Hi, hope you are doing well reader.
TLDR: is the total cost worth it?
I've recently taken my CX bike into the shop for a £135 full service. No discussions of replacement parts were talked about beforehand.
I just mentioned how the BB and hubs needed cleaning and regreasing and the wheels trueing (he said it's included in the price).
Today he has messaged, for the first time since I gave him my bike, me that I owe him £255, including parts (which I never asked for)
I have a very tight budget and wasn't planning on spending too much on parts.
Can you tell me if the job is worth this much? Or shall I refuse service due to breechment of my consumer rights and informed consent.
(Please note the receipt says he's charging 150 for service cost though it was all meant to be 135 included, I've messaged him about this and he admitted it was a "mistake" supposedly, so he'll "knock £15 off")
Also: he was extremely rude on the phone trying to bully me into buying it and saying it's normal not to give quotes and that he doesn't have time to message me a quote all day
by Dangerous-Virus-9097
28 Comments
looks cheap to me. that level of work in my city would cost you closer to $400. $15 for a hub service is crazy cheap.
Where do you live? This seems like a pretty good value to me.
Seems fair in terms of cost. But its annoying when they quote you X price then now its $100 more.
Looks like a low price. Service usually includes standard cleaning & testing of parts that are probably detailed in shop documentation—maybe on their website. Additional parts and the corresponding labor to replace would not be included. They charged retail on the parts and the labor is really reasonable if not inexpensive.
That being said, I have never had parts replaced without being consulted first. If you didn’t consent to it, I’d bring that up. All things said, the price is super good.
Sounds like a busy guy who values his time. If you don’t feel like the service was good don’t return. But if it’s all working great and feels great but he’s a dick…. Oh well. Good thing his work is good.
Seems kinda cheap to me
Only $25 to install front bearings?? That’s a steal.
The price is alright but he should’ve either explained better that 135£ was the base price or he should’ve checked with you if you really wanted everything done.
With shops you always pay RRP for parts, unfortunately.
This doesn’t seem too bad for a service with new BB bearings, genuine SRAM pads, and a good SRAM chain.
It’s bad practice to replace parts without speaking to the customer first. In my opinion it should go inspection, quote for parts, then go ahead and do the work with the customers consent. What if you wanted a different part installed? I’m really not sure how you should progress though. You can’t really ask him to put it back how it was. I think maybe you’re going to have to accept it and never give him any more custom
It seems like a decent price for the service, and that is how is works with BB’s and hubs – you don’t fix them by greasing but replace the bearings.
Its literally there job to get approval on quotes. Thats just them being a jerk. Most of the time, mechanics can be very set in their way and very aggressive when questioned. Life lesson here to mention up front that if it is over the amount quoted, You will not pay unless it is pre-agreed upon.
Price for the service done seems fine to me, but replacing brake pads and chain without talking about it beforehand is questionable (brake pads being worn unevenly could be reason enough to change without prior notice depending on how bad it was, but i dont see a reason for replacing the chain even if its very worn.)
Replacing BB instead of just servicing can be reasonable, depending on the BB and the state it was in.
I will also say at the end of the “premium service” description it says “Parts are not included in the price, all parts required will be pre-notified if requested.”
You should have definitely gotten a phone call if the estimate was that different. I’d tell him to waive the additional labor and pay for the parts.
It’s not outrageous. Although I’m not sure about the £85 for standard service and what’s included with that. It would have been nice if they had contacted you before doing the work to let you know what the cost would be. But at the end of the day you did get a lot of work done for a reasonable price.
Totally normal pricing.
Comments here are from mechanics. from consumer pov this is a huge fuck up.
if the bike is like new it might be worth the price. The service is certainly subpar but most bike mechanics don’t realise they are in the service industry do communication skills are lacking.
Bottom bracket rarely needs replacing and it is weird to charge a base charge and then more charges on top of that. Also ask what was actually done to the bearings.
If you only have 135. explain the situation and ask him to take the parts out. He had to tell you before installing and charging extra.
I’m close to buying my set of bearing presses and drifts, because labor in my area will cost more than the kit.
Decent prices, but would have been more palatable if they had called to confirm new parts and prices before installing.
If they didn’t get approval from you…it’s on them.
The pricing seems fine but obviously dependent on where you live. When I quote a job, I try my best to set an expectation of what’s needed. So if your hub felt rough, I’d tell you it’s a minimum a hub adjust, but could be a hub overhaul and set those expectations in the quote and pricing. Also we have a standard 20% overage. If the pricing is going to be 20% over what we quote, we always get approval. I don’t think he’s ripping you off but I think he has poor communication. Probably wouldn’t be my LBS of choice.
Pay him and don’t go back. He lost a customer.
lol. ooouch. this is why I do my own work. Like I get the dude has to eat and pay rent at home and pay rent at the shop, but that’s just brutal if I imagine how much it would cost to take a bike in for every little thing.
I kinda get the people that just buy a new bike every 2 years and do no maintenance.
If there was no discussion of new parts prior to the service being completed, then that’s messed up.
If a bike NEEDS new parts like bearings and stuff, wheel doesn’t turn, cranks super wobbly etc. I still call the customer and confirm they’re ok with the additional cost.
If a customer says “whatever it needs” then I won’t bother them.
That said the prices seem very fair
Tell him next time you need a more precise estimate and price range. The price is normal.
I’d recommend you start learning simple stuff yourself. You can save a lot on that chain for instance, because they also make money on parts (which they have to in order to be profitable). Get a chain breaker tool and a chain wear indicator/gauge (these can be had for less than 10 pounds each). You can save 10 maybe 15 pounds on a chain in the future and prevent having to replace other cogs and chainrings early by replacing at 0.5% wear.
The prices are fine, but it’s extremely bad practice – in my mind – to rack up over £200 on parts for a bike that was brought in for a £135 service.
I’d be royally complaining about it. I’ve never had a bike (or car) serviced without being called to explicitly okay the new parts.
Once they start adding to the price they should 100% call and ask your permission, otherwise their customer service is garbage.
The price isn’t bad, but the communication is. An LBS service package is typically an entry point to open just such a dialogue. “This is what you’ll need, this is what it’ll cost additional, what’s your pleasure?”
I’ve definitely dropped off a bike before and said “This thing is borked, do what you gotta do to make it road worthy,” but that’s with a shop that I knew and trusted to not bend me over a barrel. Absent that kind of expressed authorization, they definitely should have followed up with you, especially if you’re a new/unfamiliar client.