Great Shopping Experiences

jpgibson
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Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:32 am

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby jpgibson » Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:48 pm

props where due.
I bought a BB from MC Cyclery in the city (syd).I didnt think it was the right size but the mechanic assured me it was. I left the store and looked at the box ( it specifically stated 83mm BB , and I needed a 73).I went back and explained this and was told in a very friendly manner that it'd be fine.Of course when I got home it wasnt. Unhappy to say the least.I phoned up and was listened to, and offered a full refund and no need to return the part.My issue was I needed the correct part and both of my local shops didnt have them.So, I had to ride into town on sat arvo and get the new one. I was treated very well and the cost was refunded, the BB installed and the gears retrimmed all FOC.Yes, the whole thing wasted a fair bit of my time but the mechanic totally fell on his sword and the manager?owner ( Grant) was extremely apologetic and helpful.If I ever buy a Giant bike I'll go there.Annoyed(initially) BUT very impressed with the customer service ( and I told them).Jonathan.

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rpmspinman
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Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 11:50 am
Location: on a chair in lycra

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby rpmspinman » Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:23 pm

Just bought a Focus Cayo 2.0 with Ultegra from The Bike Station on Brighton Road Hove in SA. Noel was excellent to deal with, patient and was able to answer all my questions. Plus he gave me good discount on the bike as well as a custom bike fit included in the purchase. Can highly recommend them.

other brands they deal with is Orbea and BMC as well as the entire Focus range.
Cheers
Shav

My Bikes:
2011 Kona Dew Plus (commuter)
2012 Focus Cayo 2.0 (road)
2015 Cervelo S5 VWD

Gio
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 12:01 pm
Location: Queensland

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby Gio » Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:47 am

I brought my bike from Planet Cycles (Brisbane) and I have to say that Anthony is one of the most up front and informative guys if you are buying your first bike. He took the time to explain things to me and to make sure the bike was 100% fit and I was 100% happy with it.

I would recommend buying from here.

Cheers,

Chris.

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ozipom
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 4:35 pm
Location: Maroubra, NSW

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby ozipom » Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:09 am

I placed an order with Wiggle last Monday and was surprised to here a ring at the door last night at 5.45pm. Wife went to the door and said it was a delivery guy with a box from Wiggle. Thought she was joking, with it being Sunday. But she wasn't. So I was most impressed with the delivery company. Maybe they are catching up on a backlog of parcels!
- Brian

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galactictuan
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 11:05 pm

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby galactictuan » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:01 pm

TOLL IPEC

The worst courier company ever. Just called them up to ask for a timeframe on my Azzurri Forza Elite
which was expected to come on Thursday last week. Then they kept pushing it back 1 day, so now it's supposed to come today.

They couldn't give me a specific timeframe for today's delivery because the 'driver was new'.

I asked if the driver was able to give me a call before he arrived to ensure I was home to collect the goods.

Answer: No, because the driver doesn't have a company phone. Seriously.

I then asked: If no one is home, when can the next delivery be arranged? Answer: Tomorrow, only if I call before 5PM today or else it will come on Wednesday.

What makes this worse?

I ordered from Australia Post Last Monday (10/04/12) and it arrived last Thursday (13/04/12).

I have called up 3 times previously to arrange for pickup only to be told that I have to wait for a call-back for confirmation on the pickup.
Never received the call.

Cycling Express, get a new courier company.

cjawnik
Posts: 53
Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2010 8:59 pm
Location: Canberra

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby cjawnik » Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:08 pm

Off topic briefly.. Toll Ipec - got them to deliver a pinball machine. It arrived with a bent leg where the forklift driver hadn't raised it high enough when moving it, the leg grounded and bent, they deliver it as is (no call to inform me something went wrong) and basically say it's my problem. Will never use these useless f**ks again, and yes I'm more than happy to brand the entire company on one experience.

Back to the bikes... great purchasing experience with Green Grocer Cycles in Goulburn (I'm in Canberra). Excellent price on a new 2011 Pinarello FP Quattro, and they were more than happy to let me upgrade to SRAM Force + Fulcrum 5 and they threw in Shimano pedals. Had to order the Force in so they gave me the bike (dropped it off to my house) on the Thursday before the Easter long weekend with the original gear on it so I could ride it around, and picked it up to put the Force on it. Great price ($3,150), great service, perfect fit (being on the drops is so comfortable), a real bike shop. Brilliant.

