So upset I could cry...

[deeaimond]

Dear ladies,

I just got so upset I didn't know who I could tell this to, but i figured I might have understanding ears here.

I've been talking about having some bike problems and not being able to ride because my BB is damaged and thus I have been trying to find a new one. My LBS can't seem to find one locally so i was looking around on ebay and saw the perfect part being sold by dhcyclesport in the UK. Unfortunately it seems like they only shipped to the UK, US, Japan and Canada. It seemed like a friendly website and said to call their shop if we had any questions. I thought maybe I could call and have them send it to me here in Singapore.

So I emailed them and they say something on their website about emails being answered on the same day. But no reply, so I called them just. The lady who answered was pretty polite and she said she would ask her boss, but she came back to the phone saying no he would not ship. And I asked for a reason, because if it was because they were afraid I'm just a hoaxer then is there something I can do to show that I'm not. (I'm just really desperate to get the part) Halfway through asking, a man answers, and cuts me off saying no they don't ship.

So I ask him why and he says 'for the same reason we don't ship to Thailand or Brazil' and he goes 'ok?' in the most rude way I can possibly imagine.

I coould not believe my ears and I could not even come up with the answer and he hung up on me.

I'm so upset.

Last time I checked, Singapore was one of the safest and most advanced countries in the whole of asia, granted we are a little small. He didn't even give me a chance to explain. He was so nasty about it too. Maybe he's had bad experiences with hoaxers, but I'm so upset really. even after typing this out I feel like crying...

I don't even really know what words I can use to categorise this encounter. I've met and spoken with so many people in my life from so many countries and places and never never experienced something like this...

Has anyone had an experience like this before?

He had such positive reviews too.. I guess he's not rude to people who come from first world countries and are from places he can point out on the world map.

(on hind note I could get him to mail to friends in the US and have them post it to me but it seems such a silly thing to do, all that jet fuel for a tiny part smaller than my clenched fist)(and the principle of it.. oooohhhh)

[singletrackmind]

Ugh! Sorry for the rotten apple.

That can't be the only shop around that carries the part you need, perhaps do a google shopping search or something to find it elsewhere. It'd be a shame to have to patronize a place with such a rude person, no matter that he may have fielded a thousand calls asking to ship to somewhere not on his list.

Hope you have a better day!


PS. I've noted dhcyclesport as somewhere I won't be shopping. Thank you.

[Chicken Little]

That's too bad. Stuff like that can really ruin you day. I hope you can find the part somewhere else.

[sundial]

I don't know why customer service is no longer a priority with businesses. An unkind word just ruins your day. I'll make us a fresh cup of peppermint tea and a hug to go along with it.

[Irulan]

So I ask him why and he says 'for the same reason we don't ship to Thailand or Brazil' and he goes 'ok?' in the most rude way I can possibly imagine.

I coould not believe my ears and I could not even come up with the answer and he hung up on me.

I'm so upset.

Last time I checked, Singapore was one of the safest and most advanced countries in the whole of asia, granted we are a little small. He didn't even give me a chance to explain. He was so nasty about it too. Maybe he's had bad experiences with hoaxers, but I'm so upset really. even after typing this out I feel like crying...

I'm really sorry you are upset, but as a business that does a lot of shipping, some international, Singapore is on of the nations that is flagged (at least with the companies I deal with) as being an originator of many online scams and fraud. I don't know what to you tell you as a way to get around it.

I've had this with Mexico too. My brother in law lives in Mexico, and we attempted to use paypal so he could send some money up to help his disabled sister, who we help take care of. Paypal suspended the transaction right away, just because of the origin. It was a real pain and I am still not sure if he ever got his money back after I cancelled my side of it.

good luck,
I.

[deeaimond]

Hi babes,

thanks for the hugs and the peppermint tea. that was an inspiration I should be getting out my cup too.

Singapore is flagged as a place for scam origins and whatnots because of our IP address, because the whole region starts with a similar section so we all get lumped together. Which is precisely why I called him to find out if he would ship, perhaps after the paypal came through or something since it seems to be a LBS and not a large firm.

I've bought stuff from the US several times and I guess I must have been lucky, coz I get them on time and intact. I also buy things like.. 20 bottles of glucosamine and stuff like that from stores that only ship to the US and have my BF direct them here, and because he is male he just slaps the label on and off it goes..

I guess it wasn't so much that he would not ship, but the tone he used with me.. Like i was out to waste his time, and I was a small child who could not understand what he said...

But thanks ladies, I guess i must not let things like this get to me (coz even with globalization its bound to happen again).. and now..

does anyone know where i can find a

campagnolo mirage BB, double , 111mm, italian thread??

