[Closed] CRC is a business predator and everybody should be aware !!

We don't call it "The Church" for nothing......

the death star 🙂

Never mind all that Postie. I'm going to Penmachno next Sunday. Room in the car for one. Promise no talking this time, tunes all the way. 😆
Si. Probably going somewhere Saturday too.

the death star

That's no moon...

boohoo

I use CRC because they give me something my LBS can't: sheer choice and the ability to buy on a Sunday night after something broke/wore out over the weekend, delivered in time for me to ride again the next Saturday.

I use my LBS when I need some help/advice or need something fixing/parts installed that I don't have the tools to do myself.

Each has a role - maybe time for LBS's to consider the value they're best placed to add, and to focus on it? e.g. Bike Treks guided rides/maps/test rides etc

CRC is a business

end of really

Should we stop using Tesco as well then?

I love this comment

Mike Jacoubowsky

28 enero, 2011 at 4:39 pm

There has been a lot of sloppiness in the reporting on the “Chain Reaction” mail order house. They are not “Chain Reaction” but rather “Chain Reaction Cycles.” Even the website here continues in this tradition.

http://www.ChainReaction.com is the website for a local retailer (us!) with two stores in the San Francisco area. We do not do mail order and are in no way affiliated with Chain Reaction Cycles.

Nevertheless we get many angry phone calls from customers of theirs (because we have a published phone number and they don’t) as well as emails. They make themselves deliberately difficult to contact; we make ourselves deliberately easy. Perhaps that in a nutshell explains one of the basic differences between a full-service local retailer and an internet monster?

Please try to be more careful in your references to “Chain Reaction.” Thanks, Mike Jacoubowsky, Partner, Chain Reaction Bicycles.

Having worked in 'the industry' on and off since I was 16 all I can say is CRC is the best thing that could have happened. A professional and efficient business that should be held up as an example of how a lot of shopping should be done in retail.

All the LBS's can sell overspecced hybrids to the 2.4 families and leave the specialist stuff to the online experts. Come on guys, we all know what we are buying.

crc for me.

I will buy from the people who offer me the best service with the quickest turnaround. So not the LBS.

Except when I'm at home because it would be Merlin 😉

Thanks for the reminder about CRC - they e-mailed me a £10 off voucher earlier in the week and I'd forgotten about it! I'm off to buy something now.

LBS has never done that 🙂

times are hard,and prices are high.

whoever is the cheapest,

Business that usually delivers on price and speed becomes very successful. Can't see the problem.

I love CRC , they send out an awful lot of parcels hence they are one of the companies that is helping to keep me in a job. + 9 times out of 10 they are the people I use if I need any new bits.

I guess we'd better chuck the towel in on modern economics and plump for some kind of communal economic model instead. Like china?

I particularly like point 4

Obviously, we don’t intend to fix the prices or forbid anyone where to buy.

I understand from a mate who works in the trade that Wiggle are far more ruthless than CRC.

If CRC wasn't here, someone else would be, there is pretty good competition at the moment in the market, Merlin, Woolly Hat, Ribble, Rutland + many other & loads on e-bay.

Remember, CRC started as a LBS, and took opportunites / risks, they were successful, many other haven't been. good for them.

Also, if you look at Mavic product's, they can't sell them out of the EU, so even they have some restrictions to live with.

Happy customer here

wow, looks like someone in the eurozone just found out what competition looks like, I have some limited sympathy with distributors who sink a lot of effort into promoting a product but not a whole lot given the alternative to open competition is to let companies divy up the market and then charge whatever they think they can screw out of people in each region.

In any event unless the manufacturers themselves (as opposed to distros) start enforcing specific conditions on sales over the web then all the moaning in the world won't matter - as long as product is shifting vendors will be happy.

I ordered some Middleburn stuff from CRC instead of my LBS in Germany as the German distributors are so useless they said it would take 6-8 weeks to get the stuff. With CRC it took five days and was around 20 Euros cheaper. My LBS have realised they can't compete with the internet shops and now are concentrating more on the older customers who want high hybrid/electric bikes who aren't so internet savvy.

CRC is good business. Plus it got very lucky, purely becuase its Irish, becuase of that fact CRC pays the lowest rates of corpate tax in the EU hnece its pricing is lower than anywhere else.

Yes the EU are not happy that Ireland charges next to sod all business taxes and has just had a one of the biggest bail outs in history.

Anyway CRC buy up the middle makes perfect business since. I buy from who ever is cheapest or most convenient at the time, always have and always will.

CRC is NORTHERN Irish so afaik their under the same business conditions as the rest of the UK.

Chain Reaction Cycles Ltd.
Kilbride Rd
Doagh
Ballyclare
BT39 0QA
United Kingdom

Someway up now but..............

