Last week I had the unpleasant task of giving a highly rated bike shop its first C and D grades that it's received in a long time.

Maybe I caught them on a bad day. More likely, I think I used a service that is not their forte: bike rental.

Some friends and I decided to ride mountain bikes on a local trail, and a couple of us, including me, needed to rent mountain bikes.

The bike shop we visited was the natural choice: Its member reviews are filled with reports of excellent customer service. But that wasn't the case on this day, and not with my bike.

The employees conveyed a blasé attitude and their miscommunication with me and each other resulted in my friend and I standing around needlessly for 20 minutes.

Despite mechanics 'checking out' the bike, once I got it on the trail I noticed the kickstand rubbed against the rear tire and several times the seat collapsed — an unpleasant sensation, to say the least. I pointed these flaws out to the mechanic when I returned the bike and he said, 'Yeah, the kickstand will rub if it's not properly adjusted.' OK. Whose job is it to check that adjustment? As for the seat collapsing, he just shrugged.

I'm the first Angie's List member to rate this company's bike rental service. My advice to them: Either stop renting bikes or bring that part of their business up to the same high standards their other work is known for and praised for on the List.

I did not enjoy giving this company a bad review, but I feel it's important to point out the good and the bad. A friend of mine disagrees. She used an A-rated house painter on the List and he did a horrible job. He begged her not to give him a bad review — begged. He gave her a huge discount. My advice to her? 'Warn other members about this guy.' Her heart, however, is softer than mine.