As you know, I've moved out of my host family's house. The Cohort of Missioners is giving a house of their own a go. Right now, that means Guissell and me, but Mark will probably join us again in July, and there's a new missionary coming whom Guissell knows from Costa Rica who will live with us as well. Since I no longer live with Dona Idalia, I figured I should get my own bike. Guissell and I have been going to the market almost every day to buy things we need for the house. Tuesday we went together, and I was going to pick out a bike.
Instead of going to the bike section of the market, I stopped in a distributor's shop just to look quickly before making our way to the bike section. Well, I got pulled in. When I expressed doubt about the bike the salesman showed me and said I was going to go to the bike section, he insisted that they were a distributor and any bike I bought over there from the shops would have come from them. I got him to throw in mudflaps and a good greasing, all for the price of about $84. A little on the high end, but normal from what I'd already quoted.
I should have asked more questions.
When the salesman showed it to me, the bike didn't have pedals, a seat, or the mudflaps. I didn't see what models they were going to put on. I just handed over my money and trusted I would like it. Wrong. And after I tried the bike, the gears weren't working right. Considering it was a new bike, I was quite upset at all the problems. And from the feeling of the bike, I'm just going to continue to have problems because they used cheap parts. After I sent the bike back to the shop 3 times, the head mechanic finally discovered that the gear shifter had a manufacturing error. By this time, we had been at this store for over an hour. When I asked if I could just return the bike because I wasn't happy with it, the salesman said it had already been greased, and they'd written it up, so I couldn't return it.
When my friend Roberto saw the bike, he did not approve. The gear sprocket was loose. The tires were not aligned. The pedals were not new, or if they were, they were not in good shape. Things I had known, but was out of patience to deal with at the store because I wasn't getting the results I wanted. Roberto told me he had a friend in the bike section, and he would go with me the next day to get it fixed.
When Guissell asked me how the bike stuff went on Wednesday, we were in the car with my host brother Albert. After hearing my tale of woe about the bike (I was very frustrated, especially knowing that I had gone against my better judgement on several points), Albert wanted to see the bike. He also confirmed that I should have been able to return the bike that same day, especially since I had a receipt. When Albert looked at the bike, he thought that the rear axle was bad, and that's why my bike was making a clicking noise with every revolution. He told me to take it back to the store and demand that they fix or change it for me. I asked him to go with me, and we made a plan.
So yesterday, third day in a row, I showed up at the market with this bike. Albert got them to look at the rear axle, and they did something to it. It felt much better when I tried it out, and really, I didn't want to be there any more.
What did I learn? Lots.
1) Don't try to be so independent. I could have asked Roberto or Albert to go with me when buying the bike originally. Guissell knows less about bikes than I do, and not much about negotiating in a market, either. If I'd asked someone knowledgeable and trustworthy, I could have saved myself some frustration as well as some money. My reasons for going alone were partly pride, partly self-assurance that I can live here alone, partly sheepishness and not wanting to impose on someone else. Bottom line is that they were bad reasons. Lesson: Bring a guide.
2) It's better to go to the section of the market that specializes in that item instead of going to a general distributor. When I got the bike, it was always being worked on out of my sight. I have no idea what the mechanics did. Nor did I see what types of pedals, seats, and mudflaps they had available to specify what I wanted. If I'd gone to a bike shop specifically, I would have seen it all. The salesman actually told me it was better for me not to go to the shop even though I wanted to. Lesson: See it firsthand.
3) If I have a receipt, it's definitely within my rights to return the item, no matter what the salesman tells me. I could have gotten a police officer involved. Here's where a guide would have been helpful as well. Albert or Roberto knew that I should have been able to return the bike the same day. The problem was that I didn't know the policies for return, being in a foreign setting. Lesson: Know your rights.
4) Finally, I feel bad because I ignored some of my instincts. I let myself be pushed around, and I didn't insist for what I wanted. Saying no is always hard for me, especially in pressure situations, but I should have told that salesman "no." Lesson: Go with your gut.
Those are the main things. I'm thankful that it was only a purchase of $80 instead of $800. It could have been worse. And to be fair, I probably shouldn't expect a really good bike for only $80. When I had a Costco bike in Canada, I knew that it wasn't the greatest quality. Same thing here. Even though there aren't many bikes for thousands of dollars here, that doesn't mean the quality is any better than getting any old bike in North America. And now I know how to do things better in the future.
I'm very thankful for this bike. Even if it is not ideal, it will serve me well. I've already been bopping all over town on it. Goodbye, taxis!
No comments:
Post a Comment