Cavalletta is home... LBS problem

On our trip to Arizona, my husband packed my bike improperly and one of the tubes got badly dented. No problem, we thought; take it to the guys who made the bike and have them fix it. I got my bike back yesterday and a lot more than I expected...
When i was told they were going to have to completely repaint my bike I asked if they could chrome the tube that gets hit by the chain. I pointed to that tube on another bike as I asked.
So when I came in a week ago and talked to the painter (yes, I chose another orange this time) he mentioned that with "all that chrome" that I needed to tell him my preferences on painting.
They chromed the fork and all sorts of other stuff. It now matches the chrome job on my husband's bike. And it's beautiful. but it's NOT what I asked for. And that made the repair job go up by HUNDREDS of dollars. I asked the guy who rang it up (the partner) and he said "we're already giving you a deal here"
and dismissed my concerns. I was also incorrectly charged for the original repair. and he said, if that's wrong,he'll fix that price (that was only $150.)

I haven't spoken to the owner yet,but I'd like to hear from you guys. Please don't mention the shop name here thanks.

Did you get anything in writing prior to the repair?

Veronica

no. (sigh) it's his word against mine. And I haven't spoken to him yet. I don't want to give them my bike back for another 3 months to "make it right"

How much chrome was on the bike you pointed at?

Veronica

i have no idea. i just pointed to the one tube. It wasn't a fancy bike. (more sighs)

Photographs? Not to us, but a photo example of what you expected? Unfortunately, if you don't have things in writing, or a photo or sketch of the order, I think you're out of luck. "I want it to here" isn't very useful for the back of the shop. Yeah, you'd think they could come out and look at the one in the front, but even having it in writing - make it look like bike xyz - would help you.

I've found out the hard way that what we think is obvious when we are talking with a bike painter is definitely not obvious to the bike painter. Example: a customer of mine wanted "phases of the moon" along her top tube, and provided the artwork. So I told them to put the phases of the moon on the top tube using her artwork. Not complicated instructions, right?
When I got the frame back, for some reason they put the phases of the moon exactly between two cable stops on the TOP of the top tube, so that once the bike was built up, the graphic would essentially be lost beneath cables and housing...
This was an expensive graphic, and when I talked with them about it, incredulous, they replied I wasn't specific about where to place it, so, basically, tough luck. We did end up splitting the cost of the repair, but I too learned this the hard way.
Point being, yes, get it in writing, and pictures help. Chrome is EXPENSIVE and bike painting is very labor intensive.

by the time i spoke to the painter, the chrome was already done and i had no idea how much more it was going to cost. and my bike was already in the shop 3 months, I was in a hurry to get it back. I told the painter that is not what i wanted, but that he should work with what was there. The owner wasn't in that afternoon..


ps thanks Margo for posting

Can we have a photo of what you got back? It sounds beautiful, even if its not what you wanted.

I'll do that in another thread, Catriona. It's "lost in the mail" right now between a cell phone and an email address

Wow, Mimi, she turned out stunningly beautiful! Gorgeous!
I know it's not what you wanted, but boy, what a beautiful paint job!

hmmmmm....
Shops handle repair work differently. But they always should have some sort of write up when the bike comes in. Otherwise how would they remember what they need to do? Bike shops get busy, and after awhile they all look the same.
Did they at least write up some sort of work ticket? Most of us call them "walking birds" because that's the name of the company that makes the forms.
I would ask them to see the work ticket.
And I would also strongly suggest to the owner that she/he put all work in writing, and have the customer sign the form at the time of drop off.
We used to use walking birds, but now we do it in our POS (point of sale) system. We put everything in the system and print out two copies. We go over the ticket with the client, one is signed by client and attached to the bike (signature authorizes work) and the other is for the client.

Doesn't help you now. But at least maybe it won't happen again.
And hopefully the owner "does the right thing" and gives you a refund. As owners we hate to "eat" things. But it's far more important to eat a few dollars, than to alienate a good customer, and possibly lose even more business due to a sullied reputation. She/he needs to look at the big picture!
Good luck!

thanks Running mommy. They wrote up a ticket after the fact. I didn't see it until it was time to pay. I did see it, the receipt they gave me is itemized. It really frosted me to see how much it cost to chrome my fork.. I liked it the way it was! i didn't ask for a chromed fork!
the signature authorizes work thing sounds like a good idea to me!

I hope you work it out Mimi, but the bike looks beautiful. I think it is very expensive because the chrome needs to be plated onto the metal. However, I think over time it will be more protective than paint, so it may save you in future paint jobs, prevent rust, and increase the longevity of the bike, which are all good things.

