[Closed] Piste off with Evans - but are they to blame??

February? I would have taken my custom elsewhere long time ago...

Very similar position as you. I got my local trek dealer to order me an x-caliber in a few months ago. I was told mid-April. After not hearing anything and several un-returned calls I went in. Apparently trek had some kind of cock up on their computer system and the 'promised bikes' never existed. There's quite a few people who have been let down I'm told, myself included. Annoying thing is all other options I was looking at have now sold out too, so I'm now left with no option but to wait til the 2011 bikes come out

I would have done if I'd had somewhere to take my custom to! I tried a few others (Pedalon; Chevin...) but no-one else could get hold of one. From that point on I was a bit mistrustful of Evan's claims hence the fortnightly check-ups!!

Hi M6TTF, ditto. Now been told to wait for 2011.
I am off to the states in 3 weeks and am wondering if I can pick a bike up up out there. Bit concerned about import tax and the like though

From the evans web site.

Rumblefish 29 II 2010 Mountain Bike Gary Fisher Rumblefish 29 II 2010 Mountain BikeThis product is only available for delivery via Ship2Store and can not be delivered via our couriers.

International customers within easy reach of London Gatwick Airport can visit us in-person and take advantage of our International Collection Point – located 5 minutes from the airport.

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Ref Option Warehouse stock Price
128750-15-SVR Black/Titanium, 15.5 Inch
Discontinued – This size/colour is now sold out and obsolete. We cannot obtain any more from the supplier and it won't return to stock.
Discontinued
128750-17-SVR Black/Titanium, 17.5 Inch
Discontinued – This size/colour is now sold out and obsolete. We cannot obtain any more from the supplier and it won't return to stock.
Discontinued
128750-19-SVR Black/Titanium, 19 Inch
Discontinued – This size/colour is now sold out and obsolete. We cannot obtain any more from the supplier and it won't return to stock.
Discontinued
128750-21-SVR Black/Titanium, 21 Inch
Discontinued – This size/colour is now sold out and obsolete. We cannot obtain any more from the supplier and it won't return to stock.
Discontinued
128750-23-SVR Black/Titanium, 23 Inch
Discontinued – This size/colour is now sold out and obsolete. We cannot obtain any more from the supplier and it won't return to stock.
Discontinued

I would have done if I'd had somewhere to take my custom to!

Ah right, soz. I live in London, and therefore automatically assume everyone has access to a plethora of bike shop like I do! Bit short-sighted of me.

Slightly steering away; I once went into one bike shop, wanting to buy a bike there and then, and got completely ignored. Stood around for about 20 minutes, trying to catch an assistant's eye (granted they were busy), asked a couple 'erm, when you're finished I'd like some advice please', but got no joy. Turned round, walked out, went down the road and into another shop, was sorted within the hour.

Shops should remember they exist because of their customers. I can't stand it when they string you along for bloody weeks. Hello, you moan when we buy from online retailers... 🙄

It's not so much access to bike shops Talkemada, it's finding bike shops that have bikes above a 20" frame - come to that bike companies that do bikes big enough for freaks like me.

The GF was way more of a bike than I can do justice to but carthorses with wheels are hard to come by so I decided to take the plunge - then some b'stard pulled the plug!

Alot of manufactures have been moving due dates this year but no excuse for lack of communication.

I know your pain. I'm economically sized, and have in the past had trouble getting a small bike to test ride. Only Mediums and Larges in stock.

So can you order a Small in for me to try please?

Yes, but you'll need to pay a deposit before we order one in for you.

What if I decide I don't like it? I take it I'll get my deposit back?

Erm, no, but we'll give you credit off any other bike you buy from us.

Eh? WTF? So an average person can come in, have a test ride yet get their deposit back? You sizeist bastards!

👿

Talkemada - I'm kinda resigned to having difficulty getting stuff, and there's definitely some benefits to being 6'9", but I do still have to chuckle when I ask for size 14 shoes to be told:
"sorry, we don't stock those there's just not the demand........ but you're the 3rd person today to ask!!"

hey ho

Hey Tallbloke, sorry to hear the Rumblefish deal has gone sour - i would have been interested to have had a go on it. I'd definitely have a look around in the States or do a bit of research here before you go out. Speedgoat cycles were selling the Big Mama for peanuts recently in their sale?

