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... and Cycle Gear slumps lower on the totum pole.

ALANRIDER7 said:
Where are all the horror stories about non-existent customer service from the online merchants? I know they're out there. Being cheap has a very real downside, one that people apparently don't want to talk about.

It's happened to just about everyone- the wrong item shows up. Or it's broken or damaged. Or it's the wrong color.

Or you call and you're told they have the exact item you seek IN STOCK and READY TO SHIP. The order is placed, the credit card info is given and you wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And then you call only to be told the item is on backorder with an undetermined availabilty. You didn't take down the name of the person who told you it was in stock, so you're screwed.

Then you get put on hold.

What a bargain. :rolleyes

:twofinger
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haha yep! I ordered a set of ASV levers for my bike directly from ASV as to not deal with all the (IN STOCK NOW, then not in stock BS) I would have gladly paid more $$ at a B&M, but none was to be found.

ASV listed both levers I ordered as in stock, but got an email a day later saying neither are in stock and backordered.:thumbdown
 
ALANRIDER7 said:
Where are all the horror stories about non-existent customer service from the online merchants? I know they're out there. Being cheap has a very real downside, one that people apparently don't want to talk about.

It's happened to just about everyone- the wrong item shows up. Or it's broken or damaged. Or it's the wrong color.

Or you call and you're told they have the exact item you seek IN STOCK and READY TO SHIP. The order is placed, the credit card info is given and you wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And then you call only to be told the item is on backorder with an undetermined availabilty. You didn't take down the name of the person who told you it was in stock, so you're screwed.

Then you get put on hold.

What a bargain. :rolleyes

:twofinger
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Alan, stop mincing words and just tell everyone to stop by your shop. :rolleyes

Geez. :twofinger
 
1234Oh-Oh-7 said:
IUnfortunately, the trend tends to be when something goes right, no one hears about it. But when something goes wrong, the whole world finds out.
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Great post, especially this bit. I've had some good experience at cycle gear SJ, including one very shining example of awesome customer service several years ago, but I don't shop there anymore because I don't have any interest in Bilt gear.

For anyone else in/near San Jose, if you don't want to shop at Cycle Gear, shop at and support Road Rider. :) They've been consistently awesome at gear / parts / accessory selection, and they've got great customer service. Zoom and Santa Clara Cycle are also awesome. Reward these great shops with some sales to keep them alive to support local riders.
 
1234Oh-Oh-7 said:
But I'm like a lot of you; I will pony up the money for high-quality gear. My gloves? Not stocked. My jacket? Not stocked. Back protector? Not stocked. So I ordered it, tried it on, and re-ordered as necessary. No complaints from the staff, no complaints from me. And I've never paid for shipping.
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When I buy gear, I almost always want to buy it locally. I want to go somewhere try it on, inspect it, and compare it. It informs my decision on what to get. Also I want it right away generally.

I don't want to take a guess about what I want order it, then return and reorder until I get something that fits right. Most online places will do that dance anyway.

Alanrider7 yes I would and do shop at B&M stores. When I need new gear I visit all of the stores in the area checking stuff out. CG has dropped off that list.
 
I just want to touch base on a few things:

1) My customer service interaction with the Santa Rosa cyclegear has never been an issue. They've been helpful and professional.

2) The lack of brand choice isn't an issue in and of itself. I get the reason why you stock your own brand over others. After all, I could always special order a part or gear.

3) For me, the new change (which turns out isnt new), was the inability to order said part over the phone. It's unrealistic to expect me to drive down to the store just to order it, then drive back to pick it up, and pay shipping. Oh, and a higher price (albeit not by much).

I can accept a change here, a change there, lack of product at times or the need to pay shipping; But when you literally make it more inconvienience than convienient, and more expensive, as well as having to wait the same amount of time if I just ordered it myself from anywhere else, my business goes elsewhere.

There are plenty of people where CG does exactly what they ask of it. Low cost, low quality gear and misc. products available here and now at a competitive price. I am fine with that. The thing was, CG also used to make their business work for ME too; someone who doesn't want the cheapest or lowest price item, and is willing to stay local. Nowadays, they simply don't.

