Dumbshit Dept.
Art's Cyclery sucks! Please don't shop there!
Shortly before Burning Man I decided to replace the crank on my Burning Man bike because the gears had gotten bent on the last trip home from the playa. I went to Arts Cyclery in SLO to pick up something that CBO was out of stock on, and while I was there I decided to pick up the crank to save myself an extra trip.
Unfortunately that turned out to be a big mistake.
I picked up a Truvativ crank that the sales droid classified as "low quality". Since my whole bike was low quality and the crank especially so, I didn't think this would matter much. The current crank had a few thousand miles on it and it was busted due to a loading failure. So, it seemed that spending $35 on a crank was reasonably fitting.
I went home and fixed my bike. All was well while I rode the bike in SLO. But as soon as I got to the playa and had to crank a lot harder due to the super soft playa, things went bad real fast. A crank came loose on my third trip to my art project, and I tightened it, thinking I had not done a good job when I installed it. On the ride back to camp it came loose again. This repeated for a day until the crank bolt became totally stripped and my bike was dead in the water when I needed it the most. I couldn't find replacement parts and was without a bike for half the week.
Thanks to Arts Cyclery!
Today I went back and wanted to get my money back for this total piece of crap. Instead of any kind of support, apology or any kind of understanding, I got the third degree. In essence they claimed I was doing it wrong. At one point they claimed that I under-tightened the the bolt. Then they claimed I over-tightenend the bolt. Either way, it was my fault and I was doing it wrong.
I've been fixing my bikes for many moons now and even rounded out my knowledge by taking Adam Williams' bike maintenance class. I had a bike art project on the playa for three years running. I think I am capable of properly tightening the bolts on my bike.
I insisted that they return my money. Upon asking for my receipt, (which I didn't have :-( ) they claimed they could not help me. I have to call bullshit on this! Everytime I buy something from those douchébags, I have to give them my name so they can enter my purchase into the computer. Not having a receipt is merely an excuse to not give me my money back.
I'm fed up with Art Cyclery. I'm not going back. I have lots of friends at CBO and Wally's and the folks at CBO helped me get my bike fixed today. With a smile and lots of great advice.
This post is mainly for the benefit of others in SLO researching bike shops: I hope that Google will dish up this link for people comparing bike stores in SLO.
My message: Don't shop at Art's Cyclery! Slimy customer service and the third degree do not warrant any further business of mine and I hope that my friends won't go there either!
Oh, and I plan to stay away from Truvativ products as well!
Posted by Mayhem at September 2, 2008 04:19 PM
Hi, Rob. Thanks for the feedback. You are definitely entitled to your opinion, but we strive to set a high standard for customer service, and know that our customers would agree that we do. The cranks you brought back to us were covered in grease and sand, and you told us you had brought the bike to Burning Man. This environment eats bikes for lunch, and anyone who practices proper care for their bike would know to avoid it or expect to pay the price. Truvativ products are top-quality components, even the affordable ones, and must be cared for and installed according to specific instructions, which are included with the product. You must take responsibility for either over-tightening and/or greasing your square-taper cranks. It's a bummer, but it's just like improperly installing a tube and having it pinch flat when you inflate it... It's unfortunate, but your responsibility. We have no problem accepting returns when the product is truly defective. We've enjoyed seeing you in the shop in the past and hope that we can reach an understanding and continue our relationship. No one who works here wants to see disgruntled customers when we're out riding, only friends. Thanks.
