Hey I just wanted to respond to an issue that was posted a few days ago on this site and several others. My name is Winn Flythe and my father owns Flythe Cyclery. I have worked there almost 10 years. If you don't know who we are, we are a family run bicycle business located in downtown Raleigh. This is our 60th year in business under the Flythe name.

We sold a Trek 3900 Mountain bike to WaterGuy, or better known as Taylor Holland who works in the admissions department at NCSU, a few months ago. He came in, like alot of my customers and said he wanted a bike. When beginners come in, I always start at the bottom of the line and work up and try to get a feel for what level of bike they want. Some stores will start at the most expensive and work down. After talking to him for a good while, he decided on the Trek 3900 for under $300. He took the bike out and test rode it and then decided that he wanted to put it on layaway. He then brought in his older 10+ year old bike to have a Tune-up done on it. We did the tune up and even left the sentimental dirt on the frame that he was so fond of-Yep he wanted the mud left on the bike.

He continued to come in weekly or every other week to add accessories and to just "look" at his new bike and to chit chat. After putting the bike on layaway for about 2 months he came to pick it up.

He came back in saying that the suspension fork was making a clanking noise. This was a new issue on this bike. So I asked him to leave it with us. We called Trek and they had not had any problems with this fork on this bike. We also called the fork supplier and talked to them. They also said that they had not had any problems or complaints with the fork. The fork supplier suggested that we make some adjustments to the suspension fork and we did. Taylor Holland was still not happy, so we called the suspension fork company and they agreed to send us a new upgraded fork.

Taylor Holland(waterguy) was still not happy even after we put a new up graded fork on his bike because it made a noise.

To sum all this up:
1)This bike is not a jumping bike
2)You need to spend $500-600 for a better bike
3)The fork makes noise - BIG DEAL $1000 bikes will also make noise.
4)The fork did not go bad it just made a noise
5)My mechanic had to jump the bike 2-3 feet off the ground to get this noise.
6)We have sold hundreds of this model with no complaints
7)Trek has sold thousands of this model with no complaints
8)Why is Taylor Holland the only one having these problems with his fork and with the second fork installed on his bike?
9)I noticed he said the bike was in our possession more than his - Taylor are you including the 2 MONTHS you had the bike on layaway?
10)He just wanted his money back because we fixed his old one so well!
11)Taylors old bike did not have suspension , so what are you comparing this bike too.
12)60 years of service and he is the first customer to go to this extreme.
13)He had every chance to ride this bike as much as he wanted at the store.
14)He had every chance to ask questions about the bike.
15)Some people you just cant make happy.
16)I just got in a new 2007 Trek 3900 mountain bike with the same front suspension fork as the 2006 that Taylor Holland bought – who would have guessed!!!!!!


Oh Taylor - if this is your way of trying to ruin our reputation- Did you ever stop and think how this is making you look. No bike shop anywhere will want to help you because this is what you might do to them.

Last of all If your going to let one person make up your mind about Flythe Cyclery - YOU Will be missing out on a fun friendly bike shop. Thanks for all your support and comment form this site and others.
Thanks for reading this!!!!!
Winn Flythe

5/12/2006 11:47:43 AM

OK

5/12/2006 11:52:42 AM

ha, words.

Its kind of a moot point if you read the other thread, and therefore uneccesary to go 'to the extreme' to defend your fathers business. Not to mention this presumptious statement:

Quote :

"No bike shop anywhere will want to help you because this is what you might do to them."

On a different note, it is a nice shop. I wish you carried a few more components (i.e. rear suspension shocks), and I'm not the biggest fan of Treks.

5/12/2006 11:57:57 AM

pwnt

5/12/2006 12:01:58 PM

"THE" "REAL" "TRUTH",,,,

5/12/2006 12:02:37 PM

Quote :

"the customer is always right"

your post seems very trite and childish. it's a damn $300 bike, you could have taken his bike and given him a new one.

Customer service is the biggest differentiator in businesses for me. This post alone will lead me to never shop at flythe cyclery.

[Edited on May 12, 2006 at 12:17 PM. Reason : .]

5/12/2006 12:16:47 PM

^


and

Quote :

"Trek 3900 Mountain bike"

Quote :

"1)This bike is not a jumping bike"

did i miss something here?

