Online Purchases - good and bad experiences

[biker jk]

My experience from ordering at ProBikeKit AU;

Misleading: no where with the products listed or anywhere during the ordering did I see or read that the items would be send from outside Australia. So when I received an email that the items where dispatched from the UK and would take 3 weeks I wasn't happy. On top of that, I bought a wheelset over $1000, they got stuck in customs and I had to pay over $200 in import fees and taxes.
After 4 weeks I finally receive the wheels only to be disappointed again with faulty wheels (damaged carbon, burs inside the rim which would puncture every tube and grinding hubs). I've contacted the company who said they would organise return postage. That was promised to me 5 weeks ago and the wheels are still sitting wrapped up ready to go at my house... I email them almost every day and do get emails back (just about everyone starts with an apology) but nothing gets done.
I thought I'd bought Australian and am now stuck with a useless and worthless wheelset and an empty bank account.

I'm not here to defend ProBikeKit but their website does say

*Please note all orders to AU may be subject to customs and duty charges & fees

[cage]

If i google 'Probikekit' it comes up as 'Probikekit Australia.' When i look at the home page, pricing is in dollars and its got 'Probikekit.com.au' in the top left hand corner. If I scroll down to the bottom of the home page, I see 'Welcome to 'ProBikeKit Australia' written in bold.

It does have
.. '© Copyright 2016 The Hut.com Ltd, All Rights Reserved
Registered Office: Meridian House, Gadbrook Park, Gadbrook Way, Northwich, CW9 7RA | Registered in England No. 05016010'
in faint lettering at the very bottom, but honestly, how many customers are going to read the copyright info.

Clearly its designed to fool Australians into thinking there buying from an AU store.
Probably wont help but you could shoot of an email to the UK equivalent of the ACCC.

[biker jk]

If i google 'Probikekit' it comes up as 'Probikekit Australia.' When i look at the home page, pricing is in dollars and its got 'Probikekit.com.au' in the top left hand corner. If I scroll down to the bottom of the home page, I see 'Welcome to 'ProBikeKit Australia' written in bold.

It does have
.. '© Copyright 2016 The Hut.com Ltd, All Rights Reserved
Registered Office: Meridian House, Gadbrook Park, Gadbrook Way, Northwich, CW9 7RA | Registered in England No. 05016010'
in faint lettering at the very bottom, but honestly, how many customers are going to read the copyright info.

Clearly its designed to fool Australians into thinking there buying from an AU store.
Probably wont help but you could shoot of an email to the UK equivalent of the ACCC.

No different to Wiggle. Who believes they are buying from Australia when ordering through Wiggle Australia?

[Top_Bhoy]

If i google 'Probikekit' it comes up as 'Probikekit Australia.' When i look at the home page, pricing is in dollars and its got 'Probikekit.com.au' in the top left hand corner. If I scroll down to the bottom of the home page, I see 'Welcome to 'ProBikeKit Australia' written in bold.

It does have
.. '© Copyright 2016 The Hut.com Ltd, All Rights Reserved
Registered Office: Meridian House, Gadbrook Park, Gadbrook Way, Northwich, CW9 7RA | Registered in England No. 05016010'
in faint lettering at the very bottom, but honestly, how many customers are going to read the copyright info.

Clearly its designed to fool Australians into thinking there buying from an AU store.
Probably wont help but you could shoot of an email to the UK equivalent of the ACCC.

No different to Wiggle. Who believes they are buying from Australia when ordering through Wiggle Australia?

Its not a case of 'who believes' but there is enough evidence to indicate they are being misleading with their .au domain name. Whether being misleading is intentional or not is up for debate. With Ribble and c r c, its clear and transparent where the tax/custom liabilities lie.

I've been a Wiggle customer from its very early days in the UK. However, with their publicity about having a base in Oz and the introduction of its .au online domain name, I've never been 100% sure where the goods were from - certainly not all of them. Its not far fetched to think bikes could be sourced directly from Taiwan and delivered directly to Oz and never see a UK warehouse. Similarly with other equipment. I can understand the confusion the likes of Wiggle and Probike put into the minds of Australian consumers. Consequently, I always err on the side of caution and assume the GST limit applies to goods and services.

After my experience a few weeks ago buying a case and protective screen for my new mobile, I really thought I was ordering from Oz. Turns out I wasn't. I think rules need to be tightened particularly where a .au domain is used, customers are clearly advised at the point of payment and not small print in the T&C the country origin of sale. Customers are then better able to make an informed decision on whether to proceed or decline.

[queequeg]

Usually the big hint about Items coming from outside Australia is that you did not pay any GST on your purchase.
It's not a golden rule, as plenty of things do ship from overseas, but the tax is already paid and you have nothing to worry about.

[RonK]

I think rules need to be tightened particularly where a .au domain is used, customers are clearly advised at the point of payment and not small print in the T&C the country origin of sale. Customers are then better able to make an informed decision on whether to proceed or decline.

Rules? What rules? It's the internet. Caveat emptor.

