Wiggle... no longer offering price match

Just spotted wiggle no longer offer price matching.

Guess the current demand for products mean they no longer have to try as hard to compete with rival stores.
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Comments

  • ... indeed.
    Some of the competition are no longer there too.. CRC is part of the group, Ribble don't sell paraphernalia anymore... they really have a dominant position in the market
    left the forum March 2023
  • ibr17xvii
    ibr17xvii Posts: 1,065
    edited November 2020
    I used to order literally everything from Wiggle. Their prices & customer service were 2nd to none.

    In the last couple of years they've really gone downhill.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Their service is appalling, the last thing I bought from them arrived before it had been dispatched.
  • I've never had an issue with any online retailer but I don't buy that much stuff.
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,579
    I guess it was always the long term plan. Crush the competition and then you don't have to be so aggressive on pricing.
    I think the service has got better this year - the standard delivery seems to have got much faster.
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • skooter
    skooter Posts: 264
    I used to be a Wiggle fan but they have gone down hill that's for sure the last 3 things i bought from them had problems.
  • I too used to be a Wiggle fan, but now they never seem to have stock of anything these days, so my go to store is Sigma.
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    Merlin all the way here - always found Wiggle a tad expensive compared tbh.

    But can fully understand why they don’t price match though - if they don’t have to why should they?
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • elbowloh
    elbowloh Posts: 7,078
    MattFalle said:

    Merlin all the way here - always found Wiggle a tad expensive compared tbh.

    But can fully understand why they don’t price match though - if they don’t have to why should they?

    Yeah, Merlin is my go-to online bike shop now too.

    Always the cheapest when it comes to whole groupsets and components (well for me any way). Also seem to have great deals on full bikes.
    Felt F1 2014
    Felt Z6 2012
    Red Arthur Caygill steel frame
    Tall....
    www.seewildlife.co.uk
  • parmos
    parmos Posts: 100
    ordered a few things from Wiggle recently didn't have any issues with them the best bit about them is they can deliver local to were you are located as i work away quite a bit and it comes in very handy.
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,538
    Same here, CRC and Wiggle used to be my first port of call.

    Other ones I no longer use anymore really are Evans, and Ribble - Ribble used to have a good variety of parts, and good deals on clothes on occasions.

    Merlin and Sigma for me primarily.
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • Merlin mainly for me. Wiggle/CRC use Hermes for deliveries which basically means that anything I order from them won't turn up.

    I used to use Sigma a lot but they stopped their price matching and their pricing is definitely not as competitive as it used to be. Shame as their service is very good.
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    WCRC still a go-to for me and our Hermes service is excellent (and not worth paying extra on the off-chance it might get here a day earlier). Have used ProBikeKit quite a bit over the past year. Great after sales when I had a sizing issue with a top or two bought in an offer.
  • RedClip
    RedClip Posts: 110
    I agreed about Wiggle going down hill. Sometimes they don't even any sweets.
    Bastards 🤬
  • We are lucky we have the same Hermes guy who delivers most days and delivered my CRC order on a Sunday.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Recently got a delivery from ups. It turned within the time frame it said it would. However I tried for an hour to register on the their site to try and arrange my parcel to be left in same place. It would freeze, tell my name was previously registered. However when I clicked on forgot password or user Id and it said it would send me an email nothing arrived. There is a help Bot but I ended up just repeating myself. They have a telephone help line but this is a Bot as well. Give me Hermes or DPD any day.
  • I've spent a small fortune over the years with Wiggle, but bad service has put me off using them since. I try Merlin in the first instance now. Prices and service have been alright and it's fairly local to me.
  • rwoofer
    rwoofer Posts: 221
    I used to be mainly Sigma and while their service continues to be good, the prices aren't as competitive as they used to be. I'm now ordering far more from continential sites such as bike-discount.de and Lordgun. Very competitive prices in places and no issues to report.
  • Price matching is a silly idea anyway. Do that and you fall into the trap of never making money. Perhaps wiggle have figured this out. If you model is always to be the lowest price, the cost of that has to fall somewhere.
    www.thecycleclinic.co.uk
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 14,498
    I start with Google shopping. Prices seem to largely follow who wants to ditch which stock, or else is basically the same everywhere or out of stock everywhere. It is not as though you get rewards for loyalty is it?
  • I’ve used price match in store before....makes sense as you can look at it in person and take it home then and there without waiting for delivery.

