CWCycles vs BuyCycle

[Mavro]

I was a huge fan of CWC.

 

I frequently called Chris as he normally gives me a different price to the one that was advertised on there website. However in the past 3 months when Chris Jnr's sister took over I noticed that the service quality has dropped. I no longer get the same service from her. She quotes me the same price that is on the web.

 

I recently went to Cape Town for a weekend break and decided to visit CWC.

 

The sales people are arrogant and full of nonsense. They give you one price and when you goto to pay the sales person is nowhere to be found. I was looking at spending thousands at CWC but due to the disappointment in the service that i received only spent about R500.

 

That was the last time that i will visit CWC or call them.

 

That is my personal experience.

[Clinton1]

Delivery charges in South Africa are out of line with the first world and makes interweb shopping a very difficult business to run. We don't have a Parcel Force like in the UK where smaller volume items can be delivered nest day to your door for as little as 3 quid, our Post Office is slow and unreliable (although relativley cheap) and not to door for parcels. The result, we use couriers.

 

At R80 minimum courier charge the retailer is not making extra money from you on the courier fees, in fact I doubt the courier is making money. Now why should a retailer, who has given you a saving on the price of R300 item have to pay the courier? Weight dependent SAPO would charge you R35 for a week to the post office and collect service.

 

We do see free delivery over certain amounts, the cost of delivery is absorbed out of margin to encourage bigger orders. It is still paid by someone.

 

There is no cheaper alternative available, logistics cost stifle online business in this country.

 

Simple solution? There isn't one until SAPO lifts their game and we are offered an alternative free in so many days or paid overnight to your door.

 

I feel the need to argue but am far to lazy to check current pricing... however, when looking at getting things sent via couriers a few months back most immediately asked me to measure the item and give them these so they could work out the volume and charge accordingly. This was done by Postnet, and a few others whose names I now don't remember.

 

In saying this, it also demonstrates that there are alternatives. I can almost guarantee that if I got on the phone tomorrow and got pricing to send a saddle bag I would get prices far lower than R80.

 

As for the saving, that is not generously given but rather based on the fact that the online store does not have the overheads as a "real" store. The fact that many trade as "real" shops too is another matter. I am purchasing online and as a result they do not need a salesperson to deal with me or a shelf to display my goods on.

[petatodd]

I can almost guarantee that if I got on the phone tomorrow and got pricing to send a saddle bag I would get prices far lower than R80.

Go for it. Find a courier that that will pick up at a business in Cape Town or Durban and deliver overnight before 10am or even 3pm to Johannesburg or PE or Pretoria for R80.

 

Door to Door, not drop off and collect other end. And then tell us.

[Clinton1]

Go for it. Find a courier that that will pick up at a business in Cape Town or Durban and deliver overnight before 10am or even 3pm to Johannesburg or PE or Pretoria for R80.

 

Door to Door, not drop off and collect other end. And then tell us.

 

I don't see mention of overnight delivery on any of those websites?

 

I have read elsewhere that you run a cycle business. Does this perhaps affect your responses? Should you not perhaps be listening to what your (possible) customers are saying are obstacles to purchasing? I am sure I am not the only person in the world who is thinking this way.

 

Another point... there are postnets (and the like) all over the place. A business should be going out of their way to be competive. Why should the consumer be making the effort to get the business. So how much effort is it really, as part of your business, to make one daily trip to the local postnet (or like) once a day to drop off stuff that needs to be sent? Why should I have to pay for a courier to come and fetch it from you? A business probably goes to the bank daily anyway so what would a stop at the local postnet cost.

 

And I really do not care about having to fetch it at the post office or anywhere else. I also do not care if it takes a week. So why not offer these options to customers?

 

Feel free to throw more retailer excuses at me but bottom line is the business has to go out of it's way to get my money, not the other way around.

Edited July 2, 2012 by Clint_ZA

[petatodd]

I don't see mention of overnight delivery on any of those websites?

 

I have read elsewhere that you run a cycle business. Does this perhaps affect your responses? Should you not perhaps be listening to what your (possible) customers are saying are obstacles to purchasing? I am sure I am not the only person in the world who is thinking this way.

