Peek the Geek

What's the deal with bike companies who post an e-mail address on their Customer Service/Contact/Support page if they never answer the e-mails they receive?

In the past, I've sent e-mails asking specific, technical product questions to several bike and component manufacturers. Far too often I don't receive any kind of response.

So what's the point of even putting their e-mail address on their site?


On the other hand, I have had great experiences with correspondence with some companies. Pearl Izumi and Gunnar Bikes are two that come to mind immediately. I've developed a sense of brand loyalty to them simply because they've answered e-mails quickly, politely, and completely. Why can't some of these other companies understand just how important customer service can be?


Just had to rant. Thanks.

Maelstrom 

I suffer with this a lot and hate it. I agree completely

But I what I likely hate more is the companies who took the time to create an auto answer program with generic "we will help you asap" blah blah but then don't ever email you back.

In fact this post just reminded me I haven't received an email confirmation on a frame purchase. I need to make a phone call

LowCel 

I sent Fox a question about my F100x on 4/7. I received a reply today (4/19). I'm glad it wasn't anything too urgent.

Maelstrom 

Ironically fox is the one company I hate dealing with as far as inquiries go. I sent them three questions 2 years ago and never got responses. I resent the questions last year and never got responses. I vehemently refuse to buy fox (at least forks) products based on their horrible non customer support.

LowCel 

I have always received a reply from them (within a couple of weeks). I can't say the same for Marzocchi. I have sent them many unanswered e-mails.

Still yet, two weeks is about 13 days too long in my opinion.

Just to keep this from being a bashing thread I would like to mention that my favorite companies as far as customer service and returning calls / e-mails have been Hugi (DT Swiss), White Brothers, and topeak. FSA has been on the ball as well as Thomson and Crank Brothers. Magura has always gotten back to me within a day or two.

Peek the Geek

Definitely not speedy, but at least they answered at some point. Did they do a good job of addressing your question? I've had questions sent to companies like Race Face, WTB and Ritchey that have gone completely ignored. Sure, they're big companies that probably get a lot of e-mails, but so is Pearl Izumi, and PI responded to a couple of e-mails WITHIN THE HOUR when I had a warranty replacement concern last season.

In the case of Gunnar, they've even got a forum on their web site on which almost every thread contains a response from a Gunnar employee. No, there aren't tons of threads popping up daily, but it shows they care about their customers.

Maelstrom 

I foudn Yeti to be exceptional. I didn't go with their product but they responded and were able to answer all of my questions.

LowCel 

Yes, they did a good job of answering the question, they always have. However I had already solved the problem a week before they responded.

dminor 

From my dealings with Yeti, I learned that - quite often - the e-mails that you send them actually end up going straight to Chris Conroy's (Yeti's president's) workstation. The email may be aliased, but Chris gets 'em anyway. Yeti's front office is very small and very personal. Chris is absolutely an A-1 individual to deal with.

As far as other companies, checking/answering/acknowledging customer inquiry e-mail is often the realm of the lowest person on the company food-chain. There is a lot of employee turnover at that level and/or not always a great deal of competence or conscientiousness. That is unfortunate, as answering queries is a vital PR function, yet does not often get treated that way. I think a lot of companies view it as a nuisance and would rather you asked through your LBS so that they only had to deal directly with dealers or wholesale suppliers.

DoYlE_RiD3r

I agree I was sending email to kona for some specification about the Kona Scrap, They never answered me ... I sent about 5 email in about 3 monts so I just said "F**K Kona" even if they build good bikes I just went crazy My family and I we were about to buy 5 bikes from them... 2 Scrap, Stuff and 2 king kikapu

never

^ That's odd because Kona has always gotten back to me fairly quickly....usually within a day or two. I actually just sent them an email this past Saturday and I had my response on Monday.

Maelstrom 

Kona is one of those companies that is country and region specific. Kona in canada is awesome for responses but I found through speaking with others support is lacking in the states at times (depending on location)

Marzocchi is awesome in the states, but because they go through Norco here they more or less suck. With the new Marz tech centre things look to improve though.