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gururug
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Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby gururug » Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:15 pm

cjawnik wrote:Had to order the Force in so they gave me the bike (dropped it off to my house) on the Thursday before the Easter long weekend with the original gear on it so I could ride it around, and picked it up to put the Force on it.
Truly above and beyond, outstanding!

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DoogleDave
Posts: 519
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 7:56 pm
Location: Taylors Hill, Victoria

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby DoogleDave » Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:26 pm

I had a positive experience with the Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Prahran (VIC) a week ago when I purchased my new 2012 Felt F75.
I had already tried a couple of other bikes and the specs and look of the F75 were what I was looking for so really wanted to see and test one before making my decision.
I turned up off the street without calling prior and started looking at the F75 on display, which instantly took my eye. It wasnt long before someone came over and asked if I needed any help and I asked if they had a F75 I could take for a test ride. The one on display was WAY too big for me so he went out the back and they didn't have any but had already called their warehouse (which was down the road) and they were pulling one out of stock and bringing it down for me to try.
5mins or so walking around looking at all the other bikes and their warehouse guy came in with a F75 (still wrapped in all its plastic).
The guy who had helped me took the bike, put some pedals on it and we went outside for a test ride.
When we got outside we adjusted the seat height and position, then the stem and bars and took it for a spin...then he noticed it needed a slight readjustment and i went for another spin.
As I am 5'7", I could have went with either the 51 or 54cm frame but he suggested the 54 would suit me better (being a newbie to the road bike), as it was quite an aggressive frame (eg low stem vs seat height) and recommended to go with the 54 and he would install a slightly longer stem so it was less agressive to start with and then as I progressed, should i want to, i could lower the bars on the stem to get the agressive ride back....which i thought was good advice, so went with it.

We then went through pedals and shoes and the shoes i liked werent in any shoe/pedal packs they sold so he rejigged one of the combos and gave me what I wanted.

We then went through about half a dozen helmets and first asked my budget for a helmet and then he told me to try them on and find the one that fit the best before worrying about price. I quickly narrowed it down to two but one stood out (to my head shape) as being perfect...being the MET Forte. This was on quite a good special but extra discount was shaved off.

At no time was I pushed in a direction and the advice and questions asked made me feel confident in the decisions I was making. This was on a Thursday afternoon 5pmish. I put down a deposit and said i'd return on Saturday morning to pick up the bike and goodies.

When I returned on Sat morning (about 30minutes after opening time - I didnt want to appear too keen and be there when the doors opened...LOL), i handed the girl at the desk my order and 30 seconds later they rolled the bike out, went through what they'd done to the bike, mentioned that they could fine tune the seat/bar/stem heights during the 1st service should I find the bike doesnt fit quite right (or earlier if I was happy to drop back beforehand), how servicing/bookings work, made sure all the accessories I'd purchased were in the bag (to which I added a new light and extra pair of knicks at the last minute), then off I went with a huge smile on my face.

In summary i was very happy with the service I received and althought it was just another sale, I wasnt made to feel like just another customer....which made my decision to purchase there and then that much easier.

Anyone in Melbourne looking for a new bike i would be happy to recommend the Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Prahran (ask for Matt).

Dave
2012 Felt F75 | 105 | ProLite Braccianos | GP4000S
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galactictuan
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 11:05 pm

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby galactictuan » Sat Apr 28, 2012 3:46 pm

DoogleDave wrote:I had a positive experience with the Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Prahran (VIC) a week ago when I purchased my new 2012 Felt F75.
I had already tried a couple of other bikes and the specs and look of the F75 were what I was looking for so really wanted to see and test one before making my decision.
I turned up off the street without calling prior and started looking at the F75 on display, which instantly took my eye. It wasnt long before someone came over and asked if I needed any help and I asked if they had a F75 I could take for a test ride. The one on display was WAY too big for me so he went out the back and they didn't have any but had already called their warehouse (which was down the road) and they were pulling one out of stock and bringing it down for me to try.
5mins or so walking around looking at all the other bikes and their warehouse guy came in with a F75 (still wrapped in all its plastic).
The guy who had helped me took the bike, put some pedals on it and we went outside for a test ride.
When we got outside we adjusted the seat height and position, then the stem and bars and took it for a spin...then he noticed it needed a slight readjustment and i went for another spin.
As I am 5'7", I could have went with either the 51 or 54cm frame but he suggested the 54 would suit me better (being a newbie to the road bike), as it was quite an aggressive frame (eg low stem vs seat height) and recommended to go with the 54 and he would install a slightly longer stem so it was less agressive to start with and then as I progressed, should i want to, i could lower the bars on the stem to get the agressive ride back....which i thought was good advice, so went with it.

