# Mike Perry



## mapeiboy (Oct 31, 2007)

I am not a happy customer here . I ordered a EP frame from him on May 06 this year . 2 week later I chabged my mind about the colour for the frame . He told the frame is already in the paint shop and its too late to change the colour . That's fine with me . I email him many time over the next few weeks regarding the compoments I want for the frame . He told me he will give me a call when the frame is in his shop . This all happened at the beginning of the April . I just got an email from him this morning that the frame is on its way to me . WHF . I spoke to me on the money few minutes later . I told him I want him to build me a bike right from the start . I also mentioined about the emails I sent to him few months ago about the choice of the compoments for the bike . He told me the frame is already on the airplane and its too late for him to do anything about it . He did say soory few time but its not good enough for me . People who bought the frame/bike from him always say he will do the right thing to correct the mistake . I do not see it with me . It looks like he is happy to take my money and that 's all . I will tell everyone who will listen not to deal with him . This is my first ane last time to deal with him .


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## mtbbmet (Apr 2, 2005)

Who the hell is Mike Perry? And what's wrong with your LBS?


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## El Guapo (Dec 10, 2002)

mtbbmet said:


> Who the hell is Mike Perry? And what's wrong with your LBS?


Mike Perry is Maistro I believe. Very well respected UK retailer of Colnago. I have never heard anything bad about him previously so this does come as a bit of a shock.


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## mtbbmet (Apr 2, 2005)

A guy in Toronto ordering from a guy in the UK. Pretty sure there is a Colnago dealer or two in Toronto. Hope all the headaches were worth the $500 you saved.
No pitty


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## mapeiboy (Oct 31, 2007)

*Saving*

There used to be one local LBS here that sales Colnago . I have done my search before I placed the order to Mike . You don't leave in Toronto so how could you make a such statement .


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

Sorry to hear about this. It will make me think twice about ever doing business with him in the future. Of course, he is pretty much the only game in town if you want a retro paint job on a current Colnago. I guess the amount of risk you take depends on how bad you want something.

mtbbmet,

I bought both of my carbon fiber Colnagos, a Cristallo and a C50, from Bellatisport in Switzerland, and even after shipping I saved $1,100 and $1,300 respectively. I have no idea how rich you are, but that isn't chump change in my wallet. If you are Bill Gates, I guess it wouldn't matter. I bought all my Campy components from overseas too, and saved quite a bit of money there since it was 5 Record 10 groupos worth. If/When I get burned on one of these transactions, I'll have to debate taking a vacation in that country. I wouldn't mind visiting Switzerland or England, and stopping by the store.

From everything that I have read about Maestro and Mike Perry, this is the first negative thing that I have heard. Who knows, times are tight and maybe that is forcing him to focus more on making a buck in lieu of making a customer happy.


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## fick (Jul 30, 2007)

I've dealt with Mike for the last few years and have had recent dealings with him. He has been nothing but stand up, very supportive and far, far from thinking only about the buck! 

My experience with him has only been positive. 

I know Colnago has been going through some changes??? It's hard for to believe that Mike would intentionally treat someone in the wrong way.


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

fick said:


> I've dealt with Mike for the last few years and have had recent dealings with him. He has been nothing but stand up, very supportive and far, far from thinking only about the buck!
> 
> My experience with him has only been positive.
> 
> I know Colnago has been going through some changes??? It's hard for to believe that Mike would intentionally treat someone in the wrong way.


It is also hard to believe that Mapeiboy would be lying to all of us. Mapeiboy even PM'ed me with some questions about Colnago frames and sellers before he went and bought a Colnago.

I know there is 2 sides to every story and I would love to hear Mike's. Maybe somebody can send him a link to this thread and he can post his side. Ultimately, he has an unsatisfied customer on his hands. I also understand that sometimes, no matter what you do you cannot make a customer happy without giving away the farm. I'm hoping that Mapeiboy isn't that kind of customer.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2009)

It may have nothing to do with this, but I wonder if Maestro is feeling the pinch from the new Colnago distribution system here. Used to be Maestro was really just taking a piece of their distributor's pie but now...


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## Kenacycle (May 28, 2006)

LOL.. coincidentally that name Mike Perry happens to be my condo's residence manager.. 

