Bit peed off with CRC

Super Freak

Long story short...........

When you order small components and they ship via royal mail, the package goes to the UK first before being shipped back to southern Ireland.

Well it certianly does for me anyway. Living in Co. Laois, and the packages are taking a week to be delivered.

I telephoned them up last week to have a chat and eventually the sales assistant spoke to the shipping department who confirmed that this was the case. The rather helpfull assistant did not see a problem with this.

Personally I do see a problem with this. If you broke your chain over the weekend, ordered one on the monday, it would be dispatched on the Tuesday and you would not recieve it for the weekend. Be Warned !!

Eventually after much grumbling by me and asking why the small packages cannot be shipped direct to southern Ireland the assistant did agree to bring up this matter at his next team meeting. I had to ask him to take note of my E-mail address and keep me up to date on this.

Anyone else notice this???

blorg

Royal Mail should go direct over land to Ireland. Certainly this has been my experience.

Super Freak

I agree Blorg, but it has not been the case for me for my last three small orders.

The larger more expensive orders are delivered Parcelforce 24 no problem. But I would now not order a small part that I needed in a hurry because my last three small orders took a week to be delivered.

They actually had Airmail stickers on the envelopes.

littleredspot

I ordered stuff last Tuesday. When it didn't arrive with the post today I rang them. Was told it could take up to 15 days! Put down phone and a courier arrived with package. Sort of takes the goodness out of the free postage.

Michelin

Ordered at a few diff occasions with crc always takes at least a week, last one took 9 days, doesnt bother me though as im prepared for a few days wait happier to have free postage.

kona

Bike shops.....what are they again? what do they sell. ?

Super Freak

Bike shops.....what are they again? what do they sell. ?

I went to Dublin's largest Bike shop to get the bits I needed to finish my bike.

They did not have a 1&1/8 (standard size) headset in stock.

I did'nt even bother to ask if they had a 180MM Shimano post mount adapter.

CRC had both in stock. Just a pity that theyt sent them to "Mainland UK" (Their words not mine) before they were sent to me.

I do support my LBS from time to time too.

tomasrojo

When I had a 1 1/8" threaded headset, I found all the bike shops very unhelpful in sourcing anything. They just kept making fun of my bike, essentially. So I started buying most things online after that.

The Onion had a gag about Apple creating a virtual muso shopkeeper on iTunes to look askance at your purchases.

abcdggs

tomasrojo wrote: »

a 1 1/8" threaded headset

I didn't think there was such a thing...

72hundred

kona wrote: »

Bike shops.....what are they again? what do they sell. ?

Shall I get the miniature violin?

EDIT: FFS

CramCycle

Super Freak wrote: »

the packages are taking a week to be delivered.

I telephoned them up last week to have a chat and eventually the sales assistant spoke to the shipping department who confirmed that this was the case. The rather helpfull assistant did not see a problem with this.

Personally I do see a problem with this. If you broke your chain over the weekend, ordered one on the monday, it would be dispatched on the Tuesday and you would not recieve it for the weekend. Be Warned !!

I agree with the sales assistant, I can't see why you'd be annoyed.

If you want it in 24hours for small items CRC always have the option of using ParcelForce, it just costs a bit of money for the satisfaction.

Guaranteed 24hr delivery would ruin their business if they had it for free on all items.

CRCs promise is free delivery not speedy delivery, parcel force are only used with large parcels for free because they would be cheaper than Royal Mail and CRC have this built into the price.

There would have been an option to use ParcelForce. If its something I need in a rush, I bite the bullet and pay the extra.

tomasrojo

abcdggs wrote: »

I didn't think there was such a thing...

Ah, don't you start!

Lumen

Super Freak wrote: »

When you order small components and they ship via royal mail, the package goes to the UK first before being shipped back to southern Ireland.

What makes you think it goes from Ireland to the mainland UK first? Are they not just fulfilling the order from the mainland UK?

Deisetrek

Lumen wrote: »

What makes you think it goes from Ireland to the mainland UK first? Are they not just fulfilling the order from the mainland UK?

Now you've REALLY done it Lumen .......

Lumen

Deisetrek wrote: »

Now you've REALLY done it Lumen .......

Hey, it's all the British Isles as far as I'm concerned.

Super Freak

What makes you think it goes from Ireland to the mainland UK first? Are they not just fulfilling the order from the mainland UK?

The fact that it takes a week to arrive , and their shipping department confirmed the practice

Leroy42

So basically, you want the cheapest price, free postage and instant delivery!!!!

I guess it's like wheels, fast ,cheap, free postage - pick any two.

For instant needs, such as the chain etc, I would always go through the LBS. If I need tubes etc cause I've run out then LBS it is.

If however, I'm putting together an order for stuff than I can afford to wait for then I save on the price but accept that I may end up having to wait a good bit for it. (although sometimes not but it is the risk)

I really don't see what you have to complain about. In the future, simply don't buy off CRC and get stuff from your LBS.

Complaining that they don't have such an unsaleable item as the headset is a bit mean to be honest, espcially now that's it all about cashflow.

Based on your assertion that they should at least one of everything in stock, shouldn't you have a had a spare chain in your kit bag???

