Can anyone repair bikes?

Upselling is great, but there is a fine line, warns Sara Yirrell

Sara Yirrell: Having tact and consideration for the customer is a must

Upselling is a word that is bandied around the channel quite often, and it is a vital service to help keep cash flowing.

However I pity anyone who is a victim of the aggressive upselling I was party to in a bike shop last week.

I cycle to work every day and unfortunately things tend to go wrong. On this occasion a gear cable had frayed and needed replacing.

When trying to book in my bike, I was told that instead of just replacing the cable that costs about £4, I would have to have a ‘full gear service’ costing £35. (Update: It actually ended up costing me over £70! For a pushbike!)

Unfortunately this bike shop had me over a barrel because there was no other alternative and I needed the job doing. So I had to shell out and shut up.

That is the problem with being a captive audience – you have to pay through the nose or not have the service done at all. Hardly fair.

Just like the travel companies cashing in on the poor travellers trying to get home after the volcano eruption last month.

I still maintain that upselling is a great skill – but I think having some sort of tact and consideration for the paying customer is also a must.

Now if only I could find a reseller that does bike repairs.....