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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2013 19:58:22 GMT
I recently bought a T3 Red from Surrey Quays and the service and attitude of the two mechanics I've dealt with has been very poor, including allowing the bike to leave with the gears poorly adjusted, lying about saying they should charge for stem flipping when they don't, scratching my frame and scuffing the seat post down to the metal, and general rudeness and lack of cooperation.
I emailed the store manager the other day detailing my complaints. This is his response:
"Once again I can only apologise for your experience in store, and assure you that this is by no means typical of the service that we strive to provide. In order to establish exactly what went wrong in this specific situation I will have to interview ...... and ..... before taking action to ensure that we do not have issues such as the ones you have mentioned happening to other customers. Either way please let me reassure you that we are taking your feedback very seriously and intent to get to bottom of exactly why you had such an experience. As soon as I have more information on the matter I will of course inform you.
In regard to the poor service and the scratch on the frame of your bike, how can we make this right for you to make up for the damage and overall experience?
Regards
Ross Farrington"
(I've left the names of the mechanics out).
Anyway, I just wondered what the folk here thought about the 'how can we make this right for you' bit. For instance I know Zoltansocrates wouldn't be happy with the scratch and suggested I demand a new bike. I'm not quite as bothered about it, but I do think the very poor service deserves some compensation. What should I be looking at, or shall I ask Ross Farrington to suggest something first?
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Post by zoltansocrates on Aug 2, 2013 21:17:34 GMT
get them to fix and guarantee the scratch repair and remind them that you could easily be spending pounds elsewhere while subtly hinting a freebie or two
it does look like you got a bum deal mate but you shouldnt have to tolerate frame damage, the seat post, mmm, they get scratched, the gears are subject to stretching cable setc, id ask them to show you how to sort it if you dont already know, they will
i wouldnt hit them with full cannons, it builds more walls than it breaks
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2013 21:44:09 GMT
Who's ross farington? I think with the mecca staff it's pot luck who you get, like any shop they'll have guys who come and go. When i was last in i asked the boy about bike fits and he hadn't a clue what it was and why it was needed, there was another boy who was on the ball with it all though. Sorry to hear you've had a bad one, fi gers crossed you get a few goodies thrown in. Can't imagine it'll be a great deal but you never know!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2013 9:24:15 GMT
get them to fix and guarantee the scratch repair and remind them that you could easily be spending pounds elsewhere while subtly hinting a freebie or two it does look like you got a bum deal mate but you shouldnt have to tolerate frame damage, the seat post, mmm, they get scratched, the gears are subject to stretching cable setc, id ask them to show you how to sort it if you dont already know, they will i wouldnt hit them with full cannons, it builds more walls than it breaks Thanks for the replies guys. Having thought about this a bit more I'm thinking more along the lines of your original suggestion ZS. I don't trust them to repair the scratch adequately. I'm not too concerned about possible lacguer bubbling that you mentioned because I think the risk is very low - I tend to avoid bad weather and keep the bike indoors, but a repair will never look as good as the original and as thunderboldsteve says it's pot luck who you get. Regarding reminding them I could be spending pounds elsewhere, I've attached my original email to Ross Farrington here Attachment Deleted. I've removed the names of the 2 mechanics I was unhappy with. I think it pretty much covers all bases. I also mention possible negative consequences if matters aren't resolved properly such as adverse publicity on bike forums. I appreciate what you say about the all guns blazing approach but this is what I intend to ask for. 1) A replacement bike. They still appear to have 63s in stock. 2) A goodwill gesture of at least Β£50 of Decathlon vouchers for the very poor service, aggravation and inconvenience. Of course I welcome any suggestions on this.
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Post by ozzrahog on Aug 3, 2013 10:20:29 GMT
I think a new bike and effectively a 17% discount is pushing it a bit for what at the end of the day are a couple of scratches
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2013 10:37:42 GMT
The bike's only 2 weeks old and the service was also very poor, plus the inconvenience of going back there. Appreciate the feedback and you may be right. I'll have a think and let them know on Monday.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2013 11:36:02 GMT
I always encourage a fair approach when dealing with these situations. I understand you've had a bad experience and are entitled to ask why and something to be done about it but in this case, I wouldn't be looking on how to get the most out of them. If I was you, a replacement bike would put my mind at ease with future paint problems.
I find the in-store staff helpful but not as outstanding as some have told us about on TOC. This could be because I am in there so little. On the flip coin, the customer service is brilliant. In the UK I think we are used to bad service so Decathlon make a welcome change! This Ross chap seems to be genuine and actually trying to put the situation right and compensate in some way. This should be commended IMO. We all know what most other retailers are like. The worst for me was Comet and PC world. Utter waste of space.
Let us know how you get on.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2013 15:04:17 GMT
I always encourage a fair approach when dealing with these situations. I understand you've had a bad experience and are entitled to ask why and something to be done about it but in this case, I wouldn't be looking on how to get the most out of them. If I was you, a replacement bike would put my mind at ease with future paint problems. I find the in-store staff helpful but not as outstanding as some have told us about on TOC. This could be because I am in there so little. On the flip coin, the customer service is brilliant. In the UK I think we are used to bad service so Decathlon make a welcome change! This Ross chap seems to be genuine and actually trying to put the situation right and compensate in some way. This should be commended IMO. We all know what most other retailers are like. The worst for me was Comet and PC world. Utter waste of space. Let us know how you get on. I agree with all of that. I certainly don't see it as a money grabbing exercise. I met the store manager Ross Farrington last week and I think he is genuine in wanting a satisfactory resolution to this, but of course this is also in his own interests. I agree that the good guys should be supported and the bad guys should be held to account which, in my own small way, I'm trying to do. To be honest I'm not hugely bothered about the scratch - it's not that noticeable and as long as I get a written assurance that it won't cause any problems, such as lacquer blistering, and if it does, I'm covered, then I'll be reasonably happy. I do think some Decathlon vouchers would be appropriate though for the inconvenience and very poor service which would seem to be well below their normal standards. Like you I think customer service in this country is generally appalling. When friends of mine come over from The States they're amazed that we put up with it. One of the few exceptions to this in my experience is Richer Sounds. On the very odd occasion when there's been a slight problem I've completed one of their complaints cards and within a few days I've received a personal apology from Julian Richer himself along with a bundle of vouchers or a product upgrade. I'll keep you posted on what happens, and hopefully it may help others if they face a similar situation.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2013 15:12:30 GMT
I'd insist on the bike being replaced and attention being paid to getting it set up correctly but I wouldn't expect Β£50 worth of vouchers. That's just me though.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2013 15:46:54 GMT
Thanks for all the feedback. So, the general consensus seems to be try for a replacement bike if one's available but that Β£50 worth of vouchers aswell is a bit greedy. That sounds fair enough. A smaller figure, even if it's a token amount, would be reasonable though in my view. Think I'll go with that.
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Post by Red Devil on Aug 3, 2013 19:29:04 GMT
If it's of any help, I had a couple of small chips and damage to the rear quick release when mine came through by courier. Not exactly Decathlons fault directly as the box had been damaged in transit. I settled for a Β£20 voucher and replacement part. The paint was fixed by a bit of Halfords Toolbox Red touchup paint. I was however very pleased with the customer service given over the phone, I was called back when expected and the person on the phone actual seemed to value the custom I had given them.
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