[Howzat]

The use of .com.au does in fact require an Australian registered business. If this is just a shell set up to deceive customers about the origin of goods or location of the company you might consider reporting them to AuDA (auDA.org.au). Other authorities in this space are the ACCC, ASIC, and the tax office.

[dalai47]

First time I come across a new website and before I place an order I will check the Contact Us page plus do a few searches.

Address and phone number is OS. Biggest issue that stands out when searching PBK which I'd especially do before a bigger purchase is the poor reviews. I've bought from numerously in the past and they were okay then, but have gone downhill since in regards to range and stock levels before a big purchase.

[DaveQB]

The use of .com.au does in fact require an Australian registered business. If this is just a shell set up to deceive customers about the origin of goods or location of the company you might consider reporting them to AuDA (auDA.org.au). Other authorities in this space are the ACCC, ASIC, and the tax office.

Yes exactly. The auda is very strict over the .au
As anyone who has registered a .au domain would know. So I'm surprised about the amount of foreign operated .au websites out there.

[Top_Bhoy]

I think rules need to be tightened particularly where a .au domain is used, customers are clearly advised at the point of payment and not small print in the T&C the country origin of sale. Customers are then better able to make an informed decision on whether to proceed or decline.

Rules? What rules? It's the internet. Caveat emptor.

Not talking internet rules....tightening of the Australian business and legal system; but you knew that.

[WhingingPom]

My experience from ordering at ProBikeKit AU;

Misleading: no where with the products listed or anywhere during the ordering did I see or read that the items would be send from outside Australia. So when I received an email that the items where dispatched from the UK and would take 3 weeks I wasn't happy. On top of that, I bought a wheelset over $1000, they got stuck in customs and I had to pay over $200 in import fees and taxes.
After 4 weeks I finally receive the wheels only to be disappointed again with faulty wheels (damaged carbon, burs inside the rim which would puncture every tube and grinding hubs). I've contacted the company who said they would organise return postage. That was promised to me 5 weeks ago and the wheels are still sitting wrapped up ready to go at my house... I email them almost every day and do get emails back (just about everyone starts with an apology) but nothing gets done.
I thought I'd bought Australian and am now stuck with a useless and worthless wheelset and an empty bank account.

Send them an e-mail asking them if they know what C-H-A-R-G-E-B-A-C-K spells.

[rheicel]

Bikebug - Ordered Thursday last week, received the following day. No shipping notice but the next day delivery is always welcome [emoji2]

[danny the boy]

Not very happy with c r c right now. Ordered 3 small items on 8/3, received an email 9/3 saying "dispatched", with a tracking number (which never worked). Today, 16/3 received a second dispatched email (detailing all 3 items in the package), with a tracking number from a completely different company.

Just what I came here to ask about. Ordered a wheelset and some other bits on Monday, order was despatched very quickly but split in 2. Im now checking both the tracking numbers and neither of them work. I dont normally shop with them and noticed at checkout something about orders being dispatched from different locations. Was it still in the UK when the second number arrived?

Arrived today in 2 seperate parcels, same company but different courier drivers. No complaints but just a bit of an odd process.

[BenGr]

Not very happy with c r c right now. Ordered 3 small items on 8/3, received an email 9/3 saying "dispatched", with a tracking number (which never worked). Today, 16/3 received a second dispatched email (detailing all 3 items in the package), with a tracking number from a completely different company.

Just what I came here to ask about. Ordered a wheelset and some other bits on Monday, order was despatched very quickly but split in 2. Im now checking both the tracking numbers and neither of them work. I dont normally shop with them and noticed at checkout something about orders being dispatched from different locations. Was it still in the UK when the second number arrived?

Arrived today in 2 seperate parcels, same company but different courier drivers. No complaints but just a bit of an odd process.

Ordering some stuff from c r c currently, the first tracking link I got didn't work initially, but now rechecking it works.

On another note I was very impressed with wiggle this time, ordered Tuesday, arrived first thing Thursday.

[danny the boy]

Just what I came here to ask about. Ordered a wheelset and some other bits on Monday, order was despatched very quickly but split in 2. Im now checking both the tracking numbers and neither of them work. I dont normally shop with them and noticed at checkout something about orders being dispatched from different locations. Was it still in the UK when the second number arrived?

Arrived today in 2 seperate parcels, same company but different courier drivers. No complaints but just a bit of an odd process.

Ordering some stuff from c r c currently, the first tracking link I got didn't work initially, but now rechecking it works.

On another note I was very impressed with wiggle this time, ordered Tuesday, arrived first thing Thursday.

I got a second email same as redsonic with tracking numbers that worked about 24 hrs after the first one. But a week turnaround from ordering to delivered is the best ive had for a while from any of the UK stores.

[Ross]

Ordering some stuff from c r c currently, the first tracking link I got didn't work initially, but now rechecking it works.

The package probably hadn't been picked up yet by the courier.

[bane]

I buy quite a few things on eBay from overseas - usually takes 2-3 weeks but generally good products.