5/12/2006 12:21:42 PM

everytime i think of bike shops

i think of the pee wee herman movie

i can't say i've ever been into one in my life

5/12/2006 12:23:45 PM

TO THE BASEMENT OF THE ALAMO!

5/12/2006 12:24:56 PM

Usually, in cases such as this, I've found that the customer is a freaking idiot. Unfortunately if that's the case it's quite difficult to reason with them.

If you've ever worked in computer repair...then you DEFINITELY know this to be true.

5/12/2006 12:26:37 PM

KNITTING

AND

KNITTING

AND

KNITTING

AND

KNITTING

AND

KNITTING

5/12/2006 12:29:06 PM

this is a really bitter post.

5/12/2006 12:30:55 PM

Quote :

"Customer service is the biggest differentiator in businesses for me. This post alone will lead me to never shop at flythe cyclery"

5/12/2006 12:39:45 PM

seriously, what kind of business fires back on an intarweb message board. just let your customer service and goods speak for themselves. i hope ur dad kicks you in the nutz if/when he reads this.

5/12/2006 12:42:26 PM

MY DAD

HE TOTALLY OWNS A DEALERSHIP

5/12/2006 12:45:40 PM

While I understand the need to defend your business, the simple fact that you were willing to go out and get a TWW account to call a guy out is really petty.

5/12/2006 12:53:22 PM

It's noone's business that he put it on layaway or for how long. I would never do business with your father's business knowing that you would come to the internet to fire back at someone who had personal business issues with you. How about telling us how he paid, his credit card numbers (if he used one) and what kind of car he drives since you like to tell the internet and all it's users your personal business information. That is no way to do business.

5/12/2006 12:58:01 PM

I agree, absolutely no need to do this.

No one here questioned the legitimacy of your shop from his complaint, or thought it was Flythe's fault or responsibility.

I'll still shop there, because this is the owner's SON, not the owner. I garauntee you the owner wouldn't have done this, didn't condone this post, and would probably be pissed at bikeman if he knew this was even here.

This is also a personal retort, which should be against the rules of this messageboard.

5/12/2006 1:10:13 PM

SCROTUMS. YOU ARE ALL SCROTUMS.

Or would plural be "scroti" ?

5/12/2006 1:10:33 PM

i wouldnt have gone so far as to make personal attacks on your customer.


explaining your position, what you did to make him happy, and what his options are now would have been much more effective in saving your face

5/12/2006 1:16:11 PM

Yeah dude...went a little too far. I would have stopped right before you made that list. That would have been enough. And also I wouldn't have used the guys real name or said where he works...that's too personal and I would be pissed as hell if you did that to me.

Good thing I already shop at Allstar in Cary.

5/12/2006 1:34:42 PM

This thread sucks. I think you actually did more harm then good with this thread. Now that I know how much the business sucks, as well as the level of douchebaggery that the owners are on, I will not ever think about shopping there. Grow up dude.

5/12/2006 1:37:22 PM

Eh, I agree with bikeman.

5/12/2006 1:41:39 PM

Where's the other thread?

p.s. - that store sucks

5/12/2006 1:41:52 PM

http://www.brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=407724

5/12/2006 1:54:32 PM

Quote :

"» FLYTHE CYCLERY THE REAL TRUTH"

OH SHIT WE DONE GOT DA SCOOP

5/12/2006 1:55:39 PM

That is very unethical for someone representing a business to call one of their paying customers out by their first and last name, I will never do business with these people and I will discourage other people to go there as well.

[Edited on May 12, 2006 at 1:58 PM. Reason : .]

5/12/2006 1:57:54 PM

who the fuck puts something under $300 on layaway, and have to wait 2 months to pay it off?

5/12/2006 2:00:25 PM

Quote :

"Sex : F"

it's okay guys, it's a woman who posted this

5/12/2006 2:04:54 PM

I would have to take bikeman's side on this. You publicly bash my business online I would call you out too.

As for waterguy I will repost what i put in the other thread:

If you look at any reviews on this bike you will see it is a good beginner bike for light trails and a common trend is the cheap shocks.

So when you were unsatisfied with the shocks, they did all they were required to do. Replace the cheap shocks with the same new cheap shocks.

Your not getting any free upgrades out of this and complaining won't make your bike any better than the beginner bike it is. You don't like the shock on the front... Upgrade it.

