ChainReactionCycles.com Experience
 

Just wanted to share my purchase experience with ChainReactionCycles. I recently purchased a set of Campagnolo Eurus wheelsets from them. I was not familiar with the company. I just assumed that the were based out of the US because they did not have "uk" at the end of their address. For some reason my computer automatically chose their option to convert prices to US dollars. I did not realize that they were UK until after I placed the order and saw what was charged on my paypal account.

My paypal was billed $20 more than their advertised price. When I e-mail them about the discrepancy their response was basically; we are based solely off the pound and cannot be responsible for the exchange rates, sorry. I will say there was no shipping cost for orders over a certain amount or tax, which is nice.

Ok, not that big a deal. Because it was from the UK it took about (2) weeks to get here, which was a little bit off a bummer. The packaging was good, and the wheels came in perfect condition. I ordered the silver wheel set. The web site pics showed the silver set being all silver (rims and spokes). The set I received had silver rims with black spokes. They did not look bad, but I was a little disappointed that they were not quite what I was expecting, especially after spending all that money. I sent an email noting the discrepancy to see what kind of response I would get. Almost a week later, they apologized and said they would except them back. I had become to anxious in waiting for a response, mounted the tires and took them for a spin. I decided just to keep them rather then going through the hassle.

My overall experience was not horrible. I got the wheelset for a decent price (not great but decent) and they came in great condition despite looking a little different from the web site picture. Would I order from them again? Probably not. It's just easier & quicker to deal either my LBS or at least a dealership within the States.

I use them pretty frequently and haven't had any issues with them even when it was a matter of returning items which was always pretty painless. The cost savings are pretty substantial which is why I prefer using them, and shipping the wheels back shouldn't be that big of a problem if you really don't like them. In the past I've always had to set the correct currency so I guess it being done automatically is something new.

Please don't try and put people off. So you ordered from a different country and they had a slight difference from the website which they offered to replace without question.

I'm in the UK, I've never had any problem with products from them, never had to make any contact after the order and have always had very rapid delivery.

i've used them for many years and have bought many many items from large expensive items to small cheap items as little as £2. Always reliable to date. Fastest delivery of the 5 internet shops i have used. Usuallly next day. Nearly always the cheapest.

Hopefully people here will recognize a whinge from a valid complaint about an online vendor, but then again this is BF....

I'm in Canada, and had a great experience ordering a bike bag from them before. They were even helpful in answering a bunch of questions via email before my purchase. I did get dinged with HST when it went through customs, but no biggie.

Had great experience.

You are lucky you did not get charged a customs fee. That negated some of the savings of my wheelset. You'd really be pissed at the price "discrepancy" then. The reason for your price difference is likely Paypal, and has nothing to do with the actual website, by the way. I am sure that their exchange rate sucks and this is why you got dinged for $20 more.

crc is A OK in my book. they have saved me plenty of $$ over the years.

I ordered from them a while ago. They shipped me wrong stuff, took some time to correct, but they ended up giving me a free 105 front derailleur (they screwed up). Overall, not 100% smooth (due to wrong item being shipped) and some pains going back and forth, but they handled the issues well and would order from them again.

I've bought way too much stuff from CRC over the last 3 or 4 years. I do a lot of price comparisons and find that, with very few exceptions, they are the cheapest place to buy. They have always shipped quickly; about 7 to 10 days to get to me. Never had any problems of any kind.

No problems with CRC or Ribble. All ship fast packaged well. If you use Paypal the exchange rate difference is directly from your bank conversion or credit card company. Complain to them.

I'vd gotten some stuff from CRC. Good stuff at good prices. I got some Assos bibshorts from them, no warranty code. Found out they're not listed by Assos as an authorized dealer. What does this mean? But I got a jacket from Colo Cyclist, no warranty code either, and ColoC IS listed by Assos.

Is CRC selling unwarranted blems/second? I have no idea. I've had good performance from the stuff I have bought from them. If you want the best guarantee on what you get, full-satisfaction is offered by REI (if they are selling what you want), platinum-standard, you don't like it after going beyond mfr warranty, you get your money back; other US shops will cover mfr warranty periods for sure.


CRC, I can't say what they are doing. But I've been satisfied with what they are selling.

So basically, you got some $1300+ wheels for $850+/- but they weren't the color you wanted and you ended up paying an extra $20?

That's like a Porsche 911 turbo owner getting a blue one instead of black for half-off and then complaining about the price of super unleaded...

You should probably read the store's policies next time:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/I...ationLargeID=6

and do a quick Google search:
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=...c62da33e2ff469

In my opinion, isn't it better to be thankful that you can afford some nice wheels and just ride the crap out of them? So many things to see on a bike than be frustrated...

you do know that there's a service fee associated with foreign purchases, right? it's normally set at 3%. the credit card company/paypal is the one who "overcharged" you. quick back-of-the-envelope math should show that 3% of $600 is $18.

Sorry for sharing my experience. I thought that's what forums were all about. Other people seemed to have a great experiences with CRC, which I'm glad they posted. Someone can read all of the posts and make their own informative decision. Don't take it so personal.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm new to cycling and this forum and I won't be here too long. Too many all knowing ******bags. I thought your review was spot on, you didn't complain, you simply stated facts. I'm shopping around for a few things and trying to find my best options and that was one that someone referred me to so I was interestd in hearing reviews. I do a lot of paypal with my own business so I'm aware international stuff gets dinged more so it probably wasn't their fault but I also agree that if you post a pic of something your selling, the item you actual sell should look the same! Even if it is something as simple as spokes!

http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/u...9/03/o_rly.jpg
..

I like CRC. Don't know what their warranty policies are. I only know I've gotten nice stuff at nice prices from them, and I've been happy.

If I am really dubious, I wait for REI to sell, like Showers Pass 2.0 rainjack, which I didn't want to pull the trigger on with other sellers,because I'm a Gore guy, and I wasn't sure about Gore-tech glomming eVent (out of patent Gore-Tex). I sat on it. Then REI offered it. So I got it, because it was a money-back proposition.

What happened?


"F**k this is WOW GOOD, I should have gotten it earlier," but if it wasn't great, I'd demand a cash refund from REI. Done. Then they would take the info to refine their product lines. And you don't have to pay for being a beta tester. Even if you aren't a 34-year REI member like me.

CRC, I don't know about their product backups. They are selling good stuff at good prices.

Rowan has been ordering from Chain Reaction Cycles for some time and has positive experiences with them. They are often less expensive than buying something from an LBS here in Australia.

Just got a set of reynolds assaults from CRC, no issues and was shipped really quick.
Only problem, for those from OZ, keep orders under $1000 other customs get involved - was up for 10% + $50 process fee