83 replies to this topic

[Sailor99]

I assume that you mean the shipment to the shop here is a month late?

[Choccy]

I assume that you mean the shipment to the shop here is a month late?

Sailor, I have no idea, the message was vague.
We put the order in on the 1st of this month and the shipment isn't due til probably end of next week (shrug), but then they promised it a week ago!!!!!!!

*sigh*

[Baloo]

Wish I could help you Choccy, could drop my B'v in the post to you for a lend for a couple of weeks if you like.

Long as you like Blue that is.

[Choccy]

Wish I could help you Choccy, could drop my B'v in the post to you for a lend for a couple of weeks if you like.
Long as you like Blue that is.

Awww you so sweet I'm welling up here (no sarcasm honest).
I Love blue. Blue and purple are my favs...

It's ok Baloo, I'm sure it'll arrive eventually.
Thanks for the kind gesture!

Sailor> It's not your fault either, we placed the order before your recommendation based on our previous own experience.
*hugs*

[Jonesey]

Choccy...

I have an order in with kiteworld at the moment and happen to know their Rev shipment left last Thursday so it shouldn't be long now!...

They seem really good people to me and so far given good advice and delivered everything I have ordered next day (apart from current sail only order inbound no doubt with your order) so I plan to support them whenever possible.

Having said that I have also bought stuff from aWindofChange.com in the states who were fantastic to deal with ... luckily I have quite a few mates/clients etc going back and forth across the pond so they can bring things back ....

[beach]

So all know I ship pretty prompt on out going orders and if theres a problem I try to advise the store....Ben

[Baloo]

It is an honest offer if you change your mind Choccy.

I have plenty of others to play with, although I must admit the B'v gets most air.

Unfortunatly there are so many things can go wrong in long distance orders.

Hi Ben, I appreciate you guys work hard and try to get orders out as quickly as possible.

I have waited over 5 weeks for postage from the US. It may be that the bigger orders go by a different carrier but there can always be problems. Either in the US or here with customs etc.

Hope you get it soon. Having met some of them I am sure the folks at Kitelife are watching the road each Hour to look out for the delivery.

[Stone in Shoe Bob]

A few experiences make me think we in the UK get a lower level of priority.

Yes, there was a time when I thought that too, but I don't think it is either right or fair.

With the best will in the world, kite flying in the UK (and probably America) is minority sport. Serious kite flyers are shopping niche market and as Rev flyers are just a small section of that already small market. Just about anybody who’s any anybody in UK Rev flying was at Dunstable in January (okay there were two or three notable absentees) but we were around forty. I seriously doubt there are more than 50 or 60 serious Rev flyers in the UK.

In any business you need to watch costs to keep prices down. So no retailer can afford massive stocks or to be placing transatlantic orders on a weekly basis. If we want to be fussy about colour choice and don’t get me wrong there’s no reason why we shouldn’t, we have to accept that we may have to wait a bit.

It took me a while to choose my first Rev, a 1.5sle but when I ordered a matching sul & vented the sul arrived within a couple of days but I had a long wait for the vented, I could have had another colour but I chose to wait because I wanted a matched set.

You pays your money you takes your choice,

[Choccy]

urghhhhhh, will you please stop going on and on about it.
Thank you.

[Sailor99]

Well, I think one gets a feeling for choccys level of frustration!

Bob, wise words as. Always. But. I have just organised the shipment of 2.5 tonnes of rigging and a 45 metre mast from the UK to Hawaii. In all it the freight will take 28 hour, door to door. And in my line of work that is not unusual. I honestly do not see a few pounds of kites in the same league. We now live in a tiny world and consumers, rightly, expect prompt delivery, minority sport or not.

Now Ben has rightly been very frank today, and for good reason. People who make fakes are theatening his livelyhood. So I will be frank too. I recommended the shop in question to Choccy.I did this because they have on several occassions provided me with exceptional customer service, even when the manufacturer of a new kite I had purchased did not provide support (or indeed initially answer my emails). They shipped all my orders to arrive next day. And delivered 100%. Yet the first time I put my personnal reputation on the line (which counts for a hell of a lot to me) and recommend them there is a massive delay. And the customer is rightly not happy.

I know for sure that the shop would not want this to be the case. And I know rev would not want the customer to be disappointed. Yet the customer still does not know when the good she paid for a long time ago will arrive. It does not seem beyond the wit of man to me for rev and the shop to talk to each other and give the poor woman an honest and frank answer to what has gone wrong, where her goods are and when they will arrive.

I honestly do not think this is unreasonable. I gone out of my way to make a recommendation and I now look a fool.

[Choccy]

At the end of the day there is no choice in the UK.

