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Getting a new CX bike on Cyclescheme.
Got voucher through, so rang bike shop so they can order the bike in (tried a higher specced model for size). I had to ask them when it would be in - "Thursday I think, someone will ring".
Rang this afternoon to chase - "Ooh, can't see that order..............oh, here it is. Yeah, looks like it has been ordered, not sure. Might be here tomorrow"
I asked them to check that it had been ordered - "Well it looks like it has. The guy dealing with it isn't here at the mo - pretty sure its been sorted and will be delivered tomorrow."
This all seems a bit blase (sp?) to me. I know its 'only' Cyclescheme, but you thought they'd want to make a good impression.
I knew there was a reason I don't normally use them. Tried to bight my lip and not sound off - failed!!
Should I ring tomorrow to check??
was it halfrauds?
Nope - local independent Giant dealer. Normally use the none-Giant-dealer for bike stuff.
It's possible that the sales person you spoke to wouldn't be allowed to view purchase orders from the front of house till software, or be allowed to at all.
Even if they could, he/she may not have access to the B2B site to check the status of an order with their distributor and therefore may not be in a position to give you an accurate up the minute status update on your order. That's probably the other guy's job.
so rather than saying 'shoudl be here tomorrow' and settign an expectation that may not be met they shoudl just say - 'the person who's dealign with your orde risn't here, can I ask them to phone you when they've checked the status?'
Its because they don't want your money and have no vested interest in selling you anything.
you thought they'd want to make a good impression
You need to over yourself a bit.....or don't they know who you are?
You need to over yourself a bit.....or don't they know who you are?
I'm sorry? Crap service is his fault is it? Jeeeeeezzzzz
You should try buying 3 inner tubes and a bottle of chain lube from Evans. Apparently you need to give a contact address "for their records". I wouldn't give an address and they wouldn't sell the stuff to me. Although that Evans is convenient for me on my cycle home, it's unlikely I'll ever be troubling them again.
Have you paid a deposit or surrendered your voucher? Otherwise I'd just order one online, pauls always seems to have bargain giants especially if you're not worried about having the latest model.
Cyclescheme are a business that make money by linking up with bike shops aren't they? I can't imagine they get too worried about vetting shops too much as long as they get their fees.
From the time when I used to work in/part run a bike shop, most customers were happier knowing I'd contact them when things came in rather than them contacting me to check up, though we always did get one muppet who seemed to be totally untrusting and assume we'd run off with their cash..."just wondering how the order is coming along"..."It's still on route from the supplier, as it was yesterday, we'll call you when it arrives, likely on Wednesday"...."Hows the order coming along?"..."surprisingly it's Monday and the item isn't here yet, we'll call you on WEDNESDAY when it arrives". We'd always give a latest possible expected arrival time so it usually turned up "early" and everyone was happy.
Nothing quite as annoying as someone who thinks they need to chase when everything is still within timescales originally set out, like it helps somehow.
Customer service is bloody awful across the board with a lot of independent businesses, not just bike shops, it does make me wonder how some companies actually have anyone come back a second time.
I called a garage a few weeks back asking if they could have a look at my car as i thought a fuel hose had split and the response from the bloke was "what am i supposed to do about it?"
I was quick to point out that said gentleman ran a car repair service and that i was indeed the owner of a car that needed repairing... a marriage made in heaven you might think, apparently not.
Needless to say, i wont be calling back there again.
Slightly off topic i know but i feel better now...... phew!
Jim
coffeeking - I agree, but in this case they haven't give a date for sure, that's my point - no-one seems to know whats going on!
If they said 10 days, thats fine, at least I'd know. At mo I have no idea and thats what peeves me.
Yes its cyclescheme, but you thought they might want me to go back and make other purchases? It's not as simple as using another shop - I'd have to return the voucher and get it re-issued, which'd take ages. And you're supposed to show photo ID when collecting - not sure if mail order shops 'forget' about this.
Anyway - steam let off. I'll be ringing Thursday morning.
