Competitive Cyclist..Caveat Emptor

[dancinkozmo]

Just wanted to give everyone here a heads up...DONT buy from CC with paypal...

i bought a giro helmet from them a couple of months back, didnt like the fit and returned it ...its been several weeks now and they havent refunded my paypal account, instead i seem to be getting the run around...its too bad because they seemed like a good vendor, ive tried to be patient ...im really disappointed and frustrated with their poor customer service and lack of response...
sorry for venting :0(

[norcalbiker]

I haven't have any problem with them. Although, I have yet to return anything to them.

Good luck!!!

[Kontact]

I think we all understand by now that every story like your's has two sides, but forums also are the only public place to have a customer service discussion about a virtual store.

It would be good if you posted the eventual resolution to this same thread. Thanks.

[MattTuck]

I've never been a big fan of PayPal, because of the fee's. But why not open a complaint with them?

Next time, use a credit card.

[beeatnik]

I bought a Giro Prolight from CC when they first dropped to 50% off. I used my credit card (as I have for every purchase) and didn't receive a confirmation email. That was a first. Then I didn't receive the tracking number email. That was a first as well. Anyway, after 10 days I finally emailed them and asked that the order be cancelled since I figured it was never properly processed. Didn't hear back from them and the helmet arrived the next day. Up until that point, I thought they had the most responsive customer service in the business. The whole email Andy thing...

[crownjewelwl]

i've never had any problems with CC. this issue seems to be concomitant with the recent acquisition/move..

[beeatnik]

I think in my case it was a logistics hiccup. Bonktown's fulfillment is awesome. I always get my stuff in 2 days and that's with UPS economy shipping. How far is LA from Utah...?

[Idris Icabod]

Never had a problem. They are moving right now which may explain the lack of action, I'm sure they will make it right.

I have bought 3 bikes from them and numerous parts. I had one bike arrive a bit scratched up from the fedex handling. I called them and no problems they send me a new Thomson seatpost, bar tape and cable hanger and never asked for the scratched up stuff back! They also overnighted a bar as when they pulled them from the warehouse they were the wrong size, it was totally unnecessary and I bet they lost money on the transaction but customer service always seems paramount from CC.

[oldfatslow]

I've been a long-time customer of theirs and have had really good transactions with Competitive Cyclist. They have been the bomb. On the rare occasion I had an issue involving a return or an exchange it has handled smoothly.

YMMV but for me they've been great.

[gavingould]

never had a problem with CompCyclist, purchases over the last couple years with both paypal and credit cards. haven't bought anything since their merger with backcountry though.

[tv_vt]

I have only used a credit card with CompCyc, but my experiences have been outstanding. I'd buy from them in a second. Their NQA return policy has been really helpful to me. (They probably hate me.) I've returned Assos and Rapha jerseys because the fit was poor on me, and Asso shorts because the chamois didn't line up w/my sitbones very well either. Have never been given any hassle about these returns.

CC gets two thumbs up from me.

[eddief]

i try to give the vendor the large benefit of the doubt before i hammer their reputation all over the internet. i see you have posted this here and in at least one other place. sometimes if you call them and let them know you are going to trash them all over the net...before you actually do it, that can actually lead to good results.

good luck.

Just wanted to give everyone here a heads up...DONT buy from CC with paypal...

i bought a giro helmet from them a couple of months back, didnt like the fit and returned it ...its been several weeks now and they havent refunded my paypal account, instead i seem to be getting the run around...its too bad because they seemed like a good vendor, ive tried to be patient ...im really disappointed and frustrated with their poor customer service and lack of response...
sorry for venting :0(

[Climb01742]

FWIW, i've also had nothing but great experiences with CC. they've taken my returns without a moment's hesitation. in my experience, their customer service is as good as it gets.

[dancinkozmo]

i try to give the vendor the large benefit of the doubt before i hammer their reputation all over the internet. i see you have posted this here and in at least one other place. sometimes if you call them and let them know you are going to trash them all over the net...before you actually do it, that can actually lead to good results.

good luck.

I've been back and forth with them via email and phone for a couple of weeks now and seem to be getting nowhere...I'm not trying to hammer their rep. They seem like a stand up company. I'm just really frustrated and dissapointed in the poor response on their part...maybe it's due to the move , who knows...
To all of you who've had good experience with them , I hope you continue to do so in the future.

[BumbleBeeDave]

about them being bought. Here it is . . .

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=95330&highlight=competitive

Not sure what connection--if any--there is.

