Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

MTG
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby MTG » Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:02 pm

Credit where credit is due. After contacting Shaun from CE, I received an email today stating that a new rim has been dispatched. It's been a drawn out process to get to this point, yet do very much appreciate some decisive action being taken after Shaun stepping in to offer some help.

Look forward to receiving my new rim.

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Ross
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby Ross » Sat Dec 27, 2014 5:48 am

Is their website down at the moment?

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Ross
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby Ross » Mon Dec 29, 2014 5:01 pm

Website was down overnight when I posted the above then when I checked again in the morning it was working again but the $29 Dura Ace chains were sold out. :x

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AUbicycles
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby AUbicycles » Wed Feb 11, 2015 9:29 am

Latest Cycling Express newsletter announces their support center. It is a big promotion of a support center (with a pictogram of the person with a headset). Great... this is a crucial area where CE have previously had problems. More recently I have been in contact with the intention to help highlight order problems for some members in this thread to get a better resolution.

But, the sceptic in me says to read closer. No call center infact, rather a collection of FAQs.
So "Support Center" is not support, in a classic sense rather updating or improving information about buying and returns on the website.

I am all for improved information and providing answers for customers online, and saving them an email or phone call however see this promotion with a critical viewpoint as an online FAQs collection is not a replacement for one-on-one support, which is where business can excel. And there is also a confusion factor, where customers assume personal support (because of the 'support center' terminology).

Somewhat amused that the newsletter still displays a copyright ( © ) from 2013.

But in the grand scheme, improving information and also now more clearly outline the company location and structure. I previously asked and was told on the phone (late 2013 after the Taiwan logistics opened) that they were 100% Australian, while the official response dodged the question while the "Australian Online Retailer" approach continued and there some cases of import taxes and levies.
Cycling Express Retail Store : Melbourne
Our original location where Cycling Express began. It's still there and professional trained mechanics and sales staff are available to answer your questions and offer an excellent bike fitting service.

CyclingExpress.com Logistic Center : Taiwan
In 2013, we opened a warehouse and logistics center in Taichung, Taiwan. Taiwan is right in the heart of Asia and close to the major suppliers of cycling gear. It's all happening right here!

CyclingExpress.com has a large team of multilingual support staff based in Taiwan focusing on the customers we serve throughout the Asia pacific region.

CyclingExpress.com : China
It will come as no surprise that China is a booming market and that cycling is definitely no exception. We have an office in Shanghai with a local team of dedicated sales and marketing staff helping to service our rapidly expanding customer base there.

WHile "Australian" is a bonus, in online shopping it usually comes down to price in which case, location is not an issue. As a customer you want to have security and sometimes a local retailer is preferable. As they note, China is booming and it is also an advantage for customers when the lower overhead costs flow through to the customer.


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Cycling Express are currently not an advertiser (on and off).
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rodneycc
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby rodneycc » Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:57 am

I've heard a few people having trouble with CE but funnily enough I've found them to be really good. I have never had to return anything and there was one occasion where they falsely advertised something but they quickly sorted that out and I got a $20 gift voucher which was good of them. If I have a problem I generally just email them and Ibget a fairly quick response. A guy by the name of Fraser usually picks up my help calls and is a really good guy (maybe he just knows its me and does it faster who knows?).

And their delivery is first rate nowdays with only a few days turn around.

Anyway I actually quite like CE for what its worth along with most of the Online bike shops like c r c, Wiggle, Bike Bug and Ribble, I think they do a pretty good job compared to customer service in a lot of other industries.
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battler2
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby battler2 » Fri Feb 13, 2015 7:21 pm

wondering what happened to the pro-lite competition? they advertised a giveaway with winners to be announced feb11 and its mysteriously disappeared from their site. fake competition to get emails for spam? seems to be the way these days. likewise for some high5 nutrition comp.

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby BikiefromCanb » Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:27 pm

Had trouble with an order asked for the item to be returned (only a small item I must say) have not been refunded and lousy communcations, what a joke of a bike shop, wish I had googled them before doing business, Be warned stay clear

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby AUbicycles » Thu Mar 12, 2015 8:53 pm

BikiefromCanb, this has been a bit of a problem and it is either down to:
1. Strategy
2. Disorganisation

For Strategy, the approach is to let customers who are not persistent simply give up. Telstra have a fantastic reputation for putting customers through this (though you always get someone on the phone, it is hard to find someone who can help).

For Disorganisation, it can include administration where the processes simply are not well managed so a lot of communications falls through the gaps. It can also be manpower, too few staff for too many communication channels and streams.


I get it that with small items you ave to weigh up whether you want to fight a moral victory and spend hours attempting to recover your $10 or $20. At the end of the day the shop suffers by losing existing customers and frightening new customers. While I would like to see them go well, customer service has been an ongoing issue.
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby AUbicycles » Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:01 pm

Following from the previous post a few minutes ago, I was actually intending to post news, from the Cycling Express newsletter.

Cycling Express are promoting free assembly of bikes ordered online. They do this with partner stores, and not just one or two, rather 16 stores are listed as partner stores.

It is a really good idea, for a customer you still have the risk of purchasing the wrong size, but now eliminate the risk / responsibility of assembly which is a good thing for the customer.

I am interested whether the partner stores can also assist with returns. And I am also curious about the arrangement as typically a bike store owner in an arrangement with an overseas store can get issues with suppliers.
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby AUbicycles » Tue May 26, 2015 9:13 am

I spoke with Cycling Express CEO George Hu and the new Territory Sales Manager Shaun Bettinson on their recent trip to Australia. There are some answers and followers will appreciate the frank discussion on the past problems and inefficiencies which they 'promise' to resolve. On the status of Australian, the roots are in this country and there are some formalities however they have different operations in different countries. This means that while they can explain what parts are done where, the mix makes it difficult to pinpoint - however confirmation has been provided on ordering and currencies.

