Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

[scirocco]

Well, I was a bit dubious about these guys but took the plunge and did an order. No problems, items were the correct size and arrived fairly promptly. Price was about 30% higher than Evans but they don't price-match to them so not a lot I could do. No real complaints on my part.

[Muza66]

Hey...Just purchased a pair of Mavic Cosmic Elites from CYCLING EXPRESS...
Im from NZ and these were the cheapeast any where in the world.
Spent 6 months looking from amazon & ebay to Wiggle, PBK, Ribble etc...even with deals & promo- codes etc Cyc Ex were ther cheapest
NZ we have 'trade me' ..like ebay & these wheels come on many bikes so ..you can get them cheaper on here as people sell them all the time...
STILL Cyc Exp were cheapest. ...On ya boys

Cheers Muza NZ

[lucky7]

I hate to rehash an old thread - but what are the usual processing and delivery times from CE? I would usually have ordered thru an O/S website, but thought I would give them a chance on the price match. Happy to cop the shipping fee (would have been free with Wiggle) in order to support an Aussie shop and hopefully get the item sooner. I placed the order Thursday last week, and have been diligently waiting by the mailbox since. Checked my account - and the order has been processed (on the day I placed it) and credit card debited. The status has not updated to 'dispatched' in almost a week. Is this normal? Wiggle order would likely have arrived today or tomorrow - so a little miffed.

I emailed CE this morning, but no response thus far.

[MarkG]

CE suck - worst Aussie shop ever.
Price match don't mean s**t if you can't deliver.

[ozzymac]

<this bit removed . not ok>

Last experience they overcharged me, got onto them about it, was promised a refund never did happen.

Between, them sending out the wrong items, then promising to send another, but then send a cheaper type.



The old saying goes, cheaper isn't always better.........


Cheers

[lucky7]

If I don't have a response by the end of the day, I will be asking for the sale to be cancelled. 7 days to process an order is simply unacceptable.

[vander]

If I don't have a response by the end of the day, I will be asking for the sale to be cancelled. 7 days to process an order is simply unacceptable.

I ordered a bike from them recently 10 days from ordering to shipping however I have ordered before and things have been dispatched the next day, its just a bit hit and miss and the communication is still really poor so you have no idea how long it will take.

[Marty Moose]

I've had heaps of orders from them.Most take about 7 days which I'm happy with.I've also found Sam to respond to emails the same day with multiple answers. Have you tried ringing! I'm really suprised at some of the issues posted i've found them great and wanting to please.

Sent from my MB526 using Tapatalk 2

[lucky7]

Email late yesterday advising item had been dispatched. I still find it unacceptable that it took 7 days to post it out. Still no email reply to my query either...

[kev007]

I've ordered from Cycling Express a few times since they started up. All orders were processed okay, sometimes posted out a bit slow but all items had arrived in satisfactory condition.

My latest involvement with Cycling Express involves a warranty claim and the process has not been smooth.

A rechargable light was ordered - light arrived, unfortunately the light did not recharge making the light non-functional.
Cycling Express was contacted, they said no problems, send it back and it will be processed under warranty with postage refunded.
Item posted back 7th August, received by Cycling Express 14th August.
Numerous e-mails sent and phone calls made to Cycling Express over last 7 weeks requesting update - I was told on the 10th October that they had heard back from the manufacturer and a replacement would be sent to me (previously had been told verbally they agreed it wasn't charging and they were sending it to the manufacturer).
Nothing received, so e-mailed on the 19th October, 23rd October, 26th October as to update - no response to e-mails.
Phoned Cycling Express on 30th October and 31st October - spoke to two different people (Eleanor and Peter) who said they are still waiting for a response from the manufacturer...

To me a fair solution given seven weeks has gone by would be Cycling Express recognising the product was defective and sending out a replacement with refund of postage. I suggested it but was rebuffed.

I think seven weeks is a reasonable period of time. But what has upset me the most is the lack of reply to e-mails and the lack of communication from Cycling Express. And I am still waiting to find out whether and when I will get a replacement front light and refund on postage...

The real test of a retailer's customer service is how they respond when something goes wrong and that determines whether somebody will purchase from them again.

Cycling Express needs to work on their communication and procedures if they wish to draw people away from shopping with Wiggle etc who in my experience provide a superior shipping and customer service experience.

[SmellyTofu]

As said in the previous sticky thread about online shopping experiences, my wheel I bought did not come with skewers nor rim tape. Sure I didn't have photos but even if they though I was lying about it (which I wasn't but if I was, then I would have made it worthwhile than $10 item), they could have sent me a pair of the cheapest rim tape but several emails later led to Sam at CE ignoring my emails to even acknowledge my response.

So stay away from these guys unless you want to play the roulette and hope that whatever you paid for comes complete without anything missing (or damaged and working properly well beyond the warranty period).

Compete with UK? Maybe when they opened but seriously??? and you wonder why some Australian businesses go down.

Bottom line, steer clear or hope for the best with the purchase.

[vander]

I have had similar problems. My first few orders went well, but since then have gone downhill fast. Disappointing as I thought they were a good company and it was a good idea.

I bought a bike from them and firstly it took a long time to come (about a month). Then when I got it I find the skewer hadnt been taped down or anything and had scratched the bike (albeit minor scratches), also due to this the nut had somehow come loose and got lost in the delivery process so the skewer has no nut and is essentially useless. I emailed him a couple of times and he promised me a replacement skewer which never arrived and he has since started ignoring emails. Additionally I made another order in the mean time and they said due to it taking a long time to get shipped (due to a move or something on their end) they promised a gift with the order, which never came (not that I wanted whatever this was but if they are going to promise it they should follow through).

