Buck said:You are forgetting the costs of labor to install all of these upgrades.
The labor has already been spent on configuring the bike as it
currently sits. Often when they upgrade parts at point of sale, the
upgrades are being charged to you for near their cost with little or
nothing thrown in to cover the additional labor.
What labor is involved? Well, you mention suspension and upgrades to
disc brakes. They have to order, receive and prep all of the parts. The
new front shock will likely need the steering tube cut. If you went
with cable-actuated discs, they may be able to re-use the cables, but
most likely they will have to cut new cables and housings for the
brakes. Since the sizes of the previous cables are pretty specific, the
"old" ones will likely end up in the trash. If you went with hydraulic,
then they have no choice but to run new hydraulic tubing.
Well, sure, and there's his electric bills and rent, on top of it
all...but at what point does that become "my responsibility" as a
customer? You charge what you charge; I pay what I can afford. The
issue here is whether paying for a bike that includes a fork, then
upgrading to a better fork for more money, means (or should mean) that
I keep the old fork or get a discount. Someone else mentioned that the
cost of the upgrade is actually cheaper than getting the upgrade later
on, "separately," because that discount for the old fork, etc., is
"built-in" to the cost of the upgrade at the initial POS...and that
sounds reasonable, if that's how things really work...again, I don't
know; just wondering, but seriously wondering, as we're talking big
bucks here (for me, anyway).
Quoted message said:Once the installation process is complete, then everything has to be
adjusted so it works properly. In all, you are talking about several
hours worth of additional labor that has to be paid for. Remember, the
initial costs for configuring the bike were already added into the
price and the original labor for setup is essentially lost.
Well, this is what I'm wondering -- the labor is always factored into
the cost, isn't it? Does any bike dealer list labor as a separate line
item when selling a bike, a whole bike? HP Velo's own official price
list, previously linked, explicitly states that prices include labor,
installation!
Quoted message said:Don't begrude the dealer keeping the parts. It helps him recoup the
additional cost of getting your butt on the bike. He hopes that later
you will come in and buy something more profitable like additional
upgrades and accessories.
Please believe me when I say that I am paying full retail as it is. I
did not haggle him at all, and he's going out of business soon! But
fair is fair: if I'm paying for the option which comes with a fork, and
I elect to upgrade the fork, well, why should he keep the old fork
while charging me for the option which comes with a fork?
I'm not trying to penny-pinch here; just hate feeling taken advantage
of. If this is industry practice, well, I guess I can tolerate it
better, perhaps -- but that's why I ask y'all. I want to know. If
you're paying $$$$ for a whole bike, and then pay some more $$$$ for
all the upgrades, either you'd just get the framekit and pay for the
upgrades or get the whole bike and keep "the old stuff" or get the
whole bike and get a discount if the dealer keeps "the old stuff."
Does that sound so controversial?
I'm asking in earnest here; not being rhetorical at all. Like I said,
I'd rather hash this out with you all now than ask him later and make
it seem like I'm trying to take advantage of him when I'm just being
logical about it, I think.
Quoted message said:-Buck
