SIGNA Sports Financial Woes: Wiggle officially now in the hands of Administrators

Doesn’t look good for company or staff (although the financial goings-on are a bit complex for me). Hope they pull through!

As a consumer is it safe to continue buying from Wiggle/CRC?

As i understand it, if your order value is over £100 and you pay on a credit card, you’ll be able to get your money back from your credit card company if the goods aren’t delivered.

But if you get your goods and want to return them, I think you may find yourself stuck with them. Don’t order the wrong standard rotors/BB etc!

I only have a debt card but tend to use PayPal which I think has protection.

As a consumer is it safe to continue buying from Wiggle/CRC?

Possibly maybe. You really need to hear from the administrator before you dive in to be certain they will continue to trade as normal, although normal card rules as mentioned by Hannah would apply if you just can’t wait. When I realised they only had a few days left I dived in and bought some stuff that we get from Hotlines as well as some OE parts we use that they were selling for less than OE price on CRC. They’ve all arrived but from now, at least for now, I’m out.

Arse…….

Was about to order my Daughter a Vitus XC bike – might hold off.

As an aside I thought Nukeproof were a separate brand now and not part of Chiggle ?

Typical, just placed an order this afternoon, luckily for not much value. Now to play the delivery roulette, any guesses if it’ll turn up.

As an aside I thought Nukeproof were a separate brand now and not part of Chiggle

A brand owned by the same group. Who actually ultimately owns within Signa it may determine its fate, but it’s caught in the same mess as all the other brands.

Yes, you have to hope for a positive outcome for all. There will be a lot of ex bricks and mortar bike shop owners out there no longer in business because the wiggle/crc steamroller made the market impossible for them who might be struggling to be so charitable.

I’m sure it’ll come out in the wash, but it does seems pretty spectacular to **** it up this badly. As a consumer who followed them, buying from them when they were Butler’s cycles, through their move to a bigger shop and a name change, then a warehouse, and then lots of warehouses and seemingly world domination it feels remarkable it’s come to this. I’m sure global conditions and consequential bad luck played a part. So did I expect a good dollop of greed and the push for never ending growth in the name of capitalism.

Let’s just hope it’s not snapped up by Mike Ashley, as suggested on road.cc.  That would definitely put me off wanting anything to do with them!

Organisation was good from roots, gets bigger, bigger, gets greedy, gets over ambitious, promises lots to owner / stockmarket and .. fails.

It’s the other suppliers that I really feel for.. This could bring more folk down with them – and limit a lot of opportunity to buy brands in the UK.

As i understand it, if your order value is over £100 and you pay on a credit card, you’ll be able to get your money back from your credit card company if the goods aren’t delivered.

Section 75 applies to goods or services over £100 (up to 30k, but I don’t think you can spend that on a bike just yet) but it’s not totted up. So if you bought two £75 tyres they’re not covered. If you bought a £102 mech and a £90 shifter the mech is covered the shifter isn’t.

That being said credit providers don’t tend to differentiate, but, if they’ve significant exposure they may (though the trouble is probably more than the money)

Debit cards aren’t covered but visa and (I believe) mastercard choose to offer the equivalent of section 75 on their debit cards.

PayPal credit will be covered by the cca. PayPal card payment, I’m really not sure, it’ll be in their t&c however I seem to recall when stuff went funny with fights for covid or volcanoes etc. PayPal was not a good way to have paid as essentially you’d paid pp for a service (to pay on your behalf) not the vendor.

It’s the other suppliers that I really feel for.. This could bring more folk down with them – and limit a lot of opportunity to buy brands in the UK.

A guy local to me runs a business importing Nukeproof and other Signa products from the UK – always matches CRC prices. Really handy being able to drop in and grab stuff. I guess he’ll be looking for alternative options now.

I’m thinking I might declare myself to be a vulture capitalist and buy it all. I mean, I don’t have any money but then none of them use their own money anyway so that shouldn’t make a difference, right?

Northwind
Full Member
I’m thinking I might declare myself to be a vulture capitalist

You’d probably fail the unfit and improper person test. Well maybe.

@stwhannah, a question, how does this affect Singletrack as they were recently announced as a sponsor?

I bought a Ragley Trig frame of them a while back and didn’t realise that Ragley was WiggleCrc owned.

In the worst case scenario, if Wiggle & Ragley go down I guess I’ll be without a warranty.

If the companies are bought out, will the warranty transfer and be honoured or is it just a case of wait and see?

If the companies are bought out, will the warranty transfer and be honoured or is it just a case of wait and see?

Wait and see. It’ll depend what’s sold and to whom.

If the companies are bought out, will the warranty transfer and be honoured or is it just a case of wait and see?

Thats down to the type of administration outcome. A sale of the business as a going concern would normally lead to warranty being honoured. It is very unlikely that would happen. A closure and asset sale (The deal that wipes all the debt and starts again) would mean your warranty is now just a good will gesture on the part of the person that picks up the pieces. This is the more likely outcome I would say.

Just got a 10% of anything email from CRC, wondering whether its worth getting Junior a cheap Vitus FS to play with, on the basis it’ll either arrive or I will get my money back via CC.

Do it…you buy what you consider a bargain, Chiggle get some money to help block the flood of money going out and things may settle a bit (although settle a bit is entirely unknown as to what that would actually mean!)…Junior gets a bike and you get hero points for buying a new bike!