The only kite I *need* is too specialised: my problem.

[Stone in Shoe Bob]

Well, I think one gets a feeling for choccys level of frustration!

Bob, wise words as. Always. But. I have just organised the shipment of 2.5 tonnes of rigging and a 45 metre mast from the UK to Hawaii. In all it the freight will take 28 hour, door to door. And in my line of work that is not unusual. I honestly do not see a few pounds of kites in the same league. We now live in a tiny world and consumers, rightly, expect prompt delivery, minority sport or not.

Yes and if Chocky's supplier had the budget of a top flight yacht racing team then I’m sure they could get Choccy’s Rev within 28 hours and still have enough money left over to re-equip the whole of The Flying Squad, iQuad, The Decs and many more for Portsmouth and Bristol. But lets face it kite flying is way below sports like Yacht Racing, Formula 1, Football and even Bowls FFS in the corporate sponsorship league tables.

[Sailor99]

Maybe so Bob. But even if this is the case, now over a month and no word on when its coming still aint great (BTW, We are not talking a top flight yacht team - we are talking armature newbies).

[Stone in Shoe Bob]

Maybe so Bob. But even if this is the case, now over a month and no word on when its coming still aint great (BTW, We are not talking a top flight yacht team - we are talking armature newbies).

I stand corrected, but the fact remains that you pays your money and you takes your choice.

I’ve just checked back in the thread to make sure I knew which trader we were talking about and I was right and we are talking about my Rev supplier of choice and quite probably the biggest supplier of Revs in the UK. I won’t name them again as there’s no reason why this debate should get personal.

I came across them when I was looking for my first Rev and went to them because they were offering the best price. My local dealer was asking another £30 for the same kite and by the time I had bought my 3rd Rev I had saved myself £100 on the best price i could get anywhere else. When I recommend them, and I do quite regularly, I always suggest people phone before ordering to check availability.

In an earlier post in this thread I estimated that there are probably no more than 50 or 60 serious Rev flyers in the UK, which is a pretty small market by anybodies standards. I have just checked on the supplier’s web site and there are 35 different variations on 1.5s alone. It would be unreasonable to expect every option to be available, from stock, all of the time, especially in such a small market.

I’m sure it is possible to get stuff from the US quicker but individual service and speed costs and if we are honest, how many of us are really prepared to pay the price?

[Sailor99]

Then we are in total agreement Bob. I have, as said earlier, always had the highest level of service - the very highest - from this supplier. Which is why I find it all the more remarkable, and find myself wondering if they are having the same problems with customer service with their supplier that I have had in the past. I am not having a go at the kite shop in question. Quite the opposite in fact.

[stevepigeon]

Just out of curisoty... In US dollars what does it cost you Brits and anyone else from other countries for a B- Series plus the shipping. I've been looking into shipping international and this would give me a good reference to start from.

[Baloo]

About $35 to ship a couple of Revs out Eteve. But then whoever gets it in the UK has to pay Tax, handling charge and import duty depending on the value.

[Choccy]

I stand corrected, but the fact remains that you pays your money and you takes your choice.
When I recommend them, and I do quite regularly, I always suggest people phone before ordering to check availability.

I see to my dismay, you are still going on about it.

I admire your loyalty, however please read carefully the following.

I really didn't want to add to this thread, but you need to hear the other side of the story!

I still stand by my opinion on there being no choice in the UK.
There are no other stores which sell the B which is what I need.

It is not a desire.
It is not a want.

I am 90lbs and need a vented B.
I cannot fly anything else due to my petite stature, in the inland high wind gusts I have been experiencing.

You are the lucky one, you have many kites and you can go out and fly already.

Onto choice and availability:

We have spent nearly £1000 with this vendor over the past 2 years.
I would have expected the same level of service if not better than we are currently experiencing.

The issue we face is not about being out of pocket.
It is not about lack of choice/colour/design/availability.

It is solely about the lack of communication/service they *promised* on the website.

We were not offered any other colour instead.

I made the mistake to order online, rather than telephoning first etc
However I don't understand why ordering via the website I should receive such a different level of service to everyone else.

I was never advised to email or phone before ordering as previous orders went through swiftly.

I don't care what the problems are, I just would like to be kept informed as they said they would do, but have not.

I don't think it is unreasonable to receive weekly updates, when delays are involved.
We've had to chase repeatedly for the information without much success.

This is not a fight, that is not my style.
I dislike confrontation and apologise publically to Sailor who seems to have innocently been dragged into this mess!

This is not meant to be personal.

I just want to be kept informed of when my kite is due for delivery.

[Sailor99]

I dislike confrontation and apologise publically to Sailor who seems to have innocently been dragged into this mess!

Not at all necessary.