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Absolute worst Cycle Gear experience ever.

To be fair, CycleGear doesn't recommend CycleGear for tire changing. They offer it out of convenience but for the money they charge, the labor involved, and how backed up they get, they're not interested in doing tires. There's no money in selling tires and there's definitely no money in changing them.
 
People please. A LOT of possibly false assumptions here.

OP, you stated:
"He said just to walk back to the area with my wheels when I came in and everything was good to go."

That doesn't sound (to me) like an appointment. You obviously thought it was. The person (there is no service rep, just various sales folks) may have thought you'd be coming in first thing in the morning. So if you'd gotten there at opening time, getting it done by end of day would be no problem. May have been a miscommunication by both of you.

You also wrote:
"Then comes today. I spend my morning getting the wheels off of my bike. I drive 23 miles to cycle gear."

When you came in, were you feeling a little rushed or frustrated because it was harder/took you longer than you were expecting?

What time did you get there? If it was the middle of the day, the guy you spoke to might have been on break/lunch whatever. Just shootin the shit with his fellow employee.

Also, depending on the time, it might have been a little late for two more tire changes.

OP, please try to understand, I don't work for CG, nor have I ever. But I have worked in retail a long time and have witnessed situations like yours happen and turn into landslides in a hurry. I am just trying to get you to understand that the employee may have been joking or trying to be clever. And may indeed have meant no harm. Just messing around with you. The manager was probably standing by her fellow employee, as she should, given the situation as she saw it.

You then wrote:
"At this point I was infuriated by his attitude, treating me like I was an idiot who can be spoken to as if I had it coming. All the while as he leans against this shelf, when he said how many tires he has waiting to get done I tell him that "maybe he should get to work then", completely fed up."

You seem to have been a bit predisposed to being upset when you got there from the way you worded your original post. I may be wrong, but your reaction to what the first guy said seems a little extreme. Were you possibly being a little oversensitive?

Just some questions to ask yourself before rallying the Lynch mob...good luck with whatever happens. Moto Shop in SF is open til 7:00 pm. You'll have to do them yourself (with their supervision) but a great skill to have.
 
Dmk510 said:
Yea man Im in el sobrante what kind of tire!? 180?
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Yep. I've got a couple. One is a Pirelli Diablo with little bit of life left in it. The other is a Q2 with quite a bit. I swapped it for track rubber at my last track event. It had a puncture but I had it properly repaired with a vulcanized patch in the inside. I did about 1000 miles and two track days on it without a worry.
 
Regardless of OP's expectations, being greeted with "I hope you don't need to have those tires done by today." is not a very professional way to welcome a customer.
 
S1KGSXR600 said:
My cycle gear (Pleasanton) has always been good to me. That experience sounds completely unacceptable, however. Shit like that really pisses me off
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Totally with you 100% on all counts. OP you should contact the store manager, if all the manager can afford to pay is a bunch of asshole schmucks who think they are special then go over the manager's head too. Who was the pathetic smart ass leaning against the shelf? Lemme guess a friend of the manager or somebody's? The manager should find herself a job as a parking lot attendant in Oakland somewhere.
 
this is why i order my tires online. get a far better price.
shiped to my front door. and tire changer outside in the garage. can do at my leaser. :afm199

and tires show up within two days of ordering. :wow
 
Donelop said:
Not really but thanks. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of the misunderstanding. I've gone into that store five times this last year alone, brought my tires to the back counter, had the exact same guy say in the exact same tone "I hope you dont need to have those tires done by today." And it wasn't condescending or make me feel like I was being treated like an idiot. I would either say "Yes i do" or "No i dont" and if I said "yes I do" they'd recommend a cheaper place around the corner.
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:rofl So what exactly are you saying, that you recommend them? Lol:laughing Sounds like a bunch of kids Dunlop. I think I can build on that business model, yeah I know, i'll open a restaurant and sever shitty food with lousy attitude and ask the customer why trip? There is a cheaper place just around the corner and they use real bacon and eggs.:rofl
 
I can change your tire as well. there's a CG ( I know) about 5 minutes from my house, where you can get a new tire. I don't use 180s so I don't have any new ones. I have a 190/55 Q3 though, brand new. I PMd you.

btw, sorry to hear about your CG nightmare. FWIW, pleasanton usually does tires while you wait but I know that is far for you.
 
