Online retailer surprise

yackers1
yackers1 Posts: 108
edited November 2008 in Road beginners
Thought I had better share my recent experience with you all.

I found some Nike leg warmers on J E James for the bargain price of £8 and ordered them straight away. After reading this forum I thought that I had dropped a right clanger since JE James is meant to be awful compared to other online retailers.

I immediately wne to Wiggle and bought some more (and expensive) leg warmers.

Guess what - ordered Saturday night and delivered Tuesday (just picked them up!!) and I'm well chuffed and can't wait to try them tomorrow night.

So.......... THANK YOU J E JAMES FROM A VERY HAPPY AND SATISFIED CUSTOMER!!!! :D

I'm still waiting for Wiggle :(

Comments

  • fto-si
    fto-si Posts: 402
    Never pay for postage at Wiggle and have NEVER waited more than 2 working days for delivery.
    Fantastic everytime for me, always my first port of call.
    exercise.png
  • fluff.
    fluff. Posts: 771
    I have drifted away from WIggle in the last year, after they effectively hiked their prices and did discounts back more competitive prices IF you spend more than 50 quid. Chain Reaction are quite often the cheapest these days, though it pays use froogle.co.uk to spot a bargain somewhere.
  • gb-locks
    gb-locks Posts: 62
    Can't fault Chain Reaction either at the moment, free delivery is not to be sniffed at when you live in the Highlands theres a few companies who try to charge extra to post up here.
    It's not the size of dog in the fight but the size of fight in the dog.
  • sicrow
    sicrow Posts: 791
    Chain reaction for me too at the moment - far cheaper overall than Wiggle. I just ordered a turbo trainer from them and it came in 2 days and was 10% cheaper than Wiggle
    http://www.action.org.uk/sponsor/simoncrowther
  • MRadd
    MRadd Posts: 205
    Doesn't anyone try their local shop anymore?

    I work at Noah's Ark in Gloucestershire... we mail order... website etc... and are willing to match genuine deals from other "Large" Web dealers.

    Try us... you may be suprised!
    : "Why don't i remember breaking my face?" :

    : Semi Professional Grease Monkey, Full time Tea boy... :
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    MRadd wrote:
    Doesn't anyone try their local shop anymore?

    I work at Noah's Ark in Gloucestershire... we mail order... website etc... and are willing to match genuine deals from other "Large" Web dealers.

    Try us... you may be suprised!

    Of course people do or you wouldn't have a shop :wink:

    Sometimes when it is a bulky item or you don't have time to get to the shop during working hours it is easier to just order it online and let them have hassle of lugging it to you.
  • woodywmb
    woodywmb Posts: 669
    You are located in Ireland and work in Gloucester. That's a mighty cycle - even one way.
    http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1296598/
  • little wiser
    little wiser Posts: 662
    hi first thing i ever brought from net was with je james pedals and shoes very helpfull and ten quid cheaper than in there cycling weekly advert :D
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    Woodywmb wrote:
    You are located in Ireland and work in Gloucester. That's a mighty cycle - even one way.

    I think you have confused me with the Mradd who lives and works in Gloucester :lol:
  • woodywmb
    woodywmb Posts: 669
    Oops! Sorry. Was having a laugh. Trying to cheer folk up and away from credit crunch onslaught.
    http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1296598/
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    Woodywmb wrote:
    Oops! Sorry. Was having a laugh. Trying to cheer folk up and away from credit crunch onslaught.

    Ooops didn't realise it was intentional :oops:
  • Onan
    Onan Posts: 321
    I resorted to online shopping after I found out my LBS had nothing even close to my price range.

    I just learned that just because a company says they will sell you a bike at a certain price, and they advertise it at said price on their website, and they will allow you to place an order for it which will take days for them to "process", doesn't mean the bike in question actually exists, or that they have any intention of actually selling it to you.

    cough winstanleys cough.
    Drink poison. Wrestle snakes.
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    The slight advantage that Wiggle has over CRC is that they refund postage if you return a faulty item. Wiggle also deal with returns usually within hours of receipt.Also for returns of goods that are sent in error, CRC only refund standard 1st class postage (though it may be unwise not to use a "signed for" service) whereas Wiggle refund reasonable postage costs. This could be an issue for high value items. Also, on the rare occasions that Wiggle have got something wrong they have given me a money off voucher or let me keep the wrong item free of charge. CRC prices are often, though not always, better, but when they are close to Wiggle, I use Wiggle. Having said that, both CRC and Wiggle are at the pinnacle of online shops, providing service that others don't quite achieve.
  • mostly harmless
    mostly harmless Posts: 162
    Regarding Wiggle, I'm slowly losing the love, they're not that keen on prices any more and they use CityLink who are crap beyond words. About the only thing I buy from them now is dhb clothing.

