Buying Mail order!?

[e-rider]

Hi,

Seeing an ad in MBR mag I ordered a mavic wheel set from J.E.James cycles. As yet no response to my emails and no wheels (I guess the next step would be calling them) but, just wanted to check and see what other peoples experience of J.E James was like. I've used Wiggle and Chainreactioncycles in the past and never had much trouble, although RibbleCycles were awful (waited about 6 weeks for some campag cables that were IN stock).

 

[ChrisKH]

Just bought a bike from them and after 5 working days it was despatched. If you have ticked priority mail when ordering it will come quicker. In any event, if it isn't with you in five working days call them up, they will update you. they do take a bit longer than wiggle,etc. but it does come eventually IME.

 

[Will1985]

J.E. James are the worst at stock control. You may wait a fortnight and then be told that they don't have the product.

Your Ribble experience may be a thing of the past - they have improved a lot over the past year and you can get what you ordered within 48 hours (apart from the big items).

 

[e-rider]

Thanks - I should better call them then!

 

[Lardyboy]

Ribble are soooo much better now compared with a couple of years ago.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Earlier this year I ordered a 23mm Continental folding tyre from JE James, colour blue. Seven days later up turns a 25mm rigid, colour black. The tyre had JE James own sticker on it with the incorrect product description, approx 2" away from the Conti label which was of course correct.

I did not send it back as I needed it right then and as it was hidden under the guard on the back of my winter hack the colour did not matter. 25mm I had considered anyway so I could live with that, but I was not impressed and would be wary of using them again. There was a thread on Bikeradar a while back which was generally not complimentary about JE James.

 

[fossyant]

JE James are rubbish at stock control - I ordered a Dura Ace 7410 headset from them, shown in stock, and a week later, got an email saying not in stock order canceled......ffs.......

Then ordered from an ebay seller (pukka bike retailer), a week after he got chucked off ebay - ebay canceled transaction...erm I have paid.......

Re-ordered from SJS (phoned them instead as it's a hard to get part) - 1 shown in stock on web...they went to check and couldn't find it, so ordered from the importer - only a day or so extra delivery....

In the mean time, the headset from the banned seller turns up... oh well have 1 spare rather nice Dura Ace 1 inch Headset as spares, only cost £60......

Anyway, both road bikes use Ultegra/DA cartridge headsets, so have spares for both now.......

BIG UP for SJS - they are spot on, although sometimes not the cheapest !

 

[e-rider]

Well, to up-date; I called JE James and they said that the wheels had been shipped a few days earlier and that was several days ago now and still no wheels so either the courier is painfully slow or it's b********! Anyway, this is developing into a right load of trouble. I'll let you know what happens in the end. In the meantime, I'll be shopping elsewhere on-line. This is my first experience of JEJames and certainly the last, unless something pretty special happens!

 

[Twenty Inch]

Send them a link to this thread, might buck their ideas up a bit.

 

[Tynan]

dunno really, I use almost anyone on the webby, that said though I do reuse people that have proved themselves so after a while there's no need to use new people unless there is

were JE cheap?

 

[e-rider]

Well, some interesting and worrying developments - still no wheels and I've tried calling them and either: they put me on hold and then hang-up or cut me off straight away after saying hello! This is now a matter for trading standards. I'll also send an email to MBR to let them know about my experience as I did trust ads in their mag but not anymore. What a loads of crap!

 

[e-rider]

They were cheapish but I used them as they had the wheels I wanted which were 2007 models and are not easy to find now.

 

[e-rider]

I can now finish this story but there is no happy ending.

After chasing them up for 2 days (they don't like to answer the phone) they told me that they don't have the wheels in stock - this is 8 days AFTER they told me they had been SHIPPED!

This is without doubt the most incompetent on-line bike store I've ever known. If I hadn't chased them I'd still be waiting next year for my wheels to arrive!

IMO, avoid like the plague!

 

[rich p]

I phoned them and emailed them about a Litespeed frame and never got an answer. They're crap IMHO

 

[02GF74]

Hi,

although RibbleCycles were awful (waited about 6 weeks for some campag cables that were IN stock).

Don't mention that R word to me

You were lucky to get anything from them in 6 weeks. I ordered some stuff and months later kept on ringing them, given excuses like they are too busy WTF!??! Yet not busy enough not to cash my cheque.

In the end had to threaten them with court action.

(this was quite a few years ago).

Weird because before that occasion I never had any problem.

I couldn't care the less whether they have improved or not, well, they couldn't get any worse, I will never ever order anything from them again - useless lying rude sods.