Call Kim at California Sport Touring next time you need a tire, or tire changing. Good people and they are close to you. Unfortunately they are closed on Sunday and Monday.

636 Alfred Nobel Drive, Hercules, CA 94547
(510) 741-3700
 
In my business customer service is a make or break dealio. I can certainly understand that having someone say, "I hope youre not expecting,blah blah blah.", when that person certainly knows you are expecting blah blah blah is a pretty poor effort at helping the customer through their experience, and as a manager I'd get pretty tired of cleaning up the mess. Pretty sure I've dealt with the same person at that store, but I still got my tire changed after they told me it wasn't going to happen quickly. They had it done about an hour ahead of their promised time too.

+1 on Kim and Cal Sport Touring
 
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i have a brand new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsas 180/55/17

PM me if u need it

i bought it to replace my tires, but its not urgent so i can order another set
 
hophead said:
:rofl So what exactly are you saying, that you recommend them? Lol:laughing Sounds like a bunch of kids Dunlop. I think I can build on that business model, yeah I know, i'll open a restaurant and sever shitty food with lousy attitude and ask the customer why trip? There is a cheaper place just around the corner and they use real bacon and eggs.:rofl
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Thanks for that. No, theres no indignant kids working there. Theyre actually long time employees that are well respected in the community. Ive seen the manager get run over by a customer before at bike night and shrug it off. These are good people and ill be asking them what happened later.
 
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I've personally have had good luck at Pacheco CG, and Allisia, the manager, knows me by name and has always done right by me.

Maybe when you have a chance to go back when they aren't so busy, have a chat with her, she's a very reasonable person.

That said, there are a few guys there that have less than stellar customer service skillz. The old guy with the gray beard (sorry, can't remember his name) knows his shit and does a damn good job with tire mounting/balancing.
 
OP must not have left a very big tip?

Seriously though, this is as good a reason any to relocate to the West Bay. Then you can get your tires mounted at MotoTireGuy. Easiest, best tire place, ever.
 
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I don't mean to seem old-fashioned, but can somebody please help me understand how it's acceptable in a retail / service situation to say to a customer / potential customer / anyone, "I hope you aren't expecting to get <expected service that the employee is responsible for> done today" ?


I could understand if you're the owner of your own shop and you're busy as shit with a line of customers and some dude shows up expecting to get in and out quickly, sure - but as an employee of a retail chain store? Best shut the fuck up, in my opinion.

Glad most of you have good experiences with your local CG, but (again, in my opinion) they went to shit back around 09.
 
SV650 said:
Regardless of OP's expectations, being greeted with "I hope you don't need to have those tires done by today." is not a very professional way to welcome a customer.
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Can't argue with that Rick. I agree it isn't professional. I wouldn't ever say that to someone unless the customer and I knew each other pretty well. But it might be how that particular person communicates. I've worked with plenty of people that like to get a reaction out of others for kicks. Not in a malicious way, just as a way to keep it light and fun at work.
 
Walking up to the tire changer guy with tires and him being straight up with you about an ETA before yoi put them down is totally acceptable.


So, op, do you remember the old guy explaining how, because of the holidays everyones working the storefront and theres no priority on tire changes?

Do you remember telling everyone at cyclegear to get back to work?

Do you remember telling everyone youre an active member of this community and you demand respect?

Do you remember other customers asking you to leave?
Do you remember amost fighting the other customers?

I knew it took being indignant for avissa not to help but dude, you made a spectacle out of what you deserve and you insulted the employees. No duh you didnt get what you wanted.
 
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