Ribble

[rd45]

Hi there -
Feeling badly let down by Ribble right now, would appreciate any feedback.

I ordered an Adventure 725 via their website for my son exactly a month ago, on 28 July. At that time, it was listed as "in stock" on their website, which was a major factor in my deciding to buy from them, because noone else had very much stock of anything remotely similar at that time. Obviously i get that covid blah blah... but that "in stock" section looked pretty convincing to me - only certain limited range of models & sizes were showing there, of which this was one. Nice bike, fair price, and it's in stock - it felt like a win.

So they confirm my order & quote an estimated delivery date of 28 days hence which kinda seemed a little long for an in-stock item, but i get there's a process & it was clearly enough stated, and repeated by phone when i called them to check on a couple of details, and re-iterated in multiple emails that they sent me in the meantime - most recently on 18 Aug - along the lines of "hey the 28 days are nearly up! almost time for delivery! hope you're excited!" etc etc.

The 28 days are up now & no further comms, so i called them this morning. The guy on the phone tells me that the delivery date is actually 16 October.

Once again - I get that covid blah blah. I get that they can't ship me a bike that's made out of parts they don't have.

But i am pee'd off for two main reasons. First, that whole "in stock" thing was... misleading, to say the least. Second, they're still sending me automated emails about a 28-day delivery expectation until just 10 days ago - and waited until _I called them_ before letting me know it wasn't happening.

The guy on the phone told me they had a customer service team that was calling customers whose builds were late, and that i was on that list. Evidently they haven't got around to calling me yet. He also said that there was some kind of offer they were going to make in recompense, but couldn't/wouldn't give me any clues about what that was.

So apart from taking the chance to get the whole thing off my chest - i have questions.
1. has anyone else had similar recent experience from Ribble?
2. what would you do in the circumstances? cancel? wait it out? post a rant on a popular cycling forum? or what?

It also crossed my mind that if there's any danger of Ribble going bust between now and 16 Oct, i should get my money back pronto. I paid via debit card, which was maybe a mistake because it limits my options in terms of a chargeback on the transaction - am i being paranoid? i still really want the bike, fwiw

anyway, all feedback would be most welcome
--rd45



sorry that my first post here is a rant

[morzov]

Hi
That's a really annoying thing to happen. There may be a genuine reason for delay but little excuse for stating an item was "in stock" when it clearly wasn't.

I've just demanded a refund for a faulty item under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 but I had paid by credit card so I have options if the refund doesn't materialise.

Remedies aside and putting my pragmatic hat on, there really seem to be delays in getting new bikes (and components) at the moment so annoying as it is you may have to roll with the punches because you may not be able to get an equivalent bike from elsewhere. Both my sister and brother in law have Ribble bikes and they are extremely pleased with them.

The other point is if you are intent in getting your money back have you actually asked Ribble if they will refund you?

Best of luck with it.

[nurgles]

I think there is unusual demand for bikes everywhere now.I imagine bike shops don't keep a lot of stock in house due to the cost outlay.
I have just ordered a Ribble and I am fully aware that I won't get the bike till November..that 2 months
My local Halfords have hardly any bikes.My cycling colleague tells me he was lucky to get his new bike from Rutland Cycles recently which is quite a large retailer.

My advice is to hang on in there unless you can get the bike you want from somewhere else.

[merseymouth]

Hi , I ordered a lady's cycle from Temple Cycles in Bristol, at the time their order time was about 8 - 9 weeks.
Well, I think their current time is circa 15 weeks.
Well the machine arrived 10 weeks, fine by me.
went to them because they were the only ones who built 56cm Open frame machines, needed these days with taller ladies.
Built in Reynolds 520 over-size tubing, very nice machine, satisfied daughter.
Only other option I could find was custom frame? I'd recommend them every day. MM

[roberts8]

My stepson has just taken delivery of a Ribble Endurance which looks a nice bike and the service was good and on time. Within a few rides the bar tape started to delaminate so he contacted Ribble. They said to buy a substitute tape and have a LBS fit it and send them the bill. His experience seemed good service and timely.

[Phytone3d]

Agree that "in stock" is misleading as it implies stock is ready and waiting. It does seem that every other industry is suffering with stock- not just cycle stores. We had double glazing started to be fitted on June 11th, there were problems and now the UK apparently is out of stock on window fitings, we are still waiting - mind you not paid a penny yet...

We ordered a hybrid bike from Ribble on June 1, for delivery 19 August. A couple of days before due date they called saying it would be delayed - possibly until Dec.....They did ask if we still wanted a bike, once confirmed they said they would add in some accessories for the delay. Just received an email, with a build week in mid September.

I'd be cautious of any delivery date at the moment.. Reading around it seems some people get what they ordered within a timeframe, others not.

If you want the bike,just wait. My R872 is nearly 12 months old and going great hence why we are buying another Ribble.

[Dirk]

About two years ago, I bought a Ribble CGR Ti frame-set and recently decided to strip and rebuild it. I managed to lose the six alloy cable stop blocks that fix into the frame for the internal cabling. I emailed Ribble customer services and enquired if I could purchase a new set, and fully expected them to tell me that they were unavailable as a spare part, but two days later, a new set arrived in the post complete with screws and F.O.C.
Credit where its due I think. That's good customer service in my book!

[smcknighty]

My stepson has just taken delivery of a Ribble Endurance which looks a nice bike and the service was good and on time. Within a few rides the bar tape started to delaminate so he contacted Ribble. They said to buy a substitute tape and have a LBS fit it and send them the bill. His experience seemed good service and timely.

I bought a Sonder, they failed to put an end cap on the gear cable so it frayed, when I pointed this out they said ‘oh we will tell the mechanic for next time’ I prefer your service experience.


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels

[philvantwo]

Bent the rear mech hanger on my 10yr old ribble winter bike, emailed them on the Sunday an hour after it happened and they sent me a link to a company in Stoke who makes them, arrived 3 days later, perfect fit!