Why don't I use Wiggle?

[JohnW]

There have been complaints about Wiggle, but I don't think that this thread is about Wiggle, is it? - it's about carriers. The problems occur if you're not at home when the stuff arrives.

You could give up working to be in the house when the carriers arrive, but then you couldn't afford to buy the stuff in the first place.

Which is why I prefer my LBS.

[phil parker]

I've had great service from Wiggle - they are definitely one of the best and they have reassuring customer support even though you have to communicate by email (and I can understand why).

City Link are appalling and I do have friends who will not order from Wiggle only because they use City Link. A few years ago I ordered a mountain bike at a great discount price of about 40% off an £1800 bike. There was some basic sort of on-line tracking on my 24-hour delivery, but the bike never arrived and when I phoned the depot they said they were having problems with their tracking equipment. I explained that it must have been put on the van and the tracking equipment must have worked at that point - so why wasn't it delivered and where is it now. Eventually City Link refused to communicate with me.

After two further days worth of excuses I had resigned myself to the fact that it had probably been stolen from within and maybe even stolen to order. After lots of communication with Wiggle they eventually delivered another of the same bike a week later using a different delivery company, but I really wished they would not renew their contract with City Link.

[Mick F]

City Link doesn't ring a bell with me.

Our postie brings my stuff.

[phil parker]

Perhaps it is just the bigger boxes or consignments that are given to City Link.

I still use Wiggle and often get next day service even when I choose the free delivery option, which is supposed to be 3 - 4 days. They're not much cheaper than other retailers, but apart from two City Link related incidents it is excellent service, good range stock and availability and occasional outstanding offers.

[pedalsheep]

I still use Wiggle and often get next day service even when I choose the free delivery option, which is supposed to be 3 - 4 days. They're not much cheaper than other retailers, but apart from two City Link related incidents it is excellent service, good range stock and availability and occasional outstanding offers.

Thats my experience too.

[reohn2]

There have been complaints about Wiggle, but I don't think that this thread is about Wiggle, is it? - it's about carriers. The problems occur if you're not at home when the stuff arrives.

You could give up working to be in the house when the carriers arrive, but then you couldn't afford to buy the stuff in the first place.

Which is why I prefer my LBS.

I've got to agree,I went into mine just before Christmas for some some rims and spokes that I'd ordered to build a pair of wheels,both were cheaper than anywhere on the 'net.
Whilst there I asked had he any P/racer RibMo's in,pointing to a stack hung up he told me to check them for the right size(700x32mm),I found one at the back marked up at £22,the others (25's and 28's) were all marked up at £27,I told him I thought the 32mm was priced wrong to which he said "no it'll be older stock before the price went up".
I then asked him had he got any 35's as there were none hung up,after a quick look in the stock room he emerged with one priced at £19 and said "you're doing well today John"
An honest man good and true,I'll always go back

[gbnz]

. I see no reason to complain in the slightest.

Hmmm.....I'm otherwise occupied between 6.30am and 6.00-8.00pm at present weekdays (Including commute and committee meetings), so rearranging delivery is a non starter. City Link won't leave stuff at the neighbours, nor out the back, nor do they have a depot locally (Though they pretend it's local, by insisting on calling it the local depot )

The local depot is actually a 84 mile trip away (I misjudged it earlier). So on Saturday, rather than cycling across beautiful moorlands and open vales, I could always jump on the bike and have a ^%^&* cycle ride, into the dark pit of a post industrial landscape many miles away. Or via an assortment of multiple bus and train journeys, which would require a taxi drive at the far end (City Links "local depot" being located next to a short stretch of barren motorway), take perhaps8-9 hours at a cost greater than the value of the order.

If only I'd ordered the inner tubes and tyres via crc, sjs or spa. An extra £7 total, but I'm fairly sure Donald (The postman) would have dropped stuff of on his way home (The lads down the Royal Mail, are uncomfortable at allowing me to cycle home with tyres slung over the shoulder - I'm not sure why, as it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Not like my new lawn mower 3 years ago, which was hard work on me and the bike )

[Cunobelin]

I used them a few years ago. I cycle past them every night, but can't collect

So I get a card and phone Shitty link, and arrange to collect from their depot at Havant

Following night after work I do a fifteen mile detour to find that in fact it has been sent out for delivery (they think).

So as they can't arrange a delivery to work, I arrange to collect the following night. Get home and find a card......

SO a second 15 mile detour to pick up, and again they can't find it and think it may be on a vehicle.... so I arrange to phone in the morning

Day 3 I phone and yes it is now in the office.

Can I collect this evening?

