Is this acceptable from a LBS?

[Campagmatic]

Last weekend I decided to take my Moser into my LBS just to get a couple of bits finished off and the final tweaks to get the gears working smoothly.
I asked the guy to fit a new rear cassette (which I already had) because I don't have the tool, it needed a new chain too, and the rear gear cable needed replacing because I had cut the previous one too short, then a set-up.
So two days later I collected my bike (that was the soonest I could make it back to the shop), the work had been done, all looked well. Except I wasn't too pleased that my bike which I've been painstakingly restoring for the past 3 months had been kept outside in the rain for 48 hours, it was drenched. That was just the start.
I was also disappointed with the price, the chain was £10, the cable £2.50, plus fitting...that'll be £40 please sir...what, that would have taken me 10 minutes to do myself...but that's okay I thought, just this once, at least I know it was done by a professional.
So I'm riding home...this is nice, I think, only that can't be right my chain is rubbing on the derailleur on every gear in a high or low range and just the middle few run smoothly. I'll give them a call when I get home...It got worse, I'm lucky I made it home at all. When I pulled away at a set of traffic lights, cars rearing to go behind me, the shoddy workmanship of my LBS struck again. They hadn't tightened the quick release on my back wheel enough (I could lift it with the tip of my little finger) so when I was at full force pushing down on the pedals the back wheel jolted out of the dropouts and jammed up. Luckily I reacted very quickly in getting off the bike and off the road but that could have ended very badly, I ended up with minimal damage to the bike and none to myself, but that's beside the point.
So by the time I made it back I was fuming, I attempted to call them but there was no answer, I didn't retry because I knew I was so angry I wasn't going to be very coherent amidst the swearing. I just thought, F-it, they just lost a customer and potentially thousands of pounds in future business, I'll leave it at that.
Only this morning (a week later) I remembered they didn't even give me my old chain and cassette back, they weren't ready for the bin and I would definitely have found a use for them on a project, grrrrrrrr :x
I'm going to pay them a visit today but I fear it won't end well, I'm a bit of a hothead and I'm very passionate about my bikes. That'll teach me for letting someone else touch it.

How does this compare to you LBS experiences, is this acceptable?

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

I do everything myself, would much rather buy the tool (or improvise) and learn to do it myself and know exactly what is correct or what might not be quite right.
So much nicer than holding they do a good job.
Even though we have quite as lot a LBSs I never use them. I did try but didn't the customer service was up to par. Only Freetown Way liked to have a natter and kept a time behind for me while I went of to get some money. What used to be an excellent place Ken Ellekers, he didn't sound to interest had recent decluttered and though the techy was interested and helpful, unfortuntly it the whole place that matters.
Kingston Cycles where better but from other people talking, not always.

Halfords, the two of the stores around me, oddly seem to be better, cheerful and seemed happy to help.

Maybe I'll try the other five or so lbs to see how they are.

 

[Campagmatic]

Re:

I think it's safe to say I'll be doing it all myself from now on, even if it does mean a bit of trial and error.

 

[Woz]

I do all bike work myself, but IMHO this is not acceptable. I suspect a £10 chain is not going to be brilliant either.

 

[Campagmatic]

Re:

It's a KMC Z Narrow chain, It may have been more than £10, come to think of it he quoted me £10 for a chain over the phone, it may be that this one turned out to be more because it was a narrow one.

 

[widowmaker]

Re:

NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:x

I am angry for you :!:

 

[mattsccm]

Re:

Yes and no. Did you ask for the old cassette and chain back ? If not why not bin it? Its must have been old to replace it. No ? but did you say that? Or ask when it was collected.

Other stuff is subjective, not judgeable accurately by a remote non seeing 3rd party.
It doesn't sound good I agree but the price was, I assume, agreed before hand. If not its acceptable. Do you know how long it took to do the work and their hourly rate?
Sorry but unless you carve these things in stone with any service provider in advance you can't really complain.

I reckon you can complain about the loose QR, question the gear settings and that's it.

 

[originalshinkicker]

You can't excuse crap work. Unfortunately, speaking from experience of being a mechanic in a bike shop for years, some "mechanics" haven't got a clue - you take your chances unless you hit on a good mechanic. I worked as one for years and never had a bike returned. Sadly, I saw lots of bikes brought in with disastrous efforts from other shops.

The pricing is down to you though. You should have checked prices and labour charges when you dropped the bike off. If the prices were different to what was quoted and much higher when you picked the bike up then you should have challenged that when you picked it up. If the price was going to go up then the shop should have contacted you.

Unless you specifically ask for parts to be returned, they will be scrapped by the shop, that is normal.

 

[Campagmatic]

Re:

I would have been happy to pay that for a job well done and it wasn't more than I was quoted when the slightly more expensive chain is taken into account (I think it was £17.50). When the red mist clears I think I'll appreciate that most of what they did was standard practice (the scrapping of parts, storing the bike outside etc.) But it's the schoolboy error with the QR skewer that I can't forgive. I'm not one for 'what ifs' but that could have put me in hospital and unable to provide for my family, I do a physical job so I have to extra careful to avoid injuries. Which isn't easy when you're as clumsy as me, I don't need any added risks.

I think the only thing to help calm my nerves is to buy a new bike. Works every time :roll:

 

[shogun]

Storing bikes outdoors is standard practice? That would be plenty to make me walk, stuff that.