BIKEGEARWAREHOUSE concern

[Elysium]

You havent listened, these pipes may well be out of stock EX MANUFACTURER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know what you said. My point being the customer should never suffer such a delay that long no matter who's fault it is. Angry customers will go else where and tell five other people about the service the got.

I'm currently having an issue with my exhaust from TBR and I see that Motorxparts in Aucks has given TBR the flick because hey got tired of TBR dithering around with accepting fault as it is clearly a manufacturer error and the time they are taking to send out parts to fix the issues that me and others have. Like I said, companies must ensure the customer is happy and they get the goods in a reasonable time frame.

Unlike TBR, the Auckland bike shop has kept me up to date with emails, phone calls and how I should not have to suffer costs because of the issue I'm having and so I'm happy to deal with these guys again. Don't take this personaly as I'm stating an important reminder that having pissed off customers is never a good thng.

[Robert Taylor]

You still need to respond to them (all) in a timely manner, If I don't get a response within a day then the company is off the list. They are certainly less immediate then a phone call but we all know how bad form it is to not answer the phone.

Thats totally unrealistic to expect e-mails to be answered within a day, in many businesses its just not possible. If you are more urgent pick up the phone.

[Headbanger]

Thats totally unrealistic to expect e-mails to be answered within a day, in many businesses its just not possible. If you are more urgent pick up the phone.

Well, I hate to say it but the retailer doesn't get to dictate to the buyer as to what is most suitable.

Seeings as its 2010 I can fire off a single email to a dozen retailers (here and overseas, As I have said in previous threads the market is now international, living in denial or protesting the fact doesn't change it) Check the replies at a time that suits me and based on the replies decide what my next step will be.

Those that don't reply (in a timely manner) miss out on my business.

But thats just me, Others have different expectations.

[BGWGeoffrey]

Guess a few of you might have had dealings with these guys but, I ordered and paid for some exhaust items in mid Jan ( Close to $1500 and paid for) and I get the feeling I'm being fobbed off. Still have'nt arrived and I'm told they might be delivered now sometime in April ( Originally told mid Feb or thereafter ). Been over 2 months now and could be 3 till I get them. have any of you guys done done business with them and, how reliable are they ? .......I get the feeling , increaslingly,...that I may be another subject of a big rip-off ....not happy ...

G'day Armitage Shanks

I am very happy to assist, as we do with hundreds of customers a week.

Have you emailed us , or tried to contact us via our live support?

Please send me an email at: geoffrey@bikegearewarehouse.com.au

I will be happy to check on the status of your order and hopefully resolve this for you promptly.

What I can say at the moment is that production times from the USA has increased, due to the economic downturn. Many businesses, even the big ones, over there are still hurting and are climbing out by cutting costs where they can. It's not just the manufacturers, but their materials suppliers as well, it is all a chain. When one is delayed by a week, that can flow down to being a four week delay for us.

I will admit that our Yoshimura orders are taking a bit longer than previously, but by working closely with companies like Yoshimura we are resolving this. Within the next month we have many large shipments due that will ensure that customers will not have to wait for their purchase.

Please send me the email as soon as you can. We aim to get the majority of emails sent to us answered within 1 working day.

Cheers
Geoffrey

[scott411]

Thats totally unrealistic to expect e-mails to be answered within a day, in many businesses its just not possible. If you are more urgent pick up the phone.

i disagree with you Robert in the a case of an online retailer, i think a weekday to answer an email is expectable, however in what you do i think a few extra days is more than acceptable,

[kwaka_crasher]

Thats totally unrealistic to expect e-mails to be answered within a day, in many businesses its just not possible. If you are more urgent pick up the phone.

It takes little effort to acknowledge receipt of an email though.

[AllanB]

It takes little effort to acknowledge receipt of an email though.

A receipt is one thing ' thank you for your e-mail, I will respond shortly'

Expecting everything answered within one working day is often unrealistic. In many businesses (where I work included) there is often only one person with the relevant knowledge or authority to respond.

If that person has a really bad case of diarrhea then it is unlikely you'll hear back within 24 hours ......

[kwaka_crasher]

A receipt is one thing ' thank you for your e-mail, I will respond shortly'

Expecting everything answered within one working day is often unrealistic. In many businesses (where I work included) there is often only one person with the relevant knowledge or authority to respond.

If that person has a really bad case of diarrhea then it is unlikely you'll hear back within 24 hours ......

Of course.

[Robert Taylor]

A receipt is one thing ' thank you for your e-mail, I will respond shortly'

Expecting everything answered within one working day is often unrealistic. In many businesses (where I work included) there is often only one person with the relevant knowledge or authority to respond.

If that person has a really bad case of diarrhea then it is unlikely you'll hear back within 24 hours ......