No problem!


So a third detour and get there to find out that as they have made three delivery attempts (tow agains my express instructions) they cannot let me have the parcel as they have to send it back to the company


So back it went, and I have never used Wiggle since.

In fact I check carefully and if the company uses City Link I shop elsewhere.

If the parcel comes by City Link I simply instruct its return and ask for a refund as the company did not inform me they were using City Link

[gbnz]

There have been complaints about Wiggle, but I don't think that this thread is about Wiggle, is it? - it's about carriers. .

It is the carrier, which is causing me an issue. But while I accept wiggle are quite ok, their "service" doesn't end until I get the stuff I've ordered

If they used royal mail, parcel force, it'd all be ok

[gbnz]

I used them a few years ago. I cycle past them every night, but can't collect

So I get a card and phone Shitty link, and arrange to collect from their depot at Havant

Following night after work I do a fifteen mile detour to find that in fact it has been sent out for delivery (they think).

So as they can't arrange a delivery to work, I arrange to collect the following night. Get home and find a card......

SO a second 15 mile detour to pick up, and again they can't find it and think it may be on a vehicle.... so I arrange to phone in the morning

Day 3 I phone and yes it is now in the office.

Can I collect this evening?

No problem!


So a third detour and get there to find out that as they have made three delivery attempts (tow agains my express instructions) they cannot let me have the parcel as they have to send it back to the company


So back it went, and I have never used Wiggle since.

In fact I check carefully and if the company uses City Link I shop elsewhere.

If the parcel comes by City Link I simply instruct its return and ask for a refund as the company did not inform me they were using City Link

Sounds like I haven't had the full experince yet

Whats the best approach to instruct the return of the delivery?

[ChrisButch]

Which is why I prefer my LBS.

Unfortunately for some of us the LBS is smething only to be found in myth, legend and the CTC Forum....which is why the new breed of internet retailers is such a godsend.

[JohnW]

Which is why I prefer my LBS.

Unfortunately for some of us the LBS is smething only to be found in myth, legend and the CTC Forum....which is why the new breed of internet retailers is such a godsend.

Where do you live, ChrisButch? - no bike shops nearer to you that the "local" CityLink depot?

I've heard/read comments/posts like yours before, and I must be really lucky. Within an eleven miles ride of here, I have eight traditional decent, honest well stocked local bike shops, all of whom build decent wheels and know their customers by name. I'm 25 miles from Spa Cycles - they of great fame - for all things out of the ordinary and for specialist touring tackle, and indeed everything that a cyclist could need.

I can drop into any of my LBSs and get small items - tyres, tubes, spokes, brake blocks et al[i][/i] - over the counter and any one of them could sell me, from stock, all that I would need to build a frame up from scratch - into a decent touring/AUDAX bike, not just simply something basic. They all sell a full Shimano range, and one of them even stocks Campag - although my guess is that he doesn't sell much of that.

The thing is, that if we don't support our LBSs, then they'll close and we'll all be stuck with internet shopping and the likes of CityLink.

I'm adding this as an "edit" - having forgotten when I originally made this post, but I also have a framebuilder within eleven miles - licensed to build in all the Reynolds tubes - he builds in Columbus as well. And his resprays are like jewellery.

[speedsixdave]

The company that we buy survey kit from uses City Link too, and I've just had to send our £80000 laser scanner back to them for calibration in a City Link wagon.

After numerous middling-to-awful experiences with City Link deliveries similar to many of those reported here, I try and avoid them where possible, and nearly always get stuff delivered to work. We live in a flat in an old building with multiple doors with a car park with a gate down an unclassified road, and I consider it a small miracle when anything arrives here. The fools and misanthropes unfortunate enough to work for City Link stand no chance.

[benjaminn]

My experience has been terrible!!!!

I wasted two days, and my wife an one year old son two days, because they cannot read an address properly.

Even when I informed them they were trying to deliver to heavygate road not avenue, they didn't have the record keeping skills to put this into effect.

I didn't even bother using the free vouchers they gave me as compensation - wouldn't be worth the lost income from waiting all day for them again.

Use Spa, Rose Versand, CRC or SJS instead and save yourself a lot of hassle.

Edit: if Wiggle use City Link, then Wiggle are responsible for poor delivery. They put their delivery contracts out to tender, and if they choose poorly then they let their customers down. Methinks they went for the cheapest, and it shows

[pete75]

Never had any problems with city link deliveries. For just under 8 quid(booked via parcel monkey) they even picked up and delivered a bike I'd bought on Ebay. I left instructions for them to leave it outside the garage if no one in which they did.