Aranciata, born in turbulence

[mimitabby]

Well, I managed to P.O. the guy at the bike shop (because I've been calling so much wondering where my frame was).

But he did send me a photo. He said"
"As you wish.

I'm insulted by the comment in your last email. All I've done is provide you with consistent personal service. I've answered every phone call and email. I put more time into this sale than I usually do since you had special interests and requests. I've moved in a manner that should show nothing but a wholesome interest in getting you just want you want and need.

I understand your eagerness to get the frame, but to imply that I took your money and hosed you is fairly aggressive.

I can sell this frame over and over and over....if you don't want it, it doesn't phase me at all.

Here is your chance to opt out."

I never ever ever suggested he was stealing, i was only concerned it was lost in the MAIL..
sigh...

[pooks]

I think he's flirting with you.

:p

[Trek420]

Woo hoo! She's beautiful. You know they do take time, I've waited for mine....twice. I don't know what you said to your LBS guy but trust me, this bike is worth the wait. I can't wait to hear the first ride report. Meanwhile, enjoy the Bianchi.

[Dianyla]

"it doesn't phase me"? :rolleyes:

Not the brightest bulb in the pack, it would seem.

[mimitabby]

after waiting yet another day for "I'll check in a little while" to happen
I wrote:
"if the frame ever arrives, please send me a picture because i'm beginning to doubt it's existence."

I was wrong. I keep trying to call to apologize, and he is busy.

I am sure the bike is worth it; but there's just so much being yelled at that I can take (I'm sensitive) and so I am going to call this guy and get yelled at if he ever comes to the phone.

Thanks guys.

[pooks]

I understand your eagerness to get the frame, but to imply that I took your money and hosed you is fairly aggressive.

Okay, just email him back, replying to that point. Say, thank you for understanding my eagerness! This is a very big deal to me. But please don't misunderstand my email. I realize now that it could look snarky -- I was just teasing.

I'm sorry I didn't word it better.

Or something similar.

[ace]

Poor Mimi. You are clearly going through a lot to get the frame. I would call his attitude "customer service with a sneer."

But it definitely is pretty.....

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Take Pooks' advice. Your email aboout doubting the frame's existance could be taken poorly by a lot of people. I would have been very unhappy getting that message if i were him and doing my best to run a business. Just explain you didn't mean it seriously and bite the bullet and apologize, is my advice.

Sometimes things I've said have been taken the wrong way and even when I didn't have bad intent I will explain the matter and apologize- the apology always makes ME feel better and smoothes things out nicely. :o

[mimitabby]

I apologized and did NOT ask when it was going to get shipped TO ME.
he said "it's all behind us"
I hate to say anything about east coast attitude... (since i was born and raised out there...)

Thank you all for listening and giving me a shoulder to cry on.

[mimitabby]

and i didn't fall apart on the phone!! (i get points for not crying, right?)
:p

[Kimmyt]

Why is it that whenever us women tend to display any temperament other than 'grateful and wanting to please' we are immediately reacted to by men as though we are the most horrid people in the world? This happens to me alot. I understand that it may be personality things, but I feel like if I am anything other than sunshine and rosebuds towards someone, I'm immediately labelled as something not-so-nice.

Sigh, maybe it's my inner feminist looking for a fight.... but it gets a bit old at times, no?

K.

[Kimmyt]

p.s. she is a gorgeous frame though! I LURVE the color. And is that her name? It's beeyoooteeful!

[annie]

Mimi,

I'd say that bike is worth it!! What a gorgeous frame!

I think putting the hassle behind you is a good idea. Maybe he had a really bad day, lots of hassles with customers. You just don't know. You got your point across, he got his across to you. Fine, ok, done. As long as you get the bike and are happy with it. And, yeah, you get bigtime points for not falling apart on the phone. Yay, Mimi!!

Annie

[Trek420]

Mimi, did he ever tell you how long it would take in the first place?

When I got Menace the Mondonico my shop was full of advice about the time, lots of warnings that "worst case scenario it could be this long."

Ordered in October, I think I got the bike mid May .... for the AIDS Ride in June. What's that they say about "don't get anything different for your bike a month before the ride" :cool: :rolleyes: ;)

First the build itself took time and then the frame got shipped to Chris my LBS and he called me, I got to come down and see it sans paint. :) :D

You think it looks nice painted, you should see the welds. :)

Then its shipped to L.A. still unpainted. There it's completely inspected again inside and out since that's their only chance to do that sans paint. Then paint, dry, paint, dry, paint, decals.....finally back home to you.

But he kept me informed all along the way, even lent me a loaner road bike which I think his wife normally rides so I could train for the AIDS ride on it rather than the commuter but also get used to Campy thumb shifters.

I think he sells more Mondonicos and Torellis than any shop in the US, guess he's used to this drill.

[SouthernBelle]

I esp. like the part where he has a "wholesome interest"

:confused:

[Bad JuJu]

OMG, what a delicious looking frame, Mimi! Looks like it's totally worth all the heartburn you're having to deal with to get it. Easy for me to say, right?

I get people misunderstanding what I say all the time--somehow I can sound sarcastic without even trying :rolleyes: . So I know how misinterpretations can happen so easily. I hope you can smooth things over with the LBS guy, at least so you can have a decent relationship while your bike is being completed and built up.

[mimitabby]

Mimi, did he ever tell you how long it would take in the first place?

When I got Menace the Mondonico my shop was full of advice about the time, lots of warnings that "worst case scenario it could be this long."