I can always loan you a big bike for a days ride if you are desperate - i'm up at Cannock a week friday to test out the new trials with a few friends if you are around?

Let me know when you've finally sorted out your new bike - it'll happen one day!! I've added an On One Inbred 29er to my collection now which might be a cheaper short term option for you? Once you have a frame sorted the rest is pretty easy to get hold of.

Ah, but the benefit of being More Environmentally Friendlily Proportioned, is that I sometimes pick up bargains in the kids' sections! 🙂

I was told "definitely on 30 April".

But its not the 30th yet!!!
🙄

Funny that, I have just come off the phone to my brother in law. Commencal supreme (£2,700 worth)bought from Evans last year. it's been in twice for rear linkage problems. Mechanic said it was the shock bushes (which it so clearly wasn't) BIL said it just needed tightening and as he didn't have the tools, could he do it. The mechanic refused to do it, said he was too busy!!! Manager spoken to but still the mechanic refused to and nearly squared up to my BIL!! It would have taken 30 seconds with the right tools.

I think Evans need to be aware that they are not particularly cheap ( the adverts showing their £1999 bikes on sale for £1987 always makes me chuckle)in comparison to the likes of CRC and there is plenty of customer choice. Simply for what happened to my BIL today means I won't spend another penny in there as long as a ride a bike.

I worked in THAT department a while back. They were absolute crap. I left after a few weeks because they seriously did my head in. Some of the staff would be on the phone apologising to customers dah dah dah, the get of the phone and do **** all about the problem. Two weeks later I would get the same customers back on the phone because nothing had been done. Best thing to do is get your money back and GO ELSEWHERE! Most of the people I worked with were more interested in riding their bikes than doing any proper work. The manager in THAT office used to tell me how bad I was at my job when she couldn't run a booze up in a brewery. Funny, because nobody ever before told me I was crap at my job and not since either. I changed back to my LBS and got a stunning bike bargain this year and great customer service and mechanics to go with it. In our economic climate I think we should also support our LBS to keep them in business if they are good or everywhere will be Evans or Bikehut eventually.

Yes, but you'll need to pay a deposit before we order one in for you. Have the same problem being small. I wanted to get a Specialized Wmns for 2 years but never got a chance to try one because they only had medium. Problem solved - got a 14ins Trek from LBS!

In Evans' defence, it's quite likely that they genuinely thought there _was_ a delivery coming from Trek (who distribute Gary Fisher), but that the due date kept being moved. It seems to have happened quite a lot this year, and taking your custom elsewhere wouldn't have solved the problem because nobody else could get hold of the bike either.

However, I suspect this will turn into yet another "yes and they didn't fix my puncture, Evans are crap I'm going to CRC" thread... 🙄

: P

[i]( the adverts showing their £1999 bikes on sale for £1987 always makes me chuckle)[/i]

Technically it's right, it's still a sale. Wheelbase are advertising a frame at "SALE: £1795 (used to be £1799.99)" on their website... 😉

My guess is that Evans have been given the information from the distributor and are simply acting in good faith on what they've been told. I've had similar in another shop when I was after a track bike recently. On order, on order, delivery soon then a call to say "sorry, not importing that size".

🙁

With new models it can be anything that delays them, waited months for a frame and the problem was the paint, eventually cancelled order.
Pierre, a fair and even minded comment about Evans, always appreciated.

[i]back in February[/i]

It's been a while since I regaled you all with the tale of my wait for a Big Dummy frameset. I called Mog at Brixton Cycles about once a week for a year. Periodically we got excited, because it was definitely coming, the ship had docked, the container was on the wharf, it had been loaded onto thr back of a truck etc etc. Then someone would open the container and find that it contained no Big Dummies. Then he'd get on the phone to the distributor, who'd admit that they forgot to order any, but there were definitely some coming and it would be fine.

I agree that Evans are not the best bike shop in the world, but they probably weren't lying or wrong, someone else was lying or wrong. 🙂

Pierre et al - if it seems my angst is aimed purely at Evans it's mainly a reflection of the fact that it was them I was dealing with. I would say though that if I had to let a customer down because of a 3rd party I'd be straight onto the 3rd party to rattle their cage. It seems to me that Evans should have sufficient clout to get better service from their suppliers as ultimately they should be aiming to keep their customers happy. Nay, delighted!

