B&L Bike + Sports

To Whom It May Concern:

I’m writing to let you know how pleased I am with the new road bike (2008 Specialized Allez Elite) I purchased from the Solana Beach Store.  Additionally, I want to commend the efforts of one of your employees, Dan (sorry, I don’t know the last name, but he works on the sales floor).

My first experience with B&L was last week at the April 14th Triathlon 101 meeting.  Dan greeted me when I came in the store.  I must have looked a little nervous and timid since I don’t know much about bikes.  But Dan made me feel welcome, and immediately I felt comfortable as I waited for the meeting to start.

Even though I decided not to pursue getting involved in triathlons, I went back to B&L on April 19th to have a used bike checked out that I was considering for purchase.  Dan again helped me, and provided a fair and objective assessment of the used bike.  He did not give me a sales pitch for a new bike, and even said that the used one would probably work well as a first bike for me for a few years.  Dan also spent a considerable amount of time helping me select and fit cycling accessories like shoes, pedals, and a helmet.  He worked patiently with me, explaining things.  As a novice, I never once felt talked down to or like he was too busy to help me learn more about all this cycling stuff.

Ultimately, I decided not to buy the used bike, and made up my mind to dive in to cycling and get a new bike.  Trek Bicycle Superstore in Vista is about 10 minutes from my home.  But I have to tell you that they are very rude and arrogant.  They act like they are always too busy to help (even though many times there are personnel just standing or sitting around doing nothing).   Every time I walk into that store, I feel like a moron for asking questions because their body language communicates to me that they have to condescend to answer my “lame” questions. 

So ultimately, based on my experience working with Dan, I chose to drive to Solana Beach, which is about a 45-minute to an hour commute from my office downtown to choose a bike from your store.  And of course, I wanted Dan to help me.  My fitting appointment was at 4:30 PM on April 22nd, and Dan patiently finished helping me complete the purchase of the new bike and assorted accessories at 6:30 PM. 

Since my purchase only two days ago, Dan has helped me on the phone numerous times.  I seem to have a million questions that pop into my head.  His customer attentiveness and service are exemplary.

I can’t say that I won’t ever go to Trek again since it’s so close to my house.  But it would only be to throw them a few dollars here and there for assorted things.  As far as major purchases of bikes and such, I will keep my business with B&L in Solana Beach.

Thank you, and please extend my praises to Dan at the Solana Beach store.

Sincerely,
JoeBruin88

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 11:02 am and is filed under Cycling and Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.