    LBS are all very well but there isn't one I can get to in my lunch hour and I'm buggered if I'm wasting half a weekend trapsing to one to find they don't have anything I want. Online retailing wins hands down.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    MRadd wrote:
    Doesn't anyone try their local shop anymore?

    I work at Noah's Ark in Gloucestershire... we mail order... website etc... and are willing to match genuine deals from other "Large" Web dealers.

    Try us... you may be suprised!

    This is an interesting topic (as the one in the title is not). I'd love to go to the shop as I used to, but the choice is getting very limited compared to what you get online, often they don't have your size. They're hardly ever willing to negociate on the price, even knowing very well that the same item is 25% cheaper somewhere on line. Often the staff are not really helpful as they can't give first hand advice (other than the bullxxxx written on some brands catalogues).

    Of course there are shops and shops, but I find the majority and chain shops especially to be "not worth bothering"
    left the forum March 2023
  • yackers1
    yackers1 Posts: 108
    This is an interesting topic (as the one in the title is not)

    Firstly let me apologise for my BORING TOPIC. I didn't realise it needed to be "interesting" or imaginative or anything like that. :roll:

    This thread has gone down a totally different path than I expected. I didn't mean it to go down the LBS internet debate since there a loads of threads on this subject.

    I was only letting you all know that J E James is NOT that bad, well in my experience anyway. I got a fantastic item at an absolute steal (we all know abou the credit crunch etc) and I thought I'd let everyone know just in case they could make use of it.

    One thing I do ponder though..................... why do we all look at "boring" topics? Surely we wouldn't be interested in them? Ugo, it's over to you...............
  • yackers1
    yackers1 Posts: 108
    oops............. :oops: Messed that one up. I don't think all of it should be in a quote box. THat's my newbieness (if that's a word) for you. Lol
  • cavemud
    cavemud Posts: 21
    Tend to agree with the above.

    Chain Reaction tend to be cheaper, but much more importantly for me, they have a telephone number with...............yes, thats right........ a human being on the other end of the phone.
  • SpinyUK
    SpinyUK Posts: 19
    MRadd wrote:
    I work at Noah's Ark in Gloucestershire... we mail order... website etc... and are willing to match genuine deals from other "Large" Web dealers.

    Try us... you may be suprised!

    8)

    I've used Noahs shop a fair bit & always had great service.
    Cheers :)

    Spiny
    FCN 4
  • meagain
    meagain Posts: 2,331
    "Doesn't anyone try their local shop anymore?"

    Not unless I have to - can't take the patronising attitude nor the assumptions that I know less about bikes than some kid does and that I am poverty struck simply because I choose not to buy a ludicrously over-priced race bike.

    YOUR shop might of course be different. One in a thousand then.
    d.j.
    "Cancel my subscription to the resurrection."
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    I used to work in an outdoor retailer and to be honest if I had an idiot customer (ie not someone who didn't know something but one who was actually an idiot) I'd make my feelings quite clear, if the customer was ok then I was the model of customer service.

    How many people go into shops with an "I know more than you" attitude directed at the staff and then get surprised when they get treated badly? Not pointing fingers at any one person but lets be honest, sometimes the "consumer" can be at fault.
  • zanes
    zanes Posts: 563
    The customer is always right, or have things changed that much?
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    Why should the customer "always be right"?

    If they go into a shop with the wrong idea about something based on nothing more than "my mate knew someone who once had a bike and he says..." why shouldn't it be pointed out that they're wrong? Obviously if it's done correctly the customer is getting good customer service, if it's done in a condescending manner then they'll be unlikely to get repeat custom.