First the build itself and then the frame got shipped to Chris my LBS and he called me, I got to come down and see it sans paint. :) :D You think it looks nice painted, you should see the welds. :)

Then its shipped to L.A. still unpainted. There it's completely inspected again inside and out since that's their only chance to do that sans paint. Then paint, dry, paint, dry, paint, decals.....finally back home to you.

But he kept me informed all along the way, even lent me a loaner road bike which I think his wife normally rides so I could train for the AIDS ride on it rather than the commuter but also get used to Campy thumb shifters.

I think he sells more Mondonicos and Torellis than any shop in the US, guess he's used to this drill.


The guy said about 3 weeks. Then when 2 weeks went by, he said 3-4 weeks, "I TOLD you, 3-4 weeks" (no, you didn't... but i didn't say that.)
it will be at least 5 weeks, it's over 4 weeks and i don't have it yet, do i.

he says a lot of stuff then forgets he said it. I know he's busy.
and Kimmy, I agree with you. completely.
and the only "SPECIAL" thing i wanted was to be able to have fenders.
In Our ORIGINAL phonecall I said, I want fenders. will there be brazons for that? oh, sure, sure, sure. Then 2 weeks into it, i asked the question again.. HE did some disassembling, and must have called california (who knows)
and said yes, we're taking care of it.


thanks all. i needed that group powwow, hug, advice.

[mimitabby]

I just wanted to give you all a non-up date. On Friday he said he put my bike "in the truck" and would give me a tracking number. Yesterday I wrote and said "Would you please send me the tracking number?" and no, I haven't heard back yet. This guy is really passive aggressive.

Meanwhile, now I have a bunch of bike parts (campy stuff) so I can at least touch THAT stuff and know the bike is real.

[Triskeliongirl]

the only "SPECIAL" thing i wanted was to be able to have fenders.

Mimi, understand how much work may have been involved for it to have it made fender ready. Prior to painting, they would need to braze on a mounting, and if there isn't clearance they may also have had to move the bridge. If they forgot this and had already painted it, they would then have to repaint it. So, it seems to me the only problem is that the fellow underestimated how long it would take when he first talked with you. This also happened when I had the fork built, etc. for Feronia. Same thing, he said it would take one amount of time, even let me know couplers were installed and fork built, but he also had to add canti braze ons and paint, and the whole thing also took a bit longer than quoted. I didn't get upset though, cuz I had another bike to ride. When you want customizations on a frame, paint, braze ons, etc., you just have to expect that it is going to take a fair bit of time and try to not sweat it. Its not like the weather is so hot for taking out your new beauty anyway, right? So, relax, and one day that big brown truck will shown up at your doorstep. So take a deep breath, and try to be patient for a little while longer.

[mimitabby]

yes, mom. It's just the way he does stuff. He says "I'll send you the tracking number" and then he doesn't. He has done this to me every step of the way.

Somebody told me to bake him some biscotti. I did that saturday and I burned them!
I don't think i'm sending him any.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My DH's bike was supposed to be ready in about 6 weeks when he ordered it last year. Long story short....it actually took about 6 MONTHS. Happily, he loves it. I think you got off EASY, Mimi!! ;)

[indysteel]

Mimi, first off, congrats on the bike. It's beautiful (orange is my favorite color). Once you get the bike, I hope that you're able to forget the frustration it took to get it.

If Triskeliongirl is right--that the fenders delayed the build--then it's too bad the LBS owner didn't communicate that better. I see this thing happen a lot as a lawyer. Attorney/client relationships often go south from a simple failure to communicate. It's all about managing expectations.

In any event, enjoy the new frame. What are you building it up with? Do you know how much the frame weighs? I fantasize daily about getting a custom steel bike. I settled recently, however, for custom wheels. Sigh.....

Kate

[mimitabby]

Kate,
I will weigh it when i get it.
Don't worry, once the thing is in my hands, i will forget all about that bike shop forever (unless it's messed up or something :eek: )

So far, it's an eclectic mix;
campagnolo record components (minus cassette & brakes) (with 300 miles on them)
a schmidt generator hub..
a brooks b67 saddle!

[mimitabby]

wahoo!! i got a shipping number. The bike is already in Illinois!!

[Kitsune06]

Mimi.
*hug*
That is all.

[roguedog]

Somebody told me to bake him some biscotti. I did that saturday and I burned them!
I don't think i'm sending him any.

Mimi, this made me laugh. I think it just says something about what's been happening.

I hope all is well despite his schizophrenia or his bi-polarness or just down right cantankerousness...

I bet it's a lovely frame.

[Trek420]

wahoo!! i got a shipping number. The bike is already in Illinois!!

What's is doing in Illinois? Los Angeles I understand, Torellis are painted there but Illinois? :confused: ;) :rolleyes: :cool:

[mimitabby]

Trek, it started in Milan Italy, then it went to Connecticut. I bought it and he sent it to LA to get painted. Then it went back to Connecticut. Now it is on its way to me in the state of washington, it is on its final trip as a frame.
The next big trip it will have its own wheels underneath it. dang, that's a lot of miles!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Funny how sometimes we don't realize how much our bikes travel before we buy them new....
DH's new Rivendell frame got made in Japan, sent to CA, then sent to MA, then back to CA, then back to MA, then finally to us in NY. Whew!

[7rider]

Wow. That bike has logged some serious miles before you even see it!
Glad to hear it finally shipped, at long last! My own DH's new bike shipped today - ordered early December, shipped once but returned b/c they did the paint wrong - and he'll get it on Friday.
How exciting!
Can't wait to see it when it's fully built and on its maiden voyage.

[salsabike]

These guys OBVIOUSLY went to contractor school.