Thanks @stwhannah, that’s a great article. Some I’ve seen recently are so full of jargon that unless you can read between the lines, are impossible for the lay person to decipher.

(up to 30k, but I don’t think you can spend that on a bike just yet)

Challenge accepted.

Hope this helps summarise buyer protections as the world of payment services and consumer rights is a complex minefield.

Section 75 

• Applies to all regulated credit agreements (credit cards, PayPal Credit*, fixed sum loan agreements, credit sale agreements)
• Applies to goods and/or services over £100 (up to £30k)
• Only applies to transactions made directly with the regulated credit agreement – e.g. using a credit card via PayPal would not be covered
• No time limit on making claim
• Statutory consumer right under the Consumer Credit Act

Chargeback Schemes 

• VISA, MasterCard and American Express have their own schemes, but are largely similar
• Applies to any transaction made directly using a credit or debit card
• Usually has a 120 day time limit for making a claim
• Voluntary scheme provided by these companies

PayPal Buyer Protection 

• Applies to purchases made via a PayPal Account (PayPal pay-in-3, funds on the account, or via a bank account/card)
• 60 day time limit for making a claim
• Voluntary scheme provided by PayPal
• Section 75 does not apply to purchases made via a PayPal Account*
• Chargebacks do not usually apply, but you may be able to make a Chargeback claim if PayPal and the card issuer have a commercial agreement in place.

*Its worth noting that PayPal Credit is a regulated credit agreement separate from your PayPal Account. Normal PayPal Account transactions and Pay in 3 are not part of it and are not covered by Section 75.

Challenge accepted.

😂

Challenge accepted.

* Calls Dangerholm *

Still wondering if I should order the Vitus XC bike for my Daughter – if I use my CC I should be covered…..

Let us know how you get on @dirkpitt74

I’m now seriously relieved the TWO Ragley Marley bikes I ordered for my kids were delivered yesterday. Delivery was a total balls-up by Wiggle but got there in the end.

Annoyingly I order two tyres too which arrived last week but stupidly ordered the wrong ones. Doubt I’ll risk a return under more becomes known.

Just got a 10% of anything email from CRC

is that a shareable code or unique to you?

@dirkpitt74 I have a brand new vitus nucleus size small 27.5 for sale.

Bought for my daughter I the hope she would fall in love but just can’t get her off her horses

I’ll pm you

Sorry for the stealth add

Bought for my daughter I the hope she would fall in love but just can’t get her off her horses

Have you considered a smaller horse?

@5lab code is UPGRADE worked for me on a Black Friday item that I can’t really afford, don’t really need, but do really want… 

Fingers crossed that a sensible solution can be found that doesn’t shaft creditors. It might also have a knock on effect for small brands who buy stuff from CRC as it’s cheaper than the importer will sell it to them as they dont want the volume to get the best deals

Have you considered a smaller horse?

Are you saying she’s on her high horse?

I bought some shoes off wiggle 3 days ago. Delivered fine. The company is still trading. Worse thing that this does is causes people to stop buying and that’s that. 

Even if / when Wiggle itself enters liquidation, the insolvency company will keep it trading whilst they look for a buyer.

Thanks for the payment protection information. I don’t have a credit card so tend to use PayPal, however I gather that their scheme might not be up to much.

I do have a Visa debit card which I think might provide cover and be better to use. Where would I find out about this?

Either from Visa or the bank you have the card with…probably the bank as first port of call.

Challenge accepted.

Right, It’s Saturday night and I’m bored. (RRPs used, and assumes all labour for assembly is free)

Specialized Kenevo SL Frame, Motor & Battery plus extender – £7,200
Custom paint job £1,500-£2,000 but really could go to the moon…
Rulezman Dorado – £3,500ish
EXT EStoria – £1,150 – OEM shock, say £500 so £650 total, plenty of scope for tuning £££
SRAM XX Cassette, Mech, Chain & Shifter Pod – £1,400
5DEV Ti Bike Cranks – £1,500
KOM Hubs – £750
Enve M70 Rims – £2,400
Berd Spokes – ~£500
Trickstuff Maxima Brakes £1,100
Intend Areo Rotors – £200
AXS Reverb – £800
Tyres, those Tacky Chans were £75 each RRP, they’re as good as any for the purpose of this £150
Crank Brothers eggbeater 11 Pedals – £400 (or £300 ish for a set of bling flats)
Chris King Headset – £200
Reserve Valves – £50
5DEV Ti Stem – £350
Dward Designs Ti Spider, Chainring, Seatclamp, Jockey Wheels, Topcap – £600ish
Rev Grips – £100
Specialized Power Saddle £350
Thomson Ti Bars £400

There’s a few other trinkets (ti bolts for example, but i CBA pricing all that up) but that’ll get you a working machine

I’m afraid to say I’ve failed you STW, that little lot comes to a hair over £24k. I will say, however, that all of those bits (save for the paint job) are off the shelf items so if you throw in, say, a fully custom Ti FS frame by a legendary builder then you might get closer than I could.

To clarify, this is NOT my next project!!

(I’ve seen plenty of insta posts with bikes specced not too differently from the above though, these bikes are most certainly out there.)

Hope those whinging on this weeks FGF don’t see this post, they’ll break free of orbit…