lickton's gets no more business from me!

SMS

Tim McNamara wrote:

> I'm baffled by buying a lock ring by mail order and not just riding down
> to the LBS to get one. Unless you only have LBSes with worse customer
> service than Lickton's.

I'm sure that driving or riding or calling around looking for a shop
that has this item in stock would have cost him far more than $6 worth
of time, fuel, etc. OTOH, some on-line stores do offer very low-priced
shipping for items they can stick in a padded envelope which is nice of
them. They don't have to go to the post office to do this, their mail
carrier will pick them up.

> As a customer, of course, you certainly have the right to no longer do
> business with them if their service was unsatisfactory from your
> perspective.

I'll order more stuff from Lickton's to make up for Walter!

I've ordered Lone Peak stuff from them, as it's nearly impossible to
find locally. Lone Peak has one of the only trunk bags that doesn't use
funky velcro straps to hold it onto the rack. Lickton's charges $50 for
it, another on-line store charges $70 for it.

"http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.aspx?PART_NUM_SUB='3648-01'"
"http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/acc/bag/bag.html"

Another item I've found at Lickton's are the elusive Ciussi Elite VIP
Universal Cage Mount. He charges $7.95. Harris Cyclery charges $15.95
for the same item. It's a very unique item not found in any bicycle
shop, but that's quite a difference in mark-up!

"http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.aspx?PART_NUM_SUB='3242-00'"
"http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/accessories.html"

RicodJour

On Apr 21, 4:25 pm, walter <wamann...@gmail.com> wrote:
> i ordered a single campy lock-ring from lickton's. shipping was $6.
> alot, but whatever.
>
> receive the lock-ring a week or so later, strapped to the back of a
> turtle...and the envelope indicated shipping cost was an actual $0.82.
>
> i understand shipping has labour costs, material costs, etc. but a
> 631% markup is ludicrous, so wrote an unpleasant email to their
> customer-support address saying i thought it was ludicrous and that if
> they charge a premium for shipping, they should at least use some sort
> of premium class of expedited shipping (i.e., postal priority, fedex
> ground, ups). also told them that i'd share my experiences on the
> online forums i frequent. clearly not the best tack to take, but i was
> tired and grumpy after a +3hr ride as i hadnt eaten yet. but whatever.
>
> their reply was, ahem, perhaps even more unkind with a load of
> rationalization and justification. and further try to justify that
> because they need to subsidize the shipping costs on kryptonite locks.
>
> hmmm...lemme seee here: shipping a 20gram lockring...walk over to the
> bin, pick it out, stuff envelope, print out invoice/label, stick to
> envelop, print out postage, drop in mailbox. i do that all the time
> and it takes me a minute or two.
>
> clearly, these guys are running a crappy shop and in over their heads
> if they seriously believe a they can justify such a huge markup on the
> basis of time and materials. and this douchebag "curt" is a jackass
> who knows nothing at all about customer service.

Congratulations! You have succeeded in letting everyone know what a
putz you are. You write unpleasant emails complaining about a few
bucks, have a problem maintaining blood sugar levels, are entirely
clueless when it comes to business costs, don't know enough to ask
about shipping beforehand, and you take cheap shots at people on
Usenet. You should be very proud.

Go get a candy bar and shut up.

R

Bill Sornson

walter wrote:
> i ordered a single campy lock-ring from lickton's. shipping was $6.
> alot, but whatever.
>
> receive the lock-ring a week or so later, strapped to the back of a
> turtle...and the envelope indicated shipping cost was an actual $0.82.

My complaint with Lickton's was that they showed a DA Triple 9-speed Front
Derailleur on their website when I was building up my new carbon frame. I
ordered it and then started assembling other parts I needed. About TEN DAYS
LATER I get a call (from a "Junior Lickton"?) telling me that they don't
have the item, but I could choose a 10-speed DA FD instead for about $60
more. No apology for taking so long; no apology for showing a product as in
stock when in fact they not only didn't have it but couldn't/wouldn't order
it. (Said it was discontinued and increasingly hard to find.)

I cancelled the order, and in about 15 seconds found one at a better price
(IIRC) that took maybe 3-4 days to arrive.

So I say screw 'em. Can't imagine ever darkening their in-box again.

BS (truth)

Michael Press

In article <t5fq04ts44mg16piu8caknjebv9n26m2k8@4ax.com>,
Zoot Katz <zootkatz@operamail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:07:00 -0700 (PDT), frkrygow@gmail.com wrote:
>
> >On Apr 21, 8:13 pm, Tim McNamara <tim...@bitstream.net> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> I'm baffled by buying a lock ring by mail order and not just riding down
> >> to the LBS to get one. Unless you only have LBSes with worse customer
> >> service than Lickton's.
> >
> >Could be Walter has already gotten angry at all his local bike shops
> >because they're not working for free, either.
> >
> Posting private e-mail without the author's consent is a scummiest of
> stupid stunts to start with. In this his case piddling rant
> backfired.
>
> I liked the Subject: of Curt's response, "We love you, too, Walter."

