm not sure what's worse, the idiot Performance employee (no Employee of the Month Plaque for him) or the whiny long-winded original post. I think the idiot Performance employee wins that contest. To his credit, I think jb showed considerable restraint by not decking the dude. Of course if he had slugged him, this thread would be far more intriguing.

jbhowat

I haven't spent a CENT there since my g/f bought the bike. So no, neither of us is shopping there. She bought the bike there because at that entry level price (she has never cycled before and wanted to try it on a college budget - they said they would let her try it for a week or two and she could return it if she didn't like it because of the 100% satisfaction thing).

So no, I'm not shopping there all the time. But I'm expecting them to stand up their end of the bargain and have several times brought it back to them for their "free" tuneup / fixing what wasn't right when they SOLD IT.

3MTA3

your 1st mistake: taking a bike to be fixed at performance
your 2nd (4th?) mistake:
i have never heard of a good experience from a customer at a performance shop & actually saw a lot of terrible repairs come out of their backyard shop. heck, my mother had a terrible experience with them over mail order which is a funny story in it's own right.

patentcad

So I take it you are not 100% satisfied at this juncture?

Nachoman

I read the whole thing. I think that's just one of the problems inherent in shopping at Performance. You can get good deals but you have to put up with less knowledgeable people on the floor and in the shop. Be patient and let another mechanic check it out. Maybe problem will be solved. After all, you paid for the free tune ups, you may as well take advantage of it. And as far as the one a-hole that lost his cool, just blow him off and never deal with him again.

Surferbruce

just take it to a good shop and pony up the dough to do it right, or even better go here https://www.parktool.com and get busy. i might buy something at performance if they had something i wanted for a good deal, but i'd NEVER take a bike there to have work done.