I made my first purchase from Wiggle last week. Honestly, I did expect it to come from within Aus, but wasn't overly concerned when I realised it still ships from the UK. One thing I was impressed with is the quality of the website, especially the reviews product details. The reviews in non-English languages were in hindsight a big hint that the shipping might start overseas. Hopefully, the products prove to be of good quality.

[Baalzamon]

And I've got gear from Evans cycles that hasn't arrived yet. Shipped on the 14/3.

Order arrived on the 8/4. No wonder it took ages, it shipped from The Netherlands

[bane]

First purchase form Wiggle arrived. Arrived from the UK in 5 working days. Products all correct and quality. Sizing charts proved correct on the website too. Very happy.

[Top_Bhoy]

Ordered from Evans in the UK late last Sunday night (10/04/16) and collected it from my local nominated DHL delivery point last night (Thursday 14/04/16). This was free postage on a $216 order comprising of several different items.

I called their customer service centre on Sunday also and was given good and prompt advice on the items of interest.

Good customer service, good pricing and rapid delivery - I've got to be happy with this outcome.

[AUbicycles]

Interesting discussion on ProBikeKit and their Australian .com.au web presence. It is fair to say that if you don't know the Australian online bike shops, you could assume that ProBikeKit were Australian.

Obviously the intention of ProBikeKit, like other overseas retailers, is to encourage Australian sales. They would argue that it is part of their customer service. The reality is that Australian customers are motivated to purchase locally so the retailer can appear to be a local shop. A retailer such as Wiggle has a local office with local customer support - so essentially offer a hybrid solution.



With any new online retailer, I recommend checking up on a few details and something I do automatically:

Location
Where are they located (the closer the better when it comes to support)

Contact & Support
What contact options are available. If they just have a contact form and a P.O box listed (or not even that) then I know I might get stuck if there are problems

Security
Needs to have SSL security, visible from the https and the closed padlock icon.

Fine print
I often glance over fine print and T&C's, trying to get a feel whether it is professional as well as the returns policy.

Independent Customer Reports
TrustPilot UK shows that PBK has a good reputation while TrustPilot.com - where overseas customers are ranking the sales and support shows that PBK is severely lagging behind in their customers service and quality for overseas customers. Also search google for keywords such as +probikekit +poor. This is an excellent strategy for seeing independent reviews from individuals. The problem is that people are happy to complain than praise... and looking specifically for poor reviews wont reveal the good ones. But a bit more creativity with google can help you form an opinion. As an example, these forums get a massive amount of visits from people checking up on retailers and brands to get trustworthy, independent opinions before they buy.



How to solve your ProBikeKit issue
Here are a selection of approaches, some can be used in combination and some cancel others out.

• Call the retailer - it prompts immediate action (compared to endless emails)
• Call the credit card company and reverse the charges
• Give the retailer a reasonable deadline for them to resolve it
• Ask the staff to elevate your issue to their manager
• Always be polite, otherwise you will turn into a troll
• Tell the retailer you will report them to the ACCC (and/or equivalent in their country)
• Report the retailer to the ACCC and/or the equivalent consumer protection entity in their country
• Use facebook and twitter to complain
• Complain in online communities such as this (as it helps other shoppers)

I am sure there are more. In your case, the location and customs charges are annoying, but you need to focus on the issue - getting the replacement wheels from PBK. Following that, if you are still motivated - send them a complaint that you felt misled as a buyer on the probikekit .com.au website and request a response from management.



Cheers
Christopher

[singlespeedscott]

Ordered 3 new Maxxis Ardent 29er MTB tyres from Pushys on Sunday morning, The tyres where the cheapest I could find on line. They arrived Tuesday morning via express post. No bad considering I only went with the standard free shipping. Great job.

[benandfaith]

First post. Newb into the world of cycling.

Ordered from c r c and Wiggle on the same day - last Thursday 21/4.

c r c - clearance sale items totalling over $200 - shoes, pedal, jersey, socks, etc. Free postage option. Arrived this morning 26/4 - amazingly fast considering yesterday was public holiday. Posted via skynet (go terminator!).

Wiggle - various clothing items over $100 - shorts, jersey, multitool, saddlebag. Free postage option. Posted via trakpak. Tracking details so far:
24/04/2016 03:41:00 DEPART UK- 5 WORKING DAYS TO AUS VIA SINGAPORE
23/04/2016 07:35:30 TRAK PAK PROCESS CENTRE

Waiting to see how long Wiggle will take. Will update.

[aive]

Ordered a Garmin Edge 520 from Pushys on the weekend, and it arrived today (Tuesday)... and Monday was a public holiday.... amazing

The tracking details say it was shipped and delivered same day - not sure if that's right, or if they're based in Brissie or something...

[bane]

I've had satisfactory experience with Kogan in the past. They sell mostly electronics but wanted to try out their bike computer. This has been a disaster - the item never arrived after three months and its taken me weeks to get a refund.

I won't be using them anymore, as I can see they're operating procedures have changed this year and the service level has plummeted.