Not the scummiest. Sorry to disagree. Modifying quoted material
and presenting it as the original is scummier.

--
Michael Press

Gooserider

"walter" <wamanning@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:624d2fdd-7898-441b-b3b5-06c1b3c7c12b@d45g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
>i ordered a single campy lock-ring from lickton's. shipping was $6.
> alot, but whatever.
>
> receive the lock-ring a week or so later, strapped to the back of a
> turtle...and the envelope indicated shipping cost was an actual $0.82.
>
> i understand shipping has labour costs, material costs, etc. but a
> 631% markup is ludicrous, so wrote an unpleasant email to their
> customer-support address saying i thought it was ludicrous and that if
> they charge a premium for shipping, they should at least use some sort
> of premium class of expedited shipping (i.e., postal priority, fedex
> ground, ups). also told them that i'd share my experiences on the
> online forums i frequent. clearly not the best tack to take, but i was
> tired and grumpy after a +3hr ride as i hadnt eaten yet. but whatever.
>
> their reply was, ahem, perhaps even more unkind with a load of
> rationalization and justification. and further try to justify that
> because they need to subsidize the shipping costs on kryptonite locks.
>
> hmmm...lemme seee here: shipping a 20gram lockring...walk over to the
> bin, pick it out, stuff envelope, print out invoice/label, stick to
> envelop, print out postage, drop in mailbox. i do that all the time
> and it takes me a minute or two.
>
> clearly, these guys are running a crappy shop and in over their heads
> if they seriously believe a they can justify such a huge markup on the
> basis of time and materials. and this douchebag "curt" is a jackass
> who knows nothing at all about customer service.
>
> walter


Walter, you're a douchebag. Lickton's is an excellent shop, had prices far
cheaper than Nashbar and Performance, and provided me with excellent
service. So you paid a bit for the shipping. How much did you save on the
part?

Michael Press

In article <R9mPj.2600$I55.2080@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net>,
SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:


[...]

>
> Another item I've found at Lickton's are the elusive Ciussi Elite VIP
> Universal Cage Mount. He charges $7.95. Harris Cyclery charges $15.95
> for the same item. It's a very unique item not found in any bicycle
^^^^^^^^^^^

I can't resist.

--
Michael Press

Fritz

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:25:38 -0700 (PDT), walter <wamanning@gmail.com>
wrote:

>i ordered a single campy lock-ring from lickton's. shipping was $6.
>alot, but whatever.
>
>receive the lock-ring a week or so later, strapped to the back of a
>turtle...and the envelope indicated shipping cost was an actual $0.82.
>
>i understand shipping has labour costs, material costs, etc. but a
>631% markup is ludicrous, so wrote an unpleasant email to their
>customer-support address saying i thought it was ludicrous and that if
>they charge a premium for shipping, they should at least use some sort
>of premium class of expedited shipping (i.e., postal priority, fedex
>ground, ups). also told them that i'd share my experiences on the
>online forums i frequent. clearly not the best tack to take, but i was
>tired and grumpy after a +3hr ride as i hadnt eaten yet. but whatever.
>
>their reply was, ahem, perhaps even more unkind with a load of
>rationalization and justification. and further try to justify that
>because they need to subsidize the shipping costs on kryptonite locks.
>
>hmmm...lemme seee here: shipping a 20gram lockring...walk over to the
>bin, pick it out, stuff envelope, print out invoice/label, stick to
>envelop, print out postage, drop in mailbox. i do that all the time
>and it takes me a minute or two.
>
>clearly, these guys are running a crappy shop and in over their heads
>if they seriously believe a they can justify such a huge markup on the
>basis of time and materials. and this douchebag "curt" is a jackass
>who knows nothing at all about customer service.
>
>walter
>
>-------- Original Message --------
>Subject: We love you, too, Walter.
>Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:46:04 -0500
>From: Robert Lickton <licktons@voyager.net>

Lickton's Rocks man.

I ordered some fenders for my bike and they not only shipped them FAST
they shipped them for a very reasonable rate. And the price of the
fenders were cheaper than anybody else! Great store!

I remember once I ordered some Decals for my Surly Pacer from another
well known online bike store (Alfred E. Bike) and I emailed them
before placing the order and asked if they would charge me half of the
shipping $6.00 because the order was so light and small. They
agreed with a smile. Another fine online store in my opinion. So
sometimes you have to ask.

Fritz

Bill Sornson

Michael Press wrote:
> In article <R9mPj.2600$I55.2080@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net>,
> SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> [...]

>> [...}

>> It's a very unique item not found in any bicycle
^^^^^^^^^^^

> I can't resist.

I'm with you on that one. (My father used to rant -- or maybe just vent a
bit -- on that old malt liquor ad calling it a "completely unique"
experience. Drilled into my pea brain.)