And he is resigning end of this month because Strata would not hire people to help him with the work load


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## mapeiboy (Oct 31, 2007)

*Colnago*

I kept all the emails between me and Mike right from the start . I am not lying here . I paid him full when I ordered the frame . Even though he only asked me for $500. deposit . I am not looking for a free frame here . I will not accept it from him even if he offers to me . Yes , by all means email or call him on this . I have nothing to hide here . As I stated earlier that I have all the emails to prove my side of the story .


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## boneman (Nov 26, 2001)

*Not sure what you are looking for*

Mike Perry is Maestro and the shop is a one man show. I've ordered from Mike and been to his shop. He is the only person there, dealing with orders, vendors and building up the bikes. 

It sounds like he didn't get your order correctly but did you get the frame you wanted and was it within your time expectation?

It sounds like you were only charged for the frame and fork. Is this correct?

I sympathise with your position but sending lots of emails does not necessarily mean better service and for a single person operation, may work adversely.

The question is at this point, what is the "right thing" that you are looking for him to do? You've received the frame and fork, and he's apologised. He's made a mistake but he hasn't ripped you off.


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

boneman said:


> Mike Perry is Maestro and the shop is a one man show. I've ordered from Mike and been to his shop. He is the only person there, dealing with orders, vendors and building up the bikes.
> 
> It sounds like he didn't get your order correctly but did you get the frame you wanted and was it within your time expectation?
> 
> ...


If Mike is still the cheapest guy in town for the components and/or Mapei could find the components somewhere else that isn't local, Mapei would have to pay for shipping again to get them from Mike. Plus, if Mike would have put the bike together for free if Mapei bought the components and frame from him, Mapei is now looking at paying a LBS to build the bike if Mapei does not know how to do it himself.


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## mapeiboy (Oct 31, 2007)

*One man operation*

I understand that he is the only running the bike shop . His site stated that he does not need any harassment from any customer in regarding the time to receive the frame from him . I email him few times about the components for the bike . He email me back to tell me he will call me when the frame is in his shop and we can finalized the detail then . I did not want to bother him again after this email . As you can see he promised to call me when the frame is in his shop . Yes , he did not rip me off . I guess I should be happy about getting the frame from him . Again . he apologized to me for the mistake . Yes , I can get the frame build by the LBS . I guess I am an old fashion person . A promise is made to me and he did not carry it out . Maybe for someone and apology is good enough when you don't carry out the promise you made . Maybe that's why you can not trust anyone these days because a promise means nothing .


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## Roger753 (Jan 5, 2005)

This post does not make sense on 2 counts.

Count 1 

Over several years (First purchase made was in 1987) ) I have bought a number of things from Mike, Colnago frames, Colnago forks, wheels (various) and a few other components without experiencing any problems. 

The purchase process would go something like this.

Me: Hello Mike ('Phone or email) I would like to buy xxx can you oblige.

Mike: Yes. (He has not said "No" yet) It will cost you yyy. Delivery time will be nnn.

Me: That’s fine please go ahead. Do you want a deposit with my order?

Mike: Yes or No (As he considers appropriate)

A period of time will then pass and I will be contacted by Mike.

Mike: Your xxx has arrived. The balance to pay is zzz.

I pay the balance and item is either delivered or I collect whichever suits me best.
To date everything I have ordered has been supplied correctly and to my satisfaction. 

So in my experience buying form Mike is quite straightforward and without complication.

Count 2 

I find it hard to believe that he would (as I understand the OP) effectively turn down a sale.

i.e. Supply a frame but not a complete bike.

Did the OP ever get written confirmation that a complete bike was to be supplied its detailed spec and the price?

Roger


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## mapeiboy (Oct 31, 2007)

*Sale*

I paid him in full when ordered the frame instead of $500 deposit . Why , because I am a nice person . I trusted him that he would do the right thing . I have email him many times over the months regarding the components for the bike . He email me back that he will phone me to finalized the detail . Next thing I know is he email me the frame is on the plane . Yes , its hard to believe he would not want to sale me the whole bike . But , I have save all the emails from him so I can use it to back up my story . Why don't you give Mike a call and find out if I am telling the truth here .


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## boneman (Nov 26, 2001)

*Not sure about the component pricing*

I'm not sure that Mike's the cheapest on component pricing. The shipping, it's by weight if he's still using UPS which he was when I visited him so that's neither here nor there. The assembly' s fair point although Mapei hasn't mentioned if he can or wants to wrench it himself.



fabsroman said:


> If Mike is still the cheapest guy in town for the components and/or Mapei could find the components somewhere else that isn't local, Mapei would have to pay for shipping again to get them from Mike. Plus, if Mike would have put the bike together for free if Mapei bought the components and frame from him, Mapei is now looking at paying a LBS to build the bike if Mapei does not know how to do it himself.


