Internat Purchases

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sogood
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Postby sogood » Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:18 pm

MountGower wrote:I recently bought this pile of crap from cell bikes. The quality of this item is a disgrace as was the bottle cages I bought from them aswell. Once the light is tightened on the bar it will not work. They do not accept responsibility for the garbage they sell and I am now expected to cover postage both ways to have the situation rectified. Don't bother expecting them to take responsibility for the unsaleable quality of their garbage, apparently that is not going to happen. Buyer beware. Their goods are cheap but their goods are garbage. I wouldn't touch Cell Bikes again with a barge pole.
Isn't that PRO brand? A Shimano label? Actually, I was looking at a headlight like that, the mounting seemed much better than the one that came with my Basta headlight. The Basta one is now falling to pieces and I don't even trust it to keep the light mounted.

As for Cell, well, guess it's better when one can walk into their store here in Sydney.
Bianchi, Ridley, Tern, Montague and All things Apple :)
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.

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Postby Aushiker » Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:19 pm

MountGower wrote:I recently bought this pile of crap from cell bikes. The quality of this item is a disgrace as was the bottle cages I bought from them aswell. Once the light is tightened on the bar it will not work. They do not accept responsibility for the garbage they sell and I am now expected to cover postage both ways to have the situation rectified. Don't bother expecting them to take responsibility for the unsaleable quality of their garbage, apparently that is not going to happen. Buyer beware. Their goods are cheap but their goods are garbage. I wouldn't touch Cell Bikes again with a barge pole.
I guess you are not happy wtih them :) . According to their return policy "Customer satisfaction is our number one priority."

Good to know but.

I suggest you gently remind them of their obligations under the Trade Practices Act. The local Consumer Protection department will have the details. You might find them more responsive then.


Andrew

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mikesbytes
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Postby mikesbytes » Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:52 pm

Yeh, I was thinking exactly the same thing. The light must be faulty and therefor should be returned for replacement or refund.

I have 2 identical lights with different branding on them, but they clearly come out of the same factory and they have given me good service. They are now on their last legs so this will be their last winter.
If the R-1 rule is broken, what happens to N+1?

MountGower

Postby MountGower » Wed Jul 04, 2007 4:34 pm

The
Last edited by MountGower on Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Bnej
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Postby Bnej » Wed Jul 04, 2007 5:33 pm

Most mail order shops require the buyer to pay postage for returns. Otherwise, it becomes very expensive for the shop - the supplier will cover returns under warranty but will not cover their excess postage costs. In this case, while you are entitled to a refund for the product, the postage is a separate service which I believe you received and worked correctly. ;)

The shop has probably never used the light and just duplicates the marketing blurb. Not their fault it's crap, though I'd certainly let them know.

Never seen a multi-LED light yet that wasn't junk BTW. 1w LED or better, anything less is a waste except as secondary be-seen lights.

MountGower

Postby MountGower » Wed Jul 04, 2007 7:31 pm

[quote]
Last edited by MountGower on Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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sogood
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Postby sogood » Wed Jul 04, 2007 7:51 pm

There's no free lunch on this planet.
Bianchi, Ridley, Tern, Montague and All things Apple :)
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.

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Postby Mulger bill » Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:14 pm

sogood wrote:There's no free lunch on this planet.
:shock: You've never seen a cop car at McPlastics :twisted:
...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic.
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mikesbytes
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Postby mikesbytes » Wed Jul 04, 2007 9:23 pm

Mulger bill wrote:
sogood wrote:There's no free lunch on this planet.
:shock: You've never seen a cop car at McPlastics :twisted:
I was at the balloon festival at some place starting with C a few K past Cowa in NSW a few years back and the police were queuing to buy donuts. Man I was tempted to take out my camera and take a photo.
If the R-1 rule is broken, what happens to N+1?

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Bnej
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Postby Bnej » Wed Jul 04, 2007 9:55 pm

MountGower wrote:
Most mail order shops require the buyer to pay postage for returns. Otherwise, it becomes very expensive for the shop
when they sell utter crap and are getting a lot of returns. Hard to imagine how a shop peddling items of saleable quality would suffer too badly.
You also get returns for wrong item, wrong size, doesn't fit properly, single faulty item where most are fine, damage during shipping, etc. Trust me, you can sell exceptional products and still get plenty of returns when dealing in mail order.