Full Interview: Cycling Express say “Sorry!” and promise to be a better online retailer

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Disclosure: Cycling Express do have advertising campaigns on BNA. The interview / article is not paid or promotional.
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby CyclingExpress » Thu May 28, 2015 2:50 pm

This is Shaun from Cycling Express. We'd like to thank Chris for the opportunity to chat with us and allow us to share what we are up to because yes, there has been some confusion over our growth outside of Australia and how that has impacted a number of areas of our business. I'd invite anyone who is having any troubles to contact me directly at <REMOVED> or through our customer service centre at sales@cyclingexpress.com and we will get a resolution as quickly as we can for you.

Regarding our partner store program, we work with around 16 bike shops across Australia. Some of them we've worked with for a long time, some of them are new. They provide an important point of contact for customers looking to buy a new bike. The bike is delivered to the shop after purchasing online. We pay the shop to build it for the customer, the customer picks it up and the shop is a point of contact for any follow up servicing, repairs and warranty claims. We will work with the store for any warranty/returns.

Finally, the competitions we ran for Pro-Lite and High5 were announced, we probably didn't do a great job of announcing them as it went into our latest news feed on the website. If we do any more competitions we will be sure to plaster the results all over our site, newsletters and social media. If anyone wants to know the winners of those competitions, you can visit this link to our latest news and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

http://www.cyclingexpress.com/?lang=en& ... atest-News" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks,

Shaun
Last edited by AUbicycles on Thu Oct 22, 2015 2:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Shaun is no longer managing customer support with Cycling Express and request that any emails are now sent to sales@cyclingexpress.com

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jules21
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby jules21 » Thu May 28, 2015 3:31 pm

i bought an Azzurri Forza a couple of years ago from CE. great bike, great value for money. big thumbs up on that front. however, my experience of the partner store was, to put it mildly, poor. the store employee didn't like you and made that very clear to me. he put the bike together - it was OK, but I had to make a few adjustments - what really grated was the lecture i got, which was just bizarre. i don't blame CE but you need to be more careful with who you partner. they're still on your list.

and based on a friend's account of a recent purchase with you guys, you've still got some improving to do. if you can't get customer service right, you won't grow. there is no short cut or alternative there.

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby CoffsGal » Mon Jun 15, 2015 8:02 pm

I have bought numerous items from CE over the last couple of years, all without issue, so haven't needed to contact the support or returns department. A recent order though, arrived with a damaged item, but I am pleased to report that the issue was resolved quickly and to my satisfaction.

Another order for a few items placed on Sunday night last week, arrived at my door on the next Thursday (in regional NSW). That's 4 days, which is a very speedy delivery for any bits and pieces I have ordered from any online store.

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby moosterbounce » Mon Jun 15, 2015 9:43 pm

I struggled to understand a "specials" email received last week...I preferred the copy that was in English Oopsy :)

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby AUbicycles » Mon Jun 15, 2015 11:51 pm

I asked about this, they acknowledged the error sending out the Japanese version.
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby GTPilot » Mon Jun 22, 2015 9:29 pm

I bought a zefal mudguard a few weeks ago. It was purchased withdrew other items.
Whoever packed the box stuffed it in and by the time I received it it was all bent out of shape. I managed to sort it using a hair dryer. But still pretty bad packing.

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby CyclingExpress » Fri Jul 17, 2015 3:10 pm

Hi GTPilot,

Shaun here from Cycling Express. I have sent you a private message regarding the mudguard. Please let me know the order number and I will sort this out for you.

Thanks

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby GTPilot » Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:12 pm

Just as Follow Up. I received a PM from Shaun and responded.
Out of the blue - two days ago a new guard has shown up..

Thanks Very much Shaun.. Was not required, but I'll take it all the same. Awesome stuff ;)

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tomee
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby tomee » Sun Dec 20, 2015 7:41 pm

interested in a wheelset on the website.

how has everyone found them lately?

i'm guessing i cant pickup the wheels set from a local store they have?

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby rodneycc » Sun Dec 20, 2015 7:52 pm

Not likely from a local store. More likely to be posted only.
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby stevekats » Tue Dec 29, 2015 9:55 pm

Hi Shaun or anybody from Cycling Express,

I recently purchased two (Azzurri Forza forks and headset) items from Cycling Express but the wrong two items were sent to me. I have been corresponding with Jarry during this issue but have not heard from anyone in the past week. I am bitterly disappointed by the lack of correspondence during this seemingly simple transaction.
Please contact me offline for further information.

Steve

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rodneycc
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby rodneycc » Wed Dec 30, 2015 1:18 pm

fyi:

>Reason: Shaun is no longer managing customer support with Cycling Express and request that any emails are now sent to sales@cyclingexpress.com

think that's your best option mate... Doubt anyone would be monitoring this thread...
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby AUbicycles » Wed Dec 30, 2015 8:22 pm

@stevekats, it will likely be a bit slow over Christmas / New Years but be persistent.
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kev007
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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby kev007 » Tue Jan 12, 2016 5:19 pm

Anybody used Cycling Express recently. How have people been finding their customer service (particularly when things go wrong). Or are people using Wiggle/c r c and well-knowns more?

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Re: Cycling Express - New online shop to compete with UK....

Postby Mugglechops » Wed Jan 13, 2016 9:12 pm

I did my first order last Tuesday night. Order arrived Friday morning. I was impressed with that speed.

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