Went into Evans Castleford today, I was looking at some Gore 3/4 shorts which were on the wrong hanger, small on the shorts, large on the hanger, showing the wrong price, when I enquired whether they had my size I was met with a flat "nope" if they're not on the rail we haven't got them. He then went back to chatting with a colleague who was doing a word search. I blame the parents.
I blame the people who employ them.
If they said Thursday and your ringing trying not to get mardy with them on Tuesday then I am confused 🙂
topangarider
they haven't give a date for sure, that's my point - no-one seems to know whats going on!
Since they are ordering it from another party they are at the mercy of their distributor and couriers. They probably have a date, but for some reason customers act like spoiled children when a delivery date slips or they don't get what they want so sometimes it's better to be non committal.
Sales staff in bikeshops can get pretty good at guessing if a customer is the type who will throw the toys out of the pram, start slandering people on the internet, try to get people sacked etc when they don't get exactly what they want.
How do some shops make money?!
Some shops don't make money
At lot of shops are'nt making money at the moment.
All I'm asking for is a bit of honesty - if they don't know, they should say.
I'm often on the end of moaning customers; telling them the truth is always best, if if they don't like it. Then it won't come back to bite you is the a55.
You're expecting great customer service from people on minimum wage who spend most of their day standing up answering dumb questions from members of the public, some of which (the questions AND the public) are downright rude and offensive. Occasionally someone comes in and wants to buy something that the staff actually believe in and they feel enthused and will light up. But mostly it's stuff like "why are you trying to sell me this inner tube? It says 2.125 but my tyres are 2.1 - I want to see the manager!" or "I rode out of the store on my new bike 10 minutes ago and it's got a puncture already, I want YOU to fix it immediately and for nothing!".
I know of a cycle retailer where the wages were cut by about 80 quid a month because of the recession. When I go in, I tend not to give the staff a hard time if they appear a little vacant at 2pm on a Friday afternoon!
Plus, a lot of shop assistants today are not spotty school leavers or the retired, they were made redundant from their 'proper' jobs and all that was available was a retail job connected with their main sport/hobby. Current retail job is probably tarnishing their enjoyment of cycling and making them hate certain of their fellow human beings who enter a shop as if it was still the 1920s and they are Lord BL**DY Rothermere!!
I've done my time at the retail rock face and I thank the Lord I didn't snap on several occasions and try to ram a trackpump up certain customers rear ends or batter them to death with a chainset!
Going Postal? Going Bike Shop Assistant more like!
Rant over for now...
Watch this classic, it sums up my feelings: 4 minutes 20 is where the interesting bit starts.
Deveron53-Let it slip quietly that you are the author of the above post and you will get everything at trade prices from every retailer in the land,for life!!Don't even get me started on bikeshop owners 🙄
Jesus Deveron....you are so right!
Apart from the fact, for me at least, that being made redundant led to working in a great shop and having the most enjoyable job i've ever had! The worst paid but the most enjoyable....are the two connected? Thankfully i'm not just dealing with customers but also spannering so don't have to answer stupid quesions all the time.
Some shops don't [b]deserve to[/b] make money
Well said Deveron.
Can you spot the posters who work(ed) in the trade? 😀
Has deveron met you jimjam?
um. I thought customer service was all about giving good service, irrespective of your own opinions, circumstances, need etc. Call me old-fashioned!
That said, the great British public can (not always, but too often) be utterly unpleasant if they don't get what they want in a buying environment...
But at the end of the day if you've been treated badly you have to treat the next customer like you want really want his business...
sssimonHas deveron met you jimjam?
Probably not.
You should try buying 3 inner tubes and a bottle of chain lube from Evans. Apparently you need to give a contact address "for their records". I wouldn't give an address and they wouldn't sell the stuff to me.
Just give a moody address, innit? Like the Department for Food, Fisheries and Agriculture.
