Purchase experience for a tandem

[sweetnsourbkr]

I wrote a very long review about my purchase experience. My question is: have you guys had your promised delivery dates missed?

The review is here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=380814).

The tandem itself is pretty awesome.

[Hermes]

:eek::eek:

No, delivery was as promised from the bike shops and manufacturers with whom we do business. Late delivery on other products and services you bet.

[TandemGeek]

My question is: have you guys had your promised delivery dates missed?

Absolutely, and it's been that way for decades in certain parts of the bicycle market... and you've now discovered one. Therefore, at least for me, it's no longer a surprise or creates a problem because I now know up front that the delivery dates are soft. It really helps to establish a personal relationship with the key player(s) and to check in on a regular basis to get updates. Thankfully, I usually deal with very small businesses or, in the case of my LBS, the owner and I go back to the days in '91 when he was still working the floor instead of having 5 store managers and 70 employees.

Anyway, none of this makes it right or acceptable. But, missing delivery dates is often times the norm across the bicycle business... particularly when you you don't go with a turn-key bicycle or tandem order from the manufacturer when inventories are flush and all of the production lines are hot.

Buying made-to-order instead of existing inventory in the 4th quarter of each year when the overall bicycle industry is both cash-strapped and starved for parts from suppliers as it waits for dealer orders and deposits to prime the pump is also likely to invite delays... which is the flip side to the delays that often occur in the late spring, early summer when any unexpected increase in spring demand can put production behind due to capacity issues or parts shortages.

Also, buying frame-only or a custom frame and having a local shop do the build can invite all kinds of problems, from big shops as well as the small speciality shops. And, of course, bicycle component manufacturers and suppliers create a myriad of issues as they attempt to forecast demand and level their production activities from manufacturers/builders who are also trying to gaze into their crystal balls to anticipate what consumers might do given the current state of the economy in the 4th Quarter of each year.

[bikeriderdave]

My question is: have you guys had your promised delivery dates missed?


Only a week or so late!? Consider yourself lucky.

We've had two worse experiences, both while dealing directly with builders. Once almost ten years ago with a highly respected craftman/builder "out east," and again six years ago with a well-regarded travel bike maker out west. The dissappointments have long since faded, but my advice would be to to _never_ plan on a new bike arriving in useable condition in time for a particular event or trip, no matter how far in the future.

Enjoy your very cool new bike.

[zonatandem]

Americans want it . . . and they want it NOW! Immediate satisfaction!
Fast food . . . faster service!
Hey, we are on our 5th tandem, 4 of them customs. With all of them, we built in a one month 'delay' for whatever reasons and have always been satisfied.
The bike industry is not alone in this respect . . . too many cooks spoil the broth, or is it the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing? At least shop manager tried to rectify things by giving you a substantial store credit . . . and you are happy with the Peri?!
Made for one hell of a nice New Year present!
Enjoy the ride TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

[sweetnsourbkr]

Thank you guys. :) We're very happy with our new Tandem. Not the end of Jan yet and we're already over 200 miles. :D My wife completed her first metric century yesterday on it, and the first 100 mile week of her life.

I think the shop did adequately to ameliorate the situation. We're happy bikers. :D

[zonatandem]

Looks like Team Alameda is off to a great start for 2008!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

[antiquepedaler]

It took two years to get the wheels I ordered with the bike. They were under development at the time so I received interim wheels till the developed ones were finalized. Happily, 7 years later, the wait was not a disappointment.

[swc7916]

Our Rodriguez tandem was built and delivered 3 weeks and a couple of days from the time we ordered it.