Possible demise of CRC / Wiggle

No matter how big a customer you are and how much of a good payer you have been dpd will put you on stop

Ha this. I had a dispute with another big courier over an bill they raised incorrectly, which I subsequently refused to pay (it was 4k!). While it got sorted at their normal glacial pace they put my account on stop due to my non payment of said incorrect bill. Obviously we just used an alternate and moved on, but shows that they will stop your account for whatever reason, even if like us you've been a good payer up to then. Their alternative solution was to pay it then we'd get a credit sometime somewhere down the line. It got sorted in the end and we still occasionally use them, but they lost most of our business for it.

I ordered a bike on Monday, was told it's despatched Tuesday evening but looking at Parcelforce tracking was only collected yesterday (Thursday).

Just looking back at Wiggle's marketing emails, the business name in the footer was changed between 09:00 on Wednesday and 09:04 on Thursday (yesterday) to read "Wiggle Ltd (In Administration)". They kept that one quiet!

According to this site it only happened/is happening this morning - https://www.administrationlist.co.uk/pages/businesses-in-administration?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwv-2pBhB-EiwAtsQZFPMGOb5AWG2uKnUwjXkUVUcdirwlWo0VdO41QBacLJvV2bpP2LDpahoCRDQQAvD_BwE (Anyone know of any other large, portsmouth based sporting goods/bicycle retails heading into administration?)

Not showing on the free gazette site as yet.

So they're ahead of the curve with the emails and website updates.

Ordered a kids bike Monday, had an email Wednesday saying it was dispatched and should arrive yesterday or today. Tracking still says processing. I won’t hold my breath. 

Ordered £21 worth of Neutron pedals and some brake cable to make up the postage last night, so fingers crossed 😬

Dumb question - can they still trade whilst in administration?  So if something is in stock you will still receive the item?

As for warranties on parts/bikes, on the isla thread no one seems to be questioning continued warranty support.  On here there seems to be question marks over vitus (which I bought last year) / nukeproof / ragley

why is that?  because CRC / wiggle is in administration rather than islabikes saying its closing voluntarily?

kids are a lot less demanding on a bike than an adult, and most kids bikes will be punted on after a couple of years, so warranty is less important. Gvien most of them are non-suspension, there's also a lot less to go wrong

because CRC / wiggle is in administration rather than islabikes saying its closing voluntarily?

yep - exactly that.

islabikes is just winding down and (so far) honoring existing obligations to customers

Well my Wiggle order is showing dispatched on my order page but “processing” on the DPD Tracking page. Wiggle + order placed late Tues evening so should have arrived today.

Order was collected last night at 11.30pm and now at local depot

why is that? because CRC / wiggle is in administration rather than islabikes saying its closing voluntarily?

Pretty much this. Isla have said they will honour warranty.

Wiggle brands haven't and as yet it's only conjecture - wiggle and their associated brands are still there and still operating, it only becomes a potential issue when and if that changes so wiggle can't actually tell you anyway, either they stay and your warranty does our they go and they have no control over it.
At that point any new owners (if there are any) will be under no obligation to honour warranty.

can they still trade whilst in administration?

Yes, absolutely. The administration is to try and obtain maximum value from the company, in theory that's achieved by restructuring and returning to a profitable operating company. If that can't be achieved then they may close the doors and clear stock etc but it's much less valuable asset that point than as a going concern.

So if something is in stock you will still receive the item?

Maybe. The decision to close, now they're in administration, could come at any point. In theory am order placed at 10am might be shipped before they close but one placed at 10.01 doesn't make the lorry and you have to try and get your money back.
In practice it's usually end of day rather than mid way through one but the same applies.

i returned a pair of £90 Nukeproof trousers on Tuesday, I wonder if I'll get my money back... 🙁

Well my order is finally moving hopefully, checked the Evri tracking and it says "we've got it" when it should be at the " on its way" or "out for delivery" stage by now, ordered at dawn three days back, so called dispatched two days ago, so much for their delivery getting quicker since administration, looking like Monday delivery now 😔.

Spoke to soon, looks like it has been dispatched and showing up on parcel force’s tracking

I ordered a few bits from Wiggle last night and they are with DPD and being delivered this morning!

Hope have taken all their stock back. Zero products on both their sites today.

FRP were appointed on 24th October.

Notice is showing in the Gazette this morning.

