Go Outdoors

Please be fair and thoughtful in your opinions. No rants please.
Tangled Metal
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Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 8:32pm

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by Tangled Metal »

Black's, millets and ultimate outdoors have only treated us badly with our dealings with them. Whilst part of the same group of companies GO has always been much better. Friendly and knowledgeable. Yes, you might have to wait for a product expert to be called if you've got more than a basic product question, but that's been my experience of the better outdoor shops like the climbers shop in Ambleside (and Joe brown shop in Wales which is part n of the same company) or George fisher in Keswick. Even needlesports in Keswick has had one member of staff run off to find the expert to answer one of my questions before now. They're real passionate climbers and outdoors people who work in the shop to fund their outdoors time.

IME of the 5 Go outdoors stores I've been to is that they try to give good service and are friendly. Black's staff talk down to you or ignore you. Millets and ultimate outdoors staff simply know nothing and try to sell stuff that makes mountain warehouse stuff look good.
Oldjohnw
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Location: South Warwickshire

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by Oldjohnw »

I think Fishers is part of the same group JD Sports, too, via Tiso. They do have experts but give them time.

My own GO doesn't have a single expert that I know of
John
Eyebrox
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Location: Ayrshire

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by Eyebrox »

Retailers are struggling. JD Sports' revenue this year is expected to dip below £5 billion.
PH
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Re: Go Outdoors

Post by PH »

Eyebrox wrote:Retailers are struggling. JD Sports' revenue this year is expected to dip below £5 billion.

Is that good or bad?
As a stand alone figure it's pretty meaningless, it may be fantastically profitable or it may be heading for administration.
Eyebrox
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Location: Ayrshire

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by Eyebrox »

PH wrote:
Eyebrox wrote:Retailers are struggling. JD Sports' revenue this year is expected to dip below £5 billion.

Is that good or bad?
As a stand alone figure it's pretty meaningless, it may be fantastically profitable or it may be heading for administration.


It puts into perspective the David and Goliath battle that individual customers will face when challenging a £5billion-a-year grossing monolith.
st599_uk
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Joined: 4 Nov 2018, 8:59pm

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by st599_uk »

Oldjohnw wrote:I don't go there either but I needed a new waterproof quite urgently and it is the only place I could try one on. Otherwise it is Newcastle or Edinburgh (I normally go to Cotswold in Edinburgh or Alpkit online where I don't need to try on) - or Moffat! Or Mountain Warehouse. I quite like MW but their waterproofs are too bulky and heavy for my use.

I also purchased various other small things which I normally get online.

You enter their premises and think, Wow! They have loads of stuff here. But reality is different: a small number of labels and limited sizing and colours. Presumably the stuff no-one else can sell. I don't think they know the difference between a tent and a caravan or a bike and a horse.

Pity about Blacks which I used to like.

Never again. What a shower.
The best shop in the area is the LD mountain centre, Berghaus started as their in house brand. Costs a bit, but employ experts.

If you stay in the car over the Redheugh, Alpkit have a shop near the MetroCentre.
A novice learning...
“the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.”
Oldjohnw
Posts: 7764
Joined: 16 Oct 2018, 4:23am
Location: South Warwickshire

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by Oldjohnw »

st599_uk wrote:
Oldjohnw wrote:I don't go there either but I needed a new waterproof quite urgently and it is the only place I could try one on. Otherwise it is Newcastle or Edinburgh (I normally go to Cotswold in Edinburgh or Alpkit online where I don't need to try on) - or Moffat! Or Mountain Warehouse. I quite like MW but their waterproofs are too bulky and heavy for my use.

I also purchased various other small things which I normally get online.

You enter their premises and think, Wow! They have loads of stuff here. But reality is different: a small number of labels and limited sizing and colours. Presumably the stuff no-one else can sell. I don't think they know the difference between a tent and a caravan or a bike and a horse.

Pity about Blacks which I used to like.