We then went through pedals and shoes and the shoes i liked werent in any shoe/pedal packs they sold so he rejigged one of the combos and gave me what I wanted.

We then went through about half a dozen helmets and first asked my budget for a helmet and then he told me to try them on and find the one that fit the best before worrying about price. I quickly narrowed it down to two but one stood out (to my head shape) as being perfect...being the MET Forte. This was on quite a good special but extra discount was shaved off.

At no time was I pushed in a direction and the advice and questions asked made me feel confident in the decisions I was making. This was on a Thursday afternoon 5pmish. I put down a deposit and said i'd return on Saturday morning to pick up the bike and goodies.

When I returned on Sat morning (about 30minutes after opening time - I didnt want to appear too keen and be there when the doors opened...LOL), i handed the girl at the desk my order and 30 seconds later they rolled the bike out, went through what they'd done to the bike, mentioned that they could fine tune the seat/bar/stem heights during the 1st service should I find the bike doesnt fit quite right (or earlier if I was happy to drop back beforehand), how servicing/bookings work, made sure all the accessories I'd purchased were in the bag (to which I added a new light and extra pair of knicks at the last minute), then off I went with a huge smile on my face.

In summary i was very happy with the service I received and althought it was just another sale, I wasnt made to feel like just another customer....which made my decision to purchase there and then that much easier.

Anyone in Melbourne looking for a new bike i would be happy to recommend the Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Prahran (ask for Matt).

Dave
How much did you end up paying for the F75?

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DoogleDave
Posts: 519
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 7:56 pm
Location: Taylors Hill, Victoria

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby DoogleDave » Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:35 pm

galactictuan wrote: How much did you end up paying for the F75?
Got the bike for $1299....
2012 Felt F75 | 105 | ProLite Braccianos | GP4000S
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jaseyjase
Posts: 2993
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:00 pm
Location: Perth

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby jaseyjase » Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:25 pm

+3 on TOLL sucking.

Had a car shipped from Sydney and they LOST the key. How the heck does that happen? its ONE key!

Lucky the dealer i got it from sent the spare. Im still down a key though

They paid for it, but trying to recode a jap import with intelligent keyless features is proving a PITA :evil:

In other news, ribble prices rock, kinda glad they dont have stock of everything or id be broke and divorced.

alexf
Posts: 274
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:55 pm

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby alexf » Wed May 02, 2012 2:27 pm

I got the headset of my bike replaced at Bike Depot in Enmore. I cannot recommend their service enough, firstly the labour and parts cost was the cheapest out of 3 bike shops I checked out. Secondly they also made minor adjustments to my bike beyond the call of duty. Nathan there is a top bloke and I am sure he will look after you.

Stuey
Posts: 807
Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2009 3:38 pm
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby Stuey » Tue May 08, 2012 2:58 pm

DoogleDave wrote:I had a positive experience with the Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Prahran (VIC) a week ago when I purchased my new 2012 Felt F75.................Anyone in Melbourne looking for a new bike i would be happy to recommend the Melbourne Bicycle Centre in Prahran (ask for Matt).

Dave
Top notch. THAT'S how you sell a bike!

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jaseyjase
Posts: 2993
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:00 pm
Location: Perth

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby jaseyjase » Wed May 23, 2012 3:48 pm

Just another thumbs up to my LBS - Bikeforce Balcatta

Went in to have some wheels checked/trued/tensioned and asked about a campy 10spd ultra thin chain joining pin, which to my surprise they had one on the shelf! Knocked $5 off and i was a happy man.

