Road Cycling - Performancebike.com absolutely STINKS!!!

This is a repost of what I went through with this pathetic company. I highly advise no one order anything from these guys, even if you think you are saving money, you are going to screwed over one way or another.....

I am glad your experience has been good, mine has been horrible. I ordered a pair of shoes on sale and the order was placed and processed two weeks ago, and they still haven't shipped them. Yes, you read that right. They processed my order and still have not sent them out. How hard is it to put something in a box and mail it? I know they are busy, but that is pathetic. At this rate, I won't be getting any decent riding in this year.
Also, I placed another order two days after the first for a pair of shorts that they had on sale, since it is a discontinued product. They had my size and color listed on the internet, so I placed my order and also for a new saddle. They processed my order. Then, a week later now, they changed their website and took off my size and color option for the shorts and have told me they no longer have them. It took them over a week to figure this out.
And as far as the saddle goes, they still haven't shipped that either. And, it has been a week and a half. I was thinking maybe their website order status was just not being updated, so I called them and verified. Sure enough, nothing has yet been shipped out. I will give them another week. If not, then I will cancel my orders and demand a refund. This is pathetic.
It seems the only way to get anything in a "reasonable" amount of time, is to pay twice as much, and get it second day air, etc. For that price, I can just go to the local LBS, and get some "REAL" service.
I can order regular shipping from any business, and yes it takes a little longer to get, but at least they get it processed and shipped within just a couple days.
I really don't like ragging on Performance, as they have been very curteous to me when I call. But, if they don't get their act together, they will lose alot of good customers.

Patriot

Get ready to hurry up and wait. If they get it shipped out next week sometime, you will be lucky.

Patriot

I called Performance again this morning concerning my order placed two weeks ago. They still have not shipped my order and the girl even admitted to me, she has no idea what is going on. What a pathetic joke for a business.
My patience is wearing thin. They said they would give a message to a supervisor, who would then call me back and let me know where my orders are, and has yet to call me back when they said they would. I will give them until monday to shape up and ship my order, otherwise I will take my business elsewhere, and never order from them again. This is disgusting, whoever is charge of processing and shipping orders should be fired immediately. No reputable business does this to their customers.

A word to the wise, you might consider staying away from Performancebike.com like the black plague, unless you want to recieve your order two months later for saving just a few dollars.

I think I will be making another trip to the LBS. At least there they can help me with the products I want and the proper service customers deserve for their hard earned money.

Patriot

P.S. I really hope someone who works at Performancebike.com is reading this!!!!

Am I wrong, or does it seem that people who order by phone are the only ones that seem to have a positive experience with Performancebike.com? Maybe there is a problem with web orders????

Called again this afternoon, and I finally got an answer.

Now, they say that they no longer have the size that I ordered two weeks ago. The problem is that they had plenty of my size when I placed my order, and that is was going to get shipped.

But, they put everyone else ahead of me because I chose regular shipping instead of Next Day shipping, that I wasn't as important, and so they blew me off for two weeks with nothing but excuses, and now they said they would refund my shipping, but with no explanation for their unethical work practices.

What a crock!!!! I hope this disgusting company goes out of business tomorrow. I am going to shop Nashbar, or my LBS from now on. At least there I can get some service. If you are from Performance bike. I want you to know, that you are far from "Performance".

Whoever is in charge of that business, should be thrown out intheir duff. If they go out of business, I won't wonder why.

Patriot

That's just it, I called the next day after I placed my order to verify it was getting done, and the gal said "Yes", and it would be shipped out soon, and that they had it in stock. But, they didn't. They threw my order on the bottom of the pile for two weeks, because I wasn't as important as the higher paying orders who opted for next day or second day shipping.

Patriot

I love Performance and have never had any problems with them. Between me and my friends we have placed over 100 orders in the last two years with 100% satisfaction. You should understand that the stuff on sale/clearance is limited and could run out at anytime. At least you get your money back. I ordered a digital camera online and had to wait 6 months for a refund from my credit card.

You guys won't believe this. Their shipping is so messed up, they now told me that my shoes are probably in the mail somewhere and may ectually get here next week, but they don't know for sure...LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.
So, being nice, the gal refunded my shipping on the first pair. She then said, since I have trouble with getting the right size, sometimes I take a 45, sometimes a 46, she said she would also send me a pair in the 45's which they still have in stock, with next day shipping, and wave the shipping charges.
That way, if I get either one, I can try them on, and if either one doesn't fit, then I can just return them at the local Performance Bike store for a refund.
At least, the gal is trying to help.

But, what still burns me up is that no one can give an any idea as to what happened to my first order. This is nuts.

I am trying to calm down. My problem is that I don't have any shoes and a bike in the garage waiting to be ridden. AAAUUUGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!

