Why is Performance and Nashbar Customer Service so bad?

I've mentioned on here before that my LBS's are so horrendous that I'll
put up with almost anything regarding ordering on the web to avoid them,
but...

Why are Nashbar and Performance so bloody clueless? The custserve reps are
rude on the phone (I'm usually quite cordial) and their shipping times
from similar regions in the country that I get other items from are
routinely a few days longer (I think they fib about having processed the
order).

Today I emailed Performance about subbing one tire for another as the
original was backordered a few weeks. I stated, "Please sub xxx for yyy or
please credit my account." Simple right? The mailed back, "We will be
shipping the original order when we receive our shipment of tires." Gahh!
Who wants to wait a month for shipment 500 miles away?!

Why is it that I can do business with Amazon or Zappos--which are enormous
businesses as well, but are totally stress free?

Btw, the Performance store I used to frequent in Chicago had *very* nice
service. (I usually went to Rapid Transit though, locally owned)

Does anybody know a place for web ordering mundane bike crap that doesn't
suck monkey balls?

I'm in the Southern US.

[/rant]

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 03:20:58 +0000, maxo wrote:

Does anybody know a place for web ordering mundane bike crap that doesn't
suck monkey balls?

I've ordered from Harris Cyclery, http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/,
on a number of occasions and found that they didn't suck monkey balls, nor
display any tendencies toward monkey ball sucking at all. Some of their
employees frequent these NGs, and on the occasions when I spoke on the
phone with them, they were very friendly. (Sometimes it's hard to reach
them the order line, though.)

There are a number of other bike shop owners who also "get it" and
frequent this NG. Many of them also do mail order; try a Google Groups
search.

Good luck,

Reid

--
Please do not CC me on replies to my USENET or mailing list posts.

maxo wrote in newsan.2005.04.05.02.04.04.131069
@NOSPAMhome.se:
Why are Nashbar and Performance so bloody clueless?

Performance and Nashbar are the same company. I believe the customer service
center is shared by the 2 companies. If you don't like one, then don't bother
with the other. There are pleanty of companies out there with better service.

I've dealt with Performance on several occasions during the last 3 years and I
found them very good. The best one was over a pair of shoes that started
developing problems after I had been using them 6 months. I didn't have my
proof of purchase that I needed to send them back to the manufacturer and I
called performance in hopes that they would be able to send me a copy of the
invoice. What they did was replace the shoes!

Ben

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 03:20:58 GMT, maxo wrote:

I've mentioned on here before that my LBS's are so horrendous that I'll
put up with almost anything regarding ordering on the web to avoid them,
but...

Why are Nashbar and Performance so bloody clueless? The custserve reps are
rude on the phone (I'm usually quite cordial) and their shipping times
from similar regions in the country that I get other items from are
routinely a few days longer (I think they fib about having processed the
order).

Today I emailed Performance about subbing one tire for another as the
original was backordered a few weeks. I stated, "Please sub xxx for yyy or
please credit my account." Simple right? The mailed back, "We will be
shipping the original order when we receive our shipment of tires." Gahh!
Who wants to wait a month for shipment 500 miles away?!

Why is it that I can do business with Amazon or Zappos--which are enormous
businesses as well, but are totally stress free?

Btw, the Performance store I used to frequent in Chicago had *very* nice
service. (I usually went to Rapid Transit though, locally owned)

Does anybody know a place for web ordering mundane bike crap that doesn't
suck monkey balls?

I'm in the Southern US.

[/rant]

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 03:50:24 +0000, Ken wrote:

Performance and Nashbar are the same company. I believe the customer
service center is shared by the 2 companies.

Interesting. It's funny how (imho) the Performance website loads much
faster and is sleeker than the Nashbar one, must not share webmasters.

Yeah, I could order from Harris--I'd certainly visit them if I lived in
their town--I'm just spoiled by years and years of getting stuff from
Nashperformance, I know that their 10 dollar on sale tires will be just
fine and the same as always, and that I'm a size L and that their 8 panel
shorts have always fit...It's a love/hate relationship.

And as good as some of the small shops are, I just need a place that when
I order 5 tubes, a stem, and a few rolls of velox--just ships them out the
next business day like most business on the web do. No more no less, and
no fuss. I know what I want, and if I don't, I'll post here. LOL

Maybe I just need to write a ****y complaint letter and get over myself.
:P

I haven't ordered from Nashbar yet, but I was thinking about it.
Particularly when I compare their prices to what I find at my LBS.

Nashbar seems to be trying their best to keep prices as low as
possible. From a business standpoint, if you can establish a low-price
advantage over a competitor, you can gain market share. But, something
is usually sacrificed for the low prices and that "something" is
usually customer service.

You see the same thing at the world's largest retailer - Wal-Mart.
They have low prices and a world-class distribution system, but their
customer service is few and far between. Oh sure, they have people to
take your money at the register or help you apply for a credit card,
but try getting someone to explain the difference between two similar
toasters and you'll be there a long time. Customers know and expect
this and figure "well, if it sucks I'll just bring it back". For
Wal-Mart, the low price thing works well.

My guess is that the few customer reps at Nashbar are overworked and
underpaid, due in no small part to their low sales margains. When
you're competing against other online options like Ebay and you hope to
succeed purely on low prices, it's going to be very tough, particularly
if you have no good customer service and, as a result, few repeat
customers.

-Bill H.

"maxo" wrote in message
news
I've mentioned on here before that my LBS's are so horrendous that I'll
put up with almost anything regarding ordering on the web to avoid them,
but...

Why are Nashbar and Performance so bloody clueless?

Sorry to hear you've had such problems. I have ordered from Performance
since the 80s and have never encountered a problem OR a rude rep.

Bill H. wrote:

My guess is that the few customer reps at Nashbar are overworked and
underpaid, due in no small part to their low sales margains.

Probably true. But at least the Nashbar reps are in the US (West
Virginia I think, even though Nashbar is in Ohio) and not India or some
other off-shore site.

I've been dealing with Nashbar since the late '70s when they were "Bike
Warehouse." Although Nashbar is now owned by Performance, they are
operated separately. I doubt that they use the same Customer Service
people. I've never been spoken to rudely, and have only had one or two
bad experiences (which were resolved eventually to my satisfaction) in
over 25 years.

Art Harris

maxo wrote:

Why are Nashbar and Performance so bloody clueless? The custserve reps are
rude on the phone (I'm usually quite cordial) and their shipping times
from similar regions in the country that I get other items from are
routinely a few days longer (I think they fib about having processed the
order).

Today I emailed Performance about subbing one tire for another as the
original was backordered a few weeks. I stated, "Please sub xxx for yyy or
please credit my account." Simple right? The mailed back, "We will be
shipping the original order when we receive our shipment of tires." Gahh!
Who wants to wait a month for shipment 500 miles away?!

I had much better service from Performance when I was paying them $20
per year to be a customer, but I got out of their frequent buyer club.

Nashbar usually has better shipping times that Performance for me (also
in the south), although this last order took 10 days for an 8-hour
drive. Still, I usually order long-term maintenance supplies or clothes
from these places. If you want fast service, you have to pay for it.
You can try the cheap mail-order with expensive shipping, but Harris
Cyclery or Lickton's are the places I go when I need something good and
fast.

Pat

Ive never known nashbar or performance to be rude... but yes, their
csrs are usually clueless. Its a call center, not a bike shop.

I have had fantastic experiences with Excel Sports, and very good
experiences with Colorado Cyclist. The prices are a little more than
performance and nashbar, but it has always been worth it.