theramon

I actually saw this deal elsewhere, and I jumped on it. I ordered a white set of Back Rollers on Jan. 11.

So far, nothing but a Backordered message and a couple of uninformed customer service reps. They said that cannot tell me when or even if they will ever arrive.
I thought maybe it was the color, so I asked if I could swap colors. They put me on hold and said I could do that, but the new cost would be $115. I said I'd wait and see.

Now I'm halfway thinking about buying them at full price at REI. Why? Because I've heard that REI will stand behind them years into the future. That and the member dividend brings the cost down a bit. Has anyone had any experience with this?
I guess I'm wondering if the extra cash is worth it.

On a side note, one of my local REIs is having a garage sale next weekend. Does anyone know what kinds of things they sell at these events?

Thanks in advance.

runningscared80

I also have received two backordered emails. I am a member at REI. I have decided to give it 90 days. I understand that this is an insanely long amount of time, but the deal is insanely good. I have heard other people say that their customer service reps they spoke to said they would be back in stock 02/08/2011 so who knows.

I think if you give it enough time the deal will pull through.

As for the scratch and dent sales. They are awesome. The bike stuff is usually really good because not as many people rush to the bike section. I have got lots of really good stuff for super cheap. About 7 different makes and models of saddles for 3 bucks each, a joe blow floor pump for 15, and a VDO Z1 bike computer 179 new for 6 bucks. Deals to be had for sure.

electrik

Ortlieb warranties their own products... if something breaks you can always deal with them.

531phile 

Why would you do that? When you get your panniers from Bestbuy assuming that they will ship them to you, you can't return them for money. Their policy for online orders suck. You can only exchange it for credit.

waynesworld

I'm going to wait for mine, as I posted in the other thread.

As a side note, threads like this remind me how much I wish we had an REI in or near Columbus. I think the closest one is in Pittsburgh, PA. I've bought several things from them online, and would probably live there if we had a local one.

electrik

Half off is why.

theramon

Exactly. That's the root of my dilemma.

Here's where I stand right now. $88 is still not cheap for bags in my book. Recently I've been upgrading all my commuting gear and shelling out some decent cash. So in the long run, this discount on its own isn't going to make a huge difference.

So I've decided to go with REI, unless I receive an email from Best Buy before I head to the store (then I don't want to deal with returns/exchanges). Maybe it's insane, but I spoke with someone at REI, and they said I could bring the bags back to the store anytime if I have a problem - that's a pretty good assurance for something that is not cheap. There's no way Best Buy can compete with that, short of selling them for $50.

theramon

Did you order the white pair? One customer service hinted that if the product has been taken off the website, then they will no longer be able to receive them. That's what made me decided to look elsewhere. I checked their website, and the only ones are the Black/Yellow (with the wrong picture). And pretty much everyone who said they received them ordered black from what I've read.

So unfortunately I'm not overly optimistic about receiving them at all. 90 days may change everything - but do make sure you call every 30 or they will cancel your order for you; at least that's what they told me.

theramon

Good luck on the wait. And not to make you overly jealous, but we have 4 REIs in our neck of the woods (New England).

TRANS4M

I returned my bags to REI a few months ago with no questions asked. I have to admit that the return policy at REI is second to none. I returned my back rollers b/c at the time they did not fit on my new bike with the current rack.

Now that I have a different bike and a different rack, I ordered the bags from BB. hopefully they come in on 2/8.

SlimAgainSoon

These are outstanding panniers. They should last for years.

In time, the half-off or not half-off will be forgotten, and you'll just remember the many miles of hauling goodies secure and dry.

So, half off is good, but I wouldn't agonize over it.

REI, of course, is one of the best. I always use them when I can via online and wish they had a store nearby (closest one is ... 200+ miles ).

electrik

On what grounds are they competing, a theoretical problem? It certainly isn't the price.