Possible demise of CRC / Wiggle

Agree. Why are people buying the wrong thing then sending it back?

Well my pedals were delivered only a moment ago, and somehow they managed to get into the close without pressing my buzzer, and put my pedals at my door, without knocking, tapping the letterbox or ringing the bell.

I switched on the computer 10 mins ago, and there was no emails from crc. I paroozed stw for a few mins they opened my emails again to see if any updates would come in(leave the tab open, it announces new emails)I didnt open it to check, as I’d only looked a few minutes prior, but just to have the tab open. and there was one from crc saying ‘your parcel has been delivered’ Went to the door and there it was.

FOR F*** SAKE, why didnt the courier at least attempt to alert me by knocking etc. Well im glad with all thats going on I got it, but it hardly fills you with confidence that they need to sneak it in and run away. I doubt the SAS could have done a better job of moving as quietly as that courier.

Tyres and some bits and bobs ordered yesterday and turned up this morning, complete with Haribo.

Hopefully won’t be any need to send any of it back, not sure they’d accept the chamois cream anyway once it’s been tested.

Agree. Why are people buying the wrong thing then sending it back?

Because Wiggle encourage you to do so with their next day delivery and 365 days, free returns. So you want a new top-of-the-range Goretex jacket? Order 6 different ones; keep the one that you like best and return the rest. That could easily be £1200+

I sometimes wondered if it was part of their business model: Punters pay for Wiggle’s stock and store the stock for them. Wiggle sit on the cash until the stock is returned.

Received my order this morning thankfully, all good apart from no Haribo though 🤬 fuming.

@stanley your the issue right there 

There’s costs involved in all that process and whilst it’s allowed on there system that imo is taking advantage 

I can understand if your torn between sizes or colour of maybe 2 units but to be having all that stock sent then returned especially where all meant to be more aware of our carbon footprint 

My item is faulty from new so I am going to say no smarty pants 😉

I can understand if your torn between sizes or colour of maybe 2 units but to be having all that stock sent then returned especially where all meant to be more aware of our carbon footprint 

This is how my wife shops all of the time. (and I don’t mean on Wiggle). I understand that sizing can be variable and that colour matching can be difficult going off an image on a small screen, but she seems to have no “filter” as regards style/look, fabric or various other factors. 

This is how my wife shops all of the time

We’ve had days where Mrs Weeksy gets £1000+ of stuff delivered and keeps 0 items. It bemuses me

i wonder what the cost and C footprint is for a massive warehouse and bulk shipping using routes that will already be used for bulked up deliveries of all sorts of goods, vs needing a showroom with all the sizes and colour combinations on show or available in a smaller warehouse attached to the store so you can choose there and then, plus the C-bill for travelling to and from that shop-warehouse in order to select and try on.

@Big-Bud

@stanley your the issue right there

There’s costs involved in all that process and whilst it’s allowed on there system that imo is taking advantage

I can understand if your torn between sizes or colour of maybe 2 units but to be having all that stock sent then returned especially where all meant to be more aware of our carbon footprint

Er, no. You’re wrong on almost every comment there. Would you prefer Wiggle to deliver on 6 separate occasions, and 5 separate returns. Carbon footprint? Hard to understand?

theotherjonv

Full Member

i wonder what the cost and C footprint is for a massive warehouse and bulk shipping using routes that will already be used for bulked up deliveries of all sorts of goods, vs needing a showroom with all the sizes and colour combinations on show or available in a smaller warehouse attached to the store so you can choose there and then, plus the C-bill for travelling to and from that shop-warehouse in order to select and try on.

Exactly. Then factor in time, space for parking, cost of holding the stock, etc.

I’m still waiting on a refund, sent it back Wednesday last week, had confirmation they’d got it early this week but still no refund.

For me they sent a rear brake when I had purchased a front (Shimano so not flippable)

Regarding people (particularly women) buying and returning fast fashion items, it makes me rage massively. A lot of cheap clothes that get returned probably just end up in a landfill. The cost to prepare a cheap tshirt for resale likely outweighs it’s retail price.

I hate when my missus buys crap from Asos or whatever then doesn’t like it.

I hate it when she does…

I sometimes wondered if it was part of their business model: Punters pay for Wiggle’s stock and store the stock for them. Wiggle sit on the cash until the stock is returned.

It’s not stock – a product available for sale – if it’s sitting in someone’s kitchen while they decide whether they’re a size XL or an M, and whether they like the colour yellow or purple.

The cost of fannying around with endless waves of worn clothes from indecisive consumers is far higher than the benefit of having £19.99 in the bank for 27 days.

It also costs them in card transaction fees both to receive payments and return payments (on top of staff costs and the unpredictable effects on stockholding).

I mesaaged them and asked for a refund on both the Ragley and a pair of northwave boots I ordered earlier this week. They replied same day to say too late to cancel the boots and within a few minutes a had a shipping notification. That was yesterday but when I click on the tracking it still says processing. 

