Cobia

It's amazing how much it takes to get a bike around here. Maybe I should specify. It's amazing how much effort it takes to get a 2008 Gary Fisher Cobia with a brake upgrade. Nobody around here seems to be able to hack it.

I had a quote from Trek of AF on a Cobia with a brake upgrade. They said they could do it for a reasonable price, but just to check it out, I gave Mad Dog Cycle of Orem a call. They had matched the price of a brake swap quote and threw in a year of service to sweeten the deal. I assumed that from that speedy response that their level of service was top-notch.

MDC said they had one in stock and brakes at another store. All I had to do was pick it up and they'd have it ready for me by Thursday.

Perfect.

Thursday rolls around and I go down to pick it up, but it wasn't ready. It was somewhere in the back of the store unbuilt. Nobody seemed to know what was going on. Nobody seemed to really care. "Come back tomorrow and we'll have it built."

Meaning: no bike on Thursday.

So, I came back Friday. I was a little put out by the day wait, but not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

When I arrived I noticed they'd already done the brake swap for me (without a down payment even). It was really ready to go—I decided to take it for a quick spin to make sure it was what I really wanted an to give it a good look over. Everything looked good; it rode well. At one point in my test ride, I stopped to really look it over.

I noticed there was a nice big dent in the top tube, hidden under the logo. When I brought it back and pointed it out to the sales guys, they tried to explain it off. It wasn't until we compared it to other Fisher bikes that they realized it had been damaged in shipping. "We'll need to claim a warranty return. We'll get another shipment from Trek (Fisher's parent company) and have it in for you — built and ready to go by Wednesday."

"No if, ands, or buts - built and ready to go by Wednesday?" I asked. "For certain," they responded.

Meaning: no bike on Thursday or Friday.

Alright, fine. I was a little put out by having the bike I'd finally settled on snatched out from under me, but I understand that these sort of things happen. And, based on their willingness to immediately match the brake upgrade quote from Trek of AF, I assumed the shenanigans were a bit of a fluke.

Wednesday dawns bright and clear. Excited to get my bike, I'd loaded up my carrier into my trunk and made arrangements to stop by after work that afternoon to pick it up. After not receiving the expected phone call during the day, I finally gave MDC a call later that afternoon to inquire after the Cobia. They said there was no sign of it. They'd received a shipment from Specialized but nothing from Trek. "But," they said, "it should be in Thursday.

All their promises to deliver on Wednesday - for sure - were for not.

Meaning: no bike on Thursday, Friday, or Wednesday.

I called again on Thursday and the kid who answered had no idea what I was talking about. Because nobody wears name tags in the store or gives their name when I call, I had no answer for the repeated question, "Who were you working with on this?"

He said they had no record of a warranty request and if he worked on it today they could have a bike to me by the next Tuesday.

At this point I went off on the kid. Why hasn't this been handled? I expected this a week ago. MDC initially attracted me with an impression of good customer service but have since dropped the ball every step of the way. How are you going to win my business back?

He retorted that they can't be held responsible for false expectations and that it wasn't their fault the bike was damaged in shipping.

I frankly don't care what the problem was - I just want the bike - not a bunch of half-baked promises and shoddy customer service. And if you can't get me the bike, as promised, hook me up with some sort of consolation prize. Tell me you really want my business and realize this has been a huge problem. Give me a case of Power Bars or a free cycling computer or tell me the brake upgrade is free. Don't give me your lame excuses - that's not how you win back a customer. I don't care who screwed up, just make it right.

He apologized for the inconvenience but said he owed me nothing. The bike would be in Tuesday.

Meaning: no bike from Mad Dog Cycles.

After that phone call I started combing both Salt Lake and Utah counties for other Fisher dealers. Most people I spoke with didn't have it in stock, responding to my inquiry that it was back ordered until July, or maybe August, or I'd have to wait for the '09 model to come out.

I had a couple of quotes in my inbox, the only two stores that actually had bikes in stock - neither of them could deliver the brake upgrade for another week. After a follow up call to Golsan Cycles in West Jordan, I finally found a shop who actually understood what I wanted: a bike. Now.

They kid over at Golsan said he'd be happy to have a bike ready for me by 3:30p that day (Friday) - but the brakes wouldn't be in for another week. But he understood that I wanted it for the weekend and was happy to swap out the brakes next week when they came in.

"Just bring the bike back and I'll put the new brakes on and you can keep the brake pads you used. Since the pads are interchangeable it's not a problem."

Finally, a bike company that understood my desire to finally get the stinkin' bike in my grubby little hands that weekend and was willing to make it happen, posthaste.

I picked it up at exactly 3:30p - and it was totally ready to go, as promised. Check out was rapid and they even installed a computer for free. No hassles, no problems, no trying to up-sell me.

Of course having the bike last Friday than this week means I have to go in and wait around for them to put new brakes on. But I don't mind. They got me what I wanted, when I wanted it, and acted like their efforts were not a problem. Quick, easy, affordable, and in-tune with the customer. That's what I'm talking about.



Update! The guys at MDC called to tell me my bike was ready. The conversation started out poorly with a "We don't have your bike ready....just kidding!" and went down hill from there. After I told them I'd already purchased a bike from another company the kid seemed pretty irritated.

Hello? Don't expect me to be loyal if you drop the ball and refuse to take responsibility!