Performance Bike sends wrong size bike to two customers ...

[Jaclyn]

Two months ago my DB purchased a Ritchey Breakaway Cross Bike frame from Performance Bike. When it hadn't shown up three weeks later, he called and was told they'd shipped the bike and it had been returned (there was no evidence of an attempted delivery). He re-ordered the bike and waited five more weeks because the bike was on back order. The bike arrived and he has spent the last two weeks ordering the various parts to build up the bike. He's also spent a lot of late nights in the garage building the bike. Today he thought to do some measurements on the bike - you guessed it - he ordered a 58 cm bike and they shipped him a 50 cm.

We look thru all the paperwork and discover that the bike had previously been shipped to another customer - who returned the bike because it was the WRONG frame size. BUT Performance Bike sent it out a 2nd time anyway.

Now we've called Performance Bike and are very dissatisfied with their response. First, we must wait for them to send a shipping label before they will let us return a bike they've sent out incorrectly to two customers. They will not refund our money until they receive the bike. They do not have a 58 cm bike so we now have a pile of expensive parts and no frame to put them on. We've spent over two months waiting and dealing with missing shipments and an incorrect size bike. And a lot of time building (and now unbuilding) the bike. And, of course, cyclo cross season has begun and we have no bike.

We've spent a lot of money with Performance Bike over the years (it seems a box arrives from them monthly) but we've never spent >$1000 with such poor service.

PS The Ritchey bike itself (and its included travel case) looks awesome - we were eagerly anticipating its first test ride in a week or two.

[Skierchickie]

Hmmm. I had an issue with them this summer, although on a much smaller scale. It boiled down to nearly $10 for shipping one pair of shorts, and it took 16 days from the day I ordered them until the day I received them (no, they were not backordered). Many, many emails later, they did finally refund my shipping cost (I had requested a refund of "part or all" of my shipping). I kept getting the runaround about what shipping method was described on the website, what method was used, how long it should have taken, whether the shipping time includes the time it took them to get off their butts and actually send them, .....

Overall - not satisfied with their customer service. Probably not enough to actually say I'd never buy from them again, but I'm trying to avoid it.

Sorry to hear about your mess. That stinks! Possibly the company has gotten too big to perform efficiently? Inexcusable.

[invsblwmn]

I had TONS of problems with Performance AND nashbar, both owned by the same company. They were charging me more or less than the receipt. It was usually only a few cents difference, but one time it was $6 and I noticed. I went back through receipts and saw 24 errors of 35 orders. When they ignored my emails, I filed a BBB complaint which took over a year to resolve. If I buy from them, I do so by check now so they cannot upcharge me. I don't trust them at all. Customer service has been very lousy since they were both bought out two summers ago. Buyer beware. It's a dang shame they, Nashbar, makes the standup best bib short ever made, the ultra.

[Jiffer]

Completely unrelated to Performance Bike, the people who run our cycling club ordered a custom tandem from Calfee. Both riders were measured. They waited and waited to get their new bike. I think it was a few months. When they got it, it just didn't seem right. Finally they determined it was the wrong size. It had been "custom built" incorrectly.

So, Calfee made them a new bike. Months went by again. They got the second bike. It was made with the SAME wrong measurements as the first bike!!!

Ridiculous. They are still waiting. I think it's been like 9 months now.

[tulip]

I'm so sorry for your experience with Performance. I have only bought things from them in their store in Carrboro, NC (their original store--they have a bargain room that sometimes has good prices on decent clothes).

This is another reason to buy bikes from a LBS. Best of luck in getting things straightened out.

[IFjane]

I'm so sorry for your experience with Performance. I have only bought things from them in their store in Carrboro, NC (their original store--they have a bargain room that sometimes has good prices on decent clothes).

This is another reason to buy bikes from a LBS. Best of luck in getting things straightened out.

I agree with Tulip. There is a store not too far from me in Charlottesville. The manager is great - but the products and their mail-order is not good. I have had similar experiences though not as big an issue as the bike. Like Tulip says, I would not order a bike from them but would go to a reputable LBS (again, not Performance) for big-ticket items.

Best of luck getting it all straightened out!

[Pedal Wench]

I ordered two wheelsets from Perfomance - 2 front wheels, 2 rear wheels. Three wheels came in with black hubs, one had a silver hub. They couldn't understand why this was a problem...

[Mr. SR500]

It happens, I've always been please with their CS, and they have always corrected any problems. Sorry for the hassle, but I'm guessing they will make it right in the end.

[elk]

hope it turns out well. that frustration is awful.


the more i think about it the more i think: local, local, local....

[Aggie_Ama]

We have had nothing but headaches with the one they built here. First we were pretty excited to have one but then we figured out the people they hired were incompetent with absolutely no value on customer service. I worked my way through college in retail and I expect to be treated well, nothing over the top but you better treat me like I matter not a nuisance for existing.

We had a horrible experience with the service department (didn't bother to call when they bike needed extensive repairs above what we brought it for even though it said to call before additional repairs then couldn't understand why we didn't want to pay for them), customer service (box of pedals on had one pedal, I had to drive 20 miles back to fix it no apology for the hassle), customer service (light broke due to poor quality, they didn't want to exchange it since I didn't have my receipt but was a team member and they could look up the receipt plus it was their house brand) and too boot they are absolutely pushy but have never want to help with a simple thing.

I prefer my LBS where the people are very knowledgeable, very helpful and the service department rocks. Plus the owner is in the store many days.

[Jaclyn]

We are trying to speak to a manager at Performance today. The Ritchey bike is not carried at our local bike shops, plus we wanted to build it up ourselves (versus a shop doing it for us). And, to be fair, Performance was offering the bike at a very good price.

I'm most upset because the bike had already been returned once by a previous customer as the wrong size. We did not notice it when we opened the box, but when we found it was the wrong size two weeks later and looked thru the packing materials we found the previous owner's invoice (another problem in terms of identity theft etc) and his reason for return: wrong size bike. Performance didn't correct that problem by noting that it was a 50cm and not a 58cm. Instead they sent it out incorrectly to a second customer (us).

I'm particularly unhappy that we may not be able to get the bike at all now. I bought a number of custom spacers, headset caps (a cool "Cyclocross Do It In The Dirt engraved orange one), handlebar tape to match the rust orange and grey color scheme. Even a wool jersey for cross season. Now it looks like we may be forced to get an entirely different bike (not a Ritchey at all). So I anyone needs some beautiful rust-orange bling for their bike I may have some to give you ...

[tulip]

Even if your local bike shop doesn't carry the bike you want, many will special order. Certainly LBS will order frames only, although that will be special order. If they can't or won't, you can call around to other independent bike shops and order from them. The difference is in the small, customer-oriented shop vs. the big corporation that doesn't know or care who you are.

Now that the season is underway and there's no usable bike, I wonder how much of a good deal it was?

I hope you get it worked out with them soon.