BBD

[jlwdm]

I buy what I can from CC because I appreciate the selection of high-end items they carry, the extensive product information, the great customer service and this summer some great buys.

I have returned a number of items with no issues although I have always used a credit card.

I will say though that since the buyout I emailed for dimensions on 2 lights and never heard back.

I hope things have not changed.

Jeff

[Pete Serotta]

They were bought by BackCountry.com from what I am told. PETE

[ultraman6970]

What u have to do is just go and chat with costumer service instead of sending emails. Or even give them a phone call. THey are always willing to help.

[54ny77]

This thread (customer-vendor complaint aside) brings up a good point: to what extent should a company religiously monitor or be responsive to emails, vs. the usual priority of talking on phone with a real person?

Seems like phone is often best resolution for a tough-to-handle request or escalated customer service issue. But that's assuming you can get someone on the other line who cares or can understand what you're saying.

Seems like more & more generations of users & consumers are using email as primary communication, and placing high value on the importance of that email. Ignoring it or dismissing it is equated as the same as ignoring a phone call/message.

[eddief]

then you can often leave a message with a person or on a machine. the third message might be something like this - "i have now left 3 voice messages with your company about a customer service issue i would like have solved. if i don't hear from you by 5:00 pm this afternoon, i will start trashing your reputation all over the internet. i am currently a member of at least 10 bicycling-related forums with at least 10K bicycle enthusiasts as members. i am sure all them would like to know about the less than satisfactory customer service experience i am having with your company."

this way, you know you gave them the benefit of the doubt, you gave them 3 chances to respond, and you let them know your intentions. and then if they don't respond, you don't have to feel so bad for warning others.

[jlwdm]

This thread (customer-vendor complaint aside) brings up a good point: to what extent should a company religiously monitor or be responsive to emails, vs. the usual priority of talking on phone with a real person?



Overall more companies have changed the priority to email - phone calls are discouraged.

Jeff

[dancinkozmo]

...for the record I have emailed, called and spoken with someone, called to follow up and left a message (btw their toll free 888 number is currently out of service whenever I try to call...move related ?)
I was told the issue was being passed to their "finance dept" and haven't heard back from them since...ive tried to do a resolution through PayPal but because the item was purchased more than 45 days ago they won't help either...
I just get the feeling im going to get shafted on this one...no biggie , I just hope none of you guys run into the same problem....

[54ny77]

you just like talking with the help desk, admit it.... :banana:

http://callcenterachievements.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/CallCenterHeadset-main_Full.jpg

...for the record I have emailed, called and spoken with someone, called to follow up and left a message (btw their toll free 888 number is currently out of service whenever I try to call...move related ?)
I was told the issue was being passed to their "finance dept" and haven't heard back from them since...ive tried to do a resolution through PayPal but because the item was purchased more than 45 days ago they won't help either...
I just get the feeling im going to get shafted on this one...no biggie , I just hope none of you guys run into the same problem....

[AngryScientist]

just out of curiosity, is there any benefit to using PP instead of a credit card for orders like this, what made you use PP? (honestly just curious).

[dancinkozmo]

54ny77....YOWZA !!!!!!!!!! :)

Angry sci...easier to hide PayPal bike purchases from the wife vs. using the CCard ,so I suppose I'm kind of getting what I deserve in a way for trying to be a sneak ...

[bigflax925]

Never had a problem with them, as they were local for me up until the beginning of the month. Never had a problem, but never did Paypal, either.

Interestingly, I did see an unknown charge pop up on my credit card for an order from August. We'll see how well their CS still works.

[fourflys]

This thread (customer-vendor complaint aside) brings up a good point: to what extent should a company religiously monitor or be responsive to emails, vs. the usual priority of talking on phone with a real person?


any company worth dealing with in today's marketplace has two things IMHO... a decent website and someone who returns emails within 1 business day... if they can't do that, then they don't deserve my business... as someone else has said, phones are all but a thing of the past for online retailers...

having said that, if they are in the middle of moving who knows... never bought from CC, but have bought from BackCountry with no issues...

[bikerboy337]

+1,000,000 on this...

all my bike sales/purchases have been through paypal the past few years... she doesnt see that account info!

Angry sci...easier to hide PayPal bike purchases from the wife vs. using the CCard ,so I suppose I'm kind of getting what I deserve in a way for trying to be a sneak ...[/QUOTE]

[bikser]

I've never had an issue with them with an order, return, or customer service (phone, email, always returned messages, etc.) pre-Backcountry.com purchase. I haven't really done any business with them since the recent purchase. I do miss the weekly blog, that was always interesting. Hopefully, the general vibe of the company can remain.

