Speaking as a Cervelo dealer I can sincerely only relate positive experiences. Our outside rep, Ron, our inside guy, Brett and our credit person Christy consistently go above and beyond for us- usually to cover something I screwed up- not them. I’m not saying that to kiss ass or to try to score points with Cervelo lurkers on the forum. It is simply true. Additionally, because we are so busy and I can be a real jerk since I am so busy, we are not the easiest dealer to work with.
Cervelo is a very different bike company. Very different. As such, the interaction with them will be different. They are not Trek, Giant or Specialized. That’s good. The “Big 3” are companies that provide a finite set of products within finite categories- but they do not compete with Cervelo. They try, but they don’t. Truth be told, there is more innovation, new thinking and engineering in Cervelo’s least expensive P2SL (read Slowman’s review) as there is in “competeing” brands most expensive carbon fiber show bike.
Think of it this way: Cervelo = Ferrari. That is how their business is built- a racing heritage, engineering background, innovative ideas, form follows function. Many of the other bike companies focus on other areas of their operation such as value priced bikes, relaxed geometry road bikes, mountain bikes, etc.
Cervelo can be equated to a cycling version of Ferrari, both good and bad, and many of the other bike companies are more “Ford and GM” oriented with a broader line and a consequently diminished focus on specific niches like high perfromance, aerodynamic road and time trial/triathlon bikes. Dealing with Ferrari is different than dealing with Ford and GM. If a dealers expectations, for better and for worse, is that they are going to be working with Cervelo the same way they work with Giant, Trek and Specialized then they are going to find out things are somewhat different with Cervelo.
Another circumstance we’re seeing is dealers bringing in Cervelo to jump on the triathlon/road bandwagon. They see the dollars in that segment of the market and decide to floor a bunch of Cervelos right alongside Trek, Cannondale, Giant and Specialized. That is going to create some political issues on the sales floor. THe big guys are obviously threatened by rapidly growing, highly successful trend setting companies like Cervelo. Look at the number of P3 knock-offs from other companies with more on the way. When a Trek or a Specialized offers incentives for a dealer to focus on their brands at the exclusion of niche brands some dealers decide that makes sense for them. For most dealers triathlon is a passing fancy. Committed dealers usually have success with Cervelo if they are dedicated to the line and they understand the product.
Cervelo is like Ferrari, and there is a reason why Ferrari doesn’t make pick-up trucks. There are also reasons why there are a lot of places you can buy a nice pick-up truck, but maybe only a few Ferrari dealers.