Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
I read mechanics posting about rich, arrogant customers and I appreciate the honesty. Sadly, I can’t help but think that most shops essentially need demanding a-holes who will blow $10k on a bike. The economics of the industry almost require these clients.
It sucks for the shop when you’re hanging on such personalities. Part of me gets it when I roll in with a dope bike I built from parts off the internet and the shop staff are turned off. Doesn’t matter how considerate I am.
I will excuse this to a degree- but whose fault is this?
Let’s be honest, the pressure is on shops economically and that may make the relationship worse with the buying public.
If everyone who visits your shop must be sized up based on their perceived ability to drop coin on something new, your view of the public is skewed.
I think rather than blame lousy customers or rude mechanics for these probs, we might benefit from taking a step back to examine what is unsustainable about the industry. Two more cents...
10k bike sales almost never go through a mechanic, that's what salespeople are for. We'll end up doing the build but usually have little interaction with the customer. That group also has a tiny impact on the profitability of a shop, bread and butter stuff like normal tune-ups and selling hybrids is what keeps the lights on.