    When I go to buy something I know little about (DSLR most recently) I always speak to the guys selling it and I expect them to tell me the truth not just agree with my prior assumptions. If they know their stuff then great, if not I go elsewhere.

    If I buy private health care can I tell the surgeon how to go about operating on me as "the customer is always right"? A line most frequently heard from ill-informed customers unwilling to listen to people who know more...
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    jam1e wrote:
    Why should the customer "always be right"?

    If they go into a shop with the wrong idea about something based on nothing more than "my mate knew someone who once had a bike and he says..." why shouldn't it be pointed out that they're wrong? Obviously if it's done correctly the customer is getting good customer service, if it's done in a condescending manner then they'll be unlikely to get repeat custom.

    When I go to buy something I know little about (DSLR most recently) I always speak to the guys selling it and I expect them to tell me the truth not just agree with my prior assumptions. If they know their stuff then great, if not I go elsewhere.

    If I buy private health care can I tell the surgeon how to go about operating on me as "the customer is always right"? A line most frequently heard from ill-informed customers unwilling to listen to people who know more...

    I think that works both does it not. Just because you work in a bike shop doesn't make you an expert and just because someone doesn't doesn't make them an idiot either. Sometimes the customer wants to do things their way and if they are given advice by the assistant and then doesn't accept it well that's his/her decision to make and just because you have not understood why they have made that decision they have made doesn't mean it is wrong - it just makes you arrogant (and that is not meant at you personally but generally to such people who treat customers that way).
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    doyler78 wrote:
    jam1e wrote:
    Why should the customer "always be right"?

    If they go into a shop with the wrong idea about something based on nothing more than "my mate knew someone who once had a bike and he says..." why shouldn't it be pointed out that they're wrong? Obviously if it's done correctly the customer is getting good customer service, if it's done in a condescending manner then they'll be unlikely to get repeat custom.

    When I go to buy something I know little about (DSLR most recently) I always speak to the guys selling it and I expect them to tell me the truth not just agree with my prior assumptions. If they know their stuff then great, if not I go elsewhere.

    If I buy private health care can I tell the surgeon how to go about operating on me as "the customer is always right"? A line most frequently heard from ill-informed customers unwilling to listen to people who know more...

    I think that works both does it not. Just because you work in a bike shop doesn't make you an expert and just because someone doesn't doesn't make them an idiot either. Sometimes the customer wants to do things their way and if they are given advice by the assistant and then doesn't accept it well that's his/her decision to make and just because you have not understood why they have made that decision they have made doesn't mean it is wrong - it just makes you arrogant (and that is not meant at you personally but generally to such people who treat customers that way).

    Yes it is a 2 way street, but whilst there are areas where there can be differences in opinion over the best way of doing things there are also areas where there is a right and wrong answer (Is part A compatible with part B?). If the customer continues to "believe" something that is clearly factually wrong even after receiving advice then why should a sales assistant waste their breath? Personally I'd say in this situation the customer would be guilty of arrogance in the same manner you described above.

    I never claimed that everyone who worked in a shop was automatically an expert on what they're selling, clearly we all know that isn't true. However I do think that it's worth mentioning that quite often there are customers who do wrongly believe they are experts.

    Clearly some shops aren't experts and some customers a
  • ror_b211
    ror_b211 Posts: 65
    MRadd wrote:
    Doesn't anyone try their local shop anymore?

    I work at Noah's Ark in Gloucestershire... we mail order... website etc... and are willing to match genuine deals from other "Large" Web dealers.

    Try us... you may be suprised!

    I've used noah's ark a few times, I find local bike shops are great for smaller items but for more expensive things, like whole bikes and frames, people just aren't willing to spend the excess any more for a local shop service.

    You're better than Cytek though...haha
  • woodywmb
    woodywmb Posts: 669
    Noah's Ark could have helped Chain Reaction Cycles out during their recent troubles.
    http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1296598/
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    i don't have a local shop or miles really - not one of any use with any stock anyway.

    ribble is ok at 20miles - then Buy-a-bike about 30 has some nice stuff occasionally.

    usually it is too much hassle to get out at a weekend to go visit - or I end up dragging wife & kids who all just have a face on them cos they are in a bike shop..

    So - I usually use Wiggle - but agree their prices have been creeping up over the past year.

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