Mike Jacoubowsky said:We really don't have enough to go on here, but there *are* people in this
world who get an idea in their head and go out and do stupid things, despite
good advise from the shop to do otherwise. Could be that the shop wanted him
to take a bike out to try in the real world, a bike that might have been
close to what the measurements recommended, and he refused, saying don't
worry, this is what I want to do, do you want my money or not? I have
actually had to refuse selling expensive bikes once in a while to people
like that, and doing so puts you on that fine line between being considered
patronizing vs looking out for someone's best interests.
I'd be interested in hearing more of the story.
And more of the story you shall have. Thank you, Mike (and others),
for the benefit of doubt. As some may have guessed, we at HubBub are
the shop in question.
Your suspicions are actually surprisingly close to the truth. In fact
we have known this gentleman for many years. He would come into our
shop from time to time, but we never saw him as a potential client for
one of our bikes. We like to think we treat everyone with dignity and
respect, and take their cycling aspirations seriously, but were
especially careful in his case, suspecting he may frequently encounter
less than ideal treatment elsewhere. A couple years ago he again
began asking more questions about our processes and products we
offer. We humored him for many months, sometimes answering the same
questions MANY times, several different ways. We still didn't believe
he would ever come in wanting to actually buy a bike, and we even
tried to guide him to explore a couple other shops, feeling we may not
be the most appropriate choice for him.
Eventually, he did come for a full fitting. At that point (and I
remember this) we actually had a couple dinner-table conversations
about how to get out of what appeared to be an impending sale -
admittedly a difficult choice for a tiny custom-only bike shop. As
the client somehow further convinced himself this was the right
choice, we came to the conclusion, "He wants us to build him a bike.
How is that different from every other client who asks?" Maybe our
biggest mistake was not actually coming up with a good answer to that
question. Note that he had been telling us how he had been riding
(just like all our other customers). Additionally, we have built
bikes for people with poor flexibility, with great success, and he had
nowhere near the difficulties mounting our fitting machine like the
clients with issues.
He absolutely INSISTED upon a Co-Motion Americano, a fine choice of
course, but I had hoped for a choice that offered me a little more
flexibility in meeting his needs. Now, we are big Campy fans here,
but I made clear that I felt Shimano's versatility and more extensive
offerings were more suitable to his stated cycling intentions. Yes,
he insisted on Campagnolo components as well. We discussed every
detail of the bike, and of particular interest to him were color
combinations and polished parts. He agonized over which Brooks
leather saddle to choose. We stock Brooks but special ordered at
least two before he settled on the third one currently installed.
Much as I love my Brooks saddles, we certainly didn't want him
breaking one in. He was very insistent on that too. Keep in mind
that through all of this we were STILL trying to gently convince him
to try some other options - meaning other shops which actually stock
complete bicycles.
The fit parameters were finalized, the frame designed, built, and
delivered. We treated it with FrameSaver, installed the headset, and
set the frameset (in it's box for protection) high up on a shelf in
the back. Normally we put them on display for the couple days (or
even hours) before getting built-up, but we were still waiting for
final choices on components. Eventually all the details were ironed
out - wheels, handlebars, controls, brakes, gearing, tires, SADDLE,
rack, etc. - and we built the bike, about 5 months ago. (It sat on
our shelf in the back for at least 6 months, waiting for component
choices.)
All told, the initial order was placed about 14 months ago.
Eventually we had to press him so we could complete the build. To
this day it has never even been outside the door! (except likely for a
quick test-ride by the mechanic) Customers have been oohing and
aahing over it since we completed it several months ago, some even
expressed interest in buying it. We turned them down of course,
saying it belonged to somebody! The buyer came in a couple times to
see it, and seemed to like it very much. Whenever we tried to get him
to take it home and ride it he would respond with something about how
much he was traveling. Once he called to tell us how he wouldn't be
able to take the bike yet because he had sprained his wrist.
Eventually we called and asked more forcefully that he come pick it
up, explaining how it is more vulnerable to handling by customers, and
scratches, on the showroom floor now that it is built. He did finally
come in, with a brace on his wrist, and had FAR more difficulty
mounting and dismounting the bike than he did our fitting machine. We
reluctantly lowered the saddle well below its ideal height, at his
insistence, to help him. He made the choice himself not to take the
bike home with him, yet.
Now, allow me to be especially clear:
This man knows that Diane is a yoga instructor (she has a dedicated
studio as part of our shop) and asked many questions about his
"limberness" and weight, and their effects on his ability to ride.
This of course was discussed extensively at the time he placed his
order, and she patiently answered all of his questions, sometimes
repeatedly, and without ANY interest in having him for a student.
NEVER did Diane EVER "suggest he go home to work on his limberness".
There is always room for interpretation and, as several have pointed
out, more than one side to a story. We're not sure why Mr. Everette
felt compelled to write this second-hand story about our
"inappropriate service", but we actually need to thank him. There are
several statements and implications in his story that are factually
false and, while he chose to perpetuate them, regardless of his
knowledge of the truth, it has brought to our attention the urgency to
once again contact our customer and get the whole matter resolved.
So, thank you, Mr. Everette.
So, anyone interested in a brand-new, unridden, gorgeous green custom
Co-Motion Americano with 700c wheels, Campy triple, upright handlebars
and controls, set up for touring? We have a photograph (taken today)
available to anyone interested.
Also, for the record:
Sure, we make a living by selling and building custom bicycles, and
the more we sell the better. We however do not stock anything but
test-bikes. We therefore not only have ZERO motivation to move
inventory (we don't have) inappropriately, we have EVERY motivation to
strive to build the perfect bicycle for every client, since we're
starting from scratch every time, and want everyone to be so thrilled
that they can't stop talking about it. It's not a sales pitch, and
it's certainly not disparagement of shops who stock bikes... it's the
simple logic behind our model.
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Brian Jenks
HubBub Custom Bicycles
<http://www.hubbub.com>
