MEC vs LBS - A Firsthand Experience

when i ran a bike workshop, we used to go through pumps like nothing. too many junior staff, volunteers and kids man-handling them, there would always be a bin of them with ra tags waiting to be shipped out. so i bought a couple of those beto ones from mec (just up the street) and would get someone to ride over and return one as soon as it started conking out. we probably did that a dozen times before they got wise and cut us off, but it was a sweet 6 months! the kicker is they donated all of the returned pumps back to us the following year, spare parts galore. i still have one with a bent shaft that i'm using 5 years later

As a "member" of MEC, I say we should be able to vote to kick these douche bags out of the co-op.

He was only doing his job :D

He was only doing his job :D

I wore out three pairs of back country pants. About one pair a year. MEC said sorry bud thats your last free pair. So I bought a pair. I use em for riding but I commute by bike so they get alot of use!The seams give out at the crotch.
Dont some bike locks have life time replacement? Which is why some bike locks are expensive? If you commute in the rain the locks always wet! Just sayin……

I wore out three pairs of back country pants. About one pair a year. MEC said sorry bud thats your last free pair. So I bought a pair. I use em for riding but I commute by bike so they get alot of use!The seams give out at the crotch.
Dont some bike locks have life time replacement? Which is why some bike locks are expensive? If you commute in the rain the locks always wet! Just sayin……

If you ride in the rain, your chain is always wet too, and you lube that right?

Or do you just return it to MEC for a fresh one when it gets rusty?

If you ride in the rain, your chain is always wet too, and you lube that right?

Or do you just return it to MEC for a fresh one when it gets rusty?

That is the kicker. About 60% of the general public no longer can determine between wear and tear vs warranty. Spots like MEC and REI with their no questions hand over a new item "warranty" policy have skewed people's perspective. They generally are not handing over new items on "warranty" it's actually a customer satisfaction policy.

I am willing to bet someone out there had gotten a new chain or two out of them by saying they think it should have lasted longer and were not satisfied.

The product is relevant. Different product categories carry different warranty procedures. Every distributor and manufacture has different policies.

This thread is a bit of a straw man argument.

Would you have been equally happy with MEC's warranty if they told you that the Garmin would be fixed…but the part was on backorder? Or yes it would be replaced with a brand new one…but it was on backorder?

The pump is a serviceable item, the electronics is a non serviceable item. It's very common for electronics to be a direct replacement. The faulty item gets sent back to the manufacture gets refurbished and sold as a refurb.

Ok then, make it apples to apples. Have you seen the small parts MEC stock for bike stuff? Need a Sidi strap or heel pad, or new pump head - chances are they got it in-store. Go to LBS, and they will say 'they can bring it in' 9/10 times mostly because they made a business decision not to invest in inventory of this type.

While I agree with the LBS business decision to allow the distributor to carry the inventory costs, the result is that I can get it more quickly from sources like MEC or CRC. More importantly, my experience is that the LBS often forget to follow up on the scribble in their 'orders' book and I'm left having to chase them….

Ok then, make it apples to apples. Have you seen the small parts MEC stock for bike stuff? Need a Sidi strap or heel pad, or new pump head - chances are they got it in-store. Go to LBS, and they will say 'they can bring it in' 9/10 times mostly because they made a business decision not to invest in inventory of this type.

Big business vs small business. I don't see how it's apples to apples?

Ok then, make it apples to apples. Have you seen the small parts MEC stock for bike stuff? Need a Sidi strap or heel pad, or new pump head - chances are they got it in-store. Go to LBS, and they will say 'they can bring it in' 9/10 times mostly because they made a business decision not to invest in inventory of this type.

While I agree with the LBS business decision to allow the distributor to carry the inventory costs, the result is that I can get it more quickly from sources like MEC or CRC. More importantly, my experience is that the LBS often forget to follow up on the scribble in their 'orders' book and I'm left having to chase them….

Where's your god going to be when MEC doesn't have it on hand? What will they tell you then?

I know what they'll tell you. They'll tell you to go contact the official listed Canadian distributor and ask them for the part.

Really this thread is useless. Reality in the current retail landscape in Canada is you have independent retail on one hand and you have MEC on the other. It's not apples to apples no matter how you want to string it. It's WAY different playing fields. It's NHL vs Sunday Night Pond Hockey playing for the public's money.

Where's your god going to be when MEC doesn't have it on hand? What will they tell you then?

I know what they'll tell you. They'll tell you to go contact the official listed Canadian distributor and ask them for the part.

Really this thread is useless. Reality in the current retail landscape in Canada is you have independent retail on one hand and you have MEC on the other. It's not apples to apples no matter how you want to string it. It's WAY different playing fields. It's NHL vs Sunday Night Pond Hockey playing for the public's money.

Add in CRC, REI, and The Backcountry Empire into the mix as well

Ok then, make it apples to apples. Have you seen the small parts MEC stock for bike stuff? Need a Sidi strap or heel pad, or new pump head - chances are they got it in-store. Go to LBS, and they will say 'they can bring it in' 9/10 times mostly because they made a business decision not to invest in inventory of this type.

While I agree with the LBS business decision to allow the distributor to carry the inventory costs, the result is that I can get it more quickly from sources like MEC or CRC. More importantly, my experience is that the LBS often forget to follow up on the scribble in their 'orders' book and I'm left having to chase them….

so you are pretty much asking your lbs to stock at least 1 of every item in lambert or norco catalog

maybe you should go to road specialty shop for parts like sidi straps

so you are pretty much asking your lbs to stock at least 1 of every item in lambert or norco catalog

I dont think anyone expects this but theres gotta be a better solution to this "sorry, shop order day is Tuesday and its Wednesday today so youll have to wait another week before we order it" bullshit

How do car/van/truck repair businesses run? I see Lordco vans running around doing deliveries all the rime. You can bet theyve got a better solution than the one the distributors/lbs foist on us….

I dont think anyone expects this but theres gotta be a better solution to this "sorry, shop order day is Tuesday and its Wednesday today so youll have to wait another week before we order it" bullshit

How do car/van/truck repair businesses run? I see Lordco vans running around doing deliveries all the rime. You can bet theyve got a better solution than the one the distributors/lbs foist on us….

lordco has huge warehouse for inventory. All they have to do is to get one of their employee to drive out to warehouse in abbotsford and bring it to their store in few hours. Bike shops don't have a warehouse. I guess you can see lordco as like distributor with their own store. so it's different from bike shops… unless norco or lambert opened stores in lower mainland and run it like lordco; delivering parts/ order within few hours of receiving an order from a shop

lordco has huge warehouse for inventory. All they have to do is to get one of their employee to drive out to warehouse in abbotsford and bring it to their store in few hours. Bike shops don't have a warehouse. I guess you can see lordco as like distributor with their own store. so it's different from bike shops… unless norco or lambert opened stores in lower mainland and run it like lordco; delivering parts/ order within few hours of receiving an order from a shop

So JH Bikes is going to start offering next day parts service?