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## boneman (Nov 26, 2001)

*Yeah, very unfortunate*

and I too would have been very disappointed.


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

boneman said:


> I'm not sure that Mike's the cheapest on component pricing. The shipping, it's by weight if he's still using UPS which he was when I visited him so that's neither here nor there. The assembly' s fair point although Mapei hasn't mentioned if he can or wants to wrench it himself.


Shipping is a fair point too. Even though he ships by UPS, he quotes a specific price for shipping. For instance, when I contacted him in 2006 regarding a Cristallo, he quoted me $100 for shipping. I know that it wasn't $100 even for shipping. So, as an example if he would have charged exactly the same price to ship a complete bike, then he should pay for any shipping that Mapei incurs in acquiring the components.

Essentially, if I were in Mike's shoes I would offer to sell the components to Mapei, eat the shipping cost on them, and give Mapei a little something extra for the hassle of having to get the frame built up. Maybe an upgraded component or some sort of discount on the components.


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## Roger753 (Jan 5, 2005)

What has the price Mike charges for components, their relative cost or what they cost to ship got to do with the OP?

The OP, unless I am mistaken, is suggesting that they had an agreement with Mike for him (Mike) to supply them (The OP) with a built up bike. 

But despite this agreement being in place Mike for whatever reason (according to the OP) chose not to supply a built up bike but a frame only.

Or am I missing something?

Roger


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

Roger753 said:


> What has the price Mike charges for components, their relative cost or what they cost to ship got to do with the OP?
> 
> The OP, unless I am mistaken, is suggesting that they had an agreement with Mike for him (Mike) to supply them (The OP) with a built up bike.
> 
> ...


Do you really want me to get into the legal analysis of this. I'll give you a synopsis. In the US, the sale of goods is controlled by the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC Article 2). If Mike and the OP had agreed on a complete bike at a certain price and Mike did not deliver the complete bike, then the OP can go out and buy the complete bike, return the frame to Mike, and sue Mike for the difference in cost between what Mike would have charged and what it cost the OP to get it from somewhere else. That is called "cover". The big question is whether there was any agreement between Mke and the OP regarding the price for the complete bike. It probably wouldn't be that hard to price the components from Mike's website.

There is also a cause of action called breach of contract IF Mike and the OP had agreed on the delivery of an entire bike. The OP's damages would be the difference in cost between what it would have cost him if Mike had followed through with the entire bike versus what it costs the OP to buy the components elsewhere and have the bike assembled.

The big question in all this regarding damages would probably be the cost, if anything, to build the bike and the additional cost to ship the bike. Now, if the OP had a quoted price for the entire bike, including shipping, this would be really easy. There is also the OP's lost time in having to deal with all this.


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## fick (Jul 30, 2007)

Just for the record:

I never once thought or insinuated that Mapeiboy was lying

I only stated that my experence with Mike Perry has only been top notch.

I found it hard to believe that Mike would mistreat someone intentionally

BASTA


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

fick said:


> Just for the record:
> 
> I never once thought or insinuated that Mapeiboy was lying
> 
> ...


I recommended Mike to MapeiBoy via PM and I also doubt that Mike would intentionally mistreat anybody. As I said, there is always two sides to every story, and sometimes even more. Personally, I am hoping that Mike and Mapei work this out and we can all get together for a group hug because I really like the option of getting a retro paint scheme on current frames, especially since in the last 2 years Colnago hasn't put out a paint scheme I like.


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## fick (Jul 30, 2007)

fabsroman said:


> I recommended Mike to MapeiBoy via PM and I also doubt that Mike would intentionally mistreat anybody. As I said, there is always two sides to every story, and sometimes even more. Personally, I am hoping that Mike and Mapei work this out and we can all get together for a group hug because I really like the option of getting a retro paint scheme on current frames, especially since in the last 2 years Colnago hasn't put out a paint scheme I like.



Yeah, what you said! (Group hug:blush2: )


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## Roger753 (Jan 5, 2005)

> Originally Posted by *fabsroman *
> Do you really want me to get into the legal analysis of this.


No Thanks.