Kind of like having an itchy trigger finger.

Lord, please grant me some serenity. And feed me some good beer!!!

Patriot

I know it's after the fact, but I've had nothing but excellent service from excelsports.com and coloradocyclist.com ... maybe give them a whirl next time.

All I can say is that they seem to be making an attempt ro redeem themselves....only time will tell. Once I get bad service, it will take alot of kissing up to get my future business.

When and if the shoes ever arrive, I will think about it.

Patriot

Dude...why don't you just find a pair of shoes at your LBS. You can find some good deals there if you look around. Calm down with the Performance bike thing, just cancel the order and have the money refunded. These things happen, people are not perfect, no need to stress yourself out over somthing you cannot control. I have ordered many things online, somtimes they come fast and other times I have to wait. Whatever you do don't loose time you could be riding over a stupid shipment, if it is somthing you need right away you should have just gone to your LBS.

I know, I know, you're preaching to the choir. I just got an exceptional deal on the shoes, much better than the LBS could ever offer, and was really hoping Performance bike would come through for me, but I gues I was wrong. I am willing to wait til next week to see what finally arrives. So, I will not to bent out of shape. I am finally calming down.

Patriot

If the item is not in stock, just cancel the order and shop somewhere else. No need to whine about it with seven posts in one day. If these shoes are so important to your cycling enjoyment, just go down to your LBS and buy a pair. You can ride them home. Think of the extra cost as 'Instant Delivery'.

No retailer is perfect. Life's too short to get upset over a pair of shoes.

I know, I know, you're preaching to the choir. I just got an exceptional deal on the shoes, much better than the LBS could ever offer, and was really hoping Performance bike would come through for me, but I gues I was wrong. I am willing to wait til next week to see what finally arrives. So, I will not to bent out of shape. I am finally calming down.

Patriot



Sir, Step back away from the ledge! Everything will be ok.


Seriously, I don't know from experience with performancebike.com but sounds like you didn't save much at all, considering all the frustration and time spent on the phone. I am sure your time is worth more. Makes more sense to buy/support the local guy than to try and save 20-30 bucks and then get the run around, but then you couldn't have foreseen this problem. But now, we know.

Patroit; yeah they suck.Order was in on the 2nd and was suppose to be 7 to ten days. On the 17 of this month I called asking what's up and they said sorry we have been busy and it looks like your order will be another couple weeks. Guess what? it arrived that day! Looks like they are culeless!

I will not be using them again.

I spoke to customer service today wish I had not bothered, it was an effort to remain polite

VeganRider, you hit the nail on the head, that is what is soooo frustrating, the fact that even they are clueless. LOL

Inrespone to supcom, I got frustrated because it "was in stock" when I placed my order, and they put my order aside, and let it sit until it wasn't in stock and made the excuse that it was out of stock and discontinued.

but like I said, I am going to be patient now and wait til next week. I will give them another chance.

I would have loved to spend $80 at the LBS for a pair of shoes when I got the same ones for $40 at Performance. I shop at the LBS alot, but figured I would give Performance a shot. Oh well.

Patriot

Maybe I've been lucky, but I've had really good service at their retail locations, & first order in 2 days like they promised. But, if I had to weigh losing a week or 2 of riding cause nobody know's where my order's at, I would beg, borrow or .. ok, not steal, some shoes somewhere.

I would also not stop short of talking to a supervisor; for all your trouble, it should be worth it to them to just "give" you the shoes. That's just a cost of doing business & doing it right.

In my opinion, Performance knows what's up with your order. They may not provide the information to the customer service call center or the call center may be instructed to be vague so you don't cancel your order. I suspect they are being vague on purpose.

For telephone and mail orders, a retailer must either ship the product within 30 days or notify you when they believe they can ship the order once they determine they cannot ship within the 30 day period. It may be that Performance does not want to tell you that the order will not ship immediately so long as they believe they can ship before 30 days is up. It may be poor service, but would be legal (so long as they do not lie to you), as I understand the FTCs mail order regulations.

However, I don't believe these protections apply (yet) to internet orders since they are neither telephone nor mail orders. A minor, but significant distinction. It wasn't until the mid 90's that telephone orders were given the same protections as mail orders, so don't hold your breath waitng for the FTC to include internet commerce.

If a large operation like Performance gave me the run around, I would simply cancel the order and go shopping elsewhere. I've found myself having to deal with inept customer service too many times in the past and have no time for companies that are not candid and competent. It's not worth my time and they are not worth my money.

Patriot, you certainly are entitled to be upset. But I can't understand why you let Performance continue to string you along. You must really want these shoes and I hope it all works out for you.

I love Performance. Never had a problem. Order on the web all the time.

Now: what does this have to do with Road Cycling? Shouldn't this be in one of the other sub-forums? Moderator?