In any case if you want that sort of light I'd get one from a shop, they're all pretty cheap but you might have to look around to find one with suitable mounting hardware - the BBB one I had didn't fit my road bars.

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AUbicycles
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Postby AUbicycles » Thu Jul 05, 2007 6:21 am

This thread has inspired me to add the online shopping checklist to the FAQs section:

TIPs - Buying bikes and parts online
This is a 10 point checklist for things to check when buying bikes or parts online. It is actually relevant for all online purchases and it makes sense to read through and make sure you understand everything. If you know it all already, fantastic... if not, this is quite basic (perhaps even a reminder) and will save you from the most common problems.
Cycling is in my BNA

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sogood
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Postby sogood » Thu Jul 05, 2007 6:37 am

AUbicycles wrote:This thread has inspired me to add the online shopping checklist to the FAQs section:

TIPs - Buying bikes and parts online
Very worthwhile. But these days, you should include eBay under this online heading.

Although similar, but there'll some differences.
Bianchi, Ridley, Tern, Montague and All things Apple :)
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.

MountGower

Postby MountGower » Thu Jul 05, 2007 4:47 pm

Bnej
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bigbuzz73
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Postby bigbuzz73 » Thu Jul 05, 2007 5:12 pm

heavymetal wrote:I've had this problem a lot with web purchases. I have had to ring my credit card company several times to run a a charge back.

I have had success with only 2 shops, both in Melbourne. Usually if it's on their web site, it is in stock. I've looked at something once, and then went back to buy it and it was gone. When I rang them, they said that it had just gone out of stock.

Dean Woods and Cecil Walker Cycles. Cecil Walker back this up with a statement about stock here.

I've had the same problem as you with every Sydney based shop and their web sites that are full of products that they do not have.


Kev.
I'm in the process of 'transforming' my MTB to an Urban Assault Commuting Weapon (Yeah, don't remind me... I'm a tosser! :oops: ). I just purchased a Topeak pannier rack (already had some Deuter panniers), a Topeak front mudguard and a pair of Continental road tyres from Dean last Friday.
I rang him for advice and received such outstanding service I bought the gear from him. He's a good bloke and very helpful so I'm happy to give him a wrap.
Wayne
P.S. I just took "Chuck" for a quick spin... a HUGE difference with good tyres! And he looks soooooo cool with the panniers. Damn, I feel like one of the Leyland Brothers (for those of you old enough to remember them! :lol:)

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Postby Kalgrm » Thu Jul 05, 2007 5:48 pm

MountGower wrote:Bnej

Firstly, please accept my appologies .....

<snip>

.....Time to go scratch my head and forget about McBikes and their McLights, me thinks.
Geez, I thought we had another thread for praising each other! :D Now I'm feeling all mushy. :roll:

Cheers,
Graeme
Think outside the double triangle.
---------------------
Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it ....

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Postby LuckyPierre » Thu Jul 05, 2007 5:53 pm

[sermon]
Now that we've all taken a deep breath (and I applaud you all for giving the space for it be taken, as well as the fact that it was taken), I'm going to stick up for Cell (just a little bit), in that I think that it must have been a faulty light. It shouldn't have been a'pile of crap' - PRO is a subsidiary of Shimano (oops, has that just undone my argument?) and I've seen and / or have several products that were / are great. My computer is from PRO, my rain-shell is from PRO, I've ridden on a couple of their saddles and I have a PRO head-stem.
Buying relatively inexpensive items from an on-line store pretty much undermines their value - which is what bit MountGower as much as the faulty product.
I've watched Cell change from an online store selling pretty basic, mass-produced bikes to one which could soon rival Torpedo7 in little more than twelve months. I think that it would be worth testing their customer service with a phone call (if you haven't already done that). If they are going to rival Torpedo7, they will need to have thought that through too.
[/sermon]
Litespeed Classic - 3Al/2.5V titanium tube set, Record 9-speed groupset, Open Corsa Evo CX
Alchemy Diablo - Columbus Zonal tubing, Ultegra 9-speed groupset, UltraGatorskins
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AUbicycles
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Postby AUbicycles » Thu Jul 05, 2007 6:06 pm

Ebay doesn't count for online shopping... however maybe a FAQs called 'Cheap and nasty bikes to avoid"

Sogood, regarding the purchase, one option is go directly to the distributer. Put some pressure on them and see if you can get a solution directly if you feel that the retailer isn't fulfilling their end of the bargin.

