Alternatives to Niagara Cycle
 

Ok, 5 days of trying to contact them via e-mail and phone and nothing. Charged my CC immediately, order still shows "processing" 6 days later. Enough.

Any other place with similar pricing where one can get all the sundries?

Niagara is very slow processing. I've complained before and they get pissy about it. But you will eventually get your order.

They've always responded to me promptly when using the contact form on their website. As for the "processing" status, their website is fairly useless for tracking your order, I have past orders in my account that I received months ago that still show as in processing.

Niagara requires patience more so than other vendors, I've learned to deal with it, their prices are as good as it gets...

Yeah, I could tell you stories about Niagara, but I guess I won't go there. If you've already placed your order, relax. It will come sooner or later. Even if you could contact them, you might well find the information they give you is useless. They mean well (I think).

As for an alternative, well, you can try bikepartsusa.com, but I've found them at least as bad. We chose these places for their prices, not their customer service.

This is the way they work. It's frustrating, but they do work. You will get your stuff. The status won't change from Processing until after you get your stuff.

I order from them, but I've done it through the Amazon site and the prices are the same, shipping costs are the same, and I've had NO delay in getting things. I suppose I'm giving Amazon a chance to track what I'm buying, but I choose to ignore all of that.

+1, don't pay any attention to the website status. I ordered some stuff from them last week, I forgot one thing and emailed them about adding it and got a prompt response. My orders have been anywhere from 1-2 weeks depending on how much I am buying. There has been speculation that they may not have everything at one location, meaning that they may be waiting on part of your order to show up. I have never had a problem not getting part of my order.

+10 If you are in a hurry, don't use Niagara. They are best suited for either replenishing stock, or for a project in the future. It usually takes two to three weeks for me to get an order from them. I just dial that into my expectations.

I place an order with them every two months or so, just placed one last night.

They finally responded to my web form request...the order "should" ship tomorrow, 7 days after the order was placed and 5 days after my CC was charged. UPS ground would put it here Friday maybe. Like I indicated in my e-mails to them...I simply want to know what to expect...the pricing gains them some leeway in expediency. Still, if you're going to publish an "internet order line" and trumpet your "...state of the art helpdesk system with customer service waiting to take your emails." then at least respond to it in a timely manner.

I suppose now that I know their modus operandi I'll try again at some point.

Interesting idea, maybe I'll try that next time....is the full catalog available through Amazon?

I emailed them Friday night about an order that shown Processing for 2 days after I placed the order, and they replied me on Saturday saying one item was not instock and it will be ship out today. So far I have not had any problem with them, but I think they need better communication with their customers.

Yeah, I'm not looking for miracles...I simply would like a timely response. That's all. The rest I can deal with if I know what to expect.

Thanks all.

You have dealth with the frustration of Niagara Cycle. You are now a true C&Ver.

Contgratulations; your secret decoder ring is in the mail. Or at least processing. ;)

Gee THANKS, you nearly made me fall out on my effing chair in a room with about 10 people in it!!! :D

I just placed an order from Niagara myself. I ordered last Monday, was charged by Tuesday, and it still shows as processing.

Do they send out tracking numbers or do you just cross your fingers that it shows up?

Can't beat the prices for working on flippers though.

I've had good experience (although not quite as dirt cheap prices) at aebike.com and ebikestop.com

in my experience both have good customer service...Niagara is a great example of getting what you pay for

I've had better luck getting stuff from Niagara when I order it from Amazon. It might be lucky, but try it.

Amazon is good for many things. And if the seller gives you trouble, Amazon will exert leverage on them on your behalf. I was dissatisfied with an item I bought through Amazon from another vendor. I tried to contact the seller through the proper Amazon channels and got nowhere. Amazon refunded the money to me. I still have not received an RMA or even a request to return the merchandise. Soon, I'm going to unwrap it and start using it. It's a good product if the price is $0.

I've also used ebikestop.com and often find their prices lower than other internet retailers on most items I purchase. While in general I've been happy with their service (timely shipping and accurate shipments) I've had two negative experiences: 1) a floor pump was packaged unsecured in a large box and ended up poking a hole through a side of the box, and 2) they sent a 'replacement' FD for the one listed in their online catalog and refused to give me a refund.

I continue to shop there, however, because of the prices and large catalog.

Good to dream, but no. Just expect mediocre service, as it is likely what you will get. Expect your credit card to be billed immediately, and the order to be shipped a week or two later. Expect your emails to go unanswered.

Every order I have placed has shown up. I can't recall getting an order in less than two weeks, often it is more like three weeks. And usually their packing is mediocre, but the items have always arrived undamaged. I have ordered about a dozen times from Niagara in the last two years.

If you want good timely communications and speed, look elsewhere. As far as ordering through Amazon, I think you will lose access to their clearance area, which is where the super deals can be found and where I buy about half of my Niagara items. Headsets for $3, rim tape (the rubber ones) for 30 cents each, tires for $5, chainring bolt sets for $3, etc..

Don't expect Niagara to be a professional, well run, on-line parts source. They just aren't there. But if you are looking for some good to very good deals, then they are a good place to buy from IMHO.

There have been enough threads on Niagara's lack of service and long shipping times, so it should not be a surprise that their service s*u*c*k*s.

I accept their mediocre service as part of the cost of getting some really good deals.

I guess there really is no free lunch. Great deals, but lousy service, you decide. Since I am buying for flips, and managing parts spending is critical to making the numbers work, I accept their poor service.

That's a fair assessment, Bill.

I buy a lot of miscellaneous parts from either biketoolsetc.com or loosescrews.com. They're both easy to communicate with, and ship quickly.

Harris has charged me $8.50 for shipping every time. And they ship with lightning speed. Of course, their selection isn't tremendous.

I am gonna try making a list of what I want from their website and then make the 16 mile ride to their store and see if I can get it. I dont think I will be able to though, because the store itself is pretty barren. I havent went since last year but they were always closed and there was a sign on the door that said the owner was sick, but it reopened again in August. Its hard to tell whats going on with that place...

BTW this site has some pretty good bargains as well, I got my CR-18 rims for 26 bucks a piece here:
http://aebike.com/index.cfm

I had a couple good experiences with them, but once they sent me an Acera V-Brake instead of a Sora, I E-mailed them, and they sent me the Sora pronto. And I got to keep the V-brake.

Alfred E Bike is local to me and I can assure you they are just as nice and helpful in the store, too. And the owner has some great original European bike posters on the wall that are just awesome.

Once in awhile, I have an order that takes 2-3 days longer than normal, but I am very satisfied with them !