Ordered on the 16th and not heard a peep since. Sent a few emails and had no replies and they have turned the phone off! Wish I’d had a look at google reviews and Facebook before ordering.

Anyone else had any luck?

Yes, recently after a notice before claim action from my solicitors.

Yes, recently after a notice before claim action from my solicitors.

@sync that doesn’t sound good! What were you buying? I’ve bought through paypal/credit card.

I ordered a helmet from there on 11th June. They then sent me an email saying they don’t have it in stock and have placed an order with their supplier. They expect it on 26th July. I thought about cancelling but as I’m not really riding yet I thought I’d just wait as it was fairly cheap. They kept me informed though.

So I posted this in a few places and it looks like they are just a total crock of 🤬 then!

I’ll give them a week and if I don’t hear anything I’ll open a PayPal dispute.

Someone I know recently had to do a PayPal dispute against them due to not receiving paid-for bike and no response when contacted. Well they did respond initially, with lies – can you confirm the address, bike has been sent etc.

@bikesandboots did they get the stuff in the end or money back?

I got a headset from them a couple of weeks ago. Took 3 days.

I got a headset from them a couple of weeks ago. Took 3 days.

It’s weird, it’s neither one extreme or the other.

It’s not the delay I’m bothered about even thought that’s the last thing for my bike, it’s the lack of communication and the fact they are just burying their heads. Fair enough turn the phones off but actually respond to emails in that case.

No bike. I assume from absence of further ranting that they got the money back.

To be generous, I’d think they were swamped with orders, supply issues, and capacity for customer service.

To be generous, I’d think they were swamped with orders, supply issues, and capacity for customer service.

Stop taking orders for stuff you don’t have and can’t get in a timely manner then?

They had a set of cranks on offer so i sent them an email to confirm the q-factor on them.

10 days later they responded with
“that’s not something we would know. You will have to take that up with the manufacturer”

The deal on the cranks had ended by the time they responded..

Useless.

Stop taking orders for stuff you don’t have and can’t get in a timely manner then?

Indeed, No excuse this far into it.

Stop taking orders for stuff you don’t have and can’t get in a timely manner then?

Cash is king when your back is to the wall. Even better if it is someone else’s.😉

Cash is king when your back is to the wall. Even better if it is someone else’s.😉

Is it though? To a certain extent maybe but you will get to a point where people will be thinking twice about shopping with them again?

I’ve ordered hope e4s, rotors and mounts all of which is showing on other sites as in stock at suppliers and available in 2-3 days. All they have to do is put it in a box with a receipt, can’t be that hard to do.

Is it though?

Yes it is.

If your back is to the wall then goodwill counts for **** all.

Sad but true. Great customer experience doesn’t pay suppliers, keep the lights on etc.

If you work in retail you can tell how well or badly a company is doing by how much they are focussed on cash.

Totally short-term, of course, but many failing or ‘to the bone’ retailers exist from rent payment to rent payment.

All they have to do is put it in a box with a receipt, can’t be that hard to do.

They will be waiting for them to arrive from Hope. Orders for small bits from Hope are currently taking up to 7-10 days, wheels ~ 3 weeks.

I ordered an item on the 13th which wasn’t in stock and was stated as such on their website. They emailed a few days later to say that it had been ordered from their supplier, a few days after that i got a dispatch notice and tracking information. It arrived on Thursday.

12 days was fine by me. Ive ordered loads of stuff from Winstanley’s over the years and have never had a problem.

They will be waiting for them to arrive from Hope. Orders for small bits from Hope are currently taking up to 7-10 days, wheels

Its well past that now.

I’ll give them this week and see what happens otherwise I’ll have to open a PayPal dispute to get my money back by the sounds of it. Teaches me for trying to get something flash, should have just ordered some Codes from Germans I guess.

Ordered a set of hope e4s on 24th April. Got the rear by 3rd may. No sign of the front, no response to multiple emails. Couldn’t get through on phone. After repeated lack of response I raised a PayPal claim late may. They then sent contradictory emails about when they would be in stock, escalated the claim on 8th June. Got a refund 5 days later, ordered front brake from Merlin arrived 2 days later.

Lesson learned, will never use them again.

No customer service, no means of contact, no updates or communication. Require threats from payment services to resolve basic stuff.

Winstanleys is my LBS, I’ve been a customer for years without issue, they never let me down pre covid19 but the pandemic has really f#cked them up, hopefully they’ll pull through and get back to normal soon.
I order most of my Hope stuff from them, usually its just a couple of days delay if not actually in stock, their operation is similar to merlin, ie just one unit on an trading estate so not a big workforce like CRC.
It would be a real shame if they went under.

