Chain Reaction Cycles

[elcolombiano]

I bought a Santini Jersey from Chain Reaction Cycles in the UK earlier this year. The Jersey was to large so I spent $20 to return it. I received authorization from Chainreaction and followed their rules. It has now been over a month and I still have not received my refund. To add insult to injury I am also out the $20 return shipping. Every time I write to Chain Reaction they respond with a bunch of run around statements and poor English that contradicts itself. Monday I will have to file a claim with my credit card company. To bad this company is not reputable.

[jkbrwn]

That's disappointing. I've never found them to be anything other than exemplary. One other thing you could try is contacting Wiggle and explaining the situation to them. Seems a strange suggestion, but I've received someone's CRC order when I ordered something from Wiggle before, so they're definitely in the same warehouse. I suspect their customer services will also be in the same office.

[elcolombiano]

Thanks - Will do.

[jimoots]

Yeah I wouldn’t say CRC/wiggle aren’t reputable, you’re just dealing with a big company in the middle of COVID shipping delay stuff that makes low margin on everything so they can’t just say “customer is right” and refund you.

Like the situation sucks, but it’s kinda par for the course buying clothing internationally online. A lot of people just take a haircut and list on FB marketplace or Craigslist rather than go through the hassle.

Also noting wiggle and CRC are the same business, they have the same inventory, same customer service and all the rest of it. If you’re struggling with CRC support I would suggest live chat if you haven’t already, trying to email wiggle will likely just confuse them.

[AngryScientist]

buying stuff from the UK at a bargain is, and has always been a gamble. usually it works out great and you save a few bucks, but if you ever need to return something, any savings evaporate into a headache.

if i bought a jersey that didnt fit from the UK, i would have sold it locally at a loss rather than go through the headache of an international return.

[fmradio516]

My buddy bought a $4k mountain bike from them which arrived damaged(frame; though the packaging wasnt) and after being dismissed by CRC for weeks, he eventually had to get it sorted by his credit card company... what a pain.

[DeBike]

I have had a couple of things from CRC and PBK that were not compatible with what I wanted, no fault of there's. They were not high ticket items and not worth sending back. I held on to them until I could move them locally or through this and another forum.

I did have an item from CRC that was lost in shipping. It was close to 6 weeks before it was officially declared lost. At that point, CRC contacted me via email to ask if I preferred the item to be reshipped or the cost refunded. I had already acquired the item from another source, so I requested the refund. IIRC, it was 3 days before the refund was posted on my CC account.

PBK I had an issue with a Shimano compatible Miche cassette, 13/30. The 30t cog was actually for Campy, just the 30t. PBK wanted me to ship the cassette back to their warranty department at my cost. If the warranty dept. ok'd my claim, they would send a new cassette and reimburse me the cost of that shipping. Rather than go through the hassle and waiting time, I ordered a 30t cog from Harris Cyclery. With shipping, that was $19. Basically, that ate up the money I tried to save from the original sale. I would rather that had not happened, but I am ok with it for this one time.

[prototoast]

Yeah, I generally consider the overseas discount to be the cost of self-insuring. I have done some returns to chain reaction on clothing, but that was only after buying 5+ jerseys and returning three of them. It took a long time to get processed, but it got processed eventually. Again, if you want prompt reliable service, bike tires direct or competitive cyclist are both very good and located here in the US (Plus, whatever you have locally which may or may not be good).

[MagicHour]

I'll also add Excel Sports and Jenson USA to that list. I used to order from Merlin, Wiggle et al but with the Pandemic/Brexit things aren't as quick and as inexpensive as they used to be. Excel hooked me up last spring with some necessities like tires, when local shops were locked down and I was staying at a rural house without an official postal address.

Originally Posted by prototoast

Again, if you want prompt reliable service, bike tires direct or competitive cyclist are both very good and located here in the US (Plus, whatever you have locally which may or may not be good).

[flying]

As others have said UK has great deals but as you see returns are a pain.

I use CRC often & they are great but yes have returned a few & yes it costs & takes forever.

The reason is they use a service to keep that return price that low.
If you look for instance at USPS or others any International package even light small ones will cost way more than $20 to return as it goes by air.

CRC returns are gathered by another company in I forget which State then sent by ocean freight. You will get refunded/voucher etc but takes awhile

What I do now is when buying from them I only buy brands/models I know will fit
Even then I have had times when a known brand has classic/race fit diff & it didn't work out. These days if that happens I sell here or online rather than bother with returns

Hang in there I think it takes 6-8 weeks ...This is a very reputable company along with Wiggle their other half

[elcolombiano]

Originally Posted by flying

As others have said UK has great deals but as you see returns are a pain.

I use CRC often & they are great but yes have returned a few & yes it costs & takes forever.

The reason is they use a service to keep that return price that low.
If you look for instance at USPS or others any International package even light small ones will cost way more than $20 to return as it goes by air.

CRC returns are gathered by another company in I forget which State then sent by ocean freight. You will get refunded/voucher etc but takes awhile

What I do now is when buying from them I only buy brands/models I know will fit
Even then I have had times when a known brand has classic/race fit diff & it didn't work out. These days if that happens I sell here or online rather than bother with returns

Hang in there I think it takes 6-8 weeks ...This is a very reputable company along with Wiggle their other half

OK Thanks. I will give them a little more time.

[oldguy00]

Just to add, I've been buying from all the major UK places, shipped to Canada, for about 15 years now, and have always had good luck. Mostly Chain Reaction and Merlin these days.
THAT said, I never order anything that I would anticipate returning, because yeah the return postage is gonna suck.

So for me, its tires, chains, small parts, tools, etc.

[elcolombiano]

Chain Reaction Cycles finally returned my money for my Jersey return. I took them 41 days.

[flying]

Originally Posted by elcolombiano

Chain Reaction Cycles finally returned my money for my Jersey return. I took them 41 days.

Yes that return ship is crazy slow....

I tried it 2x because it was DHB brand shoes I didn't think I could resell
But if anything else like name brand things usually you can get that return price by selling online because you save that shipping cost so it is usually a break even

[peanutgallery]

When I buy clothing...I always look towards other continents

Then...I rag about returns and exchanges