A final note though. When I ordered the bike the Evans website said 'available in stock in 7-10 days' - that shouldn't be on there unless they're absolutely certain that it's accurate otherwise it's a mis-representation that simply lures customers away from other potential bike shops.

Take your custom to On Your Bike down on bradford street. Best bike shop I've found in the West Midlands. Not a very big place(behind the coach station) but they've got a good range. They do Gary Fisher as well 😉

You've got a point. Evans do have a lot of clout with their suppliers but sometimes, regardless of clout, you can't make a container ship cross an ocean any faster, or make sure that the right container was loaded in the first place. It was unintuitive of Evans not to actually tell you what the problem was when it was clear there was a delay.

And as far as I know "available in stock in 7-10 days" is used on most websites to mean "we don't stock it but our supplier usually does and if they've got it we can usually get it in a week". It does, however, assume that the item's in stock at the supplier. It's not exactly dishonest but it's the easiest way to look like you can sell something you haven't actually got...

: P

Go to the USA, take your bike with you, obtain a bike, bring a bike back.

Us normal blokes don't have many options that are less than an arm and a leg to obtain.

In our economic climate I think we should also support our LBS to keep them in business if they are good or everywhere will be Evans or Bikehut eventually.

In the current economic climate, LBS's are bound to lose out to internet retailers. That's Capitalism for yer. It's a nice idea, but brutal economics wins every time. 🙁

[i] the current economic climate, LBS's are bound to lose out to internet retailers. That's Capitalism for yer. It's a nice idea, but brutal economics wins every time.[/i]

I disagree. You can't buy good service or expertise over the Internet. Some IBDs are suffering but it's mainly because they aren't evolving. Granted, the likes of Wiggle and CRC are undercutting the [u]retail[/u] side of many independent bike shops, but the smart ones are still keeping their customers by giving them the service and advice they need and having excellent mechanics.

And as STW shows us all on a daily basis, most amateur mechanics are far from experts!

: P

The due dates have been changing a lot on the Rumblefish bikes this year and many others. I had a Rumblefish on order for my store since september and my rep told me in February it was ages away and would most likely be a 2011 bike by the time it arrived so I cancelled the order.

This week i see they are now showing as sold out even though there were never any in stock so I think the whole RumbleFish range has been canned, at least for this year. The way bike stock levels are they probably decided to make more hardtails etc as they've been sold out of all their 29er Ht's since February and now most of their 26" are sold out for the 2010 range.

the adverts showing their £1999 bikes on sale for £1987 always makes me chuckle

Leisure Lakes do some awesome deals like that.

http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/genesiscore40bike2010.aspx?&id=13087

Who can resist those 0.01% off spring bargains?

someone would open the container and find that it contained no Big Dummies

I had this a few years back with a Santa Cruz, I couldn't understand how they didn't know what would be in the container
do they just have a big pile of random frames and a blind man shovelling them in?

First of all symapthies for you poor treatment. I'm tall but fortunaitly just within normal bike limits. But it can still make things dificuilt with stock and test rides

I'd noticed the Fisher 29ers being pushed back

So it looks like the Rumble Fish never made UK shores. My cycnical feeling is that Trek must have decided to divert the uk supply to get round shortages in the states. I would be very tempted to give Trek an e-mail or call expressing disapointment

Its bizarre but it seems like bikes are actually in short supply despite the economic climate

I've been reminded over the course of these posts what a sound bunch of people come on here and provide info, advice and support - cheers to you all.

Nice to hear from you again TooTall (who along with MrTall gave me stacks of advice and a trial ride of their steeds). I think you're right TT - I'm off to LA in a few weeks and your suggestion makes a lot of sense.

Bakes - you're spot on. How can you run a world-wide operation and not know how many bikes you ordered; where they are in each stage of production and how many were loaded onto a container. If I post a piece of snot to Australia (a fairly regular occurrence) I can track it door-to-door.

Ampthill - already done. Ties in nicely to TooTall's suggestion and my impending visit.

My LBS let's me have quite a lot of stuff at either Wiggle or CRC prices. C & N Cycles Redhill. Good blokes, no bull***t good shop.

you could look online at GF stockists in usa and then call/email them to see if they have one in stock as opposed to ordering one in for you some ship abroad

Think I'll fire off an email to trek too expressing my disappointment - I'm sure it'll do nothing whatsoever, but hey ho!

It's a nice idea, but brutal economics wins every time.