What's going on Winstanleys!

Please be fair and thoughtful in your opinions. No rants please.
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Enigmadick
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Joined: 5 Mar 2016, 11:28am

What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by Enigmadick »

Ordered 7 small items from Winstanleys - pedals, 2 x cages, bottle, 2 x tubes, and a puncture repair kit totalling 7 items.

It was sent as 5 different packages just days apart involving five separate Hermes deliveries. It was like having my own cycling Advent calendar.

But this ain't good for the planet or for Winstanleys who must have paid more for shipping that the margin they made on the goods.
ENIGMA DICK aka Richard Barrett
PH
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Re: What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by PH »

Are you sure they all came direct from them?
When you buy from some of the big players, that isn't always the case, yes it comes in their box, with their paperwork, but they've never had it in their warehouse.
Enigmadick
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Re: What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by Enigmadick »

Either way it's still deplorable.
ENIGMA DICK aka Richard Barrett
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Redvee
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Re: What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by Redvee »

You were lucky to get the items you irdered from them. The last order I placed was in stock when I ordered and when I checked the following day after not getting a despatch email the item showed as awaiting delivery in xx days so I waited and waited and when no goods were forthcoming I raised a case with Paypal and got a refund within 24 hours. Seems they have improved slightly.
thirdcrank
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Re: What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by thirdcrank »

There are all sorts of controversies about buying mail order, a frequent one used to be how it harmed the lbs. Now that that part of the cycle trade has largely disappeared through being unable to compete with mail order it's water under the bridge.

Re the costs to the company, I suspect the costs of stockpicking a multi-item order and then managing the different items until everything is ready for wrapping and delivery may be greater than immediately wrapping and despatching them.

I've no idea of the pricing structure at Hermes but it may be that some customers have a sort of bulk contract. FWIW, I posted a quite lot of bike stuff last year by Royal Mail, and it can often be cheaper to send stuff separately eg it's cheaper to post a pair of panniers in two parcels than in one and IIRC, you could post three separately cheaper than two in one parcel.

I can see that even for people who usually have somebody available to receive parcels, the more deliveries they have to receive, the greater the potential for buggeration. So much depends on the individual driver but Hermes is not top of my best courier list.

The answer must be to support your lbs ..... Memory failing here: I forgot my opening shot. You probably haven't got one. Or if you have one, they haven't got the range and low prices available mail order.
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al_yrpal
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Re: What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by al_yrpal »

I ordered 3 items from Amazon at the same time. They arrived as 3 seperate deliveries. Guess they came from different warehouses?

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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Redvee
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Re: What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by Redvee »

al_yrpal wrote:I ordered 3 items from Amazon at the same time. They arrived as 3 seperate deliveries. Guess they came from different warehouses?

Al


Amazon don't have warehouses, they have fulfilment centres :lol:
delilah
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Re: What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by delilah »

That's a shame I have always found Winstanley's service very good. I'm sure they would appreciate some feedback from you if they're getting it wrong
pete75
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Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by pete75 »

thirdcrank wrote:There are all sorts of controversies about buying mail order, a frequent one used to be how it harmed the lbs. Now that that part of the cycle trade has largely disappeared through being unable to compete with mail order it's water under the bridge.

Re the costs to the company, I suspect the costs of stockpicking a multi-item order and then managing the different items until everything is ready for wrapping and delivery may be greater than immediately wrapping and despatching them.

I've no idea of the pricing structure at Hermes but it may be that some customers have a sort of bulk contract. FWIW, I posted a quite lot of bike stuff last year by Royal Mail, and it can often be cheaper to send stuff separately eg it's cheaper to post a pair of panniers in two parcels than in one and IIRC, you could post three separately cheaper than two in one parcel.

I can see that even for people who usually have somebody available to receive parcels, the more deliveries they have to receive, the greater the potential for buggeration. So much depends on the individual driver but Hermes is not top of my best courier list.

The answer must be to support your lbs ..... Memory failing here: I forgot my opening shot. You probably haven't got one. Or if you have one, they haven't got the range and low prices available mail order.


Yep our Hermes chap is excellent.
Don't mind buying from the LBS if they have the item in stock on the shelf. What I won't use them for is stuff they need to order in. Not only does it cost more but it takes much longer. In one shop I was told they only put an order in once a month to a particular supplier and they'd just sent one off so it'd be a one month wait until it was ordered. If they follow customer unfriendly practices like that do they deserve custom?
Small businesses don't have to operate in that way. I went to a domestic appliance spares stall on a local market for a pump motor. He didn't have one in stock so he rang his supplier asking if the van had left. It hadn't so he said can you put a pump partno xxxx3333 on please. This was just after mid day. He said it'll be here about 3. That sort of service is worth paying for but he usually charged no more than online suppliers.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
pete75
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Re: What's going on Winstanleys!

Post by pete75 »

Redvee wrote:
al_yrpal wrote:I ordered 3 items from Amazon at the same time. They arrived as 3 seperate deliveries. Guess they came from different warehouses?

Al


Amazon don't have warehouses, they have fulfilment centres :lol:

Bet they all came in oversized boxes too.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
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