Backcountry and its affiliates (Bonktown, SAC, Chainlove), have all been perfect as well. About the smoothest mail order company I've ever dealt with.

[Brendan Quirk]

Hey Jeff, sorry for the problems. Please call me and I'll take care of it. 801-736-6396 x5602

If I'm not there, please leave me a message with your order #! One adjustment to our new surroundings is an increase in the number of meetings. They're super-productive, but it keeps many of us away from our phones.

Thanks, Brendan

[pdmtong]

Hey Jeff, sorry for the problems. Please call me and I'll take care of it. 801-736-6396 x5602

If I'm not there, please leave me a message with your order #! One adjustment to our new surroundings is an increase in the number of meetings. They're super-productive, but it keeps many of us away from our phones.

Thanks, Brendan

Jeff, if you don't know who Brendan is, your issue just got addressed by the man at the top.

[pdmtong]

54ny77....YOWZA !!!!!!!!!! :)

Angry sci...easier to hide PayPal bike purchases from the wife vs. using the CCard ,so I suppose I'm kind of getting what I deserve in a way for trying to be a sneak ...

this is funny, since I have a PP acct just for buying/selling bike stuff...in the end my wife won't care, but at least this forces me to sell in order to buy...a common challenge for us all, right?

[BumbleBeeDave]

Hey Jeff, sorry for the problems. Please call me and I'll take care of it. 801-736-6396 x5602

If I'm not there, please leave me a message with your order #! One adjustment to our new surroundings is an increase in the number of meetings. They're super-productive, but it keeps many of us away from our phones.

Thanks, Brendan

I think this qualifies as "customer serivce!" :D

BBD

[bikerboy337]

+1 for CC, never had any issues with them and i'm sure they'll fix whatever the issue is...

[BobbyJones]

I think this qualifies as "customer serivce!" :D

BBD


This qualifies as triage, not customer service.

[Brendan Quirk]

Bobby - We just moved our entire business across the country. Literally. Triage has been our middle name for the last two weeks. We're doing our best, I promise. We expect normalcy to return soon but no amount of pre-planning could make the process seamless. As you might imagine, IT issues were some of the most complicated ones, and Paypal is an extraordinarily touchy system.

Thx, Brendan

[rab]

For what it is worth, I have had very positive experiences with CC, including a situation where an order arrived with a piece of a component missing. This was dealt with perfectly.

Have heard that paypal can be frustrating to use from the vendor side. Friend told me his business wouldn't use it if it wasn't so popular with customers, so they are basically stuck with it.

[BobbyJones]

Brendan-

Don't get me wrong, I like what you guys do. I was always amazed that you guys could charge MSRP and still (apparently) grow your business which says only one thing- great customer service and solid business policies.

I was just referring to the matter mentioned and calling it like it is. Jeff should have never fallen through the cracks. That being said, I wish you success with this new phase of your growth.





Bobby - We just moved our entire business across the country. Literally. Triage has been our middle name for the last two weeks. We're doing our best, I promise. We expect normalcy to return soon but no amount of pre-planning could make the process seamless. As you might imagine, IT issues were some of the most complicated ones, and Paypal is an extraordinarily touchy system.

Thx, Brendan

[oldpotatoe]

Brendan-

Don't get me wrong, I like what you guys do. I was always amazed that you guys could charge MSRP and still (apparently) grow your business which says only one thing- great customer service and solid business policies.

I was just referring to the matter mentioned and calling it like it is. Jeff should have never fallen through the cracks. That being said, I wish you success with this new phase of your growth.


Geee, I didn't know 'MSRP' was a four letter word.

[leooooo]

IME they do have great customer service and solid business policies. Also there are alot of people who choose to and are able to buy at MSRP.

[54ny77]

didn't you get the memo? serotta meivici di2 taste with dedicated concierge service but nashbar closeout budget is the new paradigm. or expectation.

:p

Geee, I didn't know 'MSRP' was a four letter word.

[dancinkozmo]

Just wanted to say CC issued a refund for my purchase several days ago...I think this was simply a mix up due to their move....I wouldn't hesitate purchasing again from them in the future...
I would also like to wish them the best of luck in their new location.

[fourflys]

^^ good to hear and thanks for reporting back!