Deisetrek

Lumen wrote: »

Hey, it's all the British Isles as far as I'm concerned.

Dev would turn in his grave ......:p

Lumen

Super Freak wrote: »

The fact that it takes a week to arrive, and their shipping department confirmed the practice

Did they say why? It makes little sense.

Lashed

As some of the other lads have said. You cannot complain with free postage. It would be a much different story if you were paying for it. As far as I am concerned you cannot crib about something you get for free.
Personally I would prefer to wait an extra few days than pay for postage.

Super Freak

OK, OK,

I just do not expect the stuff to take a week to arrive, via the UK, and if this is the case well I would like to be informed that this is the case.

I accept that I might have been a bit harsh on the LBS, i don't expect them to stock everything.

Super Freak

Did they say why? It makes little sense.

No reason was given, in fairnes to the sales guy he was surprised himself that this was the practice.

ednwireland

abcdggs wrote: »

I didn't think there was such a thing...

young whippersnapper

bet you have never heard of 1 1/4 inch threaded headsets either (try getting your hands on one of them ! - even better try getting forks and an aheadset in that )

cant say i'd noticed the crc think stuff seems to take the same length of time it always has, which is about a week must some weird royal mail thing

as has been said before its free

el tel

In fairness to CRC, I don't think they can necessarily dictate what method or route Royal Mail use to deliver their mail to international customers. If one insisted it go , via Royal Mail, directly from Ballyclare to your address in the the Republica and for free, it could take even longer.

droidus

Its incerdibely inefficent practice though TBF, and a cause of needless damage to the environment through the pointless use of air freight.

gaffmaster

Seems like a Royal Mail issue rather than a CRC issue alright.

Also seems like a massive waste of money and environmentally unsound sending it to "the mainland" and back.

Might be worth writing to Royal Mail?

DirkVoodoo

droidus wrote: »

Its incerdibely inefficent practice though TBF, and a cause of needless damage to the environment through the pointless use of air freight.

I agree, a bit of common sense wouldn't go amiss. As for the "pick any two", these aren't coming from half way around the world, CRC is essentially an online LBS for the republic, postage shouldn't have to be routed through mainland England. Idiotic bureaucracy at work. If it were somewhere like jedi-sports or even wiggle it would be understandable.

Do slanecycles follow a similar protocol? They are the only other large northern retailer I know of.

penexpers

Sounds to me like it's royal mails decision about which way to route post. It's kind of the same in Ireland I think. Mail from Dublin to Dublin has to pass through Portloaise first.

Leroy42

The pick any two isn't because of the postage system, but people can't really expect to have cheap prices, fast delivery & direct to your door and free.

CRC have to pay costs, and the reason they can offer cheaper prices is due to lower costs, this includes using standard mail rather than asking the Mail service for better service.

Unfortunately, it really is not possible to have everything, you need to decide which is better for you. If you need the item now, thern LBS is always the way to go, as even if it does arrive quickly if it turns out to be wrong for whatever reason you're in to returns etc from the on-line.

CRC generally do a great service, but to ask them to compete with the lbs on delivey times (they have the item on hand) or service is misguided, they operate on price. The LBS operate on locality and service/advice and then try to come close to the price but again it is unfair to ask them to compete directly just on price.

The OP had a problem that it took too long for the items to arrive, and it appears that the delay is due to some strange long-winded sorting by the post office. Not really anything CRC can do, and not something I would get worried about, as the savings in price are offset by the time lag. Take your pick which is more important.

el tel

Quite interesting report this:

http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/assets/6/files/2010/02/Consumer-Focus-Post-Cross-border-post.pdf

cdaly_

Lumen wrote: »

Did they say why? It makes little sense.

I suspect it's similar to the practice in Dublin where all post collected goes to the central sorting office rather than to the local one first.

Now, I would have thought post originating in NI would go to Belfast before routing to the mainland and that NI post would get picked out at that point. Hmm, maybe it does but ROI post is international and so gets sent on to mainland UK. I wonder what would happen if you added the Belfast Post Office's postcode to an ROI address?...

blorg

el tel wrote: »

Quite interesting report this:

http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/assets/6/files/2010/02/Consumer-Focus-Post-Cross-border-post.pdf

Suggests that mail goes over land from Belfast to Dublin:

Cross-border mail logistics
Although Royal Mail classifies their standard priority postal service to the Republic of Ireland as an Airmail service, the practical logistics of the transfer of this mail differ from what the service title may suggest. Mail posted in Northern Ireland is transported from the Belfast Mail Centre by a Royal Mail vehicle to the Dublin Mail Centre and then distributed across the Republic of Ireland by An Post personnel.

Royal Mail say on their own site you do not have to affix an Airmail sticker for mail going from NI to the republic.

I honestly don't think it goes to Great Britain and back.

kona

You all sound like a bunch of prats to be honest. Your getting a part thats cheaper than wholesale and free delivery and your pissed off that you cant have it the next day?

CRC stopped free next day delivery ages ago:rolleyes:

If you want parts ASAP Id suggest going to a LBS , they might be more expensive, but you paying for the convinience.