Gorsar

This won't be popular in the land of Trek bashers, but.. My wife just bought a Trek 1000 road bike (used, it was a great deal) and I needed to know the proper sizing of the steertube and bars (I genuinely know NOTHING about road bikes!). I sent it thru their webpage at 1:15pm yesterday, their response came in at 2:06pm the same day. Not only was it quick but gave me exactly the information I needed with no e-mail ping pong necessary. I was impressed.

Peek the Geek

So back to the main point of my post... Why then do they post their e-mail addresses if they don't want to deal directly with the consumer?

dminor 

Oh yeah, the original question. And here I thought it was just rhetorical Well the answer, of course, is the webmaster they hired told them that "all the companies are doing it," and that if they wanted to have a good interactive website, they needed to do it too.

Besides, I privately think they ignore the sincere ones and cull out the really illiterate, stupid questions and comments to put up on the overhead for a laugh at the weekly staff meeting

DK Drop

I sent an email off to Naz @ Marzocchi Canada, and he got back to me within 24 hours, an amazing company all around.

never

Mael, you're definitely right about Kona Canada...I sent them a follow up email today at 4:16pm and had a response by 5:22pm.

But I think dminor hit it on the head...and the key is having someone committed to providing responses on a regular basis. Not just getting around to the emails "when they have the chance".

Siu Blue Wind

So they can sort through the crap. If they have a direct phone line, customers can go on and on. With email, it can be quick and short.

Sir Lunch-a-lot

You know what I think? Perhaps part of the problem may be spam filtering software/methods. If these companies are posting their e-mails up on the web, the addys are bound to be harvested by spiders and the like, and used by the kind folks who send us our ever needed genetalia enhancment advertisments and other such spam. I know I've recieved stuff in hotmail where I had to look to my junkbox to find because it thought it was spam (and no, it wasn't porn related or anything of the like). So, I guess it all depends. Perhaps if you have no luck getting a response from a company, try rethinking the e-mails header/description so that neither spam filtering software or the personelle sifting through the e-mails think it's junk mail. Also, I think the contents of the message matter as well. Spell checking and writing in whole english can also help. (Not everyone can read web slang. Although, judging by what is written here, I doubt that is a problem with any of you.) I tend to write mine in business letter type tone (with the "dear sir or madam", and the "thanks for your time", stuff) minus all the placement of dates and adresses since the computer takes care of that.

When I have had to get in contact with a company (Barnes & Nobel, Regarding books), I gave my order number in the header as well as a concise description as to what the email was about. I suppose giving a model number in the header as well may help, depending on the situation. Something along this lines may help it get answered. Maybe. I won't make any promises. Having not been in the e-mail answering business for any major companies, I can't tell you any of this 100% for sure. Having screwed around with computers a lot for the better part of six years, I can say that this is a good, but not sure, bet.

Anyway, I hope that maybe helps some of you. "Remember, I'm pulling for you... we're all in this together" (to quote the master of duct tape)

Peek the Geek

Are you saying my unanswered e-mails were crap?

Heck, I'd settle for quick and short---better than no contact at all. (Which is a GREAT pickup line, by the way.)

Eaton Paintchip

I'm a regional manager of a restaurant chain . When we go through the comment cards , the serious ones are handled with great interest ,the Fluff gets tossed , But the really screwed up ones go into my golf bag . Once a month , after spanking whitey(AKA golfing) with my colleagues from the home office , we read them while enjoying the 19th hole . It's always a good laugh .BTW- How did you know that's what we do ?

mtnbiker66

Hope you don't have to send anything to them. Girlscout13's fork was gone for 1 month. I hope it's fixed.Looks like they put a whole new rebound side in it.It took them 2 weeks to get back to me and then all this time to fix the fork. When i buy another fork I don't think it'll be a Fox.

LowCel 

When / if I have to send mine in for maintenance I won't be sending it to Fox. I plan on having it Pushed.

Breitling

Jamis always has gotten back to me within a few days. I've emailed Answer for stuff about my fork, and they take about a week. I've never had to wait more than that for a response

Maelstrom 

Brilliant. I should have thought of that. Being an IT manager I deal with "smart" Spam filters daily. Let me tell you they aren't to smart. Good call I would be willing to be this affects at least a small percentage of emails.