LBS competition and customer service

[Offthegrid]

I think it's well-known on the boards by now that the bike shops in New Jersey treated me like !@#$!.

I personally would give a ton of business if I could find a friendly LBS that would answer my questions without an attitude.

When people whine and moan about, "Oh, chain stores are killing mom & pop stores," they forget that chain stores got to be large to begin with by offering good service as a good price. I'll gladly pay a reasonable amount more at a local store, but the service better be darn good.

[caligurl]

ya..... i "learned my lesson" on buying bikes from performance.... EVERY time my dolce needed to go in the shop.... i had to pay! (well... part of that cuz performance was 2.5 hours away.... so we certainly weren't going back there for every little problem!)

so when i bought ruby.... i got her at the "lbs" (still an hour away... palm springs cyclery... but closest specialized (and trek) dealer!) the FIRST time i paid anything for her was a couple weeks ago... her cable broke.... $13.00 (included installation).... FF to the next weekend... last weekend... and the other cable broke... took it in... they fixed it and only charged me for the cables.... no labor! (and i get free tune ups for life... one of their perks!) i also get a discount on everything i buy there, now!

granted i still get good deals at performance (i.e. the recent $20 off $50 coupon with free shiping... that i used the heck out of!) but i LOVE my lbs! they take good care of me and hubby..... and they are good people!

[Tuckervill]

>>When my husband purchased my new bike he got it online because this particular company offered great discounts for serving military personnel (they are based in Arkansas right next to a big base).<<

Mind telling me who this is?

My son is looking for a bike, and he's a veteran and uses the base for everything (you must be talking about Little Rock AFB).

Thanks,
Karen

[Trekhawk]

Hey Tuckervill - I just sent you a PM with the details.