The Legend of Atalie: Bike Saga (seriously, I encountered evil villains and everything)

As some of you know, Patrick and I were bike shopping for me over the last month, in an effort to replace my rusty bike from middle school. We were at Target about 3 weeks ago, and found a nice bike that would meet all my needs. It was about $200 with the tax included, but we decided that was reasonable if we expected to have a bike that would last a while.

So when we say "a while," we're thinking 1o years or so like my last bike. But apparently Schwinn means about 10 hours, because while adjusting the dérailleur after bringing it home, a part broke. It was a a stupid plastic washer that served as a spacer, and it busted into pieces that flew all over the room. Needless to say, we were very annoyed.

We figured we could probably replace the part on our own, but having owned it for only about 10 hours, we didn't want to void the warranty by fixing it ourselves, or have to spend the time and money repairing the part; hence, we returned it to Target the next day after work.

I still wanted to keep the bike, so the girl at the service counter told us they would call the repairman the next day, and within 3-7 days (usually closer to 3, she said) Target would call me to let me know when it was repaired. I handed her the plastic pieces we were able to find and told her what had happened, but it didn't look like she wrote much down on the service ticket.

Four days later, I called to ask about the status of my bike. After being transferred back to the store operator about 3 or 4 times because I had been on hold for a long time in the sporting goods section, I finally was told that the repairman hadn't been in that week, and still wouldn't be in until the following week. They kept me on hold longer to check for a replacement bike, but they had already sold the next one put out on the floor.

I waited another 4 or 5 days, until after they said the repairman would come in. This time, the customer service person that answered my call forgot about me, so after waiting a solid 5 minutes or so, they finally remembered me and I was on my 10 minute hold & transfer journey in the phone system before I was told that the repairman had come and not repaired my bike because he didn't have the part with him. He was coming back Friday so he said I should call them to check on the status then. (umm, what happened to them calling me???)

Patrick and I were annoyed to begin with about the $200 bike breaking the day I bought it, but our agitation was growing. Maybe we should have just fixed it ourselves. So, in the meantime, we decided to take a look at bike shops, since we hear the service, expertise, and quality of bikes is a lot better there. We tried not to have heart attacks when we saw that the inexpensive bikes were in the mid-$300 range. However, since Target was being slow, it was giving us time to appreciate what you would get for your money, after talking to the employees and test driving some.

Friday came, and I got to know the operator after being transferred back to him 5 times or so after being on timed out holds in the sporting goods section again while they figured out what was going on with my bike. I finally was put on the phone with a manager, who then said to me, "Well, what's wrong with the bike? The notes on this ticket are pretty vague."

What??? I wanted to scream, "WHY WOULDN'T YOU CALL ME AND ASK ME THAT 2 WEEKS AGO- MY NUMBER IS ON THAT TICKET!!!!" But instead I civilly said, "I told the girl at the service counter what happened and asked her if she'd like to write it down. I handed her the broken part," and proceeded to recite the story for him.

After looking for replacement parts on other bikes (none there) and looking for another bike to replace mine (oops- sold that one too), he offered to give me the newer model that just came in, if I liked it. I went in the next day, and unfortunately I didn't care for it as much. Which meant I had to wait another week for the repairman to come in.

One week later (this past Friday): Luckily I didn't have to wait on hold as much, but was the news good? Did the bike finally get repaired??? Of course not. "There's a lot of bikes back here. The repairman came in, but I'm not sure if any got fixed," says the guy on the phone. (the repairman came but didn't fix anything- huh?) "The best I can do is give the emphatic message that your bike needs to be repaired because you've been waiting so long." (THAT'S ALL ANYBODY HAS DONE SO FAR AND ITS GOTTEN ME NOTHING!)

I told him never mind, that I was coming to pick it up that night to fix it myself. Patrick and I brought our friend Derek with us (kinda a bike expert) to ask him if it was easy to fix and when it was fixed, if the bike was worth the money we paid. Luckily we brought him because he said it was definitely messed up as was, and I could get more for my money most likely.

So after 3 weeks of nothing to show for but an unhappy disposition and loss of respect for a store we have always loved, I returned the bike. The next day we went to retest the bikes at the shops we looked at. I settled on a bike that ended up being $400 with tax, but we were helped by an employee right away, they threw in a free bell and water bottle cage, and the mechanic looked at it before I took it out of the store. Saga complete.

Sorry for the giant story, but this was a venting opportunity for me. I am so irked at them, and hopefully I maintain my anger long enough that I can give corporate a piece of my mind. I love Target, so I really hope they write me an apology letter created w/ inspiration from a heavenly muse (and maybe send a gift card or something) because I'd like to think that I'd be respected for the business and loyalty I've shown them!

Anyway, here's me with my new ride! It's pretty sweet- a wide, cushy seat, higher handlebars so I can sit up straighter, and the skinny tires for a less resistant ride on pavement. Plus it's just cute! :)