Complaintsfor40K Cycles

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a brand new road bike for myself as a Christmas present. Because it was purchased at a box store, I wanted to take it to a bike shop to have it fitted and tuned up to make sure it had been assembled correctly, before riding it. I was notified that my bike was ready on 1/25 however due to work commitments and travel, I was unable to pick it up for about 6 weeks. When I went in to get my bike they no longer had it and I discovered that they had given my bike away. The owner and I discussed options and he said that his daughter was trying to sell her bike and that it was worth $1500 so would be an upgrade from what I had. I rode the bike and discussed my concerns as it was used and mine had been brand new, one of them being the tires. I was assured that the tires were good and any issues they would be happy to help me with as I adjusted. I decided that this seemed like the simplest solution so moved forward. On only my second ride, one of the tires blew. I took it in to get repaired and they instantly gave me attitude and acted like I was the one causing the issues. After 4 blown tires in 4 months and this shop calling me a liar and being so rude and acting like they did me a favor, I took the bike to another shop. The tires had to be replaced as they were shot. I tried to get this shop to pay but they would not since I went somewhere else. I told them they can't be surprised I didn't trust them. I also received a valuation of only $175 which is far less than the $1500 they claimed. After they continued to fight me we brought the bike back in to them and said they could have it back and we wanted reimbursed for the bike they lost. They gave us only $300 which was less than I paid for my new bike that they lost and doesn't include any of the repairs I had to make on it. They continue to act as if I am at fault and now I have no bike at all.

  Business response

  07/27/2023

  We are sorry this customer had what they believe to be a negative experience with our store. We tried, on multiple occasions, to rectify the situation in a professional, satisfactory and timely manner. The original bike the owner brought to us was a new, $300 department store bike. It was brought to us because it was not correctly built. She indicated that she had wanted a road bike and, in an attempt to help her, we offered her a pre-owned, high quality bike valued at $1500 (verified by ********************.  The bike was in excellent condition and used in triathlons.  ******* enthusiastically agreed to the arrangement and had the bike for over 8 months. She then contacted us and complained that she got a flat tire 8 months after riding the bike and we, at no charge, repaired the flat - which is a normal occurrence when riding a bike.  She later contacted us and indicated she got another flat, took the bike to another store and had the tire replaced.  She wanted us to reimburse her for the expense.  The tires (and bike) were in good condition and when we asked why she did not return it to us for inspection, she told us she did not trust us.  We offered to replace the other tire, but not reimburse for work not completed at our store. Subsequently, she continued to harass us and threatened to "go public" and send her husband to the store. They advertised the bike we gave them on Facebook Marketplace (we are a member of those biking communities) for $1500. The next day, her husband came to the store demanding a $300 reimbursement saying the bike we gave them was worthless.  When confronted with the fact they had the replacement bike advertised for $1500  - the husband back-tracked the couple's position and the husband asked for $300. We accepted the husband's request for $300 and took the bike back with the understanding to never come back.  This complaint was filed well after resolution in an attempt to extort negative publicity as revenge for their devious behavior.  

  
  

  **** ***** ****** *** ****** ************

  Customer response

  07/27/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I am confused why the store continues to try to make this my issue and have failed to include the part where they lost my original bike. I did not come in looking for them to give me a different bike, I brought them my bike to ensure that it was in good condition to ride. When they lost my bike, I told them they could just pay me the $300 so I could replace it however they preferred to give me the bike they claimed was worth $1500. I did come in and ride it and agreed I would take it as a replacement. At that time I did however ask about the tires as they looked worn down and was ensured that they were in great condition. 

  The claim that I waited 8 months to reach out is 100% false. I received my first flat on my 2nd ride on the bike which was just a few weeks later. I reached out to the store then and was told to bring the bike in for a tube replacement. That is when my problems started because of *******. He was very unfriendly and was acting as if they had done me the large favor and kept repeating that the bike was worth $1500 and flats happen. I received my second flat just a few weeks after that and after researching independently realized that while flats do happen, it is not common for them to happen this many times. I took the tire to a different bike shop so I could find out if the tires were actually in good condition. I was shown where the tire was cracking and very old and that is when I became untrusting of what ******* and **** had told me. I requested repayment only because they had assured me that the tires were in good condition and that whatever came up on the bike for issues they would take care of since it was their mistake. However once that actually happened they became very hard to work with. **** would not answer emails or accept my calls and kept referring me to *******. When I did talk to ******* he was condescending and very unprofessional and kept telling me that I was unrealistic and didn't know what I was talking about. I openly admitted that while new to the sport I was not dumb and was doing my own research and had plenty of friends and family who were in the sport for a long time. I did tell them I was going to send my husband because I was not appreciative of the way they were speaking to me. 

  I was well aware that they would see the posting on Facebook Marketplace and that is why I did it. They are the ones who told me the bike was worth $1500 which was why I posted it for that, to prove that no one in the biking community would pay for it. I received not one single response so I took it to another bike shop to have it valued and they stated that the bike was at least 15 years old because that was the last time the brand made that model and no longer had a value for resale. I had two shops offer me $150 and $175 for trade in. That was when my husband and I decided that this shop was clearly trying to deceive me and I was done working with them. He brought the bike back to them to tell them that we just wanted the $300 we had originally requested when THEY LOST MY BIKE and we would never talk to them again. 

  I continue to be amazed that in an event at which I came for service and was at ZERO fault for the original mistake, I am being labeled as devious and treated as if I am the problem. All I was asking was to be restored to my original position but instead I have lost money and honestly time over this whole ordeal and being treated as if I am unreasonable to expect to be restored to my original position. I threated to "go public" because the biking community is small and if this is how customers can expect to be treated then I do not want them to have to go through what I am going through. I have had many conversations with people since this and can tell you the general consensus is that ******* is horrible and condescending to most people and they never went back because of him. 
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