Bike Source rant

Before I forget about it, I need to get my frustrations with Bike Source off my chest. I bought my last bike there 3 years ago and had horrible service (was basically handed my bike and hustled out the door with no fit or help of any sort), so I wasnt too keen on giving them any more business. But, they had my Cervelo and it was on sale. So I figured I could just purchase it from them and then take it to Trek for any service it needs. When I went in a week ago to order it, the guy helping me was REALLY helpful. His name is Hunter, if anyone is looking for a good sales person there. So he sort of redeemed the store for me. Well, when I went in on Friday to pick up my bike, he and three other guys were standing at the front counter. Hunter and another guy were helping a customer, so the two other kids were left to help me. It took them about 20 seconds to aknowledge that I was standing in front of them, and when I told them I was there to pic up a bike that had been transferred in from another store, they were totally confused. After about 30 seconds of racking their brains about what to do, one of them says to the other "so, um, I guess call the other store to make sure they have it in stock.....". No, I am here to PICK UP A BIKE. It is HERE. They were still confused. Hunter recognized me, and handed them my claim check, which was sitting right there. They started typing something into the computer, and were again confused, this time because I had made a 20% deposit and they didnt know how to ring me up. Finally they got it figured out, I paid, and one of them rolled my bike up and gave me a look that pretty much said "here you go, see ya!". No. You are going to switch my pedals and bike computer over from my old bike, and I'm going to get a fit. They were AGAIN confused. What!? Offer service to a customer that is purchasing an $1800 bike?? That is pretty much the exact same thing that happened when I bought my previous bike, except that I was too inexperienced to insist on some assistance. So I rode a poorly fit bike for over a year until I figured out I needed to take it elsewhere to have it set up.

At that point, another employee came up and said that he would get my pedals and bike computer switched over, and fit me on my bike. I wish I remembered his name, because he was the only other person working there that seemed to know anything. As I was walking around waiting for my bike to get set up, pretty much every employee came up and asked if I needed anything. When I said that my bike was being set up, one of them said "oh yeah! That P2 back there, that's pretty sweet!". Um, no. I wish it was a P2, but unfortunately, I do not have another $1500 to spend.

Here is my beef. The average age of the employees seemed to be about 18. Thats fine. But if you are going to hire people to work in a bike shop where customers are dropping thousands of dollars, hire people that know what they are doing and who know the meaning of customer service. I get better service at the Limited when I am just shopping for an $80 pair of pants. Do not hand me a $1800 bike and expect me to just leave. I was standing there holding my old bike, obviously I had it for a reason. Ask if I need help setting anything up. Ask if I need a fit. Ask if I have any questions. Or better yet, OFFER to set it up and get me fit. I shouldnt have to ask for it. Triathletes, and cyclists in general, are typically willing to spend big bucks on their bikes and upgraded components. If I want to purchase a new set of wheels, or anything else to upgrade my bike, I wont be doing it from Bike Source. It's unfortunate that they insist on hiring such poor employees. In the last 3 years, I have encountered a total of TWO who were helpful and knowledgable. Thats not a good statistic.