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Computrainer.... dis-service?
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I have been trying for over a week to contact computrainer...It seems I can't give them my money.

They have the strangest phone system. You get the opportunity to leave a message so that they can call you back...but, they don't. You get the opportunity to go to an operator...but you only get a recording to leave a message. Now, that is strange.

If I ran my business the way they run theirs, I couldn't afford their product.

Am I asking for trouble by buying this product? Judging by their inability to sale a product, heaven forbid if I need service.

To what level should I reduce my expectations from this company? Anyone have a simular experience before I buy?

Joe Moya
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Re: Computrainer.... dis-service? [Joe M] [ In reply to ]
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I don't own one, but by all accounts their customer service sucks - and always has. I've heard rumors of rep's apologizing and promising big changes, but have never heard confirmation from an actual customer.

The flip side, is that nearly everyone I've ever encountered who owns one loves it, and says that the customer service hassles were worth it. It's very rare to come across an unhappy CT owner, and given the price, that says a lot.

Your other option is to buy one from Dan (link "Stuff to Buy" off the main ST page), although I've heard less than stellar things about his ship-times as well (sorry Dan). He was moving at the time however, so I'd hope that things are back to normal by now.


<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Re: Computrainer.... dis-service? [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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They are closed for the holidays until next week.
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Re: Computrainer.... dis-service? [Joe M] [ In reply to ]
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I have always found Racermate's service to be just fine. I love the Computrainer and if the house burned down I would buy another one for sure. I would never hesitate to recommend it as a training tool especially for someone who has to train through a substantial winter.

Dan
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Re: Closed!? Not mentioned on recording [sevans] [ In reply to ]
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O.K. - ...so they seem to have more money than time. Sounds like the kind of business I should consider starting ...the kind that gives you the opportunity to shut down completely for weeks (just kidding - but would be nice).

If they are closed, why wouldn't they say so with that (oh so personal)answering system? As best I can remember, the recording makes no mention of being closed....yep, called and listened to it again... no mention of being closed during the opening recording.

Hmmm... go figure. ...as it's been said, .."Only proves that reputation is achieved by many actions but lost by one."

Joe Moya
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Re: Computrainer.... dis-service? [Joe M] [ In reply to ]
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I know it isn't easy, but I think it's worth being patient with them. I know in our store we try as hard as we can, but we (I) do occasionally drop the ball on customer service. We're all human. Compu-Trainer is a great product and my customer service experiences with them have been predominantly quite good. If you'd like, phone Jim Donaldson, a regional Compu-Trainer "Rep" who sells Compu-Trainer. His numbers are: Home, (419) 885-2089 and Cell, (419)340-6611. Jim is a great guy, he can process an order or answer any of your questions. Happy New Year!

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Computrainer.... dis-service? [Joe M] [ In reply to ]
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I think it's a bit premature to judge a company's service quality based on attempts to contact them during the Christmas-New Years break. I'm sure everyone is aware RacerMate is a small operation, so few if any people are likely to be manning the fort over the only holiday of the year during which the North American takes a common break.



RacerMate seems to be aware of their reputation for slow product updates and service and I believe I've seen sufficient evidence that they are improving a great deal. They seem to work quite a bit at getting the bugs out of the 3D software, which surely must be a major pain to get right. And while they've been doing that, they have been developing the new topological software. But the bottom line for me is I've had my CompuTrainer for over four years and if I don't get enough value out of it right now it's because I have a great training partner. But I certainly feel I've gotten my money's worth and more in these four years and I have no reason to believe I won't still be using the CT five years down the road (or more).



Personally, I'm trying to get something from a very well-known and recently highly-slandered-by-lower-primate bike company right now. I'm in a hurry and anxious, but I realize this is the worst time of the year to expect true efficiency and service.

-David "wanna race me over the Central Park course?" in Taipei
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Re: Computrainer.... dis-service? [tri_taiwan] [ In reply to ]
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Product is great...service (at least my experience) indeed is rather poor...and it wasn't for xmas...
Tried phone+email+fax with no success...

Francois "OK David how many laps around Central Park you want to race me from Taipei?" in El Paso, Tx
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Re: Thxs for information. [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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To put this into perspective, over the past 10 days (20th thru 30) either myself or my assist. have made about 50-60 attempts to contact them (and, no - we didn't leave messages every time - didn't know they may be closed). If they are closed, they should be conscientious enough to indicate they are not available.

I agree with you. We all drop the ball every now and then. But I'm sure you would agree that this would be considered "dropping the ball" many times.

In essence, I feel they have wasted my time. I can honestly, say I have NEVER had a client attempt to contact me 50-60 times over any period of time. Either myself or someone on my behalf has returned a call or message. If we are closed, it is my obligation (and basic courtesy) to indicate we are not available.

I have never assumed that the size of my business or inclusion of holidays some way removes my obligations and the need for common courtesy. Heck, even small business owner typically put an open/close sign out front.

I'm not sure, but 10 days with 50-60 attempts seems like patients to me (or maybe just dumb persistence). Ah well, Perhaps I expect too much (heavy sigh).

Joe Moya
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Post deleted by Francois [ In reply to ]
Re: you hit it on the head... [Francois] [ In reply to ]
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I bought a CT direct rather than through UK rep - to pay by dredit card- , and had no problems at all. They helped sort out lower shipping/taxes for me, and when I did have a problem with power supply (probably self-induced), technical support guys twice returned calls within an hour and shipped me replacement without any questions or waiting for return. They seem like a small company who are very hands-on, and it maybe that their customer service is forgotten at times. But, as I say, no complaints from me.
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Re: you hit it on the head... [shw10] [ In reply to ]
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My Computrainer died after a couple of years of use (disuse). It took a couple of weeks with transit and such, but they repaired it reasonably promptly for a fair price and updated me to the latest firmware revisions at no charge.

If you look at it from their perspective, it is amazing that anyone is out there making a specialized niche product like this. It is hard to imagine they make any money. There is no way to achieve any volume wth a product like this, so anyone in the market is going to be a small player. Just be glad they are there and be thankful if they make enough money to be around indefinitely.
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Re: Computrainer.... dis-service? [Joe M] [ In reply to ]
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coupla things. CT has an extremely low employee turnover rate. hence they rarely have to train anyone new. a very long-term employee who basically WAS their sales department recently died of cancer. i think CT has struggled a little bit in getting their sales systems back up and entirely functional since then (they're getting there).

yes, we are NOT the MODEL of quick shipping, but if you choose to buy your CT through us you'll have another layer of help getting the product to you. AND you'll get our computrainer manual, which we've been farting around with updating for quite a long time, but our update is just about done.

also, if you want to utilize CT's payment plan ($350 down, the balance per month over a year) we can handle that for you as well.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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