    But online? What’s the problem? Just order it from the place that is cheapest
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,538
    edited December 2020
    I can think of several logical reasons you might want to shop with a certain retailer over another:

    - They have a loyalty discount scheme reliant on how much you have spent within a rolling 12 month period - if you are planning to buy something big at full rrp, a bike for example, then maintaining a top tier of loyalty discount would reap dividends in the near future for you.
    - They give cashback through topcashback or quidco etc, when their competitor does not
    - They offer free returns
    - They offer returns for an entire year - a lot of places only let you return items within a fairly short time period, where as Tredz, CRC/Wiggle are all 365 days - in the past this has been a real boon for me.
    - The retailer you have chosen may deliver through a courier who is reliable in your area, when their competitor may use one that is terrible, in your area.
    - Your chosen retailer may deliver faster, and or offer a reliable tracking service
    - Your chosen retailer may have physical stores, giving you the option of collecting in person, and perhaps more usefully, the ability to return in person with no postage charges - I utilised this in days gone by when I used to shop at Evans.
    - You may have another item you want to order as well that does not qualify for free postage on it's own, that the competitor does either not stock or is more expensive, this way you get it lumped in as part of the order, and also only have to accept one delivery - not an issue currently with almost everyone wfh 5 days a week, but in the olden days a lot of people would want to minimise delivereis to home in case it then entailed a trip, or trips to a parcel pick up place.
    - If both items are not right, you only have one parcel to return, instead of two.
    - They may accept a credit card that gives you cashback which their competitor does not, Amex Platinum etc etc

    I'm sure there are others, but those sprang to mind, and after a bit of wine, both mulled and unmulled.

    But apart from the above, I can see no reasons for price match being a benefit to the consumer.
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,538
    edited December 2020
    rwoofer said:

    I'm now ordering far more from continential sites such as bike-discount.de and Lordgun. Very competitive prices in places and no issues to report.

    I have done as well, spent a fair amount of cash with mantel, bob, all4cycling, bike de, bike discount like you, and others that slip my mind right now, but places in Germany, France and Italy predominantly.

    However, unless I am not understanding things correctly, from Jan 1st, these orders will all incur import duty and I would assume that delightful admin charge that various couriers slap on as well, so I think it unlikely that will be a logical route for more than a further 3-4 weeks.

    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    Yup - you're gonna get hit with import charges which will sorta negate any savings.

    But hey, you got blue passports....
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    edited December 2020
    I'll keep using the German sites - get the bits delivered to family and collect when visiting or have them forwarded on with Die Post.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
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  • flasher
    flasher Posts: 1,734
    MattFalle said:

    Yup - you're gonna get hit with import charges which will sorta negate any savings.

    But hey, you got blue passports....

    Assuming that there's no deal, there'll be Import VAT and possibly Customs and Excise Duty (depending on the order value) to pay along with courier handling charges (Royal Mail charged me £12 clearance fee last time I bought outside of the EU).

    The only good news is the retailer will sell minus their own country's VAT.
  • ed1973
    ed1973 Posts: 284
    Why did wiggle stop putting haribo’s in?? That was it for me, off to Merlin I went and they now throw in energy bars!
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    Oh God no. No no no.

    I ordered from Merlin, got their energy chew (Clif I think).

    Riding along, stuck a lump or two in my mouth and nearly died of not being able to breath or chew disease. Friggin' awful.

    I only carried on eating them because they were free and I'm tight.

    Viva los Haribo
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • womack
    womack Posts: 566
    Quite new to the forum so excuse my impertinence of joining in conversation.

    My go to, like some others on here, is Merlin although as I haven't spent a lot lately looks as if I have dropped from the Gold Discount level.

    My second choice of supplier ( dons hard hat) is actually Halfords on line service.

    Whilst I realise there can be something of an elitist attitude towards Halfords they tend to hold good stocks, offer reasonable prices and not too shoddy delivery.