Online Purchases - good and bad experiences

[CKinnard]

Bad Experience. (POSSIBLE SCAM ALERT)

possibly? Try definitely.

no physical addresses, no names, no phone numbers, no ABN or ACN associated with company name (cityfixie).
essentially, there's no way to know where this business operates from and by whom.

[battler2]

Bad Experience. (POSSIBLE SCAM ALERT)


Website - cityfixie.com.au [admin removed hyperlink]

I ordered the RAW Gold bike on the 28th of April 15,
I asked for an ETA on the bikes delivery to the NT and was quoted 80 extra for delivery, bike was to be built within 3-5 working days, its now the 16th of May and without any correspondence from them, i have asked for an estimated time for the bike to be ready and delivered, i can understand there could be shipment delays but there has been no correspondence what so ever, this only gave me the conclusion the bike website is an actual FAKE and SCAM, i have politely asked for a refund but now in a claim process with PAYPAL.

Has anyone dealt with this company? There are no reviews online about them or any info, not even a valid phone number to call, its probably my mistake i did not fully research them in the first place and got sucked into the pretty bike photos.

if anyone knows anything about this company it would be greatly appreciated.

If you in there processes of buying through CITYFIXIE, just be cautious.

hi, after having some of my own serious problems I thought i'd help you out a bit.

to register a .com.au name you need an ABN as far as I know. but to start, doing a whois query on the domain at http://www.ausregistry.com.au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; reveals his name and a gmail address. bad signs there already.

Registrant Contact Name shiyi bao
Registrant Contact Email citymart.aus@gmail.com

a google search of his ACN (also obtained from whois) links me to this info
https://creditorwatch.com.au/credit/profile/99127446468" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Main Name: Lee Ang Australia Pty Ltd
Main Trading Name: CITYMART
Locality: 3151 VIC

now googling citymart, indicates he sells furniture too.

http://www.citymartonline.com.au/index. ... contact_us" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

there's a phone number on there as well. VIC as well. worth a try.

otherwise you've got consumer affairs victoria

[Mrngonzalez]

Thanks battler2,

I have followed your lead by investigating them by googling them, I found the same information as well.

I have called the number listed and it was engaged on Friday. I smell something very fishy.
My naivety has got me into this dilemma, I literally thought I'd give the small guys (business) a go. Big mistake.

I have reported them to consumer affairs last week.

Will follow up with more details as they come. Should be interesting.

[battler2]

keep us posted, especially re: consumer affairs. but TBH you'll be fine with the paypal dispute i think. if they can't contact him for proof of delivery they'll just reverse the charges usually.

[Mrngonzalez]

Success!

Today, i called the "citymart" number that Battler2 looked up.

Someone picked up, I asked them if Cityfixie was owned by the same company, they said, Yes.
The gentleman on the phone told me they were a different division but said he had authority to refund me, after telling him it was unacceptable to leave your customers hangin, he said they were waiting for parts to arrive, i call BS on that one, they could have replied and told me that 3 weeks ago.
I received my refund today thanks to battler2's investigation. If i didnt call them, the furniture store!, i would not have received my refund.

Lesson learnt on my behalf, so, if any readers here are looking at buying from cityfixie, please reconsider. In conclusion, CityFixie is a company owned by CityMart which sell trendy fixies, these guys dont specialise in bicycles and probably looking at an extra way to get some income by selling bikes that don't actually exist in Australia. Buyer beware.

Peace.

[battler2]

excellent outcome. possibly consumer affairs would've given them a call before you contacted them as well.

i wish my situation were that simple. i'm dealing with a bricks and mortar store in melbourne, just being ignored and deceived. and it's all being backed by the manufacturer too. i'll have to post about it soon.

[AUbicycles]

Thank you for the follow up.

Lets go through some lessons learnt:
• Check google and see how popular a website it.
• On google, search for customer experiences eg. XYZ shop +bad or XYZ shop +scam
• The Shop MUST have a contact address and contact number
A P.O. box may be valid, but is harder to follow up that a shop with a real address
• Local Language
• Who owns the website - check http://ausregistry.com.au/whois" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (australian .com.au)
If key information is suppressed, ask why would a legitimate business suppress this?
• Is the website content complete, such as about us or terms and conditions... or did someone get lazy or guess?
• Has it been discussed on BNA... most valid online bikes shops are discussed here
• Are the brands known.. and how do the prices relate to competitors prices?

[AndrewCowley]

c r c or CyclingExpress?

Has anyone used both recently? Wondering which I should pick for the quickest delivery to Sydney. For what I need their prices are very similar.

[cancan64]

c r c or CyclingExpress?

Has anyone used both recently? Wondering which I should pick for the quickest delivery to Sydney. For what I need their prices are very similar.