YES WE SHOULD STOP SHOPPING AT TESCOS because their delivery driver reversed into my garden gate and wall, causing £300 worth of damage and then buggered off without telling anyone what he'd done.

NOBODY SHOULD BLOODY SHOP THERE...EVER.....AT ALL.

Yes the EU are not happy that Ireland charges next to sod all business taxes and has just had a one of the biggest bail outs in history

Spain and Portugal aren't too far off needing a similar size bailout. Or Greece.

CRC is good business. Plus it got very lucky, purely becuase its Irish, becuase of that fact CRC pays the lowest rates of corpate tax in the EU hnece its pricing is lower than anywhere else.

FAIL!

What utter tosh. CRC is a successful business, as are Amazon, and a gazillion other online business that offer choice and value. For most stuff, I use CRC because they give me a better service at a lower cost than my LBS. If I need expert advice or I need to try before I buy, then I pay a premium and use my LBS because in that case they will give me better service than CRC can.

Horses for courses.

Now, show me the link to prochainreaction.com.

spread the love when the purse strigs allow. when that shock needs fettling the day before your trip to gods country crc wont be there!

last year I had some problems with a frame I ordered from CRC...
two emails later it was sorted...they changed the used frame for a new one and added a discount on my next purchase....
it couldn`t be any better...perfect service..another happy customer

thanks to the monster !!

[i]Now, show me the link to prochainreaction.com. [/i]

[url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ ]Here it is.[/url]

nah, scrub that can't be arsed...

Today it's the internet, 20-30 years ago there where the same arguments about mail order companies. Same issue different technology.

Rich what have you done ? Gone to bed probably..... 😆

CRC = bike shop equivalent of Tesco???
I like them, reliable, cheap, great web site, rarely let me down.

Sorry guys but my LBS experiences don't mirror those I get off CRC.

They deliver (in both senses of the word).

They are successful.

And.......???

There are a lot of people going on about how good CRC is, rubbish!. I possibly dont know of a better run business than CRC. Me any my brother have probably placed a hundred orders with them,99% of orders turned up the next day, well packaged, correct and the cheapest produce available in the market....oh and not to mention FOC on all deliveries and a complete no quibble returns policy. Moreover, I (and we) are all skint which helps me leen towards CRC also.

We have had to return a few items, other than having to trail to th PO it has been no hassle.

The thought of never having to go into my LOCAL! bike shops (except Cycle Gear in Halifax!) over than to get shafted for 10 minutes of labour! fills me with absolute glee!!!

Kev

Not a bunch of bitter resentful distros and (not so) LBS from abroad just realising that the cycling Tesco's is taking their business. No....

CRC cheaper parts well 85% ish. 😆
Free delivery..... 😆
Fast postage.... 😆

Local Bike Shop..dont know never go TBH... 😆
I can fix 90% of the bike & have the tools too.... 😆

So in a word................... 😆

😆

would have though someone called postierich would be grateful for CRC putting business your way, or are their stupidly oversized packaging materials giving you a bad back?

At least I know when Im selling something big on ebay, I can order a powerlink or some inner tube patches from CRC and get a big box for free to send my ebay goods off in
CRC - offering value for money bicycle parts and assisting with recycling

I read hrough that lot and ime it's stupid! Crc are almost / kindof my local lbs (bear with me). I live 2 miles from a great shop (tbc) but my wifes folks come from Ballyclare where Crc are based. My brother in law does stuff for them and they have a real local ethos!

Guess how many locals they employ? 50? No. 100? No. 200? No. 300? Getting close.

Sure they're far from perfect but apparently they responded to all the pre Christmas whinging about packets not getting delivered by sending everyting in bigger boxes ( apparently forcing rm to use a van rather than a postie who just puts a card in).

Not perfect but still very good. They've lost the lbs vibe unless you live nearby but that are still trying.

I'm not too sure about thir growing distributed tie In's though.

I like crc, i use them quite often, I still spend alot more money in my lbs, however never hesitate to use them, probably spent 8k over the last 4 years there.

Had a couple of issues but all easily sorted, unlike in my lbs's.

what a topic! crc are brilliant for a lot of people, and i think the majority of people slating them may be people that have had a bad experience with them.
i used to use them quite a bit - the price is good, delivery is quick, and there is a huuuuge amount of choice.

however, i have a friend who works in a bike shop, and to be honest, i much prefer to use them. mainly i get a brilliant discount, and get parts loads loads cheaper than CRC (they arent always that competative)
i also love the LBS atmosphere. its great to go in, chat with like minded people, look at nice shiny parts, and i love coming away with something the same day.

though CRC does offer very goood service, and is brilliant for a bit of web shopping, as it is exciting getting things through the post! i got a £10 voucher the other day, and got a brilliant deal on some new rims.

its swings and roundabouts with what people use, business is business. its how the world works.....