[Edited on May 12, 2006 at 2:34 PM. Reason : I failed TWW's Enlish 101 ]

5/12/2006 2:11:40 PM

I got a bike at walkart and it works fine.

5/12/2006 2:25:07 PM

YOU BASH MY PUBLICLY BUSINESS ONLINE!

5/12/2006 2:26:01 PM

DJ LIZARD IS COME AND KILL US ALL

5/12/2006 2:29:25 PM

i like how it was really professional

and then it went all CRAZY

basically started right about the listing of the "points"

5/12/2006 2:30:01 PM

Quote :

"I would have to take bikeman's side on this. You publicly bash my business online I would call you out too"

there are ways to defend your business w/out comming off like a douchebag

calling the guy out by first / last name, where he works and how he paid is just poor, piss poor business sense. you have a lot to learn about the business world and to be in your 30s and acting like this reflects poorly on you, the business and your dad

5/12/2006 2:41:03 PM

yeah, i kinda agree with bikeman.

the dude came on here trying to mess with their reputation when it sounds like he was the one living in la la land, and as you all know, alot of students read this message board. it's not unrealistic to think that his post could've hurt their business. I don't see the big deal and bikeman's post definitely shed some light on what really happened (not that we didn't already know)

5/12/2006 2:41:11 PM

Quote :

"This thread sucks. I think you actually did more harm then good with this thread. Now that I know how much the business sucks, as well as the level of douchebaggery that the owners are on, I will not ever think about shopping there. Grow up dude."

[Edited on May 12, 2006 at 3:08 PM. Reason : .]

5/12/2006 3:01:10 PM

Quote :

"who the fuck puts something under $300 on layaway, and have to wait 2 months to pay it off?"

5/12/2006 3:10:53 PM

Quote :

"I don't see the big deal "

the big deal is the attitude:

clearly, waterdude didnt know anything about the bike and thought 300 was a lot for one
he should have done his homework before making the purchase

bikeman has a right to defend the family business but you can defend your business w/out acting childish and lashing out by posting his place of work, name and how he paid for it.

that info had no bearing on the subject and gives me the impression that flythe cyclery doesnt care about their customers

5/12/2006 3:17:50 PM

^I agree that they shouldn't have posted his name

5/12/2006 3:26:27 PM

I agree with bikeman in principle about how the situation was handled.

I definitely don't like the way he publicly attacked Waterguy. That was simply classless, for all of the reasons already mentioned.

5/12/2006 3:31:59 PM

hahahahahahahahahahaha

THE REAL TRUTH

5/12/2006 3:32:48 PM

I would definitely call the BBB if I were WaterGuy. I wouldn't let someone post personal information about me in a public place that I haven't already disclosed myself and get away with it.

5/12/2006 3:36:51 PM

omg, cyberstalking
someone call paul cousins

5/12/2006 3:38:01 PM

STOP THE INSANITY

Please, think of the children.

5/12/2006 3:49:03 PM

wow, i had been siding with Flythe until this point... The mere fact that bikeman did all this is all the proof I need that they are shady and probably were acting like dicks to waterguy

5/12/2006 4:09:14 PM

Quote :

"bikeman has a right to defend the family business but you can defend your business w/out acting childish and lashing out by posting his place of work, name and how he paid for it."

or making a new thread...where is leg?

5/12/2006 4:10:31 PM

And here i was going to go there to see if i could replace a piece of my brake system that broke, regardless of the other thread.

However, I think your post just killed it for me. I don't feel like a bike shop finding out where I post online, registering, then proceeding to give my real name, how I pay for things, and all other sorts of buisness information about me online. Especially not when it's the owner's son who feels it's his right to go around doing such things, and the owner apparently didnt have the sense to teach him not to do such things.

If you've really done great buisness under your own name as you claim, you wouldnt need to go calling individual customers out, much less handle their information in such a completely irresponsible manner - your good name would get you through 1 bad egg of a customer if you had any reputation to speak of.

That said, if that's your level of information privacy, I think I'll be going elsewhere, and I'll be recommending such to others.
^^^^^ for once I agree with you bethaleigh. But that's gotta be WaterGuy's call.

[Edited on May 12, 2006 at 4:14 PM. Reason : .]

5/12/2006 4:14:36 PM

someone should print this out and mail/take it over there.

5/12/2006 4:17:11 PM

words
in on first page
who puts a $300 bike on lay away?

5/12/2006 4:22:36 PM