4) Thank you CG for reading, and responding to, this thread. It does say something about the company as a whole. I'm glad you are all aware and involved.

5) To "1 2 3 4 oh oh" or whatever: You have clearly not read this thread. I appreciate your insight, but the reality is this thread has a lot of people praising CG's customer service as well as some offering their solution to what they see as a problem. It isn't just a post where people are bagging on CG.

Hopefully things change for the better.
 
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revnort said:
When I buy gear, I almost always want to buy it locally. When I need new gear I visit all of the stores in the area checking stuff out. CG has dropped off that list.
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SAME. I have purchased all but 1 item of my gear, from a local shop, or used from another rider. (needed a cheap pair of boots to tear up while another set was being repaired). I actually DID try on boots at CG, and the fit just wasn't right for me on 3 brands. A friend offered me his for a day, and they fit great. No local shops carried them, so online I went. :nchantr Honestly, it sucks to be forced to do it. I'd rather support local business.

I've bought gear at CG, Road Rider, Zoom, and S.C. Cycle. I don't want Bilt gear. I don't like bilt gear. Nor speed and strength or street steel or whatever it is.

I like gear that fits well, from reputable names I've dealt with before. Sadly for CG the shops local to me don't stock what I want/need. So I go elsewhere. Even if they did have what I wanted, the "customer service" at the local shops, sucks now. So I still won't visit CG any longer.
 
corndog67 said:
That's part of the problem there Marci. You tried all the stuff on, were satisfied with fit and whatnot, but then bought it somewhere else. Even if it was not on the Internet, you still used their stuff, and then bought somewhere else. Shitty salesperson notwithstanding.
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Half price at another b&m? Sounds smart. CG needs to price match local stores.



ob1ventura said:
Agreed. Taking advantage of their sevice (stocking inventory) then now compensating them for it does not seem right.

otoh, buying on line is no different than our folkes generation (or in some cases their folks) buying from the Sears catalog in that both are not supporting the b&m
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People will do that with ANY kind of wearable merchandise. Because we're talking about gear, the norms go out the window?
 
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ALANRIDER7 said:
You people want what you want, but you don't want to pay for it. Unless you have a business, you have no clue, none, about the big bucks and what goes into and what it takes to run a business. Especially in the motorcycle industry.
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first off, WATCHOO MEAN "YOU PEOPLE"?!? :laughing

second off, business owners are hardly the only freakin people that understand the realities of running a business. that idea is pompously ridiculous.
 
I gotta say, I REALLY liked it when CG used to move a lot of gear by pricing it mor aggressively the longer it stayed.

I bought a lot of stuff just because it was the quality I wanted, and a great price. In addition, I got into the habit of regularly stopping by, just to see what they had.
 
mean dad said:
first off, WATCHOO MEAN "YOU PEOPLE"?!? :laughing

second off, business owners are hardly the only freakin people that understand the realities of running a business. that idea is pompously ridiculous.
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In true ALANRIDER7 fashion...

f_0b8638105a.jpg
 
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ALANRIDER7 said:
If Cycle Gear spends the millions necessary to stock its stores with the fullest selection of gear, everything from the cheap basics to the highest quality/highest priced stuff, will you go there and actually purchase something from their expanded selection or will you use them only as a sizing service to verify fit and then scamper home to go online and buy from cheappricedgearwhores.com???
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This thread has been beaten pretty thoroughly, so there isn't much to add, but this is an important point, and I'm glad you brought it to light. Simply put; if they will, I will. I love to support the local business. There is something to be said for shopping an item, trying it on and walking out with it. And I don't mind paying a few bucks more for it to keep the money in the local economy. I think it's important to do that. But there has got to be something I want in there, and it aint BILT. I have read some folks compare this to Frank Thomas. There is no comparison; Thomas was decent stuff. I still have a Thomas leather jacket that refuses to die! If Bilt/Sedici was at that level, I think this thread would have a diferent tone. Customer service issues not withstanding, of course.
 
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