Never again. What a shower.
The best shop in the area is the LD mountain centre, Berghaus started as their in house brand. Costs a bit, but employ experts.

If you stay in the car over the Redheugh, Alpkit have a shop near the MetroCentre.


I agree about LD and I get there from time to time. It is 60+ miles away, though. I use Alpkit a lot but haven't visited the Gateshead shop- just the Ambleside one.
John
pete75
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Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by pete75 »

If you know someone who works at Go ask them to buy stuff for you. Staff discount isn't a set % but varies item by item. It can be massive for example I got a 2.5 litre bottle of Nikwax solarproof with spray applicator for £7.50 through a staff member.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
pga
Posts: 302
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 9:40pm

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by pga »

During the Lockdown I have had to resort online shopping - but NOT Amazon. Most purchases do not create a problem but clothing does. Sizes are so variable and even identical garments in the same size fit completely differently. Buying shoes online also seems a risky business. Lucky I have enough pairs to last a lifetime.
belgiangoth
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Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by belgiangoth »

Recently bought a Tern HSD (>£3000) from Go Outdoors. Nice bike, but the pedals were too tight and wouldn't spin (no clear way to loosen them) and the kickstand fell off ... twice (probably overtightened and the bolt or frame threads have been compromised).
Emailed RE pedals and was told I could follow the returns procedure. Sent them back via collect+, but then had them re-delivered with a note saying that they couldn't replace the pedals, I would need to send the whole bike back.
Contacted them to point out how ridiculous this is - quick response telling me to sort this out in a shop - nearest shop is ~10 miles, so 20 miles round trip for some pedals - or return the whole bike.
Very poor customer service.
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
belgiangoth
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Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by belgiangoth »

Just been to my LBS because I couldn't get the gears indexed. Turns out the chain was too short and the gear cable was attached incorrectly.
Frankly, Halfords do better.
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
Eyebrox
Posts: 580
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Location: Ayrshire

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by Eyebrox »

Halfords do better? Than you yourself - or the LBS?
PH
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Re: Go Outdoors

Post by PH »

belgiangoth wrote: 18 Sep 2021, 11:44pm Just been to my LBS because I couldn't get the gears indexed. Turns out the chain was too short and the gear cable was attached incorrectly.
Frankly, Halfords do better.
Do you think GO fitted the gear cable and chain or the Tern factory?
A good bike shop would have checked and corrected any errors, but then you wouldn't have saved the £££'s you did buying from GO.
I'm not excusing GO's poor service, I just feel it's somewhat naive to have expected anything else, how do you think they can give you the discount?
belgiangoth
Posts: 1657
Joined: 29 Mar 2007, 4:10pm

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by belgiangoth »

I'm not sure I agree. You get a discount by buying volume and therefore it costs you less and you share some of those savings with the customer - meaning that you get the sale.
Either you have a bike technician to build/check the bike or you don't. If you don't I wouldn't understand why the bike manufacturer (Tern) would have you as a dealer. If you do, then why have an incompetent one when frankly you can underpay a qualified person as readily as an unqualified one.

I also don't think that Tern ship a number of pre-assembled bikes to the UK in boxes, I would assume they ship the parts in much more stackable boxes to be assembled in-situ. Otherwise, why have a local dealer at all?
If I had a baby elephant, I would put it on a recumbent trike so that it would become invisible.
Syd
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Joined: 23 Sep 2018, 2:27pm

Re: Go Outdoors

Post by Syd »

belgiangoth wrote:Contacted them to point out how ridiculous this is - quick response telling me to sort this out in a shop - nearest shop is ~10 miles, so 20 miles round trip for some pedals - or return the whole bike.
Very poor customer service.
GO buy the bike in as a complete package; not a bundle of bits; so I can understand the approach they have suggested.

I’d expect most other retailers would do the same.

As a side note not one of my bikes have the pedals they were sold with (if indeed pedals came with the bike) as it’s one area where manufacturers certainly cut costs.
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