Quibble with Ribble

[magnatom]

I ordered a new Ribble winter trainer in the middle of November. Yippee. At the time I contacted them to find out about build times, delivery etc. I needed the bike before the 16th December as we are due to move house.

'No problem at all sir. You will have the bike well before then. Should have it within 2 weeks, 3 weeks at the absolute maximum'.

So here I am 4 weeks and a number of broken promises later, and no bike yet. I was actually told a day that the bike would arrive, via e-mail. I phone on the day and was told they were waiting for parts etc. So no bike.

So is this par for the course with Ribble? Cheap bikes, poor communication/service? How difficult can it be to have proper stock control, up to date information on the state of the order etc? When I check the order online it has remained as received since I placed the order. All I want is the truth. If it is going to take 5, 6, 7 weeks, then tell me.

I need the bike for winter commuting, so I'll keep chasing them up, but I don't expect that I will be shopping at Ribble for anything else in the foreseeable future.


Rant over.

 

[ttcycle]

I know Tollers had similar delays with his bike from Ribble but I got my bike the same time as his despite ordering it 3 weeks after he did. I didn't experience any delay with mine -they were just a few days out of their three week estimate. It was quite difficult contacting them via phone - have you tried emailing Alan Gray - the man who contacted me via email about the set up of the bike - I dealt with him directly after failing to get through on the phones - pm me if you've not got the email address.

Sorry to hear this Mag -esp since you're moving house

 

[magnatom]

I know Tollers had similar delays with his bike from Ribble but I got my bike the same time as his despite ordering it 3 weeks after he did. I didn't experience any delay with mine -they were just a few days out of their three week estimate. It was quite difficult contacting them via phone - have you tried emailing Alan Gray - the man who contacted me via email about the set up of the bike - I dealt with him directly after failing to get through on the phones - pm me if you've not got the email address.

Sorry to hear this Mag -esp since you're moving house

The e-mail I got about the delivery date (that turned out not to be the delivery date) was from Alan Gray!

In the grand scheme of things, this isn't a major crime , but I just hate being fobbed off with delivery dates etc when they just appear to be made up of the top of someones head. A badly run business IMO.

 

[ttcycle]

have you tried emailing him- his estimate time for me was off as well. Have you been emailing or ringing?

It's an annoyance and bad customer service...not good imho for Ribble

 

[magnatom]

have you tried emailing him- his estimate time for me was off as well. Have you been emailing or ringing?

It's an annoyance and bad customer service...not good imho for Ribble

Aye, I've copied him into a few e-mails, but since the 'delivery date' it has just been the general sales team that got back to me. I've mostly been e-mailing (chatted on the phone once).

Hopefully, if it is going to arrive from Wednesday onwards, they will be ok about sending it to my new address.

 

[ttcycle]

fingers crossed for you mag otherwise they should send it out to you again to your new place at cost to them for the messing about if it gets returned undelivered.

 

[magnatom]

...and so the saga continues. The bike won't be with me before I move house. Therefore, I'll have to wait and see if they can deliver it correctly and if they can charge my card correctly.

Earlier in the week I was told that the bike was in picking (being built?), now it would seem that there is a shortage of the Campag front mech and they have found it difficult to find a supplier. Should be arriving on Wednesday or Thursday, maybe.

Do I believe them this time? Going on past record, I'll be lucky to see this bike before Christmas.

 

[dustystreet]

cancel the order.

 

[magnatom]

I need the bike. My commute is about to double, the chain on my hybrid is on it's last legs (as is the cassette) and I don't have time to buy replace it, and I wouldn't want to commute 11 miles on it. I'm commuting on my good bike at the moment and I don't want to be (I never have much time for cleaning etc). So I'm a bit stuck.

I can certainly take future business elsewhere (and blog to warn others).

 

[magnatom]

Glasgow to Prestons only 3 hours tops away innit? Get ur ass down there and rattle some cages man!

I can imagine the conversation with my wife now...

Right I'm off down to Preston to go get my new bike. You'll be ok moving house, won't you? Being 8 months pregnant shouldn't hold you back....

 

[Norm]

I can imagine the conversation with my wife now...

Right I'm off down to Preston to go get my new bike. You'll be ok moving house, won't you? Being 8 months pregnant shouldn't hold you back....

IMO, even more reason to...

cancel the order.

Customer service like that does not deserve anyone's cash, IMO.

 

[magnatom]

IMO, even more reason to...


Customer service like that does not deserve anyone's cash, IMO.

But I do need the bike pretty quickly. I'll wait until I get a reply from my latest e-mail to decide what to do next.

 

[magnatom]

Fair point, well made.....


... take the wife for a day out then

Funnily enough we will be down that way for Christmas (in-laws live in the Wyre Valley). I'd hope I had the bike by then though....

 

[ChrisKH]

Fair point, well made.....


... take the wife for a day out then

Yes, nice one. Then his wife goes into labour and he takes home a Yorkshireman as well as a new bike. Bargain!

 

[Bollo]

Quality thread title BTW