Bill "that and 'irregardless'" S.

Leo Lichtman

"Bill Sornson" wrote: (clip) that old malt liquor ad calling it a
"completely unique"
> experience (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In the same category: "In order to form a *more perfect* union."

A few of my favorites: "I have a friend of mine." "I own my own home."
"hot water heater,"

Jens Müller

ZBicyclist schrieb:
> Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
>> My goodness, do you go into a restaraunt and complain that they
>> shouldn't be charging $6 for a salad that has .50 worth of vegetables
>> or whatever in it? How is that different?
>
> One hopes the waitress is more attractive than Robert Lickton.
>
> Another example is medicine.
>
> Patient: "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
>
> Doctor: "Don't do that."
>
> That will cost you upwards of $50.

No, only 10 ¤. Maybe it costs social security the equivalent of $50, but
I doubt it.

ZBicyclist

Jens Müller wrote:
> ZBicyclist schrieb:
>> Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
>>> My goodness, do you go into a restaraunt and complain that they
>>> shouldn't be charging $6 for a salad that has .50 worth of
>>> vegetables or whatever in it? How is that different?
>>
>> One hopes the waitress is more attractive than Robert Lickton.
>>
>> Another example is medicine.
>>
>> Patient: "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
>>
>> Doctor: "Don't do that."
>>
>> That will cost you upwards of $50.
>
> No, only 10 ¤. Maybe it costs social security the equivalent of $50,
> but I doubt it.

At the rate the dollar is going, it may not be long before 10 ¤. IS $50.

When the Euro was first introduced, it was worth about 80 US cents. Now
it's worth $1.60


--
Mike Kruger
"You have to be careful if you are reckless." - Richard M. Daley

Tim McNamara

In article <677a8qF2nfnv9U1@mid.individual.net>,
Jens Müller <usenet-11-2007@tessarakt.de> wrote:

> ZBicyclist schrieb:
> > Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
> >> My goodness, do you go into a restaraunt and complain that they
> >> shouldn't be charging $6 for a salad that has .50 worth of
> >> vegetables or whatever in it? How is that different?
> >
> > One hopes the waitress is more attractive than Robert Lickton.
> >
> > Another example is medicine.
> >
> > Patient: "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
> >
> > Doctor: "Don't do that."
> >
> > That will cost you upwards of $50.
>
> No, only 10 ¤. Maybe it costs social security the equivalent of $50,
> but I doubt it.

Ah, but you (assuming your .de address means that you are in Germany)
are much more likely to have a rational health care system than we have
in the US. Here's that'd be $50 if you have insurance, $150 if you
don't.

Tim McNamara

In article <GCvPj.87$To6.9@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net>,
"ZBicyclist" <ZBicyclist@excite.com> wrote:

> Jens Müller wrote:
> > ZBicyclist schrieb:
> >> Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
> >>> My goodness, do you go into a restaraunt and complain that they
> >>> shouldn't be charging $6 for a salad that has .50 worth of
> >>> vegetables or whatever in it? How is that different?
> >>
> >> One hopes the waitress is more attractive than Robert Lickton.
> >>
> >>
> >> Another example is medicine.
> >>
> >> Patient: "Doc, it hurts when I do this."
> >>
> >> Doctor: "Don't do that."
> >>
> >> That will cost you upwards of $50.
> >
> > No, only 10 ¤. Maybe it costs social security the equivalent of
> > $50, but I doubt it.
>
> At the rate the dollar is going, it may not be long before 10 ¤. IS
> $50.
>
> When the Euro was first introduced, it was worth about 80 US cents.
> Now it's worth $1.60

When I was in France the first time (2002), the Euro was worth US$0.98
to US$1.01. This made it just incredibly convenient to understand
prices in terms I was familiar with. When I went in 2003, I think the
Euro was worth about US$1.20 or so, which still wasn't bad to calculate
but was disadvantageous as a tourist. Now I basically can't afford to
go back to Europe for a cycling vacation as my costs would be so much
higher.

Tim McNamara

In article <R9mPj.2600$I55.2080@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net>,
SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> Tim McNamara wrote:
>
> > I'm baffled by buying a lock ring by mail order and not just riding
> > down to the LBS to get one. Unless you only have LBSes with worse
> > customer service than Lickton's.
>
> I'm sure that driving or riding or calling around looking for a shop
> that has this item in stock would have cost him far more than $6
> worth of time, fuel, etc. OTOH, some on-line stores do offer very
> low-priced shipping for items they can stick in a padded envelope
> which is nice of them. They don't have to go to the post office to do
> this, their mail carrier will pick them up.
>
> > As a customer, of course, you certainly have the right to no longer
> > do business with them if their service was unsatisfactory from your
> > perspective.
>
> I'll order more stuff from Lickton's to make up for Walter!

I've bought things in person and by mail order from Lickton's and have
always gotten a good deal and generally the customer service has been
good. I have usually dealt with Robin rather than Bob.