I appreciate them always happy to knock off a few bucks here and there without any fuss.

durilium
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 6:07 pm

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby durilium » Sun Jun 03, 2012 9:21 am

Bought a pair of top of the line Bontrager road shoes from Venture Cycles in Noosa, about a week after purchase their was a manufacturing issue with one of the ratchet straps. Took the shoes back into the store to have the lads check it out and they took a couple of photos of the issue and sent it off to the disty, no "dodgy we are gonna rip you off" attitude from the lads at all, they were keen to look after me and get the issue sorted which left me feeling confident about the whole experience. At first the disty sent the wrong part of the strap to replace the broken with so that was a bit of a bummer so a bit more waiting was involved. Also worth noting is the shop couldn't just give me another pair of shoes as i have bought the last pair in that size so either way replacements of some type had to come from supplier.

About three weeks later i get info that Bontrager aren't going to send a replacement strap they are going to send me a brand new pair of 2013 RXL's instead which are of the highest model they make and are $50.00 more expensive than the ones i paid for, let me say these things are two fold nicer in design especially with the heat moldable innersoles.

I have always had great service from these guys and they always have the same helpful attitude everytime i go to the shop and their mech top notch with a spanner too, will def recommend them if your looking for a no BS bike shop on the sunny coast, which can be hard to find up here......believe me.
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peterk
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Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 1:24 pm

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby peterk » Tue Jun 05, 2012 8:48 pm

Posted this in "best price for ergo" shoes in another topic but thought it was worthy of postin here as well.
I ordered a pair of Sidi 5 Mega from xxcycle.com on the 30/5/12 and recieved them at work in metro Adelaide today 5/6/12. Item as ordered and packed well. Paid for the tracking postage which added approx. $7 to total cost and was updated every step. Would recommend using them as there shoe prices were very good and range of sizes was excellent. Pete.

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Ross
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Joined: Sat Nov 07, 2009 8:53 pm

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby Ross » Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:23 pm

Big thumbs up to Moruya Bicycles. I was chasing a spoke for my Dura Ace wheel and after checking with 6 LBS' and none having stock (as well as one giving me "attitude" because I said I would have to buy elsewhere, even after I explained to them that Shimano Australia don't have any in stock - so just added them to my list of do not use again:evil:) I started searching the internet for one. None of the usual UK shops were listing them however Moruya Bicycles (http://www.moruyabicycles.com.au) were so I emailed them (5pm Thurs evening) in the vain hope they actually carried them in stock. I think it was within the hour I received a reply back confirming they had 2 in stock and also giving me different postage options depending on how quickly I wanted the spoke. I emailed them back and chose the cheaper postage option as I wasn't in a terrible hurry, I had spare wheel on the bike and could still ride it. Fast forward to today (Tues) and I checked my letter box when I got home and the spoke was there ready and waiting for me! Very happy with the service!

Contact details:

Mark
Moruya Bicycles
10 Ford St
Moruya NSW Australia
P: 02 4474 3978
F: 02 4474 3970
E: mail at moruyabicycles.com.au
W: http://www.moruyabicycles.com.au

jasonc
Posts: 12170
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Location: Brisbane

Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby jasonc » Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:35 pm

Ross wrote:the spoke was there ready and waiting for me!
you failed the +1 rule. if they had a couple, buy a couple.

ferds87
Posts: 18
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Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby ferds87 » Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:40 pm

Got some great service from the staff at both Blackman's Cycles in Blacktown and Parramatta when purchasing my first road bike.

I originally went into the Blacktown store last week to check out what they had in entry-level road bikes and got some great information from Owen, who listened to my needs and budget and suggested the Merida Race Lite 904 for me. He took a lot of time out and explained things in detail even down to the geometry of frames etc. B'town didn't have the model in stock for me to look at so he called ahead and informed me that the Parramatta store had one that I could take a look at.

I went to the Parramatta store later that week as the Blacktown store didn't have the model in store for me to take a look at and also found that the customer service was great there too!

I picked the bike up today and the staff member who helped me out with the fitting (Fabian) was extremely helpful! I mean, it might have been just because it was a quiet Wednesday afternoon but he spent about 2 hours with me teaching me everything! When he found out I was new to the sport he started from scratch. He went through the basics of braking and shifting and explained the theory of why he was making certain adjustments. I knew that was part of the free fitting that was included with buying the bike, but he also taught me how to:

- remove and replace the wheels
- fix the chain if it falls off
- clip in and out of pedals
- change the tubes with the tyre lever (as well as checking for leftover debris inside the tyre)
- use a co2 canister
- pump tyres to the correct PSI

It was great, I mean he didn't just go over all these things - he made sure that I physically did each of these things myself at least twice to get the hang of it too!

