Do LBS's get mad when you bring in a fork you bought online...

Install it yourself. It's really not that hard to install a front fork on your bike.

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come on…i'll even do it for a 6-pack

Install it yourself. It's really not that hard to install a front fork on your bike.

Installing a rear fork is much trickier.

Shouldn't be a problem. Just don't expect a deal on the labour. At full labour price, I will take the time to explain how to use the fork properly. Most of the time, the customer has no clue.

Labour dollars are almost as important as sales dollars. It creates return customers more often, even if the profit dollars are less. I'm ok with that because 99% of the time, the customer will also end up buying parts from my shop and/or see the value in the knowledge that I can provide.
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this

come on…i'll even do it for a 6-pack

Seriously? You likey the Stella Artois?
:)

The reason I am not really into doing it myself is my lack of tools and fear of damaging the fork's crown etc. Oh, and I'm a moron. Haha.

Anyway, I think I'll get a Pike Uturn (coil) and I'll need a 20mm hub so I might as well get my favorite LBS dudes to build me a custom wheel while I'm at it. They probably wouldn't mind installing the fork for me for a reasonable fee.

They'd be huge douchebags and never worth spending a dime there. Making you wait, fine. Turning away business…FUCK THAT. It pays to shop around when it comes to bike shops. Some are so douchey to new customers…

A shop doesn't have to be douchey to politely turn away people from the end of the queue when it's already longer than they can handle.

A shop doesn't have to be douchey to politely turn away people from the end of the queue when it's already longer than they can handle.

A shop can politely tell me that'll take a week or two but to turn me away, I'd never set foot in the place again. Any business who did that doesn't deserve to survive.

…why don't you just ask the shop if they can get close on the price? After shipping and install hassle, they can probably make it worth your while. And, even if they can't do it, they shouldn't take you asking personally.

but to turn me away, I'd never set foot in the place again

Well, if they said that, then chances are that's the idea… but no shop I've ever heard of would ever decline to work on someone's bike because they bought stuff online.

…why don't you just ask the shop if they can get close on the price? After shipping and install hassle, they can probably make it worth your while. And, even if they can't do it, they shouldn't take you asking personally.

Exactly, no harm in asking. You never know, they may get the price to within a range that will make it not worth dealing with shipping/etc. Then again, $300 is a pretty large difference.

It's basically the same in the industry I work (motorcycle dealership). When people come in with tires they bought online and tell me how cheap they got them and we are too expensive, they pay hourly. If a good customer comes in who is loyal (even if he buy stuff elsewhere) just keep the price to yourself, don't diss the dealer… I don't mind doing a tire swap for $20. We don't have much say in how much a distributor sells to us for (I assume it's the same in the bike shops). I will never turn anyone away, but if someone who is a long time customer comes in for work and is going on a trip or somethign I will slip them in where I can. If some random off the street who bought all his parts online or from the states or "that guy that always pisses everyone off" comes in, he waits.

Just bring it in, ask for it to be installed on your bike. Expect to pay full labor rate and don't bitch about the price. No reason why they can't get it done in a timely manner.

Just bring it in, ask for it to be installed on your bike. Expect to pay full labor rate and don't bitch about the price. No reason why they can't get it done in a timely manner.

this is exactly it….I've never had a problem anywhere when I get stuff elsewhere, just don't make a scene and pay without bitching, easy concept!

or learn to do it yourself…

Beer makes everything better, don't hassle them, don't brag about prices.

I generally make sure I make the large purchases from my LBS, they don't usually squabble about having to install a couple of components I've purchased online if they know that next time I buy a complete new bike, I'll be buying it from them.

I guess it's a pretty simple concept after all.
8)

Thanks for your input. I'll probably just go talk to the guys at the LBS and get some quotes on a package deal (like wheels, fork, stem, handlebars). I'm sure they could cut me a deal that wouldn't be too far above what I'd end up paying if I bought the parts online and had them put them together. Plus there's karma and the back up service should anything go wrong with the fork.