Over-promised and under-delivered

Everyone claims that their service is what differentiates them from their competitors, and we often hear about under-promising and over-delivering in the era of “delighting” our customers. But what about when service breaks down? This is an example of just such a case with our experience at local bike shop. 

We know that Covid has placed a strain on bicycle equipment and service. It seemed that in 2020 there were few if any bicycles available and replacement parts were nearly nonexistent. Many shops were swamped with repair work and shop work in our area was often scheduled 2-3 weeks out. It appears that in 2021, we are beginning to see a return to normal to some degree.  

My wife is a year-round recreational cyclist who is also a bicycle commuter. She typically rides between 500 and 700 miles a month. We do the normal maintenance on our bikes ourselves, but she was having an issue with her front hub (a SON Dynamo hub), and we figured it was time for a professional tune up.  

Our local shop has recently been bought by a large bicycle company, so my wife checked their website to see about their service packages. Looking over the service packages, she decided that a Level 2 at $139.99 plus parts should work for her, but she remained open to any suggestions that the bike mechanic might suggest. 

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Excusably Absent

I was traveling through Hood River OR recently and decided to check out the outdoor stores of their outdoor oriented town.  One of the places I decided to check out was Mountain View Cycles.

As I was approaching the store, I noticed that it seemed remarkably dark inside.  I was a bit disappointed since it was 11 a.m. and they should have been open by now. As I approached the front door I noticed this sign.

Well, I guess it is okay that they were closed. I wonder how often outdoor retailers close their shops and take their staff out for a trip like this? Well done Mountain View, I will certainly stop by another day.