I once waited 6 weeks for an out of stock item. Yet just last week I ordered 300 bucks worth of stuff and got it 2 days later. With Performance I've learned to only order items that are IN stock. BTW, their Customer Service department could learn a thing or two from other companies like Branford Bike or Air Bomb...EXCELLENT customer service! Perhaps Performance is just overwhelmed by their own success.

I love Performance. Never had a problem. Order on the web all the time.
Same here.

I work in a bike shop, basically for fun because my business is not an 8-5 Monday/Friday deal. I LOVE dealing with internet troll shoppers...people who come into the shop to get free advice so they can go to Performance or Nashbar and buy an item that they could not select without our advice. You can smell them a mile away. "Well, when you are ready to make a purchase with us, we can fit you or give you the advice you seek."
If someone wants something, say shoes, and we may not have their size in right then, we will order the correct size and we do not charge the customer for the shipping. Unless they are not local (we are pretty well known and have customers from other areas come to us) and then we would charge to ship directly to them. But if you need size 45 Genius 4's, and we do not have them in stock, we'll order them and it usually takes less than a week.
Guy comes into the shop and bought a pair of Sidi's via the net but they hurt his feet. He needed a Mega size..I asked him if he had bought the shoes at our store...nope, internet...and paid the same price we charged PLUS $25 for overnight shipping. LOL
What we dearly love are the folks that bring Nashbar or Performance goods into OUR store to return. "Please help me..."
Because we can order what a customer wants and get it quickly, we have broken many of the internet habit...especially since very few are astute enough to be able to pick the correct item...but it is funny to watch. One major wrong purchase and they are broken of the habit forever.

I work in a bike shop, basically for fun because my business is not an 8-5 Monday/Friday deal. I LOVE dealing with internet troll shoppers...people who come into the shop to get free advice so they can go to Performance or Nashbar and buy an item that they could not select without our advice. You can smell them a mile away. "Well, when you are ready to make a purchase with us, we can fit you or give you the advice you seek."
If someone wants something, say shoes, and we may not have their size in right then, we will order the correct size and we do not charge the customer for the shipping. Unless they are not local (we are pretty well known and have customers from other areas come to us) and then we would charge to ship directly to them. But if you need size 45 Genius 4's, and we do not have them in stock, we'll order them and it usually takes less than a week.
Guy comes into the shop and bought a pair of Sidi's via the net but they hurt his feet. He needed a Mega size..I asked him if he had bought the shoes at our store...nope, internet...and paid the same price we charged PLUS $25 for overnight shipping. LOL
What we dearly love are the folks that bring Nashbar or Performance goods into OUR store to return. "Please help me..."
Because we can order what a customer wants and get it quickly, we have broken many of the internet habit...especially since very few are astute enough to be able to pick the correct item...but it is funny to watch. One major wrong purchase and they are broken of the habit forever.

I agree with some of what you say. My LBS shop (has a good reputation) gives fairly mediocre advice, has a fairly limited inventory (relative to online retailers), is inclined to "recommend" whatever is in their inventory and is expensive as hell. I do much better researching purchases on my own by using the internet and the advice of friends who are serious riders. Certain things like shoes though, I will buy at the LBS becuase I want to try them on. I think it's only fair that if you use their retail location, try on gear there, and get their advice that you buy that item there.

I'd say the same thing with other internet purchases such as the digital camera I just bought. There is significantly more information available online to help you make an intelligent purchase than you will ever get at a camera shop, and much of that information is not biased. Therefore I bought my camera online and saved about $100, without ever stepping into a camera shop. My mother is buying a digital camera, has visited a local camera shop several times to try the camera and get advice, and I advised her to buy the camera at that local store.

But I agree with you - I am not a proponent of "using" the LBS for fitting and advice to then turn around and buy online. Just my opinion.

I think you are kind of getting the wrong idea here. I do almost all of my shopping at the LBS. The shoes I wanted they had, but they are going out inventory, and they didn't have my size, nor could they get them, plus theirs were $80, which isn't a bad price, but since I got them for half that at Performance, I thought I would give it a try. The saddle I ordered from Performance is the same situation. I found it at the LBS on a bike off the shelf, that he didn't sell seperately, and he wouldn't give the saddle because he said, "It comes with the bike". Kind of stupid I thought. but whatever. So, I went online and found the same saddle at Performance.
I like the guy at the LBS, and he usually gives me good service and provides me with everything I need, but on this ocassion, he didn't. Hence, I went elsewhere for these specific items.
I don't like troll shopping either, but I am not made of money, like some people. I always look for the best buy. Usually, the LBS gives me some pretty good deals, maybe not the "BEST" deal, but the added service really makes up for it.
Trust me, I have learned only by this instance, not to deal with Performance anymore, but I am sure many other online companies are very good. Sometimes I just have to buy online, because the LBS won't get me what I want. Usually because he only sells certain brands of items etc.
All I can say is, I still love stopping by the LBS on my way to town and seeing his new stock, and doing a little shopping. Don't worry, with my love of spending, he won't be going out of business anytime soon.

