Pretty much ditto what Charlie says. It boils my piss when I try to order something and it doesn't arrive for weeks. The reason I'll never be a massive Internet web store is that if we don't have it on the shelf, you can't order it from the site.
I really do need to figure out a way of knowing what people are trying to order though, so I can get a bit more of it next time. However, it's much nicer to have a little discourse with a customer, either email, phone or over a coffee...
Unfair ? - Yes.
Legal ? Probably, but they should tell you I think.
However, it's situations like this which determine how their business thrives or falters. Although it takes a few in your situation to point out the issues, that's plain annoying for you.
My experience online, so far, for bike stuff is pretty good.
" Out of 5 " for delivering to my expectation I have...
Merlin 5
Wiggle 4
Superstar 5
CRC 3
CRC seemed to go through a sticky patch just before Christmas.
Wiggle have that irritating ( but just maybe understandable ) clause which seems to tell you that if you want free delivery you go to the back of the queue.
They're probably too busy shredding the gnar that is the Rutland Water perimeter trail to worry about stock.
A certain medium-size online shop does this all the time. Their website is basically a list of the items they could get if somebody placed an order.
OK as long as they make it clear I think. Not OK to pretend they do have it in stock.
In defence of Active Sport, they have been the cheapest for Rohloff stuff in the past when I've searched.
If, like me, you like to keep a spare sprocket in stock your self, they're OK.
If I need a new sprocket, I will fit the one from my own personal stores, then order a new one ready for next time, so it doesn't matter if it takes three weeks to turn up.
I wouldn't use them for anything I needed urgently.
For a disc adaptor why didn't you just pop into an LBS, and if they haven't the right one - Hope (for example) deliver next day.
In defence of Active Sport
First time anyone ever typed that, I reckon.
Worst retailer ever.
OK, well Rutland order cancelled (still delays, and frankly unimpressive interpersonal skills), now trying UK Bike Store who clime to have it 'in stock'. We'll see...
In defence of UKBikeStore, ordered some Sealskinz liner socks mid-afternoon on Tuesday, arrived yesterday. Can't argue with that for service.
Quite frankly its bollocks. Why spend money attracting customers, taking money, just to not only refund them, but also piss them off.
Cycle consumers (that is us lot) tend to be fairly clever... "prosumers" and should not fall for this nonsense.
Merlin every time. Pretty much everything I've ordered has arrived the next day and been the cheapest as well so double bonus. CRC stuffed up an order so I had a moan and they gave me a £25 voucher which is lovely but I still won't order from them if I need stuff quickly.
First time anyone ever typed that, I reckon.
I just remembered, they were the cheapest for Renthal chainrings as well.
I don't know if they really had them in stock though. I used CRCs price match. 
FWIW with Activesport it wasn't just that they didn't have the item in stock despite telling me they did... It was that they then repeatedly lied about it, and not even good lies.
Did it to me twice (didn't realise Mark Anthony Bikes and Activesport are the same company...). First time was a set of salsa bars, which they claimed were in stock, then would take 2-3 days, then had been posted, then must have been lost... Then when I finally complained to Ebay, they cancelled the sale, and announced that it was my fault as I hadn't specified the colour. The bars only came in black.
Second time round was a stem... Again, promised it was in stock, then oops, sorry, will take a few days... After 2 weeks of that, some snow arrived, so then "Well it's not our fault, we'd totally have had it with you by now except for the snow!". I mean, don't get me wrong, I've lied to customers but they've always been good lies! Don't treat me like an idiot, don't act offended when your obvious lie turns out to be obvious... But most importantly takes some pride in your work damnit! Be the best liar you can be!
The final touch was when I left them negative feedback, and they emailed me with a bribe to try and get me to withdraw it.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Amazon. Sure they have loads of developers and are huge but they are honest about if something needs to be ordered and it's on the product page. It's not a stretch to say "We can get this in a few days but it's not in stock" as a middle ground between yes we have it and no we dont.
For me, Wiggle and CRC have been mostly fine. PX were a bit shit in telling me they didn't have the stuff I ordered and needed to send me black wheels and wait for some other bits (but they made it up to me so I still love them). Merlin have always been great. Charlie has done me proud, even answering my idiotic questions.
I'd deal with any of the final three before the first two and then look at other websites.
I've bought a few things from ukbikestore and always been delivered promptly.
I have had issues with Rutland before.
A mate of mine works there. I will send him a link to this thread. I know that they are working to try & improve things.
Had this happen twice with Rutland, but never was contacted by them, both times i had to contact them to chase it, shouldv'e learnt the first time. However a purchase via their ebay shop couldn't have been smoother
To wrap this up - UKBikeStore delivered as promised. Won't use Rutland again. Will be more careful at reading small print.
I don't really mind if they're saying it in good faith- they have no reason to think their supplier will let them down and so it'll be with you when they say it will.
If they know that's not going to happen or they have no idea when it might show up then they need to make that clear. If I ordered, chased it up and then found out it was all on the never-never I'd be pi$$ed off.
Tredz do this and seem to get a email a few days later saying they are ordering it in. when it said on stock on there website.
Holy thread resurrection. I just got caught in this
I got an email to say one of the parts I ordered was out of stock with the distributor and would follow next week and they would hold my order.
Phoned up and discovered nothing I had ordered was actually in stock - everything comes from the importers just this one Item we out of stock with the importers as well.
I expressed by irritation with this and was told it was all explained on their website - it is - away in "delivery times" or something similar saying if dispatch was greater than 1 day then the item would have to come from the distributors and could be a day or two
Simply not acceptable to me - entire order cancelled and fortunately no quibbles with the refund.
Thats a shop off my potential shopping list.
Does the site actually say "in stock" against any item, or does it just quote delivery timescales?
Lets add JE James to the list. Order Shimano bleed kit funnel on Feb 22nd, site says in stock.
Call on March the 6th to see where the item is. "it's on order, will be with you this week", great.
Call today, "where's my bleed kit then?", site still saying in stock. "not sure let me check, oh yeah we have three of those, i'll call the warehouse, oh the lines are down to the warehouse I better mail them. Should go today" Brilliant!!
Cost of item £3.50, cost of postage £3.20........delivery time, approaching 3 weeks so far.
Off the list, should have just got a refund!
On the page you order from it says estimated date of dispatch today or tomorrow - go to the delivery times page and it explains that a date of tomorrow actually means " we have to order it from our suppliers"
One assumes if they are selling it and take your money that they actually have it to sell.
I don't mind the ordering in - I object strongly to the deceit
everything comes from the importers just this one Item we out of stock with the importers as well.
I do sometimes wonder why importers refuse to deal with the public, why not just do a superstar/CRC and sell direct, even if at full RRP to give LBS's a chance to stock it too.
hopefully if enough clued-up consumers reading forums like this one, get the message
these money-grabbing muppets (i.e. small shops posing as on-line retailers with stock warehouses) will be driven out of business as their constant lies about "stock levels" does no one any favours whatsoever...
I ordered some Knee Pads from Dainese-Central (MOTO-CENTRAL).
Two Days later I received an email to say they where out of stock and discontinued, I immediately requested a refund which took 2 days.
What is even more annoying is that they still have them on their website 7 days later, although they don't have any, and can't get any!!
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