Hi, Sorry I missed these posts.
To update this…I did have to go back and forth to them quite a few times, this method is not for the feint hearted!!!! In the end they refused my courier a pickup despite having the appropriate signed authorisation form. This worked in my favour – got a refund of postage charges from the courier, and then Canyon ended up shipping it usign their courier at no cost to me!! Not saying everyone would get this, but at worst they were quoting me about EUR30 for shipping!
With Euro rate at current levels this is even better!
In terms of who to talk to, unfortunately it was back through to their call centre each time, until in the end when this was dragging on I demanded one person owned it and called me back (they are pretty slack from customer service I must say). When I was having trouble with collection they even gave me a number for the reception and showroom – no one ever answered it!!!
Re: using direct purchase, yes there is more risk than a credit card, if you’re not comfortable then don’t do it. I took the (small) risk as I saw it and worked out fine. Definitely recommend Transferwise for very low fee transfer http://bit.ly/1KgQ2Q7