Swobo Adventures Pt 6 – Conclusion (Why I’ll Never buy Another Swobo Nor Another Bike from Wheelworks Ever Again)
I really love my Dixon.
My proportionally short legs makes it very difficult to find bicycles to fit. Any average bike that should fit an average 5′ 4″ person digs into my private parts when met with my below-average stand over (discounting ‘ladies frames’). I took months trying out bikes and reading frame specs: Specialized, Redline, Trek, Masi, Marin, Iro, Surly (ohgodsowantonethatfits),…nothing worked until I straddled a Swobo (that’s what she said. harharharsnorthar).
During this debacle I promised myself that I’d seek revenge: I’d write to consumer advocacy groups in both California and Massachusetts, Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General’s office for Swobo’s failure to honor the warranty, write to every bicycle review group, the whole 9 yards and then some. But now that the bike is back, all of that just sounds like, well, even more time to be wasted.
Total cost of SNAFU:
- Shipping of frame $28
- T pass for nearly two months = $100+
- Pain and suffering (as any good lawyer might suggest. Specifically: irretrievable time on MBTA, catching of swine flu from MBTA, loss of productivity/sick days)
So much of this experience could have been avoided if people could just communicate. Swobo to Ace, Ace to Swobo, Ace to me, Swobo to me. Since I’ve been a regular bicycle commuter, this was the single most unsatisfactory customer service experience I’ve received from any local bicycle shop. Ace is literally one block from my house, and it is Oh-So-Convenient for me to go and pick up parts when I need them. But I’m done.
Ace is not going to suffer from losing my business, and Swobo will care less about me not buying a Sanchez (in fact, I kind of care about not having a Sanchez. It’s such a nice bike.) But it is still a choice I have, and I choose to spend my money elsewhere, where I am treated as I treated my customers, once upon a time as a retail associate.
I’ll ride out the repair. If it proves to be solid, great. If the frame fails me again, then, oh, let the wrath begin. Oh and – I’ll probaby still Yelp.
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2-month Post-Repair Update:
Frame is going strong, new fender holding. Snow/salt/ice got nothing on me and my Dixon, dressed in its wintry studded rubber. I’ve not been to Ace once since this incident, and have gone out of my way to patronize other local bicycle shops (Paramount, ATA Cycle, Park Sales, Menotomy Vintage Bicycles. I can vouch for the awesomeness of all of these vendors with the exception of ATA Cycles, having only been there once. Broadway I respect, but I don’t love…but that’s another story.) I’m happy with this decision so far, and am enjoying riding more – by taking the bike further away.