> Originally Posted by *fabsroman *
> I'll give you a synopsis. In the US, the sale of goods is controlled by the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC Article 2). If Mike and the OP had agreed on a complete bike at a certain price and Mike did not deliver the complete bike, then the OP can go out and buy the complete bike, return the frame to Mike, and sue Mike for the difference in cost between what Mike would have charged and what it cost the OP to get it from somewhere else. That is called "cover". The big question is whether there was any agreement between Mke and the OP regarding the price for the complete bike. It probably wouldn't be that hard to price the components from Mike's website.
> 
> There is also a cause of action called breach of contract IF Mike and the OP had agreed on the delivery of an entire bike. The OP's damages would be the difference in cost between what it would have cost him if Mike had followed through with the entire bike versus what it costs the OP to buy the components elsewhere and have the bike assembled.
> ...


You decided to anyway then.

However I am glad to see that you empasised *IF* an agreement on the delivery of a complete bike existed because *IF IT DID NOT * then the OP is pointless. 

So are we any the wiser regarding this very simple question? 

Roger


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## corky (Feb 5, 2005)

Not sure what this post is trying to achieve.... you had a bad transaction with Mike P and want to warn everyone I guess or maybe just to vent your frustration?

anyhow.... to provide some balance, I had a good transaction with Mike P. earlier this year.

IME experience any business will have good transactions and bad transactions, unfortunatly with the advent of the Internet lots of bad transactions become public. I'm not sure what this publicity really achieves though.........


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

corky said:


> Not sure what this post is trying to achieve.... you had a bad transaction with Mike P and want to warn everyone I guess or maybe just to vent your frustration?
> 
> anyhow.... to provide some balance, I had a good transaction with Mike P. earlier this year.
> 
> IME experience any business will have good transactions and bad transactions, unfortunatly with the advent of the Internet lots of bad transactions become public. I'm not sure what this publicity really achieves though.........


I'm pretty sure about what the bad publicity achieves. It helps to warn the rest of us about places that we should not do business with. For instance, there is a lot of bad reports about an aquarium plant place out of Taiwan, but the prices look very inviting and the plant selection is pretty awesome. Plus, the guarantee live arrival. Well, to test them out I placed a $10 order that had free shipping. The plants were supposed to have 15 leaves on each of them, they both had 6, and 4 of them were dead on one plant and the other plant was entirely brown. They asked me to put them in my tank anyway, the dead one pretty much disintegrated in my tank, the other one lost one of the viable leaves and was just down to a single green leaf. After 3 weeks of back and forths via e-mail, they finally agreed to refund my money if I didn't write anything on the internet about them.

See, the internet is great. It allows us to shop in places like Taiwan, the UK, Italy, etc. Back in the 80's when I started riding on the road, about the only thing to look at was a Nashbar or Performance catalog, or to go to the LBS.

The other great thing about the internet is it allows us to do some research. I did plenty of searching on Bellatisport before I decided to place a $2,500 order with him. All of the info I was able to obtain said he was top notch, so I placed the order and hoped. His communication was great, and ultimately the entire transaction went so smoothly that I bought another frame from him, and will continue to keep him in mind for any future Colnago purchase.

Likewise, I have had pretty bad issues with another Italian parts supplier and a Canadian importer of Italian parts. Posting about them lets other people know about my experience. If my experience was one bad one in a sea of good examples, as this seems to be with Mike, then most people would continue to purchase from the retailer. However, if mine is a bad one and then a couple more bad ones come along, I think it will give a person pause before ordering from that retailer.

I'm still hoping that this issue with Mike gets resolved to the satisfaction of both sides and we can have a really BIG smiley face at the bottom of this thread.


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

Roger753 said:


> No Thanks.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That wasn't a legal analysis. More like a synopsis. LOL

No, I am not any wiser regarding the purchase price.


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## corky (Feb 5, 2005)

fabsroman said:


> I'm pretty sure about what the bad publicity achieves. It helps to warn the rest of us about places that we should not do business with. For instance, there is a lot of bad reports about an aquarium plant place out of Taiwan, but the prices look very inviting and the plant selection is pretty awesome. Plus, the guarantee live arrival. Well, to test them out I placed a $10 order that had free shipping. The plants were supposed to have 15 leaves on each of them, they both had 6, and 4 of them were dead on one plant and the other plant was entirely brown. They asked me to put them in my tank anyway, the dead one pretty much disintegrated in my tank, the other one lost one of the viable leaves and was just down to a single green leaf. After 3 weeks of back and forths via e-mail, they finally agreed to refund my money if I didn't write anything on the internet about them.
> 
> See, the internet is great. It allows us to shop in places like Taiwan, the UK, Italy, etc. Back in the 80's when I started riding on the road, about the only thing to look at was a Nashbar or Performance catalog, or to go to the LBS.
> 
> ...


maybe I'm just different, I tend to follow my instincts and do my own research rather than follow someone I don't know's post on an Internet forum. Which is why I went ahead and bought from Mike despite several disparaging threads in some UK Internet forums. 