 

Another point... there are postnets (and the like) all over the place. A business should be going out of their way to be competive. Why should the consumer be making the effort to get the business. So how much effort is it really, as part of your business, to make one daily trip to the local postnet (or like) once a day to drop off stuff that needs to be sent? Why should I have to pay for a courier to come and fetch it from you? A business probably goes to the bank daily anyway so what would a stop at the local postnet cost.

 

And I really do not care about having to fetch it at the post office or anywhere else. I also do not care if it takes a week. So why not offer these options to customers?

 

Feel free to throw more retailer excuses at me but bottom line is the business has to go out of it's way to get my money, not the other way around.

Sorry Clint, I don't run a cycle business. But I do run a business in an unrelated field. And we do deliver to our customers so I do know a little about the options for delivery. So get you facts straight.

 

Are you not shopping online because you want a better price? Make up your mind about your motives. Price or service? Hard to get both consistently without margin.

 

And yes, I do think it's good business to offer different delivery options from expensive overnight to free collect at your post office or post net in 4 or 5 days.

 

Out of interest I think you'll find PostNet and SpeedPost offer some of the most expensive small package overnight or 2 days services in SA. But then I can't tell you anything as you know it all already. Which is why you post a question about using a saddle bag.

[jimmy hardtail]

I like to go in to the shop and touch things...

[Starvin' Marvin]

I've never had any problems with CWC. If I have had to encounter a problem I would pick up the phone and chat with Chris jr or Snr or whoever.

[Micha-wp]

I've had awesome experience from all 3!

Now just waiting for Olympic Cycles to complete their shop and focus on their website to bring themselves up to speed.

[Dexter-morgan]

I placed 1 order for 2 things on Buycycle, they shipped in 2 separate shipments, now I ca not do the work over the week-end that I wanted to... :thumbdown: always received 1 shipment per order from CWC. :thumbup:

[2 X 2]

Ordered from CWC Wednesday after 13h00 and had the parts delivered at my house early Thursday morning> I am in Pretoriaand I did not pay any courier costs. Decided on them because they were cheaper than Buy cycle

[Showtime]

 

In saying this, it also demonstrates that there are alternatives. I can almost guarantee that if I got on the phone tomorrow and got pricing to send a saddle bag I would get prices far lower than R80.

 

 

No you don't understand, you guys are subsidising me My parcel gets picked up from CWC, sent overnight to PE and get's driven 200km to me in the middle of nowhere first thing in the morning for R80. No other online shopping service has ever managed this but CWC does it every single time.

[Soggy]

Something must be wrong, cause i've had only good experience's with CWC and shipping.

 

+1000!

[RudoJ]

I may just be ignorant but have the following questions

for the guys in the Cape: Can you order from online store and arrange to collect at the store?

 

I once tried to do this with buycycle and phoned them asking very nicely since they have to be like 10km from my office/home, but nope

[Let's Ride]

I may just be ignorant but have the following questions

for the guys in the Cape: Can you order from online store and arrange to collect at the store?

 

I once tried to do this with buycycle and phoned them asking very nicely since they have to be like 10km from my office/home, but nope

 

We can.

[Clinton1]

No you don't understand, you guys are subsidising me My parcel gets picked up from CWC, sent overnight to PE and get's driven 200km to me in the middle of nowhere first thing in the morning for R80. No other online shopping service has ever managed this but CWC does it every single time.

 

Indeed! I called Buycycle and they explained exactly this to me. They said to deliver to the main centres was far cheaper but they had one set price which then subsidised the folk living in the sticks. Still don't like it (but I'm sure you do! ) charge me what it costs and then charge the chap in the bush what it costs him. Hell, he has to buy from you anyway as he has no shops nearby but if your price is too high for me, or more accurately the delivery too steep, then I have many choices.

[Showtime]

 

 

Indeed! I called Buycycle and they explained exactly this to me. They said to deliver to the main centres was far cheaper but they had one set price which then subsidised the folk living in the sticks. Still don't like it (but I'm sure you do! ) charge me what it costs and then charge the chap in the bush what it costs him. Hell, he has to buy from you anyway as he has no shops nearby but if your price is too high for me, or more accurately the delivery too steep, then I have many choices.

 

All I know is the pedals I bought on the birthday sale yesterday arrived before lunch today. Don't make your problems my problems