Jed19

Is this outfit for real? I ordered the "Badger Special" on September 10, 2009 after confirming by telephone that the "special" is a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. My account was charged the same day. I was told they plan on shipping to me in three to four days. It did not happen. I called again, but I had no confidence in what I was being told regarding shipping date.

I cancelled the order on September 24, 2009. I received an e-mail from them that same day saying my order has been declined. Whatever that means, I don't know. Getting my money back from these people has been a dogfight. I ordered the same trainer from Bicycleoutfittersindy.com on Sept. 24, they shipped same date, and I got it yesterday. It was a little bit cheaper too!

My questions are these:

If they do not have the item in stock, why charge my account?;

And, why can't they refund my money right away?

I do not want to complain to Mastercard yet, but may be I should.

Those of you in Michigan, are these people for real?

Thanks for listening to my rant.

kwrides

Yes, it's a real company.

I would just call Mastercard and refuse payment.

toolman605

I think they are having a tough time. I heard they lost the Cervelo line and that was a major part of thier business.

I went and plunked down my money last week for the angry badger special and they told me 3 weeks. After talking to some folks I thought better of it and ordered the deal from Bicycle Outfitters Indy. Same thing - ordered Saturday - arrived yesterday!! (Indy to Detroit) It just seemed odd to me that Bicycle Outfitters Indy has something like 30 in stock and Bikesport has zero. I also hated the fact they charged my credit card and didn't have the item in stock. I had an old boss who said, "never be a bank for soemone else."

Called 1st thing Monday and cancelled the order at Bikesport.

Took all of 15min to mount my bike to the Kurt and it's everything everyone says it is and more!

grwoolf

I ordered one also and then saw a post on BF that they were backordered. I cancelled my order (declined) and was worried about the credit on my MC after seeing some shady reviews on them. I was happy to see the credit on my account in less than a week, so no worries. I was a little put off that they charged my cc for the trainer before shipping, expecially if it is on back order. I ended up buying some rollers instead (that I really like), so I think it was a good thing for me. Thanks bikesport.

cyclewolf

Yeah, something must have changed there. I ordered my KK from there last fall and it arrived within three days and I had no issues with them at all. This year as people are buying trainers from them I keep hearing about bad experiences with them.

Jed19

I absolutely resent vendors who try to make money from the banking float, as appears Bikesport Michigan is doing. Why charge my account when you know you do not have the item in stock?

Moreover, they were just not credible as to when they planned on shipping the trainer.

This business is not worth my money or time. And I regret ever hearing of them!

jbpence

i bought a bike, a custom build two years ago from them, and they were great.... back then anyway

Nachoman

I dealt with them last year and thought they were pretty good. But as I recall it was difficult to contact them by phone. I always got voice mail.

cslone

Something has gone wrong up there recently. They lost Cervelo and more customers are complaining over the past couple months. Quite the opposite of the last 3-4 years. I have bought tons of stuff from Tom and CO at BSM.com and hope they get back on track.

lechat

i've bought a couple of items from indy. first rate outfit.

ted7450

I ordered mine 8/27 and have not received it. I spoke with them once and they said it would be shipped in a week. That was about 3 weeks ago. I've called a couple more times to cancel my order but just got the voicemail. I just filed a dispute today with my CC company.

Garfield Cat

If they get dropped by a manufacturer, it might mean they couldn't pay for the bikes.

Quel

Yep. I think it's good policy for a store to not charge until the item has shipped, and it makes me wary of a company when they don't do that.

MSchott

I'd guess they are having financial issues. I've been to the store a few times in the past and they have had a great reputation for high end bikes and as triathalon and fitting specialists. I haven't been there this year but this doesn't sound good at all.

Thanks, Mike.

Ih8lucky13

Yes lets alll take wild ass guesses that are wrong.

DrPete 

Complaints about their responsiveness aren't particularly new. It seems that if they have your item in stock they're pretty good, but even the slightest kink makes for a miserable ordering/buying experience.

The owner posts on Slowtwitch from time to time and has fielded some complaints personally.

Jed19

These people who run Bikesport Michigan are unbelievable! Can you guys believe these clowns have not refunded my money yet?

I called them today to ask what is going on, and the guy that answered the phone had the nerve to tell me that it is only their CPA who can authorise and issue a refund, and he'll try and reach him to ask what is delaying my refund. Can you believe or top that!

Anyway, I have some advise for whoever is tempted to order a Kurt Kinetic trainer from them. Make sure they actually have it in stock, and tell them to not debit your account until the trainer is about to go out the door!

It is an effing unbelievable outfit. I am amazed there are still clowns who do business this way.

By the way, if you are trying to get your money back from these clowns, do not try and send e-mail or try to reach them on their existing order phone line, they won't reply or take the call. If you pretend that it is a new order you are calling about, then the phone gets picked up instantly!

Caveat Emptor!

DrPete 

Tom Demerly is the owner IIRC, and is a member on Slowtwitch...

Sprocket Man

You should probably report this to your credit card immediately. I'm not sure about the terms of your credit card, but once my credit card company receives notice that I'm disputing a charge, they will stop accruing interest on the disputed charge immediately and they will notify the vendor. If the vendor doesn't respond to the inquiry or they can't prove that they delivered the good/service, the disputed charge is wiped from the statement.

idk416

tom's been m.i.a. on slowtwitch for a few weeks and this is a guy who would post a dozen times a day before.
something's up for sure.

jrobe

Stay away from these friggin scam artists. I have been fighting them for 2 months and still waiting for my credit card dispute to be resolved. I will get my money back eventually but it has been a hassle that I don't need.

Just to give you an example, one time after I complained, they sent me a fake (invalid) UPS tracking number just to quiet me down for a few days. My trainer, of course still never shipped and I figured out it was a fake number. Their employees have obviously been told to lie.

Never order anything from these crooks.

Jed19

I reported to my credit card company this afternoon after the CPA story was told to me by the clown who took my call. The credit card company said they'll resolve it in 7-10 working days. That means these crooks are gonna use my money for another 7-10 working days!

I am just steamed. These idiots do not deserve to be in business, and I hope their sorry as* is put out to business-pasture soon.

Ih8lucky13

Sorry to hear that your experience with Bikesport has been terrible in your eyes.

I have known the owner of the store for years, and I have gladly shopped there for years.

I have had nothing but praise for this store, and yet to have a bad transaction.

I guess there is always two sides to a story and I am just putting my opinion out there.

Jed19

This is not a story about "two sides to a story". It is about a dishonest vendor who charged credit card accounts for items he knew were not in stock, lied or continued telling "untruths" about when said items were going to be in stock and shipped, and more importantly, has continued to sit on people's money!

You just don't do that.

I am sorry about your friend, but maybe he is better working for someone, rather than making pretense at being a business man.

I did not work for my money so that clowns like him can make interest income off it!

Also, your experience as a walk-in customer is bound to be different than mine as a web customer. You do not part with your money until you have the goods in your hands, whereas he can continue to dodge phone calls and e-mails, knowing that I am in California and can't stop by at his store anytime to pry my money off his sorry a**.

Tell him to cut the crap!

jrobe

The are lots of thieves that will only steal from people that they have never had to look in the eye (like internet customers). They are still thieves.