Quote Originally Posted by Triskeliongirl View Post
I am really surprised by this thread. How can any shop complain when a customer brings them business? We are not talking about someone bringing in ebay parts and expecting free installation, we are talking about a customer making use of a shop's service department. My personal experience is that I have always been warmly receieved when I have done this (and I have done this with both frames and parts). In fact, the guys complimented me on the great deal I got on my last frame on ebay, and were more than pleased to transfer the parts from another frame, and at what I thought was a reasonable cost (I didn't dicker, let them name the price). And this is a shop I have never purchased a bike from. And I didn't get the sense they were cursing behind my back, in fact, they won't info. on the framebuilder that had done such a great job with the s/s couplers and paint that I brought it to first. Sure, I know the owner is hoping to sell me my next bike, but at the same time I also feel that he appreciates whatever business I do give him and his service dept. now.

I also thinks it helps when we bring them quality bikes and parts (even interesting ones they get to inspect, bike fridays, terrys, s/s cut bikes, etc.) and see we are genuine bike enthusiasts. Its the wally world bikes that many refuse to work on, rightly so in my opinion.
This is exactly what I was going to say. I bought my MTB from my current favorite LBS, and have had them service my Glorius and my road bike. They fixed up my Craigslist pink mixte, and now they've turned my old MTB into an Xtracycle. I got handlebars and shifters from Rivendell, and paid them to install them. They like it that I'm a bike enthusiast, and I pay them for the work they do, and they don't seem to care that I got some parts elsewhere.