bruce19

I decided to do a re-build with my Guru Sidero. I have a mix of SRAM Red and Rival and I was thinking of going to all Campy Chorus. So, an email from Chain Reaction shows up in my mail box. Great sales on Campy components. A day later I get another email saying this sale is only good for 48 hrs. So, I attempt to order Chorus shifters and derailleurs. Nothing they advertise is in stock. So, I emailed customer service and told them what I want and asked if they will honor the sale price when the gear is back in stock. I then got an immediate email from Chain Reaction saying they will answer my questions asap. I'm now on day 4 with no response. For those of you who know, is this the way Chain Reaction does business?

Larry77

I've used ChainReactionCycles quite a bit and haven't had any trouble, although I've never asked them questions like that. I have returned items without complications and have been satisfied with their shipping times.

Lately my favorite company to order from has been Backcountry because they have free 2 day shipping and very good prices.

caloso

I have also had very good results from Chain Reaction, but like Larry77 I've never had to ask them questions like that. Just order stuff, at a really good price, and it shows up shockingly quick.

mcours2006

Ordered many times from CRC and am quite happy with their service, but like others, haven't had to deal with that specific issue. I did pose a question to them one time regarding a product and they responded quickly on their website.

I stopped using them lately because the last couple of orders had been hit with duties and fees. Probably not their fault tho.

bruce19

I had the same issue with gear I ordered from Assos Discount out of Great Britain. I found out it's all about what your country uses as a guide to assess a duty tax. FWIW, I contacted Assos and they said they couldn't pay the tax for me but offered to give me a voucher for more Assos gear. I thanked them but declined. Told them that they didn't create the problem and I didn't think they should bear the responsibility.

mcours2006

Lately Ribble has been good for me. I don't suppose the UK retailers do some sort of price matching with the products.

Frank72

I have bought a number of items from Chain Reaction with no problems. Great prices. My last order was from Wiggle also no problems.

Cyclist0108

Completely positive purchasing experiences. Talked to them a bit at Sea Otter and they were very nice.

noodle soup

same here.

jch3n

Ironically, I just had a couple somewhat negative experiences with Chain Reaction this past week:

1. A promo code they emailed me did not work when trying to check out. I had to contact them (which took an extra day due to time zone difference) and they replied that I should just place the order, provide the order number, and they would refund me the amount of the promo, which they did.

2. I had ordered a Shimano Ultegra groupset the week prior. It showed up without the shifters in the box. Had to contact them again, and provide pictures of the package and contents, but they shipped out the missing shifters today.

I'm not necessarily put off from ordering from them again. Communication was good in both these instances, and their prices are great, plus they ship super quick.

TedC

I've actually been pretty impressed with CRC - though I have not had to contact them. I had an order in with PBK for some new wheels and tires, then a few days later the tires were cancelled as they were out of stock. I went on CRC, ordered the tires, and they have come in before the PBK order has!

I'm impressed that for the extra $5 I can get items in 2 days from CRC, and shipped from the UK. Wiggle and PBK have been nowhere close.

AlmostTrick

Orders took too long to show up. Vowed to not use 'em again.

rpenmanparker 

Um, telephone?

noodle soup

Really?

My experience has been the opposite every time I've ordered from them. Depending on the time of day when I place my orders, it's 3-4 business days max for shipping to Arizona. Only Jenson is faster to Arizona.

indiglow

Just had a set of Zondas show up from them, quick and can't beat their prices. Before ordering, I used their chat function to ask if the wheelset would qualify for their (very cheap) return shipping option, maybe try that to get in touch with them?

cyclozone

So far, CRC's customer service has replied to me the next working day, so no problems there.

I recently ordered a 6800 groupset from them. I waited 2 weeks but the tracking number given to me still didn't work, so I contacted them, and after a little digging around, they concluded that the package had been lost en route to the shipping dispatch centre (or maybe did not even leave the warehouse). So they sent another one 2 or 3 working days later. It arrived but I was missing a rear brake. I took pictures of the components that were in the box, and they readily sent me the rear brake.

So my personal experience with them seems to indicate that their customer service is good, but their logistics side tends to have a few lapses. Perhaps that's related to their relatively recent merger with Wiggle.

Bike Gremlin

CRC made the same offer for me - after my purchase had been heavily taxed.
Fast shipping, great communication - good service.

@OP
Discount prices are usually made to clear the stocks. Why would you expect anyone to give you a discount once the stocks are already cleared and the product is no longer available? Before they re-stock the product, they can't be certain what their purchase price will be, so it's hard to answer your questions before they confirm the price from their suppliers. Be patient.

znomit

CRC got bought out by wiggle least year. Personally I find all those shops pretty similar service wise.

garciawork

CRC and merlin have been great, heck, even the now defunct Shinybikes never gave me problems (despite others getting screwed over by them). I typically only order overseas if its a few groupset parts, and I will add them to cart or make a spreadsheet for wiggle, ribble, CRC, and merlin, because they all seem to have slightly different prices. Sometimes, ordering half from one and half from another will save a few bucks. If I had the money, I'd buy it all stateside, and pay extra, but I don't at the moment and I have to feed the habit!

Dark Arrow

Good experiences here in Australia. Ordered from Chain Reaction twice with both orders showing up in around a week. Much quicker than local online retailers here.

Bear

Fox Farm

I use them here in Europe. Any delays in delivery is usually a function of the country and import offices and not CRC. I live in Czech Republic and it simply takes things longer to clear import offices, even though I pay VAT at purchase. I do miss 2 day shipping from when I lived in the States.

ColonelSanders

When I have used them, their delivery time has always been very good, but in the last year or so, their range is really narrowing.


So now if I want a bike lock, or bike light or rear rack or trunk bag, I don't even bother to check Chain Reaction any more.

bruce19

Update: I sent a second email asking for assistance. I noted that I had sent a previous email and had not heard after 5 days. In my first email I listed my questions and even included cites for the CR pages that showed what I wanted. Two days later I finally got a response from "Connor." (It has now been a week since my first attempt). Connor now asks what questions I have and how he can help. I responded with a chronology of my attempts to contact CR. I also told them that, in the absence of any response, I had made my purchase elsewhere. I'm not impressed.

Joeyseven

No problem with CRC.Two orders last year and three so far this year.
But I never tired to contact their CS.I can understand you going elsewhere for your future purchase though.

Only online UK bike retailer I had problems with was Ribble.Just some tires and tubes they never sent them until
I filed A claim with my CC.It was something like 3 months until I finally got my merchandise.And no customer service.
But my first order from Ribble was received in like 3 or 4 days.

Here is Official UK online retailer thread
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...er-thread.html

macca33

Multiple CRC / Wiggle / Evans, etc purchaser and have NEVER had an issue - their prices are (collectively) fantastic and delivery times to us here of around 7-10 days is very good.

cheers