Quiery about direct to consumer bike transaction....Burn

[gearhunter]

So. In November I placed a deposit on a bike, part of which was non-refundable. Bike was supposed to be delivered end of December. Mid December bikes delayed to First week Jan. First week Jan. bikes delayed again, end of Jan. Received an email from the company stating that bikes would be in first week of Feb. If I wanted to secure a bike I had to make payment in full on Jan. 21st. Payment send on Jan. 21st. Bikes supposed to be in, now further delayed until Mid Feb. This is a Fatbike. By the time the bike got to me it would most likely be another month since it needs to go to manufacturer and then shipped to me. So I contacted the company and said I'd like a refund. I was told that do to the situation I was responsible for a 10% restocking fee plus 35 dollars bank fee. I am in Canada and paid with an interact email money transfer, saving the company 2% on credit card fees.

Not too happy that I am being charged a 10% restocking plus bank fees ($350) on a bike that the manufacturer does not even have in stock....

Curious everyones thoughts...

[El Chupacabra]

Which company?

[smmokan]

Yep, what Chup said.... charging a 10% restocking fee on a bike that's not in stock, and clearly was never delivered, is total BS. I'd demand a 100% refund. Chargebacks really suck for companies, so that should get them moving.

[doebedoe]

This is why -- whenever I possibly can -- I pay via credit card. Not sure what sorta recourse you have in this instance. That blows and the company deserves to be called out.

[El Chupacabra]

Yep, what Chup said.... charging a 10% restocking fee on a bike that's not in stock, and clearly was never delivered, is total BS. I'd demand a 100% refund. Chargebacks really suck for companies, so that should get them moving.

Sorry - I edited my post after rereading and seeing that OP didn't pay by credit card.

[gearhunter]

Should have paid with a credit card...RSD bikes.

[toast2266]

Seems like most bike companies are selling any stock they have pretty easily. So I'd assume they'll have no problem selling the bike you're passing on. Which makes the restocking fee for a bike that isn't actually in stock even more bullshit.

[El Chupacabra]

Should have paid with a credit card...RSD bikes.

Guess I can scratch the Middlechild off my list of potential hardtail frames.

[dcpnz]

By the time the bike got to me it would most likely be another month since it needs to go to manufacturer and then shipped to me.

I’m not following this bit - why the extra month? is this bike shipping soon from Asia to a distributor then to you?
That sounds like BS for a bike that was supposed to be delivered to you in December.

I thought you guys up north had decent consumer protection laws - I’d be gathering all my correspondence and emails and opening a can of whoop-ass on them.

[gearhunter]

Their were definitely some major inconsistencies in correspondence. One of which was telling me that there was no rush to pay...after telling me I had to pay in full to secure one of these bikes. I'm not sure what to make of it. I am not trying to run a bike company during a pandemic and wires get crossed. I was told this evening that I would receive a full refund minus a $35 banking fee and a $100 non-refundable deposit, which I was aware of from the get go.

I've purchased a few bikes from RSD, they're good value.

Don't think I'll ever buy another one.

[smmokan]

RSD clearly doesn’t understand good customer service. Instead of keeping a repeat customer, they’ve now lost your future business and likely anyone else you talk with about this. All so they could keep $135 of your money.

[chaka]

Seems like most bike companies are selling any stock they have pretty easily. So I'd assume they'll have no problem selling the bike you're passing on. Which makes the restocking fee for a bike that isn't actually in stock even more bullshit.

this. absurd in today's market conditions

[Bosco]

Is giving them shit on there chat worth it, or a waste of time?

[concretejungle]

Is giving them shit on there chat worth it, or a waste of time?

Idk but I do know I'd never buy an RSD bike again. What a fucking joke of customer service.

[::: :::]

I looked at Canyon recently. I didn’t realize they were DTC. Anyone comment on the Canyon experience?

[eldereldo]

They are probably looking at the fact that they are going to have an issue selling a fat bike that late in the year. Which is to bad for them since if they had told you it was going to be March before you got it, you probably wouldn’t have ordered it. If you’ve bought a few bikes from them, they probably have that on file. Tell them that they are off your buy list if they are going to treat a repeat customer this way.

[HankScorpio]

I bought a Mayor frame from RSD late last year. It was scheduled to get it in late Dec. '21 but it didn't show up until March '22. The delays were a pain in the ass but Alex at RSD sent out updates frequently and was transparent that it was due to the fucked up supply chain.

