General Cycling Discussion - Performance Bike - Fun with shipping charges

So I'm at the performancebike site ordering an Ultimate BRS70 repair stand. I get to the checkout, and my totals look like this:

Order Summary: 1 Item
Subtotal $139.99
REGULAR-HOME SHIP TO $13.50
Tax $10.74
Total $164.23

At this point I realized that I forgot to enter my Team Performance number, so I backed out and did so. Made it back to the checkout where I anticipated seeing my nice free 2-day shipping upgrade, and am instead presented with the following:

Order Summary: 1 Item
Subtotal $139.99
BIKE CLUB 2-DAY UPGRADE $23.50
Tax $10.04
Total $173.53

The shipping charges were bumped up an additional ten bucks after entering my team number. Not much of a discount if you ask me. I won't even address the inexplicable $.70 decrease in sales tax, but the whole thing looks incredibly shady.

Are there any long-term performance bike customers here who can shed any light on the above? Specifically:

a) Was this performance team card the waste of money this transaction would suggest it was, and

b) is this kind of bait-and-switch shell game typical of performancebike.com?

Thanks,
-Bob

Call them, but I think performancebike has this policy where they show the total even though it's not charged to your credit card. I had a similiar problem a couple of years ago, and when I called, they said I wouldn't be charged extra, but that it shows up on my bill for the total cost.

Koffee

Call them, but I think performancebike has this policy where they show the total even though it's not charged to your credit card. I had a similiar problem a couple of years ago, and when I called, they said I wouldn't be charged extra, but that it shows up on my bill for the total cost.

Koffee
I read that numerous times and I still can't figure out what you're saying, or how it answers the OPs question. Isn't the question about why the shipping charges and tax are showing differently with and without the team number???

TMX - I'd give them a call before placing the order. It sounds like there might be a glitch somewhere with that item. Perhaps it attracts some sort of oversize shipping charge, and the ordering software isn't applying it properly when you didn't enter the team number. I just checked it myself, and the same thing happens to me with the shipping charge. I haven't run across this before - definitely give them a call.

When I log in with my team performance number, the price of the repair stand drops to $119.96.

Ok, when you're a team member, they ring you up for the cost of everything.

They do not take out your discount on your total when you go to checkout.

The only way you know they did not charge you the true total is by 1) calling them to confirm it or 2) checking with your credit card company.

I do not know why they do this- it's ridiculous, but they continue to do this anyway.

Koffee

Ok, when you're a team member, they ring you up for the cost of everything.

They do not take out your discount on your total when you go to checkout.

The only way you know they did not charge you the true total is by 1) calling them to confirm it or 2) checking with your credit card company.

I do not know why they do this- it's ridiculous, but they continue to do this anyway.

Koffee
What discount on the total?

Yes, discounts on the total.

Also, if it's a double points day, the double points don't show up right away either. Folks freak out, but when they call to confirm, performance tells them the double points were applied and will show up on their next statement.

Koffee

Yes, discounts on the total.

Also, if it's a double points day, the double points don't show up right away either. Folks freak out, but when they call to confirm, performance tells them the double points were applied and will show up on their next statement.

Koffee
Colour me confused, but I still have no idea as to what "discounts on the total" you're referring too. I've never had any discounts at checkout time for being a team performance member.

Isn't the OP's question about shipping charges???

When you a team performance member, you get a free upgrade to the second day shipping.

The shipping charges that non members are charged show up for team performance members.

Team performance members are not charged that amount the nonmembers are charged, even though it shows up at the time of billing.

Koffee

When you a team performance member, you get a free upgrade to the second day shipping.

The shipping charges that non members are charged show up for team performance members.

Team performance members are not charged that amount the nonmembers are charged, even though it shows up at the time of billing.

Koffee
Ok, finally I understand what you're saying. Terminology, I guess. I've always considered the shipping an upgrade, not a discount on the total order.

I've never had that happen to me, and I've never had the amount charged to my card not match the total order cost on the invoice. The 2-day upgrade charge they show me is the same as the REGULAR-HOME SHIP TO charge if I don't log in. Methinks they have a software bug in there, maybe related to bulky items with a standard higher shipping charge?

Thanks for the responses Koffe and Stubacca. Here's the follow-up:

After a few minutes of back and forth with the Performance folks, they determined that the jump in shipping charge was due to the item being overweight. According to them, overweight items are not eligible for the free 2-day upgrade, so the price I was seeing was the normal non-upgraded 2-day price. Odd that the lower-price option disappeared completely upon entering my team number, but whaddygonnado....

I probably need to take back my "bait-and-switch shell game" comment while I'm at it. I was pretty irritated at the time of my initial post above, but this was obviously more of a glitch in their order system than anything sinister on their part.

That said, while I was waiting for Performance to open back up on Tuesday so I could talk to them about this, I found a really nice deal on the same stand from another vendor ($113.00 shipped :)), so went ahead ordered from them instead.

Thanks,
-Bob

Team Performance can cost you MORE at times. Right now the Ultegra 6500 cassette is $38.xx except for Team members it is $49.xx. Once you enter your Team number the price in your cart goes UP. :mad:

.....Thanks for the responses Koffe and Stubacca. Here's the follow-up:

After a few minutes of back and forth with the Performance folks, they determined that the jump in shipping charge was due to the item being overweight. According to them, overweight items are not eligible for the free 2-day upgrade, so the price I was seeing was the normal non-upgraded 2-day price. Odd that the lower-price option disappeared completely upon entering my team number, but whaddygonnado....

I probably need to take back my "bait-and-switch shell game" comment while I'm at it. I was pretty irritated at the time of my initial post above, but this was obviously more of a glitch in their order system than anything sinister on their part.

That said, while I was waiting for Performance to open back up on Tuesday so I could talk to them about this, I found a really nice deal on the same stand from another vendor ($113.00 shipped :)), so went ahead ordered from them instead.


I just ordered a trainer. I got the same results. Called Performance and found out the same info that you did. There is a work around. If you are willing to live with the slower shipping, exit your browser and start over. Don't enter your Team Performance number. Your will get the lower shipping cost, but it will be shipped ground and take longer. It saved me $10 on my trainer.

Steve
-every penny counts

That said, while I was waiting for Performance to open back up on Tuesday so I could talk to them about this, I found a really nice deal on the same stand from another vendor ($113.00 shipped :)), so went ahead ordered from them instead.

Thanks,
-Bob

shoulda still ordered from performance.. with a price match.. but done it on the phone so you could get regular ground shipping for your overweight item.. and collect 11.30 in points!

I'm not sure I want to shop with Performance again.

I put a post in FOO a few weeks ago about a game they played with me.

I ordered 4 bike jereseys. Total was like $101 with $7 shipping or something like that. I used a coupon for 20% off an order of $80 or more or something to that nature. They shipped (and only charged me for) 3 jerseys with a note that one was currently out of stock and it would come in a few weeks. Ok fine.

About 6 weeks later I get a postcard that the jersey wasn't going to come in and *FYI*. About that same time, I got a $5 charge on my credit card labelled "CATALOG" from Performance. At first I thought they were charging me for their catalog. But after I called them (emailed them actually) I got this answer (which I had to decipher through double talk).

Because I used a coupon to give me $20 off my order, they deemed it only fair to take back 1/4 of the coupon since my total was now not the original $100 or something like that. So basically.....because they couldn't provide a jersey they had in their catalog, they come back and charge me another $5 to make back a little more money on the coupon I used.

Pretty unprofessional if you ask me. I'm reluctant to shop with them again.

I understand that they use the same system that the airlines do to generate airfares.