Customers expect far too much, I have a laugh at the tools complaining that their 1c flights have been cancelled, demanding accomadation in 5 star hotels and for the CEO of the airline to massage their feet. All because of a situation the airlines cant possibly avoid. Where do these spanners come from? Some idiot even rang into pat kenny complaining that Aer Lingus were charging 5grand for a seat from NY to Madrid.... no **** sherlock its a ****ing 1st class ticket:rolleyes: and that continental were charing like e400 for economy. What airline did he use to get to NY?? Wasnt Aer Lingus, he thought that Aer Lingus should treat him like a valued customer....when he wasnt even a customer in the first place..


1 1/8th headset? ....I bet even halfords stock these. Which "Largest Bike Shop in Dublin" was this? Little sport?:p

kona

blorg wrote: »

Suggests that mail goes over land from Belfast to Dublin:



Royal Mail say on their own site you do not have to affix an Airmail sticker for mail going from NI to the republic.

I honestly don't think it goes to Great Britain and back.

Ive seen Royal Mail Artics around dublin before too. Always wondered why.

Michelin

A united Ireland is what we need!

kona

Michelin wrote: »

A united Ireland is what we need!

Brits OUT!!

Chips Lovell

"You're looking for what? No, we don't have any here at the moment. I'll have to order it in. I'll have it for you in a few weeks".

Bluefoam

el tonto wrote: »

"You're looking for what? No, we don't have any here at the moment. I'll have to order it in. I'll have it for you in a few weeks".

...as he goes to order the part from crc! :eek:

kona

Has anybody had this coversation with CRC (after 10 attempts to get through)

Me ; Hi, My order ****** hasnt been despatched and I ordered 8 days ago, whats the hold up?

CRC: Oh we are out of stock of the Marzocchi T-shirts.

Me: But you have the Mavic wheels, Marzocchi forks, and all the rest of the order?

CRC Yes.

Me: Why dont you call me and ask me do I want the main bits of the order, the T-shirt can wait, Im not Naked.

CRC: Because its policy yada yada yada.

Me: well Take the t-shirt off the order and send me my Parts!!


Pain in the arse, Always happens.

seamus

I seriously doubt the the stuff goes to the UK and back. There's a lot of cross-border postal traffic, it would be a massive cost to Royal Mail to ship it to the UK and back.

There's a main sorting office in Belfast, afaik, where all the UK <-> NI transfers take place. So it's here that ROI packages would be picked up and sent down south. Since they generally use an automated sorting system, it's possible that occassionally stuff gets thrown into the "Bound for the UK" pile, where it has to be bounced back to Ireland, but by and large they would all go directly down south and be picked up by An Post, presumably in Dundalk or something.

In my experience, you're talking 3 days from shipping to receipt with CRC.

That's better than Wiggle, who won't even look at your order for 3 days unless you pay them an extra fiver.

Beasty

Michelin wrote: »

A united Ireland is what we need!

And then watch CRC relocate to GB because it's cheaper for them ...

Beasty

kona wrote: »

Brits OUT!!

Steady on Old Chap.

Bluefoam

kona wrote: »

Has anybody had this coversation with CRC (after 10 attempts to get through)

Me ; Hi, My order ****** hasnt been despatched and I ordered 8 days ago, whats the hold up?

CRC: Oh we are out of stock of the Marzocchi T-shirts.

Me: But you have the Mavic wheels, Marzocchi forks, and all the rest of the order?

CRC Yes.

Me: Why dont you call me and ask me do I want the main bits of the order, the T-shirt can wait, Im not Naked.

CRC: Because its policy yada yada yada.

Me: well Take the t-shirt off the order and send me my Parts!!


Pain in the arse, Always happens.

I suggest you stop ordering the Marzocchi T-Shirt, should solve your problem...

kona

Bluefoam wrote: »

I suggest you stop ordering the Marzocchi T-Shirt, should solve your problem...

Haha maybe thats the issue allright

And the chains

And the Wheelsets

And the Forks

LOL

kona

Beasty wrote: »

Steady on Old Chap.

Its called taking the piss. Dont take it serious ha ha

Michelin

Beasty wrote: »

And then watch CRC relocate to GB because it's cheaper for them ...

Let them relocate to britain! we will have a slightly bigger market to drive down our prices, they can feel properly british and if royal mail are really sending parcels to via england and back to republic its not gonna be any slower!

Beasty

kona wrote: »

Dont take it serious ha ha

I wasn't - Yorkshiremen don't talk like that, and we have more of a claim to independence from the rest of the UK than Ireland ever had;)

kona

Beasty wrote: »

I wasn't - Yorkshiremen don't talk like that, and we have more of a claim to independence from the rest of the UK than Ireland ever had;)

Im confused. Im singing the grand aul Duke of york now ha ha

Bluefoam

During Viking times the king of dublin was also the king of Yorkshire...

Beasty

Bluefoam wrote: »

During Viking times the king of dublin was also the king of Yorkshire...

Wrong way round ...:D

kona

Bluefoam wrote: »

During Viking times the king of dublin was also the king of Yorkshire...

ah right! Thats my something new learned today