In all the emails about delays he always mentioned the restocking fees for canceling orders. Not defending the fees but I got the impression that it's a small company and he pre-orders frames based on demand so when he gets in a frame without a buyer it costs him some dough. But I've never run a DTC bike company so what the fuck do I know.

My experience with RSD was very good despite the long wait for the frame. The extra fees are shitty no matter how you cut it considering that other DTC companies (probably) don't have those policies.

Fees and delays aside, I've been really stoked on the frame since I got it built up and on the snow.

[Falcon3]

… scheduled to get it in late Dec. '21 but it didn't show up until March '22.

…….Are you from the future?….

[HankScorpio]

…….Are you from the future?….

Haha whoops. I don't even know what year it is since COVID started.

[XXX-er]

You can't buy a Fat bike in my town

shop bro in different town has been telling me fat bikes just havent shown up and all kinds of shortages in general

but then some times stuff just hows up and is gone in < 24hrs which is how i got my Bullit, makes the restocking fee bulshit seem pretty lame

still its how the seller deals with it all and this situ seems pretty lame

and a reason to buy bikes from the LBS

[Eluder]

It’s all tires and wheels. Guess what is last to be made…

[fastfred]

In all the emails about delays he always mentioned the restocking fees for canceling orders. Not defending the fees but I got the impression that it's a small company and he pre-orders frames based on demand so when he gets in a frame without a buyer it costs him some dough. But I've never run a DTC bike company so what the fuck do I know.
.

ok so this bullshit has finally caught up to many business finally

god forbid anyone stock anything or lay out any cash or credit for product to sell cause that costs money and it's all about streamlining profit who wants to order 1,000 frames from china and have them sit around for weeks maybe years and not sell them or have to sell them at a discount thats not winnning in the business world

taking money from the consumer being vague about the delivery date of the product telling them how your going to charge them to cancel the order is bullshit
glad all this is starting to catch up with these people
selling product you don't have in hand has been the biggest scam for the past twenty years in all industries

[altasnob]

I bought my wife a RSD Middlechild during the pandemic and was happy with the customer service. Bug Alex more about this and I think he would fold. If you think he is still bs'ing you, post online in places where potential customers are actually reading the posts. Alex responds to public questions on the thread below.

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/rsd-mid...-crmo.1068819/

It's a small, boutique, company, who is getting the frames manufactured in the same Taiwanese factories as the big guys. Unlike companies like Giant, they don't have any leverage and I got the impression Alex was vague on delivery dates because the factory and shipping company was vague to him on delivery dates. It's a frustrating time to buy a new bike for everyone, even the ones doing the selling.

[sethschmautz]

Running a company is a lot harder than people who don't or haven't run a company think it is even in good times. When supply chain sucks companies are forced with the decision to figure out how to make ends meet (maybe taking down payments on product they don't have so they can keep the doors open) or fold and send their employees off to find another job. It is frustrating as a consumer to be told to wait (in this case, indefinitely) and I agree that this ought to be challenged, but I don't think this forum is the right place to do it.

It would not surprise me at all to find out that RSD wrote their cancellation policy back pre-covid and haven't been challenged on it. Most of these business owners (smaller, especially) are reasonable people that are willing to revise their decisions. If this complaint hasn't been discussed with RSD directly it should be. Perhaps the majority of other buyers are willing to wait indefinitely and are not complaining about this because it isn't an issue for them. I would take this concern directly to RSD and see what they say. I would, as altasnob suggested, start by a private discussion and only go public if you think it absolutely necessary.

If I were RSD I would consider leaving the initial cancellation policy in place and would issue a temporary policy revision in light of Covid supply chain issues - eliminating the cancellation fees. This would be similar to what Delta and other airlines have done by removing change fees for their flights. When Supply Chain issues resolve I would remove the temp policy and go back to business as usual.

For us in our company we have identified that some policies fit 98%+ of all of our customers. For the ~2% of customers in the margin we try to identify them ahead of time and resolve it before it becomes an issue. If we fail to identify these and the customer complains, we (more often than not) reserve the right to change policy on a case by case.

[El Chupacabra]

Charging a restocking fee for an item that never left inventory because it was never in inventory is fraud.

If RSD wants to stand by this policy they should rewrite it to state that all orders are special orders and will incur a fee if canceled.