I recently used Cycling Express, it took 2 days from time of order, dispatch from Taipei and clear customs and then 3 days to be delivered the 20km to my place although much faster than the parcel from Bike bug in Sydney, that took 7 days to get delivered.

[black4tress]

c r c or CyclingExpress?

Has anyone used both recently? Wondering which I should pick for the quickest delivery to Sydney. For what I need their prices are very similar.

Just ordered a box of goodies from c r c.
Order date: 04/05/15
Received Date: 19/05/15 today.....should be in front of my place when I get home. From the tracking, it spent a few days in Singapore before AUS.

My Ribble order was to my surprise quicker and I received that last week.

[slowK]

Thank you for the follow up.

Lets go through some lessons learnt:
• Check google and see how popular a website it.
• On google, search for customer experiences eg. XYZ shop +bad or XYZ shop +scam
• The Shop MUST have a contact address and contact number
A P.O. box may be valid, but is harder to follow up that a shop with a real address
• Local Language
• Who owns the website - check http://ausregistry.com.au/whois" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (australian .com.au)
If key information is suppressed, ask why would a legitimate business suppress this?
• Is the website content complete, such as about us or terms and conditions... or did someone get lazy or guess?
• Has it been discussed on BNA... most valid online bikes shops are discussed here
• Are the brands known.. and how do the prices relate to competitors prices?

Positive experiences with lesser-known sites discussed here is a good one.

I bought from BikeInn recently after someone here said it was legit. (The item was "out of stock" after I purchased it, which delayed arrival by 2 weeks. They did send email updates on the status of the order.)

[Rex]

c r c or CyclingExpress?

Has anyone used both recently? Wondering which I should pick for the quickest delivery to Sydney. For what I need their prices are very similar.

I received a new frame from CyclingExpress a few weeks ago with no problem.

[dominicj]

c r c or CyclingExpress?

Has anyone used both recently? Wondering which I should pick for the quickest delivery to Sydney. For what I need their prices are very similar.

I received a new frame from CyclingExpress a few weeks ago with no problem.

CE are definitely quicker. 2-3 days to Brisbane usually.

[celeste boy]

Arrived today.

[URL=http://s1177.photobucket.com/user/ ... .jpg[/img][/url]

It's a pity I'm a spelling and grammar Nazi.

CB

[jasonc]

hahahahahahaha

[biker jk]

Perhaps you can sell it on Ebay in Japan?

http://www.geographic.org/geographic_na ... 37&c=japan

[singlespeedscott]

[fil_farina]

Wiggle ordered Friday 29th landed today tues 2nd. Pushys ordered same day, still in transit. Regional SA

[fil_farina]

Pushys landed today. 4th June.

[denwol]

Has anyone had a USPS parcel go through Brazil on the way to here?
I ordered on 29/5. Departed LA on 1/6 and is in transit through Sao Paulo on 4/6.
Seems unusual but is this a gateway perhaps?

[tubby74]

Friday morning finding my fingers re a bit cold on the way in. Friday after hours place order with cell for winter gloves. got dispatch advice this morning and just go delivery. can't complain about that across a long weeekend

[billy70]

Two recent orders from Wiggle with very different shipping times ...

Order 1:
Ordered and paid - 25 May
Processed - 26 May
Shipped from Wiggle - 27 May
Leave Heathrow - 30 May
Arrive Singapore - 01 June
Depart Singapore & Arrive Perth - 04 June
Cleared customs - 05 June
Handed over to courier - 08 June (no public holiday in WA)
Delivered - 09 June

= 11 business days, not so happy but I can live with it!

Order 2:
Ordered and paid - 02 June
Processed - 02 June
No shipping notification nor any other correspondence
Delivered - 09 June

= 5 business days, very very happy

I assume the 2nd order came from the Australian distribution centre ... But I expected the contents to have come from the UK and the packaging is consistent with the first order from the UK ... It's hard for me to tell.

My only grizzle is that the degreaser in the 2nd order leaked and was packed in with the clothing and food items (energy gels). Thankfully the clothing was packed in sealed plastic bags and the gels were boxed. Still not happy about it and will let them know.

[fil_farina]

I doubt they'll package the degreaser in a separate bag/box inside a larger box. It's all probably picked by robots, so there's no option for that sort of thing. I always order that sort of stuff with other mech pieces and leave clothes for another order

[billy70]

Yes, I wish I did that!

The degreaser has made its way through the clothing items to various degrees. Now starts the process of returning the order as there has to be an impact on performance (especially the water-proofed arm warmers and vest), longevity and/or asthetics.

Oh well, this is the inconvenient part of ordering online ... More than compensated by the ease of ordering, the range and the pricing (plus I have had generally very good levels of service from Wiggle).

[thegrach]

I have just received a Tacx Vortex Smart Trainer that I ordered from Ribble on Wednesday last week and could not be happier with their service. Got 10% off with a code, free delivery and arrived in my office inside a week. Kudos to them!