Patriot

I've had one order with Performance, and they "backordered" stock that their website said was available. My order came in two shipments at no additional charge. With an order# I could track the routing and delivery of the order right until it arrived. (fed-ex tracking).

My only complaint is that the website remained inaccurate, even as my order was being backordered.

I'm kind of wondering if anything is really "backordered" or is it "just in time" inventory management?

I've used Performance for a couple of years and have never had a problem.

I've bought over $4k worth of components and clothing etc this year - not one problem.

Called again this afternoon, and I finally got an answer.

Now, they say that they no longer have the size that I ordered two weeks ago. The problem is that they had plenty of my size when I placed my order, and that is was going to get shipped.

But, they put everyone else ahead of me because I chose regular shipping instead of Next Day shipping, that I wasn't as important, and so they blew me off for two weeks with nothing but excuses, and now they said they would refund my shipping, but with no explanation for their unethical work practices.

What a crock!!!! I hope this disgusting company goes out of business tomorrow. I am going to shop Nashbar, or my LBS from now on. At least there I can get some service. If you are from Performance bike. I want you to know, that you are far from "Performance".

Whoever is in charge of that business, should be thrown out intheir duff. If they go out of business, I won't wonder why.

Patriot

Yes...it's all part of the intergalactic conspiracy to p*ss you off and deny you happiness in this life. :rolleyes:

Seriously, just write it off as "one of those things". As others have pointed out, your experience is the exception. Sometimes, however, they're not perfect and an order gets screwed up. That hardly makes them a "disgusting company" or "unethical", however. Take a deep breath, and deal with it...

BTW - if you're planning on ordering from Nashbar, you might want to know that the same company owns both Performance and Nashbar.

I know Nashbar and performance is sort of one in the same, but nashbar has a reputation for excellent service.

Patriot

Don't worry, all steam has been vented and I am no longer pounding my fist on the floor whilst having a tantrum like 2yo. Like I said, I will give them a chance.

I think you are kind of getting the wrong idea here. I do almost all of my shopping at the LBS. The shoes I wanted they had, but they are going out inventory, and they didn't have my size, nor could they get them, plus theirs were $80, which isn't a bad price, but since I got them for half that at Performance, I thought I would give it a try. The saddle I ordered from Performance is the same situation. I found it at the LBS on a bike off the shelf, that he didn't sell seperately, and he wouldn't give the saddle because he said, "It comes with the bike". Kind of stupid I thought. but whatever. So, I went online and found the same saddle at Performance.
I like the guy at the LBS, and he usually gives me good service and provides me with everything I need, but on this ocassion, he didn't. Hence, I went elsewhere for these specific items.
I don't like troll shopping either, but I am not made of money, like some people. I always look for the best buy. Usually, the LBS gives me some pretty good deals, maybe not the "BEST" deal, but the added service really makes up for it.
Trust me, I have learned only by this instance, not to deal with Performance anymore, but I am sure many other online companies are very good. Sometimes I just have to buy online, because the LBS won't get me what I want. Usually because he only sells certain brands of items etc.
All I can say is, I still love stopping by the LBS on my way to town and seeing his new stock, and doing a little shopping. Don't worry, with my love of spending, he won't be going out of business anytime soon.

Patriot

Your bike shop should have access to companies like Quality Bike and should be able to order the correct part for you without any trouble. Unless they are too lazy to help, then you ought to do what you need to, to get what you need. All they need to do is pick up the phone. If that seat was a mfg seat, they can call Giant, or whomever and get one. If it was a Sella, or a Fizik, they can get them no sweat. Now if you want it that very minute and it comes with the bike (nice bikes are spec'd for certain seats, like Six13's are spec'd for Fizik Arione's, so you can't sell the bike without it) can't help. But if you can wait five or six days, no sweat. We have seats we use for fittings and have loaned them to a person who needed one short term who is buying one until the new one comes in.
BTW...I get all the catalogs and there are many things in there that are not good deals...in our shop, our Look pedal prices are cheaper than Performance. Shoe prices are identical.
The saddest stories are the ones where there is a warranty problem and they come to us for help...then you want to have a relationship. Via the net, it's cold at best...

If your bike shop is too small to be able to stock much, that's too bad. But if they want your business, they CAN order anything.

He can get anything....we don't sell Carnac shoes, but ordered a pair for a guy who bought a Serotta and wanted Carnac's. It's not a problem.