Now That's Good Customer Service

We have two bike shops in our little town. The one closest to me is run by a grumpy old guy who called me an idiot when I told him I was having trouble with my bicycle pump and wanted to get an easier one. I may be blonde, but I'm not an idiot. I no longer take my business there.

My daughter had an old handmedown bike with a chain that kept coming loose. I took it to the other bike shop, and asked the owner to check if it needed a new chain. I left the bike to run a few errands and when I came back was told that the chain was fine, it was just an old bike and the spokes were worn down, as were parts of the pedals and a few other things. Bottom line, he said it wasn't worth repairing, we needed a new bike. Hmm. I was skeptical. I told him I wasn't in a position to get a new bike, he said he was going to check something in his basement and be right back.

After a few minutes he came back with a pink bike the same size as the one we had. He said,"Why don't you take this one? No charge." really? Turns out he had had a guy come in to get new bikes for his kids and had a bunch of ones they had outgrown that he didn't know what to do with, so just asked the shop owner to find them a good home.

We needed to get a new set of training wheels cause the kind we had didn't fit on the new bike, but that's a bargain compared to buying a whole new bike.

Smart guy, from now on I'll be shopping at his shop, even if it is a little further, and I'll certainly be referring my friends to him too.