The Oxford Guide - Differences between Version 12 and Version 11 of Summertown Cycles

Version 12 Version 11
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September 2007
Reply by Summertown Cycles
The previous entry has been posted by a
customer who has a very strange idea about passing on responsibility for problems with a bike that he owns. How do we come to be responsible for the fact that a bike has seized-in parts due to years of neglect, just because we agree to try to repair his bike ? I suggested that he take the bike to another bike shop for an independent second opinion, or contact the local Trading Standards office to see what they would consider fair practice in such a situation, but he is convinced that we are in the wrong and that he doesn't need a second opinion.
I spent a considerable amount
of time trying to reason with this guy before eventually adopting a "less than conciliatory" attitude towards him. The bottom bracket bearing on this bike was dangerously loose when it came to us. Unless this could be repaired the bike only had scrap value. On top of the time taken with this customer trying to diagnose the bike's problems and booking it in, we spent over an hour of mechanics' time and damaged an expensive tool in trying to rescue this old bike.
I suspect that everything that goes wrong in this
guy's life has to be someone else's fault. He is going to get a shock when he leaves college and goes out into the real world !
If all our customers were as unreasonable as this we would have to have a written contract just to book an old bike in for repair, or perhaps introduce a "George Hamer Surcharge" when we taken in clapped-out student bikes for repair !
Fortunately most of our customers are much easier to deal with, even when, occasionally, things do go wrong.
If anyone is considering using our bike shop I suggest that they spend 10 or 15 minutes in the shop on a Saturday morning observing how we routinely deal with customers - whether they are looking to buy an expensive new bike or repair a rusty old student bike.
Stuart Meanwell (for Summertown Cycles)

Above customer is lying when he accuses us of breaking his bike. The damage was down to lack of maintenance over many years.This customer seems to think that, by agreeing to try to repair his dangerously worn out old bicycle, we take on responsibility for any unforeseen problems that come up as a result of neglect or poor maintenance over the years. We have written off more than an hour of mechanics time because the attempted repair was unsuccessful,and we are now considering introducing a "George Hamer" surcharge when we book in knackered old student bikes to allow for situations like this. This guy is going to get a shock when he leaves college and goes out into the real world !
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Stuart Meanwell, Summertown Cycles
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January 2006

They fixed my bike quickly, competently and, so far as I can tell from an uneducated standpoint, without charging an unreasonably high price.

Somewhat eccentrically, they share their premises with a garden centre.

September 2007

Admin note: The following content (both the original customer's side of the incident and Summertown Cycles' reply) is currently under discussion among the admins of The Oxford Guide. In the meantime, please do scroll down to read all the information available.

I have just got off the phone with the manager of Summertown Cycles and thought I had better share my experience with them so that people might be a little more cautious about going to them in the future. Be warned that I do have a grievance with them, so decide for yourself whether this is valid or not.

I cycled my bike in for an over-due repair (there were several things wrong with it that I wanted them to fix). The condition of the bike was not good, but they valued it at around £80-90 in its current condition (which is what they were asking for the repair). On the day I was supposed to pick it up, they called me and told me that they had totalled the frame whilst trying to repair it and that I should pick up the now-broken bike and a refund of the repair fee they had charged.

Given that the bike had worked when I took it in and now didn't, they had caused as much damage to the bike as it was originally worth, so I called the manager to discuss it with him and ask what had happened. He told me that something had not wanted to come out of a socket in the bike whilst one of the repairs was being carried out and that forcing it had written off the frame. He also told me that it was completely unreasonable to expect them to compensate me for the bike. On the contrary, I was told I was lucky that they had refunded me the cost of the time they spent on breaking it!

That's as balanced an account as I think I can give. I should probably also tell you that the attitude of the manager (Stewart) on the phone was not exactly conciliatory. I wasn't offered an apology and when I raised my grievance about now being without a working bike, he quickly got aggressive and dismissive.

Decide for yourself who you side with, but I don't think anyone would like to be put in the position I was put in. Perhaps Summertown Cycles are fine if nothing goes wrong, but don't expect them to be even-handed if anything does go wrong.


Above customer is lying when he accuses us of breaking his bike. The damage was down to lack of maintenance over many years.This customer seems to think that, by agreeing to try to repair his dangerously worn out old bicycle, we take on responsibility for any unforeseen problems that come up as a result of neglect or poor maintenance over the years. We have written off more than an hour of mechanics time because the attempted repair was unsuccessful,and we are now considering introducing a "George Hamer" surcharge when we book in knackered old student bikes to allow for situations like this. This guy is going to get a shock when he leaves college and goes out into the real world !

Stuart Meanwell, Summertown Cycles


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