NB see Mapei's Apology thread...... He manned up and apologized after speaking with Mike. So yes we can end this thread with a big Thumb's Up :thumbsup:


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## toonraid (Sep 19, 2006)

Well I have been following mike and his feedbacks for past 3 years and although i have purchased 2 nag's in that period none have been from mike but spoke to him a few weeks re an AD04 Master and about to confirm in the next few weeks so your complaint hasn't really warned me off as a potential customer.

Sure mistakes happen and as boneman said he is a one man operation - last thing you want in any operation is changing your mind after ordering the item (ever try that in your local restaurant) - I also had a feeling that you did not order your components from the beginning as you said you paid for it in full so unless he also charged you for components I'm guessing you ordered frame initially and then wanted to add components later - imagine how manu inquiries this guy is dealing with (and we are talking 100's of day dreamers too) and he would have to deal with every one of them.

Anyway in your case you got the main bit which was the frame - so all the fuss is about is the assembly (assume you can still purchase components from him). Be happy you got yourself a nice frame at cut down price.

Where Mike comes alive is doing the impossible and that's worth a lot more than saving pennies here and there.


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## brentster (Jul 12, 2007)

I'm sorry about your bad luck with Maestro. 

I'll be sure and steer clear of his operation and thanks for the heads up.


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## MG Racing (Sep 11, 2009)

I have bought 5 or 6 Colnagos from Mike over the years. I have done both complete bikes and just frames and some parts. I have never had a bad experience with his service. 
It sounds like he made a mistake and apologized. We are all human and we all make mistakes. Common sense tells you it wasn’t intentional. He earns his living selling bikes and bike parts, why would he intentionally not sell components to the guy that pays up front. It sounds like he wanted to get the frame to the guy who paid 100% at time of order as quickly as possible. What do you expect him to do to make it right? You didn’t pay for anything you didn’t receive and probably got a better price than you could have anywhere else. I understand you didn’t realize the savings you might have by purchasing as a complete bike, but what did you ask him to do to make it right? If you get the build kit from Competitive Cyclist or Colorado Cyclist, you probably aren’t too different on price compared to Mike with shipping.


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## nicensleazy (Aug 3, 2008)

Personally, I would always buy a bike indirectly from Windwave the Colnago UK importer. They are a great bunch of guys and do great work in the UK with Colnago. Also, any warranty issues is a lot easier!


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## slamy (Mar 15, 2004)

Back in 2002 when Mike carried De Rosa's, I bought one from him. He is a great person to deal with and I feel is very honest. I would not hesitate one second to buy another frame from him. When I got my DeRosa, the bolt in the fork that attaches my front brake was too small. I emailed Mike about it and he sent me 4 other sizes. He didn't charge me a dime, just did it. I honestly don't know what you expect Mike to do? I mean, I'm sure he's kicking himself for not being able to sell you more stuff, but at the same time he expedited your frame as fast as he could. And how you can hold him responsible for not changing the order after you change your mind on the color is laughable. 

best of luck and I hope you don't ever make mistakes


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

slamy said:


> Back in 2002 when Mike carried De Rosa's, I bought one from him. He is a great person to deal with and I feel is very honest. I would not hesitate one second to buy another frame from him. When I got my DeRosa, the bolt in the fork that attaches my front brake was too small. I emailed Mike about it and he sent me 4 other sizes. He didn't charge me a dime, just did it. I honestly don't know what you expect Mike to do? I mean, I'm sure he's kicking himself for not being able to sell you more stuff, but at the same time he expedited your frame as fast as he could. And how you can hold him responsible for not changing the order after you change your mind on the color is laughable.
> 
> best of luck and I hope you don't ever make mistakes


Can we note that the OP actually went ahead and publicly apologized to Mike several weeks ago, if not a month ago? Here is the thread.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=183915

If he is apologizing, it usually means he made a mistake. Personally, I hope that he and Mike worked it out, he got his parts from Mike, and he got a reduced rate on shipping.


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## apex (Sep 2, 2009)

I would like to see some pics of Mapeiboys bike.
Apex


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