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4471780?mainwebsite=1

That's Wiggle Limited.

Chain Reaction is a trading name of Wiggle and no notice on its website.

This is at the bottom of the Wiggle main page now. Still nothing on CRC.

So basically if you order now you risk whether it turns up and have a faff getting a refund via your credit card and pretty much you have no warranty.

Having recieved my Big Al, is there anywhere i can buy a mech hanger that isnt CRC? Or do i have to take a chance with crc?

Thanks

So basically if you order now you risk whether it turns up

Yes

and have a faff getting a refund via your credit card

Only if it doesn't arrive, assuming your purchase qualified for cover it's not usually a huge faff.

and pretty much you have no warranty.

Only if they go pop and any new owner doesn't want to honour the warranty - given they would be buying a name first and foremost there are good reasons to choose to honour it.

is there anywhere i can buy a mech hanger that isnt CRC? Or do i have to take a chance with crc?

It's more than likely a generic part. As is mind, I'd order one or two more to be sure.

Right I better order a mech hanger for my sons vitus 24 sharpish

With cc protection, does the individual item need to be over £100 or the order value?

Mech hangers used to be pretty standard. There's about 30 patterns and frame builders would have a sheet of them that you can use to identify yours. Try rearmechhanger.com

Just been looking myself - nowhere else has any stock.  By the look of it it is not a generic hanger.

I ordered a Hope BB from CRC on Wednesday afternoon. I got a message saying it had been dispatched, later that night. Evri tracking says it was received by Hermes at 3am this morning, so fingers crossed it made it out before the stop on Hope products.

so fingers crossed it made it out before the stop on Hope products.

Hoping for hope?

Hoping for hope?

Very much so! Also for Wiggle/CRC, or more specifically their employees...

BETD for hangers.

I know when I bought my last Ragley frame from the LBS he said he had to get the frames for CRC so I guess all lbs are the same ,  Ive just had a Google notification they are in Adminatration now . whether this is the self Admin or further down a rabbit hole im not sure .  If it was me looking for a hanger id buy on a credit card and hope for the best 

I wouldn't bother buying hangers direct, I've just checked for our boys Nucleus 24's. They are £15 direct or £5 on ebay

If it was me looking for a hanger id buy on a credit card and hope for the best

Unless they're much much more expensive than last I looked credit card won't make any difference. PayPal possibly offers protection at that sort of value.

It really is time that Powered by Chain Reaction banner ad on the forum was removed. 

Administrators have been appointed. No longer self administration.

https://bikebiz.com/wiggle-enters-administration/amp/

why? Hannah was asked about that and said they were all paid up to date

It really is time that Powered by Chain Reaction banner ad on the forum was removed.

Assuming they've paid for it (Hannah has indicated they have - I think on the other thread) and crc are still trading why?

Assuming they’ve paid for it

Assuming Wiggle Ltd paid for it, not Wiggle Ltd (In Administration), then the company in administration is probably getting a freebie now. It would show good will to honour the old contract, as I suspect the good people at Singletrack will do, just as I hope the company in administration will honour as much of the commitments made by the company before it went into administration as possible... but that's not a given for everything, realistically it can't be.

I returned a tyre yesterday, only £35 so not a big deal but I wonder if I will get my money back...

Wiggle Ltd paid for it, not Wiggle Ltd (In Administration)

Is it a different company? My assumption was not and that the (in administration) is more a buyer beware note.
If they changed the company to move the debt away from the original name I'd expect them to choose something a bit more distinct.

Admittedly this is entirely assumption/guess work.

One of my old school friends is very senior at FRP (though not involved in this). It always amazes me how there is never enough money to pay suppliers or customers yet he is a multi-millionaire......

I’ve bought three mech hangars for this reason.

@Kramer - I'm picturing this

It always amazes me how there is never enough money to pay suppliers or customers yet he is a multi-millionaire……

I seem to recall they get paid immediately before the tax man.

is more a buyer beware note

It has implications for suppliers as well (Singletrack in this case). I strongly suspect they won't pull the plug though, the banner will probably stay 'till end of the contract period... as long as the Wiggle group keeps honouring customer orders and refunds... if they stop, then reputational damage for Singletrack will need to be considered.

Assuming they’ve paid for it (Hannah has indicated they have – I think on the other thread) and crc are still trading why?

It always amazes me