I think the lesson for you is that even if you really trust a shop, that putting it in writing (including the price) just makes sure everyone is on the same page. But since that wasn't done, it seems to me that some compromise is in order on both sides, perhaps you could offer to pay actual costs rather than profits on the extra work. I wouldn't ask them to strip it though, that could get very expensive and it does add value to the bike. And, even if it wasn't what you wanted aesthetically, it does look really nice, so its probably in your interests to work with them on this.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Hey Mimi-let us know how you made out at the bike shop! I hope you came to an agreement you are comfortable with. -e

Any updates on a resolution? Did you meet with the owner yet? I do hope it all works out, and I can see why you preferred the old way...

we went there last night (rode in the rain to get there) and the boss was not in (they told me he'd be back yesterday)
So we left. the co-owner and bookkeeper were there.
when we got home, the bookkeeper had left a message on my phone stating that they were giving me credit for the "tube replacement" charge on my bill, because they did not replace the down tube actually. It was a miscommunication, she said, yes, I agreed, there was a lot of miscommunication here.
I thanked her for doing that but then told her that unfortunately there was more of a problem than that and i did tell her the details. She said she'd talk to the owner and we'll go back there on Sunday if he doesn't get in touch with us first.

What a pain! So you were charged for even more extras (that you didn't actually get). Continued good thoughts for you to get it worked out to your satisfaction.

It wasn't news to me. I had the list itemized and annotated.

Man, this sure doesn't make me wanna get a Davidson given what you went thru the first time and this time.

They are beeyooteeful bikes. If I wanted or needed or could afford one a Davidson is on my lust list. I'm lucky that my LBS's have always given me detailed pricing and choices. From minor work to the idiot move of the decade when I forgot that my custom steel Italian hand made bike was on the roof rack both shops I use tell me the damages:( The only time Chris at Robinson's would not discuss pricing at all I thought it was odd ..... and he gave me the bike :rolleyes:

Roguedog, i wasn't mentioning any names on this thread for a reason.
Can you change your post?

They have done a lot of good work for us. my bike is gorgeous, light, fits me perfectly. They are airheads. what can i say?

He forgot to include charges for some labor-intensive masking on a job they just did for me. I would have gladly paid...they did a beautiful job...but he let it go. I think it is just the way they do business, pretty loose. Not good when you are getting things you didn't plan to have done, but they've also done a lot of 'little things' for people gratis. Hopefully everything will work out to your satisfaction.

umm.. ok... apologies but um.. i don't know how to edit. i don't see an "edit" button?

I think i past some edit "time bomb" or something... cuz I just edited this post fine...

well, he was very nice and agreed to change my bill. He admitted that he must have spaced it out, he was making a beautiful bike, not listening to me.

ouch. anyway, he said he hoped I would grow to like the bike. Of course I do, it's gorgeous. and the price is better now.
thanks everyone. boy, got my stomach all riled up over this! and the guy was as sweet and non confrontational as one could hope.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

well, he was very nice and agreed to change my bill. He admitted that he must have spaced it out, he was making a beautiful bike, not listening to me.

ouch. anyway, he said he hoped I would grow to like the bike. Of course I do, it's gorgeous. and the price is better now.
thanks everyone. boy, got my stomach all riled up over this! and the guy was as sweet and non confrontational as one could hope.

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Thanks so much for reporting back. I'm glad it worked out - and I'm sure it will continue to serve you well!

We're working on buying frames (elsewhere - in no way related to anything posted here or elsewhere on TE - just different types of frames), and it's such a leap of faith!

the scariest thing for me was trusting these guys to make a bike that actually fit me. And they did!

Glad they made it right for you. Sounds like a pretty good guy to work with, especially compared to some I've seen and heard about in the bike world.

Good to hear everything worked out.

So glad that worked out well, at least on the financial side. Do you think you'll come to love the new look?

oh yes, what's not to love!? they did a great job.

I've been out of the country so I just saw this now. So glad it worked out!! I am sure you were just upset about paying for stuff you didn't ask for. It was funny. One night in switzerland, we had a bottle of house wine with dinner. At one point we thought they were charging us $49 for it, and we were upset and said it tasted nasty, but when we found out it was $19, we were fine with it. Just mis-read the european 1 for a 4 on the bill! If you think you are paying more for something than planned, it can really color the whole experience.

you got it Tgirl!
Love the wine story.