Do you buy from CRC?

Ouch, seems a little petty, no? You should fax them back 120 pages of your ass.

No. They faxed him info of every customer who has bought from Jensen.

If anything he should report their asses to the BBB

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It isn't the consumer that's killing the lbs, it's the bike industry. How can a small physical location expect to have stock of everything the consumer wants/needs when the industry is pushing 3 different wheel sizes, 5 different axle standards, 4 seatpost sizes, 2 bar sizes, 186 permutations of headset sizes, and who the hell knows how many different sizes of shock hardware?

I needed a headset to finish building up a new frame the other day. I phoned around 6 shops trying to get a hold of the size I needed. Every single shop said they'd be happy to order the part I needed, but that I was better off just ordering it online as they cannot possibly stock every headset size available. I've given up wanting the latest and greatest simply because it isn't worth the time and effort required to track down spares for when stuff breaks or goes wrong.

I certainly don't envy shops these days; booking sku's must be a nightmare trying to anticipate demand for the various size iterations. I suppose you've got to pick your battles [HTML_REMOVED] focus on your strengths (selling bikes [HTML_REMOVED] soft goods, and service), and concede parts sales to the online stores.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It isn't the consumer that's killing the lbs, it's the bike industry. How can a small physical location expect to have stock of everything the consumer wants/needs when the industry is pushing 3 different wheel sizes, 5 different axle standards, 4 seatpost sizes, 2 bar sizes, 186 permutations of headset sizes, and who the hell knows how many different sizes of shock hardware?

I agree … pretty much everything is a "specialty item" or "custom order". Anything that isn't too old or too new to have in stock is sold out.

No. They faxed him info of every customer who has bought from Jensen.

If anything he should report their asses to the BBB

this this this..

83 different headsets. Just saying.

NEXT-DAY DELIVERY

We guarantee next-day delivery to over 95% of IBDs across Canada. Rest assured, when you need a product quickly, you'll get it with Lambert

http://www.cycleslambert.com/sites/en/About/Enterprise%20Portal/About.aspx?WCMP=cl

yes, the catch is shipping costs are covered with a minimum order but you can't really expect LBS to order every day one part at a time for each customer who walks in.

[HTML_REMOVED]I'm slightly biased as they support the shore as well as my wife - shop local[HTML_REMOVED]

Woohoo … got a $48 PST refund. You can reference

Bulletin PST 204 (or whatever is most current)

"You do not charge your customer PST when you sell or install replacement parts specifically designed for non-motorized bicycles or qualifying non-motorizedtricycles, such as:
frame and fork sets,
handle bar stems, tape, rim tape, grips and end plugs,
wheels, tubes, tires and brake assemblies, seats, fenders and shock absorbers,
and
pedal, chain and gear, and chain guard assemblies"

You will need the shipper's manifest with the shipment number …

UPS are morons … I asked them 4 times to email me the manifest, you would think it would be a routine thing. It never came. I finally asked them to fax it to me. They sent me a 120 faxed pages of Jenson USA customer shipments to BC - names, addresses, everthing. Luckily mine was included in there. Should I go public with it?

Customs just billed me GST, PST, and Duty on my rims I picked up today

Yeah, that happened when I brought over a frame and fork. I asked the cashier why both taxes were applicable when bike parts are only GST'd. He said that's what he typed into the system, and I didn't expect him to know the exceptions. So hopefully my refund will be coming in.

Rims should be GST only. Duty only applies to fully built wheels and complete bikes, for whatever reason.

Customs just billed me GST, PST, and Duty on my rims I picked up today

so inconsistent. Nothing due when mine arrived, just a box in my hand. I wonder if it was a value thing since I only shipped in rim and, as a I recall, the value was grossly understated. Prolly said $50 or something.

Woohoo … got a $48 PST refund. You can reference

UPS… sent me a 120 faxed pages of Jenson USA customer shipments to BC

So you paid PST to Jenson, then got it refunded? I wonder if CBSA will actually claw that back from Jenson.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It isn't the consumer that's killing the lbs, it's the bike industry. How can a small physical location expect to have stock of everything the consumer wants/needs when the industry is pushing 3 different wheel sizes, 5 different axle standards, 4 seatpost sizes, 2 bar sizes, 186 permutations of headset sizes, and who the hell knows how many different sizes of shock hardware?

I needed a headset to finish building up a new frame the other day. I phoned around 6 shops trying to get a hold of the size I needed. Every single shop said they'd be happy to order the part I needed, but that I was better off just ordering it online as they cannot possibly stock every headset size available. I've given up wanting the latest and greatest simply because it isn't worth the time and effort required to track down spares for when stuff breaks or goes wrong.

More contributors to the death of the LBS: crap advice, worse attitude, and lack of diversification to adapt to the changing environment. I've known some people to be straight up intimidated by the LBS.

I cant count on one hand the number of times I've heard people say, 'I hate the local bike shop'. I've sworn I wouldn't go back. Lacking salesmanship and business acumen in a sales industry?! WTF. It never ceases to blow my mind.

I have a handful of instances. Seriously no sympathy from my side of the fence. I'm an old vet too. Do all my own work, luckily I like it.

Even yesterday I was fed some crap from a shop. Couldn't give two shits to understand my issue and support a solution. (destroyed bearing on a brand they supply). Couldn't be fuked to take a look. First thing in the AM, no customers in sight.

Then, a rare occurrence. A shop in whistler blew my mind how helpful they were. Had the parts I needed, loaned the tools, even helped with the job. Got me riding again. Fuc me I was stoked. I came back later to buy parts!

Flame away, these are my experiences. I have a business degree and have been working in a sales based industry for 12 years, so im no noob.

Yeah, that happened when I brought over a frame and fork. I asked the cashier why both taxes were applicable when bike parts are only GST'd. He said that's what he typed into the system, and I didn't expect him to know the exceptions. So hopefully my refund will be coming in.

Rims should be GST only. Duty only applies to fully built wheels and complete bikes, for whatever reason.

so inconsistent. Nothing due when mine arrived, just a box in my hand. I wonder if it was a value thing since I only shipped in rim and, as a I recall, the value was grossly understated. Prolly said $50 or something.

Customs invoice listed the rims under vehicle, so I should get a few bucks back.

I've found the customs hit or miss. In the long run it has worked in my favour, and even with the charges it is still cheaper. One time, however, I had a large order from CRC which included a couple of tires. CBSA opened a corner, by the looks of it, saw the tires only and applied the rubber products duty rate to the value of the whole order. Thankfully I got the difference back after sending in receipts. I'm currently waiting on another refund for an incorrectly assessed value. CRC declared the value in CAD, but the lovely CBSA converted it again with the GBP rate and so I paid about double in tax!

Customs just billed me GST, PST, and Duty on my rims I picked up today

Built wheels are subject to duty (not sure about PST). I think rims alone are only GST.