Really really niggly almost embarrassed to ask it question

[RRS_Staffs]

Right

I took delivery of my new Ragley Blue Pig at the weekend
It was a custom build at the LBS

When I got it home the first thing I did was raise the seatpost an inch at which point I noticed 3 or 4 perfect gouge marks appearing around it where there must have been some swarf or a rough edge in the seat tube

Its a Thomson which cost me a few quid
My other bike has a Thomson and the reason I upgraded to it is because they wear very well and still look good even on a MTB thats been thrashed for a few years

I know this is a poxy complaint - but there were a few other minor issues with the shop and my bike build and its just sloppy really

A MTB is going to get trashed, I also acknowledge that

But my beef is that its all new and shiny at the moment except where someone has just rammed in the seatpost without taking sufficient care

Im going back to the shop at the weekend but TBH Im not sure why just to make myself feel better

Any ideas on what you lot would have done?
Id have put it down to experience if I hadnt paid extra for a seatpost that will last and also as of now the bike is unridden and unmarked

Grrrr - maybe I just need a beer

Edited by RRS_Staffs on Monday 19th April 17:16

Edited by RRS_Staffs on Monday 19th April 17:26

[Parrot of Doom]

If it were me I'd probably remove the seatpost, file/sand the frame, and get a black marker to remove the scratch.

Beyond giving you a replacement seatpost there isn't really a lot they can do.

[RRS_Staffs]

I know thats the right answer but there was significant hassle and delay involved with the build after Id paid my deposit as well as a number of other snags such as cables poorly routed and brakes not bled properly

And the bottom line is that I have a nice shiny new bike with some (minor) avoidable cosmetic defects

I guess I just needed to vent some frustration

[Parrot of Doom]

If they took so long to sort your build out, I doubt you'll get much sympathy from them over a seatpost.

I had similar issues with Merlin cycles, I didn't complain, I just promised myself I'd never recommend them, or buy from them again. Much better.

[3216]

IIRC there have been a couple of Ragley frames with a similar problem. Get the shop to talk to Hotlines, they should sort it out.

[Digga]

3216 said:

IIRC there have been a couple of Ragley frames with a similar problem. Get the shop to talk to Hotlines, they should sort it out.

Which is crap, if this is indeed the case.

Ragley leave the LBS to spend a lot of extra labout filing out the seat tube (if, in fact, it's physically possible - it may never be perfect) and then with two unpalletalble alternatives; take the labour cost on the chin, or try to pass it onto the customer. No win.

I quite faniced an On One 456ti, but hear shocking things about the frames failing and the 'answers' (read insults) given by Brant - who you will remember was with One ONe and is now Ragley - so I avoided.

Seems there's no smoke without fire.

As for the LBS, they may genuinely not have known, but if other areas of the build lack a bit of care, then letting them sort it with Ragley (and getting a new seat post) is fair enough.

Edited by Digga on Tuesday 20th April 08:06

[Gooby]

I would complain if you have an exact idea of what you want in return for the error. If the required responce is a simple "sorry" that is just as good a reason as anything.

Complaining for the sake of complaining is generally known as "winging", if you have an idea of the compensation you want for the problem then go ahead.

[Digga]

Gooby said:

I would complain if you have an exact idea of what you want in return for the error. If the required responce is a simple "sorry" that is just as good a reason as anything.

Complaining for the sake of complaining is generally known as "winging", if you have an idea of the compensation you want for the problem then go ahead.

As a business owner, amen to that!

Yes, I think that is very apt advice. Even if a customer does have a valid complaint, they still need to go into the discussion with an idea of what they want (which in your case, to be fair, you do) from the other party.

Staff come and go at a lot of these bikes shops and it's important to remember that the owner very often knows nothing of what's going wrong, unless customers make valid and constructive criticism. Any business owner not capable of dealing with such issues and applying the necessary remedial action is not really running their operation properly.