I felt way more confident when taking the bike out for its first ride tonight (which was AWESOME, a big upgrade to riding a mountain bike on the road!) and I know that if I ever have a questions to ask the guys at Blackman's will be able to help! :D

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sparkyscott
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Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby sparkyscott » Mon Jul 09, 2012 4:52 pm

I am heartened by what I read - sure beats the "give us your money, here's the bike, now p!ss off" that I've previously encountered.

Seriously, how hard is it for some bike shops to understand that the experience can be just as important, for some of us who don't know everything there is to know about cycling...

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CommuRider
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Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby CommuRider » Mon Jul 09, 2012 5:13 pm

ferds87 wrote:I mean, it might have been just because it was a quiet Wednesday afternoon but he spent about 2 hours with me teaching me everything!
Nope, that's par for the course for them. I've had my bikes serviced there, upgrades, accessories etc I normally go to them now.

A bike cafe would be handy next door so people can hang around for awhile while they wait for their bikes to be serviced. They are very knowledgeable and helpful too. The mechanics are of a good sort too and they're quite good at modifying my bikes to my specs.

Funny though, once I was there they received a call from someone who obviously purchased a part (chain I think) off ebay/wiggle etc but purchased the wrong one. Apparently, it is very common so they're used to such calls but it was quite poignant about internet sales having this impact on them. You're there to pay for their knowledge and off the internet you may get the wrong part that is only a couple of bucks more at their store etc. with the convenience of being fitted immediately. They do have a wide range but I'd like more top end ones - I suppose it's too much to ask for a Brooks of England range I guess.

Anyhoo, it is a nice feeling to find a bike store that is RELIABLE, fast, and provides good service. I needed one of my bikes serviced and the other LBS I go to gave me a 3 week wait, whereas they booked mine within 2 days. So was happy with that. I'm one of those bike customers that tends to hang around for awhile and they leave me alone (and the space) to look at parts & accessories and a staff member pops up when I have a query. As opposed to another similar sized LBS I have gone to (reluctantly but they are the exclusive distributor for certain brands) where they leave all customers alone and are of the grumpy sort when you have the temerity to ask for help. :roll:

I think bike customers are becoming more savvy now and tend to ask a lot of questions and stores have to provide that top-notch service in order to survive these days. There are newbies out there with a high $ purchasing power.

Can't fault the guys at Blackman's and glad you found them :-)
Amateur oenologist and green-friendly commuter.

thomashouseman
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Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby thomashouseman » Mon Jul 09, 2012 6:24 pm

CommuRider wrote: Can't fault the guys at Blackman's and glad you found them :-)
I can! Rudest bike shop staff of the lot in Parramatta in my opinion, but maybe they were just having a bad day. Lost me as a customer though. The owner seemed nice, but some of the other staff members there are questionable. Expensive too.... Quoted $80 for a single Gatorskin tyre.

Pity their competition is just as poorly, I've found BikeBarn the best out of the three in Parramatta.

Thinking of trying out Kangazilla in Toongabbie instead.

T.

tubby74
Posts: 375
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Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby tubby74 » Mon Jul 09, 2012 8:21 pm

ferds87 wrote:Got some great service from the staff at both Blackman's Cycles in Blacktown and Parramatta when purchasing my first road bike.
had a problem last week, front derailleur stopped working, was fine the day before. Called them up asked when they could look at it. Said bring it in now. Workshop guy put down what he was doing, fixed it on the spot. Took time to explain to me what he was doing and a little leson on tuning in general. then said no charge. can't complain about that.

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CommuRider
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Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby CommuRider » Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:26 pm

Bike Barn's not bad offset by their limited range though. Haven't been since they have moved though.
Amateur oenologist and green-friendly commuter.

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Ross
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Re: Great Shopping Experiences

Postby Ross » Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:54 pm

I bought a light from eBay seller wheelies_uk (UK bike shop) and the mount broke the first time I put it on the bike. So I emailed them asking if I could send the old one back and exchange it for another and they said don't worry about returning old one they will send another to me free of charge! Fantastic customer service. :D

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