Exactly right, the world has become now now now and I think many people now have unreasonable expectations. I endeavour to answer everything as quickly as possible. And many of those answers are neccessarily very detailed. Sometimes Im answering e-mails at 10, 11, even 12 midnight. Id like a life as well but the reality is we are fighting on a less than level playing field with companies in the US.

[Robert Taylor]

i disagree with you Robert in the a case of an online retailer, i think a weekday to answer an email is expectable, however in what you do i think a few extra days is more than acceptable,

Yes, fair point with straightforward goods. As you suggest a lot of what we do is less than straightforward and is very time consuming. I can turn up in the morning and have e-mails that may take me up to 2 hours, but I need those 10 hours of my day to do physical work. So its that night if I have the energy. Even then there are e-mails that need an answer from a supplier / manufacturer before I can answer completely.
Small businessmen reading this will relate 100% to that.

[Robert Taylor]

Well, I hate to say it but the retailer doesn't get to dictate to the buyer as to what is most suitable.

Seeings as its 2010 I can fire off a single email to a dozen retailers (here and overseas, As I have said in previous threads the market is now international, living in denial or protesting the fact doesn't change it) Check the replies at a time that suits me and based on the replies decide what my next step will be.

Those that don't reply (in a timely manner) miss out on my business.

But thats just me, Others have different expectations.

If you lose your job / livelihood because your customers are dealing largely overseas and dont have any patriotism to your fellow countrymen DONT GRIZZLE ABOUT IT, BECAUSE YOU HELPED TO FEED IT.
There are people that look at the bigger picture, rather than just their own pocket.

[Robert Taylor]

G'day Armitage Shanks

I am very happy to assist, as we do with hundreds of customers a week.

Have you emailed us , or tried to contact us via our live support?

Please send me an email at: geoffrey@bikegearewarehouse.com.au

I will be happy to check on the status of your order and hopefully resolve this for you promptly.

What I can say at the moment is that production times from the USA has increased, due to the economic downturn. Many businesses, even the big ones, over there are still hurting and are climbing out by cutting costs where they can. It's not just the manufacturers, but their materials suppliers as well, it is all a chain. When one is delayed by a week, that can flow down to being a four week delay for us.

I will admit that our Yoshimura orders are taking a bit longer than previously, but by working closely with companies like Yoshimura we are resolving this. Within the next month we have many large shipments due that will ensure that customers will not have to wait for their purchase.

Please send me the email as soon as you can. We aim to get the majority of emails sent to us answered within 1 working day.

Cheers
Geoffrey

Thankyou Geoffrey for confirming what I have been saying to the disbelievers on this forum. Very often of course the information from manufacturers is less than accurate because there is uncertain information from in turn their subcontractors.
You then as the onseller get pressured by the customer to give an accurate revised ETA, even though you cannot say with 100% certainty. So you look bad even though its almost totally out of your control. I had this situation with Ohlins MX steering dampers through much of last year. Ohlins kept rejecting successive deliveries of sub components because they werent meeting their exacting standards, so the delivery dates kept being revised backwards.
You are damned if you do and damned if you dont. The one thing that is certain is that people best get used to these extended lead times etc, its not going to get better in a hurry.
You can certainly in situations find out about human nature and how ''simpletons'' who refuse to believe the sound reasons will bag you at every opportunity

[Kickaha]

I made no mention of margins. They may not be making a profit on the product at all for all I know - but a 100% markup is laughable in the modern world. This planet is a lot smaller now than it once was

100% markup? just because it costs double here doesn't mean any such thing, have you ever worked in retail?

In mining there is a severe shortage of big tyres for earth moving machinery because China is buying so many with the large-scale development it is doing. The couple of tyre factories that make the really big stuff simply can't keep up with worldwide demand. New CAT trucks get delivered without tyres and mines need to source their own. In Australia large mining companies are hiring helicopters to fly around in looking at smaller mines to find ones that have a stockpile of tyres and then buy out the smaller company just to get the tyres.

There's way more than a couple of factories building that stuff and some of those were being extended, those shortages should be getting less and less and nowhere near as bad as 12-24 months ago

[Headbanger]

If you lose your job / livelihood because your customers are dealing largely overseas and dont have any patriotism to your fellow countrymen DONT GRIZZLE ABOUT IT, BECAUSE YOU HELPED TO FEED IT.
There are people that look at the bigger picture, rather than just their own pocket.

Yeah, we have been over that, and its not relevant to the current topic.

Of course I could point out that your position on the big picture is all about your own pocket but I won't.

[Robert Taylor]

Yeah, we have been over that, and its not relevant to the current topic.

Of course I could point out that your position on the big picture is all about your own pocket but I won't.

And youd be wrong of course, if it was all about my own pocket Id actually be wealthy. If it was all about my own pocket I wouldnt have lent full Ohlins suspension for YMNZ to go Superstock racing with Tony Rees. If it was all about my own pocket I wouldnt dispense a lot of free advice on this forum in the suspension threads. And so on.

Please advise what you contribute?