They didn’t reply to same Q on the bike, or the follow up. I have very low confidence I’ll see either. Much as I’d rather they didn’t fail I wouldn’t order anything from them right now, too much potential hassle

I sometimes wondered if it was part of their business model: Punters pay for Wiggle’s stock and store the stock for them. Wiggle sit on the cash until the stock is returned.

I imagine the model is more along the lines of relying on a significant proportion of customers not bothering to send stuff back even if it’s not suitable.

The returns being limited to just Christmas Island might be the only quick and easy way they have to stop returns without needing to make a system change.

There’s costs involved in all that process and whilst it’s allowed on there system that imo is taking advantage

As others have pointed out, there are costs to having a high street presence. If your sales are at a distance, from a central warehouse only… then returns are part of your business model. Still cheaper than a chain of shops paying rates, or giving a margin to third party retailers.

Absolutely – I’m a supporter of bricks and mortar over online personally, but the cost differences don’t justify what I consider to be an abuse of a generous returns policy.

Got the following text from my wife today, my birthdays coming up.

my dads gonna get you a voucher for that bike shop you use, the one that sends Haribo, what’s it called?

Me: STOP NO NO NO

the cost differences don’t justify what I consider to be an abuse of a generous returns policy.

The thing is that this is a minority and it’s a cost of that business model.
I think I’ve returned one CRC order in 15-20 years (or however long it is) of shopping there (last Thursday 😖).  All the “me” type customers (and those who send back normal amounts of stuff) more than balance out the buy 20 items keep none brigade.  LBS/bricks and mortar shops get the try it on and buy it online brigade as the counterbalance.

but when I click on the tracking it still says processing. 

I’ve an order that’s been dispatched but is still showing as processing in the tracking section. I suspect that Wiggle class boxed & sat in a crate in a loading bay awaiting courier pickup to be dispatched.

Apparently mine’s coming via Evri. Maybe they’re not collecting if there’s a risk their invoices won’t get paid.

It’ll be sad to see them go if they’re not bought over, but in reality, after using them for a long time, they’re not really the same companies anymore that they used to be, they’ve been bought over, merged, tweaked and so on for years, no doubt they’ll be bought, they have the infrastructure already there, as well as the name and customer base, so it’ll just be bought up soon enough.

Over the last few years i’ve barely used them though, i got sick of the website ‘bargains’ that you click on and are always out of stock, or different prices, Covid was the killer though, could buy cheaper locally in a lot of instances!

My recent order sat in processing for a couple of days after it was dispatched, it arrived yesterday.

I can’t seee any risk of carriers not being paid.
No carriers = no business.
It would be very surprising if there had not been discussions between administrators and carriers to provide certainty.

my dads gonna get you a voucher for that bike shop you use, the one that sends Haribo, what’s it called?

Cash 😉

[I can’t seee any risk of carriers not being paid.]

I can’t seee any risk of carriers not being paid.

No carriers = no business.It would be very surprising if there had not been discussions between administrators and carriers to provide certainty.

I hope so. My package has been showing as dispatched but processing since Friday afternoon and due to be delivered 28th – 30th (tomorrow).

Interestingly if I type the tracking info. in Evri it say that they’re waiting for the package.

Oh well, it is the weekend and there’s nothing I can do but wait and see. I hope everyone gets what they ordered.

No carriers = no business.It would be very surprising if there had not been discussions between administrators and carriers to provide certainty.

I hope so. My package has been showing as dispatched but processing since Friday afternoon and due to be delivered 28th – 30th (tomorrow).

Interestingly if I type the tracking info. in Evri it say that they’re waiting for the package.

For the ones who are worried about the orders not getting dispatched.

Ordered on Wednesday evening, dispatched on Friday afternoon and collected by Evri this morning so appears orders are still getting out.

Their CS team advised the returns portal should be active again in the next couple of working days due to a system change(no idea if that will play out or what changes they were making, maybe reducing the returns period to the minimum required).

Cash

I often get given cash/cheque in an envelope with a homemade “voucher” along the lines of ‘to be spent at a bike shop of your choice’.

I quite like this approach as it means I can get what I want from where I want but the gift giver knows that the gift is being spent on something rather than just being put in the bank

Hahahahahahahahaaaaaa…put in the bank…aye, right! 😉

Frasers Group sells Missguided brand – freeing up some cash for a new acquisition? #speculation

It seems that orders are still getting delivered. Has anyone ordered a bike recently? Is it worth the risk? The bike in question is a Vitus, and I accept that the warranty will probably be worthless.

The Ragley complete bike I ordered a week ago is still showing as processing and CRC are ignoring any Qs about it. On that basis, I wouldn’t

Had two bikes delivered last week, ordered on Monday were delivered by ParcelForce on Friday.

Had a couple of small orders from Tuesday (stem+bars)delivered no problem, ordered a saddle on Wednesday and it shipped on Friday for delivery today.

Thanks both. That’s one for and one against! Any other opinions?

It seems that orders are still getting delivered. Has anyone ordered a bike recently? Is it worth the risk?

Pay on credit card and it’s potentially hassle but very low risk for you.

Do not use cc through PayPal, pay directly.

Warranty risk you’re aware of and happy to accept.

On that basis I would.