Well, this is kind of a broken record replayed to me many times about every manufacturer. Obviously, I don’t know the details and the particulars, but allow me to suggest a more moderate pespective:
“They lied to my local dealer - many times”
Seriously, I doubt they willfully lied. They may not have known or information may have changed. That is a lot different. There are likely many other factors at play. It is highly likely they did not lie about anything. Customers press and press and press for delivery times. This industry has demonstrated a consistent ability to not be able to predict that. Why does this still surprise people? You may not *like *it, but we do have to accept it. Some people just press and press for the answer they want to hear. Eventually, some weak minded person caves and says, “OK, OK, your bike will be here in X weeks…”
The consistent reality is that predicting bike deliveries is a fools game. I don’t do it. Debating ad nauseum about “In my industry…” is bullshit too. This is the bike industry. It’s different. You know how I know that? Becasue for 23 years in this industry it has been consistently impossible to predict deliver times. That, my friends, is the reality of how it is in *this *industry. But the fact also is that a customer will ask six times “When is my bike coming in?” and we will tell them six times, “We cannot predict that.” Then on the seventh time someone cracks and says, “Maybe two weeks…” Then the customer hears “They promised me it would be here in two weeks.”
“Did not ship a bike they said they shipped (odd they could not track it)”
Maybe they did and they made a clerical error. Maybe it was de-allocated for another reason. Maybe it was allocated to a dealer who ordered it a month before your dealer. There are many normal reasons this may have happened. Customers don’t like those reasons, so they throw their toys. Odd they could not trackit? Really? I don’t know of anyone who can “track” a bike through the fullfillemnt process. And this is where everyone chimes in and says, “But in my industry…”. Nope. Sorry. This is bikes. It is the toy industry. It is not sophisticated. It is not a necessity. Yes I know Giant and Trek are very big compnies. But they are big bike companies. And bike companies are fucked up. Reality. Butt-assed, dick in the dirt, tip of the spear reality. It isn’t odd they can’t track. They just can’t. It’s no more odd than water not running up hill.
"Did not ship the right frame (color) that they claimed they shipped "
Hmm. Might have made a mistake. I do that a few times a day. Usually pisses people off too. I’m still working on perfect. Specialized is too.
“I called them as a consumer to find out the story - they talked bad about their own dealer (called them “not a more reputable dealer”) - even if that was true - you dont say that.”
You Sir, are correct. They should not speak about their dealers in any negative reference. It benefits no one. That is amateur. I agree with you 100% on this one. That said, manufacturers throw me in front of the bus all the time. It is a convenient way for them to get off the phone with a consumer, which they despise doing (talking to consumers). It is always easy to let the dealer take a bullet for them, and they do so with glee. Again, reality.
Again, I’m not certain of the particulars in this case. But today I spent three hours with chasing down bikes that customers feel are “late”. In that three hours I could have done a nice job building someone’s bike that is here. That isn’t polite or fair. But then again, most people’s last lesson in “polite” and “fair” was kindergarten.
-Not to hack on you dude, but I hear this every day: “They lied… It’s late… I can’t believe they can’t (pick your choice) track it, tell me when it will get here, find it, etc. etc.”
Standard deal. Welcome to the bike biz.