A brief update on my grumping on mail order… yup, WesternBikeWorks.com did get the order right, and the DiNotte light works great! (and the celeste cork tape also came, so I can tape up the A700s when they arrive).
Maybe I should just order from shops in Portland…
A month ago, I posted about hating mail order. The reason? After placing an order with Gotta Ride Bikes (gottaridebikes.com), an outfit down in Texas, and receiving the item in question (an Oval A700 SLAM aerobar for my bike) within the week, I discovered that the aerobar was missing a number of parts, rendering it uninstallable and useless. In particular, what was missing was:
Part # Qty Desc
4 2 31.8 to 26.0mm Bar Adaptors (Shim) Right
5 2 31.8 to 26.0mm Bar Adaptors (Shim) Left
6 4 Bar Clamp Bolts (M5x15mm)
7 4 Extension Clamp Bolts (M5x12mm)
10 2 Arm Rest Riser Posts (12.5mm)
18 4 Bar End Plugs ("O" Logo)
19 2 Extension Bar Insert for Riser
I sent down an e-mail to Michael, who responded fairly promptly and said they’d send out a replacement. Well, a week goes by, and nothing, so I ask what the status is. He says they sent one out, but neglected to get a tracking number or anything. I’m skeptical that one went out personally. At this point, he says they don’t have the unit, but are willing to work with me to make things better. Michael offers to send me a demo unit they have, and knock off 15%. I’m fine with that, as long as it has the above parts. He says it does minus the 12.5mm riser. I agree, with the caveat that if it doesn’t quite fit, I’ll just return everything for a full refund as I won’t be able to try it with the low riser.
Well, the demo arrives, but I’m still missing the shims, the extension clamp bolts, and the bar end plugs. Sigh. I could probably use the bolts used for the 12.5mm rider as extension clamp bolts (they’re pretty close in length, and all the bolts are M5), so I could install it, but I still need the shims, and unless I want this to rust out I need the bar end plugs. But this really isn’t worth 15% (which is about $10). I’ll just send it all back and go with somebody else.
What baffles me about all of this is that even after mail explicitly stating what I needed, I was still sent something that wasn’t right. If you’re in the middle of a customer service nightmare, wouldn’t you double-check everything to make sure you weren’t going to make things worse?
So, moral of the story: stay away from Gotta Ride Bikes…
On the plus side, I placed two orders with two other vendors, both in Portland, OR - Western Bike Works (http://www.westernbikeworks.com) and Universal Cycles (http://www.universalcycles.com). >From Western Bike Works I picked up the Dinotte Lighting Ultra 5 Ultralight for $169 and from Universal Cycles I picked up that A700 SLAM and a Craft Pro Zip Mock Turtleneck Jersey. The orders were placed Tuesday early AM. The light came in today, and the SLAMs and Jersey shipped and should be here tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll now have some new online bike shops I can recommend!