Surprised they insisted on an address. They have no legal right to demand such information, probbly just under pressure from Evans head office to get customer details so's they can bombard you with advertising and sell your details on to other companies...
You're expecting great customer service from people on minimum wage who spend most of their day standing up answering dumb questions from members of the public, some of which (the questions AND the public) are downright rude and offensive. Occasionally someone comes in and wants to buy something that the staff actually believe in and they feel enthused and will light up. But mostly it's stuff like "why are you trying to sell me this inner tube? It says 2.125 but my tyres are 2.1 - I want to see the manager!" or "I rode out of the store on my new bike 10 minutes ago and it's got a puncture already, I want YOU to fix it immediately and for nothing!".
I had one customer give it so much that I flipped and had to be restrained by colleagues. Talk to me like that who do you think you are?
Should've stabbed him in the eye with a hot soldering iron.
As I have worked 'in the trade', I have come to an understanding about how wars are started, why road rage can exist and why you should never pick up a ringing telephone at 17:27 on a Friday.
and on a lighter note:
Get bikes earlier and cheaper than everyone else and ride them harder at the weekends, pray that those Sundays in the hills last forever.
we'll call you when it arrives, likely on Wednesday"...."Hows the order coming along?"
Had this recentely about 3 phone calls a week, while we were waiting upon a part, and every time telling him that we will ring when its in.
I used to enjoy telling clueless idiots that certain components on their bikes were knackered and only fit for the bin, getting them to buy expensive replacements, then bunging the perfectly good bits on my bikes. Kerching!
It's ok though becoz I was generating profit for the company I worked for.
See those handlebars on your bike, they're only aluminium and could snap suddenly. These carbon fibre ones are much stronger ooh feel how light they are they will make you a better rider and more desirable to others that'll be wunundred and twenty five pounds please.
tomatoevousparlourwe'll call you when it arrives, likely on Wednesday"...."Hows the order coming along?"
Had this recentely about 3 phone calls a week, while we were waiting upon a part, and every time telling him that we will ring when its in.
That's nothing. That's standard. During [i]snow-mageddon[/i] those few months back we had a ctw customer call my fomer workplace in northern Ireland daily wanting to know where his bike was. It was sitting in a warehouse in the north of england. The distribution company couldnt get to work with 8 inches of snow on the ground. The couriers couldnt get onto the road the warehouse was on, nevermind the warehouse, but still the guy called everyday. Every day he was told the same thing.
He eventually went off on one claiming we were all liars. Why? because there had been no mention of snow in that county on the news the night before.
Ah yes, the daily "where's my xyz" phone calls...
...then when it arrives and you ring the customer only for them to tell you that they'll pick it up in a week or so 🙄
Used to amuse me why some customers thought I really gave a toss about that useless crap they'd ordered, and that I worked there for any reason other than to pay the bills and eat.
And the more they badgered me about their order, the longer it would take....
Moaning Customers eh! how inconvenient.
I didn't realise the shop I was talking about had so many employees on this forum! 😆
No wonder Wiggle & CRC are so popular - with you lot behind the couner no wonder shops are going down the swanny!
You can see why richer sounds and john lewis are top rated shops-the staff are told to be friendly, courteous, and helpful.
I get fed up of lbs's to be honest, but I can are the role of them for the ' I'd like to buy a bike, any bike' brigade...
CRC/wiggle all the way if you know what you want.
Or second hand.
DrP
Working away in that London, I chanced upon a great looking LBS so nipped in to see if they had some bits I needed
Monday morning
Me - do you have a pawl and spring set for a Hope XC hub?
LBS - no sorry, I can get it for Wednesday
Me - That'll be great
LBS - you'll have to pay for it now, leave your phone number and we'll call you when it's in
Friday morning
Me - just called to collect the parts I ordered
LBS - they haven't come in
Me - When will they be in?
LBS - Wednesday probably
Me - I'm going back home today, can you post them to me please?
LBS - we don't do mail order
Me - OK, can I have a refund then please?
LBS - we don't give refunds on special orders