Just remember to be factual and friendly because whinging will tend to turn them off and make them less interested in helping.

Cheers
Christopher

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Bnej
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Postby Bnej » Thu Jul 05, 2007 7:19 pm

PRO as a brand I think can be a mixed bag, much like BBB. Some of their stuff is good quality, some is ordinary. I have a PRO trunk bag, which is good, and a pair of PRO panniers, which I think are ordinary - the mounting clips are plastic and, while they do work, they're not the best thing out there.

You pretty much have to do big orders online so you don't lose your savings on postage. Only things I have bought online:

- Trousers and jersey from Ground Effect: Good quality, good service, not the best fit for me. I prefer to try things on in a shop now.
- Ay-up lights - great little lights at a modest price. Good service, fast enough delivery. Got these online because the only equivalents I could get locally had less battery life and cost much more.

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Aushiker
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Postby Aushiker » Thu Jul 19, 2007 2:44 pm

G'day

On the subject of Internet purchases. Has anyone had problems contacting or deailing ProBikeKit (PBK)?

Placed an order about two weeks ago and got 95% of the order without dramas. Came quickly, well packed etc. However one item that was ordered was not in the packages.

I have contacted them via their website and via email twice in the past week without a response.

Any suggestions besides phoning them?

Also has anyone had experience getting their money back via the CC company?

Regards
Andrew

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mikesbytes
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Postby mikesbytes » Thu Jul 19, 2007 3:36 pm

My PBK order arrived with a tool missing, I emailed them and got an apology response and the tool arrived a week later.
If the R-1 rule is broken, what happens to N+1?

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Postby Aushiker » Thu Jul 19, 2007 3:39 pm

mikesbytes wrote:My PBK order arrived with a tool missing, I emailed them and got an apology response and the tool arrived a week later.
That is great. Sadly my very politie emails have not had the same response. A search suggests this is not unusual. They seem to have a problem with email communication. Looks like a phone call tomorrow :( which is a pity as it makes me wary to shop with them again.

Regards
Andrew

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Parrott
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Postby Parrott » Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:08 pm

I hopefully have some stuff coming from trisports in america :roll: . It says 3-6 weeks on std airmail :shock: and they ain't joking. 3 weeks later still nothing.

Interesting comparison with PBK which was significantly faster (10 days) and the postage also 25% cheaper :D . Pity PBK didn't stock the bits I wanted as they appear to shite on trisports :(

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gururug
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Postby gururug » Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:30 pm

[Edit] Comments below assumes the retailer is Australian based. You have virtually NO rights when it comes to persuing International retailers. All trust. Someone overseas does not want to live up to their obligations, there is littl;e the Aussie regulators can do :cry: :cry:

I contacted consumer affairs when a certain bike shop on oxford street NSW didn't have a few things I ordered over the net (and had no idea when they could get them). The Dept encouraged people to let them know when retailers breach thier responsibilities, as, while often there is little they can do about it. An accumulation of complaints will see action and prevent poor dealings in the future.

I am not saying thet PBK are not a good retailer, alas, several emails and no response is pretty slack.

While some members here have had a favourable experience with this retailer, I would send a last email letting them know that if it is not responed to, you will be seeing what the Fair Trading has to say about their "non-delivery of item" 8) . This should get you a prompt response and rectification.
Last edited by gururug on Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Aushiker
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Postby Aushiker » Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:30 pm

Aushiker wrote:
mikesbytes wrote:My PBK order arrived with a tool missing, I emailed them and got an apology response and the tool arrived a week later.
That is great. Sadly my very politie emails have not had the same response. A search suggests this is not unusual. They seem to have a problem with email communication. Looks like a phone call tomorrow :( which is a pity as it makes me wary to shop with them again.Regards. Andrew
Phoned PBK. Seems they where out of stock of the pedals and I should have got an email. Anyway stock is arriving tomorrow and pedals will be sent straight away. After the phone call got an email confirming same ... Least it sounds like things are sorted.

Regards
Andrew

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MichaelB
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Postby MichaelB » Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:21 am

We ordered some tyres, cassette & odds & sods from PBK. Order placed Tuesday evening, received all parts Tuesday morning.

Funny thing though, the Ultegra 9sp Cassette was not in any shimano packaging, and without the ususl shimano paperwork ?

Oh well, cvheaper than Tiagra level stuff from LBS, so won't complain :D

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