Buyer Beware! Frazzle Cycles Is Not What It Seems

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With so many good deals out there from reputable sellers, there’s no need to risk your money on Frazzle Cycles.

We received a tip from a reader that Frazzle Cycles is a scam site, possibly created by the same people as the Bicycle Company UK – and having looked into it, we’re inclined to agree it’s a fake. Both Brompton and Trek – who have bikes listed on the site – have confirmed that they are not part of their official network of dealers. In addition, there’s no registration at Companies House, no VAT registration number on the site, and the website domain was only registered a couple of months ago. There’s also a Facebook page – created in December last year. All a bit fishy.

They’re advertising some very high end bikes on there. So you’d think you’d get your info right. How about this, er, road bike?

They claim to have an HQ in One Canada Square, London. But no, you can’t go and visit. But, a Sole Trader with HQ in Canary Wharf and a distribution centre in Cardiff? And whose turnover is less that the £85k needed to make you VAT registerable? And who has been in business since 2007 but has no trace on the web before December 2023? Hmm…

The Live Support chat is moderately amusing – though it would be hard to tell the difference between a scammer and AI these days.

I did email the support desk as suggested, asking for their VAT number and Company Registration, or anything else that might suggest they’re ‘real’ – I’ve had no response, and I’ve reported the site to the National Cyber Security Centre. Of course if they do come back with proof they are real then we’ll update you.

Perhaps one of the biggest red flags is the fact then when ordering any bike tehy’ve forgotten to allow you to chose a size.

All signs point to a scam… you’ve been warned.

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Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Home Forums Buyer Beware! Frazzle Cycles Is Not What It Seems

Viewing 29 posts - 1 through 29 (of 29 total)
  • Buyer Beware! Frazzle Cycles Is Not What It Seems
  • 2
    kelvin
    Full Member

    Popping in a link to the existing thread (which you probably want to close now).

    1
    alanl
    Free Member

    If anyone falls for that website, then they deserve to be scammed. Clearly, English is not their first language, I’d say African/Nigerian with the way they phrase things, and to reassure people they are legitimate gives the game away, they promise too much.

    Look on Facebook ads, there are multiple fraudulent site ‘selling’ things for cheap prices, I was nearly caught out myself last weekend, but decided to look into it further, and soon it was clear it was a scammer who had copied the original site owners webpage, but the payment went to the scammer.

    29
    tenburner
    Full Member

    This is like when i found out there werent h*rny m*lfs just 0.5 miles away

    6
    nickc
    Full Member

    If anyone falls for that website, then they deserve to be scammed

    No one deserves to be scammed. Just buy your stuff from legitimate sites; is all the messages needs to be here.

    Watty
    Full Member

    This is like when i found out there werent h*rny m*lfs just 0.5 miles away

    There aren’t? Bum, that’s another tenner wasted.

    1
    scruff9252
    Full Member

    This is like when i found out there werent h*rny m*lfs just 0.5 miles away

    Perhaps they were meaning you but you had sadly been misgendered.

    4
    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Yeah, avoid that site, and head over to scampifrybikes.com for some great discounts on full bikes and frames.

    5
    matt_outandabout
    Free Member

    Thanks for this all – I think scam sites are a growing issue and need to be addressed.

    What about an article from STW and ‘the trade’ about how to spot a dodgy site, rather than just singling out a dodgy site?

    1
    grimep
    Free Member

    Seen this recently with sites that look just like legitimate consumer brands but the URL is dodgy. Often advertised on Facebook

    midlifecrashes
    Full Member

    Too good to be true website?

     

    Scam website?

     

    A couple of similar sites popped up in the summer, plausible e-commerce design and enough of a mix of supposed stock mixed in with the super bargain items you’d put in your basket. Obviously once you dig you can see it’s fishy, and lower stakes with clothing than high end bikes. Dodgy.

    1
    scaredypants
    Full Member

    Shame; I’d be in for bacon snacks above haribo with every order

    zerocool
    Full Member

    That’s for the heads up. I tend to only buy from people I know are legit (and then not as often as I used to) but there are plenty of people scouring the web for bargains that might not notice.

    I’ve been caught out before with small things. Luckily I’m too poor to spend a lot of money online without a lot of research first. But if I was someone with the money and in a hurry I’m sure mistakes are made.

    jamiemcf
    Full Member

    One of the problems I find are business names.

    Does the name Wiggle sound like a bike shop or even bike related? Frazzle sounds just as nonsensical.

    STW has some pretty switched on people who know where to look. I’m not sure how to search the code etc behind a web page but I’m cautious enough to do a bit of digging and perhaps overly cautious and discount some shops that I don’t know.

    I agree that an article on how to spot and research scam webstores would be more beneficial than a single name and shame.

    1
    kelvin
    Full Member

    For the non-technically minded, there’s always Trust Pilot. Is the website claimed by a VERIFIED COMPANY there?

    verified

    Compare Wiggle:
    https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.wiggle.co.uk

    And Frazzle:
    https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/frazzlecycles.com

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    Does the name Wiggle sound like a bike shop or even bike related? Frazzle sounds just as nonsensical.

    Well, obviously you can call your business anything you want but also “Wiggle” wasn’t initially a bike seller (I believe)

    finbar
    Free Member

    Ironically the only time I’ve ever been scammed online in my life was someone (not) selling me a Macbook on STW classifieds.
    Probably 10 years ago now, my stupidity in not paying properly (i.e. I fell for the “I don’t have PP, use bank transfer”) cost me £380 and still stings now.

    FB-ATB
    Full Member

    Having to state they “comply fully with UK mail order law” is a bit of a warning sign!

    funkrodent
    Full Member

    Luuurve the fact that there is no frame size choice when you go to place an order. Yep I’ll drop £10,000GBP on a S-Works on the off chance it’s my size. Comedians.

    1
    mrchrist
    Full Member

    Looks like it was all written with AI. Suspect we will see more of them.

    1
    bigrich
    Full Member

    One Canada Square – Building – Canary Wharf, London E14 5AB

    seems reasonable; I myself use 90210 whenever I need to provide a zip code

    1
    burko73
    Full Member

    That http://www.scampifrybikes.com site looks a bit fishy…

    stingmered
    Full Member

    I was equally disappointed when Razzleycles turned out not to fulfil my dreams. 

    rickon
    Free Member

    You didnt need to do SO much work, just need to check here:

    https://www.scamdoc.com/view/1628632

    wordnumb
    Free Member

    Clue’s in the name, Frazzles don’t actually contain bacon either.
    Mmmmm…..
    tasty

    2
    Mark
    Full Member

    @rickon

    Type ‘frazzle cycles’ into google now. That’s why we did this work.

    3
    robertajobb
    Full Member

    The web site does appear more professional that CRC or Wiggle’s though 🤔 

    1
    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    What about an article from STW and ‘the trade’ about how to spot a dodgy site

    erm because STW are bikerist professionals not digital experts if you hadn’t noticed 😉

    dartdude
    Free Member

    Strictly not halal!

    ampthill
    Full Member

    A simple tip I was given is look for the physical address. The look on street view.

Viewing 29 posts - 1 through 29 (of 29 total)

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