On another note when I ordered I asked for a few things specifically like a certain size cassette, cranks and stem, now I appreciate they might not be able to do this but they ignored it completely and did not say anything. They also got their bike description wrong and parts were not what they said they were although they were cross-grades and not downgrades they should be able to get what parts are on the bike right on the internet.

All in all highly disappointed in them and more importantly in the way they dealt with everything, needless to say I wont be using them anymore and I will be advising everyone I know to avoid using them also. I definitely would not want to go through a warranty issue or the like with them.

[ball bearing]

I bought a shock from CE via Bicycle Exchange only to find out that they did not have any stock and they had no idea when new stock would be available. I phoned them and I was told I would have to wait a month to receive a refund - I had paid immediately.

Another time I cancelled an order of Shimano shoes because I decided it was wise to try on the shoes before I bought them. I cancelled the order within 5 minuted of placing it and I was hit with a cancellation fee. There is no mention of an order cancellation fee anywhere in their terms and conditions. I let it slide, but I decided to never use them again.

[MN GLXR]

I ordered a light and they sent me the wrong colour. When I complained they gave me a $10 voucher.

I used the voucher against some nicks which they sent to the wrong address. Eventually arrived weeks later.


Cheers MN GLXR via Tapatalk

[AUbicycles]

Mod Says:
Please note that we follow a no naming and shaming policy on these forum for Australian business.

--

Admittedly it can be a bit of a grey area - reporting issues in a fair and balanced manner is ok. 'Name Calling' is most certainly not ok and action will be taken.

[Ross]

I've only bought a few things from CE and haven't really had an dramas except delivery was slow on one order (took about 2 weeks from order). They probably didn't have the part in stock and had to order it. Not a big deal because I expect things to take longer when ordering online, even if it is Australia. If I want something straight away I will go to a LBS.

A couple of emails I've sent them about different matters were answered by Sam within the hour, one was after COB or a weekend I think so that was above and beyond the call of duty I thought.

[scirocco]

Bought a Limar Ultralight helmet a couple of weeks ago plus a couple of minor items. All arrived correctly but must have been on a camel across the Nullarbor I think. Something like six or seven days from order dispatch to arrival.

[Johndec]

<removed> They have a site with a gazillion items, 90% of which are out of stock. If I want something cheap I go to Ribble. If I want something in a hurry I go to Wiggle as they now have a QLD based distribution outlet and I get stuff in about 3 days at a cheaper price than CE's "currently out of stock" offerings.

[ozzymac]

They have a site with a gazillion items, 90% of which are out of stock. If I want something cheap I go to Ribble. If I want something in a hurry I go to Wiggle as they now have a QLD based distribution outlet and I get stuff in about 3 days at a cheaper price than CE's "currently out of stock" offerings.

Or else they send the wrong item, then say they will fix it by sending another one, except it was cheaper than what you ordered, then they offer a refund of the difference, and this never happens.

Quick to take your money, and slow at providing customer service..........

Cheers

[ozdavo]

A lot of hating on an Aussie business trying to compete in a tough online market place. Sure they have their problems, but I do try to use them if the price is similar to that available elsewhere, if for nothing else than to try to help keep people in work in Aus.

[MarkG]

How is it hating if you're sharing an experience?
Hating is when you jump on a bandwagon without the benefit of your own experience.

[ball bearing]

A lot of hating on an Aussie business trying to compete in a tough online market place. Sure they have their problems, but I do try to use them if the price is similar to that available elsewhere, if for nothing else than to try to help keep people in work in Aus.

No hate, mate. I do expect a certain level of good customer service. When dealing with an online shop you, as a customer, show them a great degree of trust by paying upfront. When that trust is abused it becomes hard to trust them again - particularly if your trust has been abused more than once.

I have used several Aussie online shops that have put CE customer care to shame; Velogear, Bike Bug, Bicycle Express, to name a few.

[kev007]

A lot of hating on an Aussie business trying to compete in a tough online market place. Sure they have their problems, but I do try to use them if the price is similar to that available elsewhere, if for nothing else than to try to help keep people in work in Aus.

I think everyone who has reported an experience (positive or negative) has given Cycling Express a go and tried to support them by purchasing from them - I don't think people can be criticised for that.

I guess there are two ways of looking at it - either there a lot of customers with unrealistic expectations regarding postage/customer service/refunds/warranties/out of stock etc or Cycling Express has room to improve with regards to these issues.

In the interests of fairness, perhaps a representative from Cycling Express would like to comment on issues raised by customers regarding postage / customer service / refunds / warranty claims / out of stock items?

[ytd]

I bought some clothing from CE and was disappointed with the quality even though it was cheap. So I was a bit nervous about them. But I couldn't go past their verite carbon road bike with ultegra for $1500. Well it was $1550 with delivery. Both purchases took about 7 days which is much the same as c r c or wiggle. Very happy with the bike which seems identical to their azzuri brand. I have changed the tyres after getting flats on my second ride but otherwise the components are good. I won't use them exclusively but I won't rule them out either.

[kev007]

An update on my warranty claim on the light.

A Cycling Express staff member contacted me the next day following my post and indicated that the company had approved the warranty claim. A replacement light was sent out.

The replacement light charges fine but it doesn't change light modes easily - the button to turn on/change modes 'clicks' but doesn't switch when you press it from on top, it only works when you press it from the side. I e-mailed Cycling Express on Wednesday as to what to do but have yet to receive a reponse.

Previously Cycling Express indicated they would refund postage in regards to the previous warranty claim. I have e-mailed them about when and how they will refund postage but they have not provided an answer to this query (it has been over two months since the original warranty claim).

I am hoping that a Cycling Express staff member will read this post and respond to my e-mail or here on this forum. If anybody has any other suggestions on how to resolve these issues I would be happy to take advice.