[ASammy1]

deeaimond,

Not to downplay his rudeness because he was incredibly rude to you, but maybe he had problems with Customs and that is why he cant/wont ship to you.

I work in the Import/Export industry and every country has their own requirements and regulations when bringing things in and out...

Just my $0.02 worth and trying to put the situation in a possible different perspective...

[ibcycling]

That could be true but he should have just told her that and saved a lot of bad relations.

[Fujichants]

Dee, I just sent you a private message.

It is totally frustrating when that happens. I used to live in Singapore, and when I would order things online from the US, customs would hold my stuff for a month. And I would get it with the box opened, and my things obviously used and tested. It is even worse in Indonesia. I gave up sending things home by fed-ex or ups because it just isn't worth it.

Some of my mom's close friends will be coming to Los Angeles this week and next week to drop off their kids in college. Almost all the flights out of Jakarta make a stop-over in Singapore (and same on the way back from Los Angeles) and if the things you want aren't too big (as in, can fit in an already full from shopping suitcase), I can have them take it to Singapore, and perhaps you can meet them at Changi airport, or they can sent it to you via Singapore Post from the airport. That way, you save some money on shipping, and don't have to feel bad about burning all that fuel.

Of course I understand this requires some trust on your half (to ship things to me and make sure i'll give it to them) but seriously, I have access to everything here and if I want something, I just buy it. I don't need to steal.

Just let me know! To be honest, I really disliked living in Singapore, and I am happy I moved back to the US, so I understand part of your frustration!

[deeaimond]

I was so upset with this guy's rudeness but I figured I could not let him get away with it. So I emailed him again and this time i got a slightly more considerate answer (minus the fact that he did not really answer my question)

"
sir/mdm,

I'm the lady who called from Singapore earlier today to enquire about shipping to Singapore.

Since I clearly recall you saying 'for the same reason we do not ship to Thailand or Brazil, we do not ship to Singapore', Would you ship to an address in the UK instead?

the ebay listing did not state if you would. It says UK - collect in person. A friend of mine owns this restaurant in london and he would post the BB on for me.

(inserted friend's address here)

I'm looking to purchase the Campagnolo Mirage BB, 111mm, Italian thread that is listed on Ebay."

His reply

"Hi Denise...we dont ship to Singapore. The main reason being most of our payments are with paypal/ebay and we dont accept paypal payment from these countries...kind regards,dave"

(that was it, one line, no spacing nothing)

my roommate had overheard the phone conversation earlier and so was privy to this too.. she was like.. 'but paypal is like.. guaranteed money!' hhehe.. ah well.. he just does not want to sell to me I guess

[Susan Otcenas]

my roommate had overheard the phone conversation earlier and so was privy to this too.. she was like.. 'but paypal is like.. guaranteed money!' hhehe.. ah well.. he just does not want to sell to me I guess

Actually, this is incorrect. Paypal is NOT guaranteed money. We've had the experience of having paypal take money back. In our case it was a daughter who had used her father's account without his permission. This was on an international transaction.

We ship internationally, but EVERY international order goes through an extra layer of scrutiny, whether its Canada or Singapore or South Africa. And yes, there are some countries we simply will not ship to, including Indonesia and Nigeria. (We do ship to Singapore). MY OWN MOTHER lives in Nigeria, but we still won't ship there.

International shipping includes a much higher risk of fraud (credit card address verification features do not work on international transactions) and theft (typically that country's domestic postal service), and simple outright lost packages. We mitigate that with higher international shipping fees, and limiting the countries we ship to. Every retailer needs to make that calculus for themselves.

All that said, you deserved better treatment from that retailer. Even if he could not ship to you, he should have given you the courtesy of a polite reply.

Susan

[ridebikeme]

After reading your experince, I am confused as to whether it's the bottom bracket or the crank that has the issues?? Perhaps both?? At any rate, as a shop owner, and someone that has used Campy for the past 15 years, I would think that either might be easy to find. Hopefully your LBS will find what you need, but if not, let me know... I'm sure that I can come up with something... same as many others here ...

Good luck!!

[MauiRockHopper]

It's amazing the ignorance in the world. I am in Hawaii, which is part of the US and always have to educate people about shipping. Even the "mainland" 48 other US states don't realize the US Postal Service rates to Hawaii are exactly the same as any other state. They always try to add on extra fees and costs and I just move on to another vendor if they try to jack me around. UPS and Fed Ex, etc., is another matter and does get more expensive because there is no "ground" shipping here.

Maybe you can have a mail service in the USA like Mail Boxes Etc. receive your order, then have them package it back up and forward it to you in Singapore.