What is the issue though? My assumption is that demand is greater than what they can supply – too much work, too much money being taken. Obviously social distancing reduces their capacity to efficiently service that demand, but by how much? My LBS is reporting pre Xmas week levels of demand since late March. Their problem is an inability to get some stock, but what they can get and had already has been sold. They also took the decision to close the workshop to allow them to service the build and PDI for new bikes. Triton and Hargreaves and others who think it’s fine to just take orders but close down all comms need to consider that decision. How about using some of that extra cash to put someone on email and phone duties?

Ordered a set of hope e4s on 24th April. Got the rear by 3rd may. No sign of the front, no response to multiple emails. Couldn’t get through on phone. After repeated lack of response I raised a PayPal claim late may. They then sent contradictory emails about when they would be in stock, escalated the claim on 8th June. Got a refund 5 days later.

When I ordered it they gave me dates of when all the parts they ordered from hope would arrive and given we are past the last date the latest item would arrive I would have hoped they plan to ship it all together.

Winstanleys is my LBS

I’ll be asking you to go around at this rate haha

How about using some of that extra cash to put someone on email and phone duties?

Because it has already gone on the rent utilities etc?

@dannyh you seem to make a lot of assumptions tbh! If they are only covering rent etc now with the amount of bikes being sold they’d have been bust ages ago.

A bit of a research shows that Winstanley have been at this for years. People can forgive delays etc if they are kept in the loop but it looks to a degree like the are using current circumstances as an excuse.

I’ve been to plenty of bike shops in the past few weeks and whilst they’ve all been very busy customer service hasn’t dropped.

Hmmmm I sent my exposure light back for a warranty claim over a month ago and despite to chaser emails since I haven’t heard a peep. Does anyone know any alternative phone number that aren’t closed?
Thanks

Feeling slightly concerned now as I ordered a bike off them over the weekend !

To be fair I emailed and asked to cancel the brake mounts I ordered with the brakes over the weekend and they already issued a refund today. Still no sign of the brakes mind.

So I’ve ordered the odd thing from them over the years but not much, but they where one of the few places that had a specific rim I wanted so didn’t think about it I just placed the order.

28/6 ordered a rim, straight away get order confirmation email which also stated they are swamped and so dispatch could take a few days.

29/6 received email saying no stock and so placed order with supplier, should arrive an winstanly on 2/7.

7/7 Received email saying they have chased supplier. Will now be with them on 9/7.

10/7 same as 7/7 have chased supplier and will now be with them “around” 17/7

So can’t say they haven’t kept me informed but after reading this I’m starting to think I may not get my order.

I’ve ordered 2 things from them recently.
A milkit tubeless booster which wasn’t in stock but website said available in 5-7 days and then a couple of days later a lot of Fox knee pads that were showing in stock.
I got an email a day or 2 later saying the booster had been ordered and would be due in to them on the 10th July. That was fine and arrived yesterday.
I emailed them yesterday morning and gave them a chase about the knee pads as they still hadn’t been dispatched a week after ordering and explained that I wanted them prior to going away for a couple of days this weekend. I then got sent a dispatch confirmation email yesterday afternoon which is now waiting for Hermes to collect.

their operation is similar to merlin, ie just one unit on an trading estate

It’s a big unit! Warehouse with average sized shop upstairs, which is very bikeshoppy. Bought a road bike off them a few years ago. Visiting wife’s family in wigan, so just went there and tried a few they’d got ready for me. There was a strong easterly wind that day and the shop talk was of KoM hunting. …. anyway I clearly know zero about the current situation, just that there is actually a bikeshop at the back of it, and a busy one I’d guess.

Nothing in response to my request for bearings… I went to my LBS who replaced them instead.

I got a refund after asking my credit card company to intervene. Regardless of circumstances, their handling of my bike purchase was unacceptable. I wouldn’t order anything from them.

i ordered a bliss body armour top and its arrived – i wanted it for a specific weekend and was told it wasnt physically in stock it would be delayed but the date was ok. then it went past that date so i emailed with potential alternatives but it arrived with them from the supplier and was sent out in time. so all good here.

I wont use them again but they seem to have got on top of emails it seems. I emailed this morning about returning the rotors they posted and they responded an hour later.

Had an email earlier saying bike has been dispatched today. Ordered Friday so not too bad i guess. Just hope it turns up ok.

Had an email earlier saying bike has been dispatched today.

Take it you didn’t go for either the Ripmo AF or the Hightower in the end then?

Take it you didn’t go for either the Ripmo AF or the Hightower in the end then?

No Ive ended up with an Orbea Rallon M2. I’d been watching it for a few days and every day after 21:00 they would put it on offer with 15% off so I jumped on it. Cost me under £3000 for a full carbon bike with Fox suspension, DT wheels and SLX drivetrain.

Plus the Ripmo and Hightower are sold out everywhere and not back in stock for at least two months

Nice. I very nearly bought an Orbea Occam before I managed to find a Ripmo af. It was definitely a very close second. It was just the better DVO suspension that swung it for me.