Bozo,
Those comments are my observation from a life time of doing business. You would be surprised how many businesses have be started because of poor service. I have been the starter of a couple myself because I was used over by someone else.
The only trouble with suggestion #2 is that you inherit all the bad feeling that the previous owner caused and it will take you about two or three years to win back customers. That's if you have fantastic luck and some people will still go into shock every time they hear the company name and will advise future customers to stay away.
Were you a victim? I know you posted something but I've forgotten what happened. If they took your money and didn't supply the items you bought then I would say your indeed a victim in every sense of the word.
If they didn't answer their phone and any emails you sent I don't see how your a victim in the true sense of the word.
They are guilty of poor communication with their customer base and have become a victim of that. Future sales lost and an unhappy customer base.
It has been proven that a happy customer will tell 10 to 15 people. An unhappy customer will tell everyone who stops to listen.
As for my last comment, that was aimed at the people who sit and complain and do none of the three things that I mentioned. I fail to see just how that is putting any blame on anyone other than the people who do nothing but sit and complain.
You made the smartest of the three choices in my estimation and obviously a man of action. I hope you are able to start a motor bike parts selling company. You certainly have an excellent understanding of good customer service.
Steve.
Steve, many of the folks who are complaining about Pirate Cycles are doing so because they feel disrespected by a business that purports to be in the business of selling things but can't be reached by any reasonable means, they actually WANT to trade with Pirate Cycles but can't get through by phone or e-mail to even place an order or to ask questions about a product they would like to consider purchasing.
...with that kind of atmosphere how can any prospective customer have any confidence in Pirate Cycles willingness to do the right thing if an issue arose with a defective part or just not the part ordered?
here is where i entered this particular discussion and just 2 posts later i outline my personal experience, in detail.
...
here is that posting where i detail my own experience with Pirate Cycles and my wish that i could recommend them and also why i instead recommend the opposite.
...as i've said, i've already decided to not do business with them again, my dealings with them were just too much hassle, so i
could just remain quiet and not run the risk of offending other, more well established members who might have a vested interest or just a long standing relationship with Pirate Cycles,
...but as a former businessman myself i feel Pirates Cycles should be made aware of the issue so they have a chance to correct it, they seem like decent guys and the bike i bought is of decent quality, ...i in fact brought my concerns to Justins attention on the day i picked up my bike, unfortunately, the answers i got were that they were too busy to answer phones and e-mails and their profit margin was to narrow to allow them to hire someone to handle the excess business, laughable excuses to my mind.
...i even suggested to Justin that they're being so busy was a sign of success and that they should consider raising their prices by 2 or 3 percent and use that to hire an apprentice to learn bike mechanics and to answer the phone and to sweep the floors, etc, etc..
anyway, it's because of all this that, as a
former customer, i recommend to any prospective
new customers that if you live close enough to go to the shop you will almost certainly be happy and if you order online on faith, you will PROBABLY get what you ordered, MAYBE.
...why take the risk?
peace, bozo
