I’ve spent enough time lately on my virtual soapbox; it’s time for a success story.
If you’ve been reading my blog much, you know that I’m getting ready to participate in a big biking event in Massachusetts. Logistically, the only part that has the potential to get a bit convoluted is getting my bike there. I had considered driving and hauling my bike myself, but I have a decided aversion to prolonged road trips. The alternative is to fly there, but that means shipping my bike–and then doing the same in reverse after the event.
Last year, I did all the preparatory gymnastics myself. I took the bike to my local bike shop (Summit City Bicycles in Fort Wayne–they always do a GREAT job and are super helpful), where they packed it up and sent it to the friend with whom I was going to stay. Upon my arrival, we waited on pins and needles for UPS to deliver the bike–I had cut it kind of close–and when it came, we loaded the box straight into Sally’s Jeep and headed to her bike shop. They put the bike together for me and had it ready the next day, just in time for the big ride.
In the meantime, I had searched the internet and found a bike shop in Provincetown, where the ride concludes. I called them and made arrangements to ship my bike home, but that meant hanging onto the bike during the after-party and then walking it through the streets of P-town to the shop where I dropped it off. All in all, it wasn’t really too hard, but my novice self was always concerned that I had covered all the details.
This year, the logistics got even easier: I found Landry’s Bicycles.
As one of the PMC sponsors, Landry’s already provides tons of services to this event. This company donates bike mechanics and road support throughout the 190-mile route to keep everyone pedaling. This year (I may have missed it last year), it also offers reasonably priced–and more importantly, SIMPLE–shipping services for PMC riders. It took me a couple of paragraphs above to describe last year’s logistics, which weren’t super complicated, but here’s the outline for this year:
- Fill out a very simple form online and arrange payment. (Remember, I said this was VERY reasonably priced. Cheaper than doing it myself.)
- Ship my bike from Summit City to Landry’s.
- Pick up my bike at check-in for the PMC, delivered and put together.
- Leave my bike at the transport truck located at the event finish.
- Pick up my bike at Summit City.
Landry’s, who knows this stuff better than I do, takes care of all the details. I don’t have to figure out how to haul my bike around once I get to Massachusetts. I don’t have to figure out who will put it together for me or who will ship it home. I don’t have to take it anywhere–I pick it up and leave it at the event itself. All I have to do is ride.
If I decide to do the PMC again next year, you can bet I’m calling Landry’s. They’ve made things easy for me. Isn’t that what good customer service is all about?
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