I'm so pissed right now I can't see straight. Buying a triathlon bike from an off-island store has turned into a major clusterfuck. How something so simple can get so fucked up in beyond comprehension.
Background: As a few of you know, I've done the Tinman Triathlon (held in Honolulu, in July) every year ever the last four years. While I'm not all that good at it, I enjoy it and finally decided to get a new triathlon bike to replace my 5-year-old road bike, and wanted to get it in time for me to get it sized for me so I can get used to it by the time next month's Tinman rolls around.
After talking to a couple of our cycling trainers, I decided to get a BMC TT-03 ($2,000) from a place in Tucson. When I called them to check if they had the bike in stock (per their request on their website), they said they did. I asked what size bike I should get (S, M, L, XL) and they said they'd e-mail me a fitting sheet to fill out and return (the fitting sheet is nothing more than a list of 8 or 10 body measurements they use to determine what size bike is best). The guy (Jason) on the phone also said because of the high cost of the bike, they'd ship it for free. When I reminded him that I'm in Hawaii (meaning mandatory air shipping vice ground shipping) he said it didn't matter...shipping would be free. Jason e-mailed me the fitting sheet and I took it to my training shop the next day and got the measurements done, and e-mailed the results back.
Near the end of the next day, I called the shop to see if they got the e-mail and if they made a decision. Jason said he forwarded to their "expert" but not decision had been made. No biggie, I thought, I'll just get their decision the next day. Well, when I called back the next day, a different guy answered and said their "expert" had been out for a few days of vacation (which would've been nice for those fuckers to tell me in the first place). So I just said, "Uh, thanks...never mind about the decision, I'll just buy a large" and hung up.
When I went to their web site that evening to order it, it was going to charge me the full $205 to send it 2nd-day air via UPS (the only way they ship to Hawaii). I said "Fuck this", and waited until the next day to order by phone to get the free shipping.
I called back the next morning before I left for work (the 3-hour time difference was to my benefit) and told them that I tried to order the bike on-line but there was no option for free shipping. The guy on the phone (not Jason) said there is no free shipping to Hawaii. When I told him that Jason said I'd get free shipping, the guy said Jason usually didn't work that section and was wrong about shipping. When I told him that it didn't matter because Jason was an official store salesman the instant Jason picked the phone, the guy transferred me to the acting manager (who, coincidentally is the "expert" who had been off for a couple days). He did apologize for the misinformation and for his not getting back to me on the fitting sheet. He said they couldn't give me free shipping, but instead would give me 10% off on my order...not only the bike but anything else I'd order.
Well, I'm not math major, but 10% of $2,000 is $200, so anything else I ordered over $50 ($5 savings) would actually put me ahead of the $205 shipping cost. Well, I ordered $150 clipless pedals (not included with the main bike assembly) so I ended up ahead of the game...so I thought.
I went ahead and made the order on a Thursday morning (they had the bike kit in stock). The manager said they'd assemble the bike either that day or Friday and get it out via UPS. I also asked them to send me an e-mail receipt for the credit card purchase. Well I called back Friday afternoon (their time) they weren't quite done assembling the bike but would get it out Monday (they aren't open on weekends...go figure). Well, I did get an e-mail on Monday saying the bike was shipped at 10:06 P.M. Monday). Well, I figured 2nd-day means that it would get here on Wednesday (which the UPS tracking site indeed said was the scheduled arrival date).
Well, the bike leaves Tuscon at 12:01 A.M Tuesday and gets to Vernon, CA (just outside LAX) that afternoon at 12:30 P.M. I thought the bike would easily be here on Wednesday, since flights only take 5 1/2 hours to Honolulu from LAX. I thought wrong. My bike fucking sat outside LAX for just short of 36 hours (left LAX at 12:18 A.M. Thursday morning). Still, it got to Honolulu at 2:30 A.M., which made it available for delivery today...only a day late, so I wasn't that pissed any more.
The bike went "out for delivery" at 8:31 A.M. I was at work at the time, and knew that it would take a good 30-40 minutes to get up to where I lived with traffic, and figured that I wouldn't be the first delivery so I figured if I went back to the house (only 10 minutes from work), I could be there for signature (I had authorized my youngest to sign, but she got home from work late and was up in her room crashed out and doesn't wake up for shit, so she wouldn't hear the doorbell).
I got home at 10:00 and fortunately there was no "Sorry we missed you, we'll be back tomorrow" missed-delivery stickers. So I just hung out for a while and waited for the UPS chimp to swing by. Nearly four hours later, no dice. My kid wakes up and says she'll be here until she leaves for work at 3:30. so I head back to work for a hour or so to save hourly leave. I come back to the house at 3:28 and my kid is gone, despite the fact I assured her I'd be back by 3:30. The first thing I looked for was a missed-delivery slip, and fortunately for my kid there was none. Well, at least I'll be here when the bike arrives and can sign in-person. My four hours of wasted leave (my work are real pricks about any time off) may not be in vain.
4:00...4:30...5:00...5:30. 6:00 rolls around and still no UPS monkey. So, I get on the UPS site and it says, "A CORRECT STREET NAME IS NEEDED FOR DELIVERY. UPS IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION ". Holy fucking shit...don't tell me the clown at the bike shop miscopied my street name despite my spelling it out for him not once but twice ("Halekua").
So, now I have to call up UPS tomorrow morning and find out what the fuck the address is they have on my bike container and get it corrected before the truck leaves...and I'll also have to ensure that either me or my kid is there when the ape arrives. Oh yeah, a full week after purchase and still no receipt (although my card has been charged) and no bike.
Let's recap the ineptness:
1. Store offers free shipping on a $205 shipment and then reneges (gives compensation discount only after being railed on for five minutes)
2. Store never did provided fitting (sizing) guidance despite it being their policy to have folks submit the fitting sheets.
3. Store still hasn't provided a receipt despite several requests and it being a week after purchase.
4. Bike sat at LAX for 36 hours despite being on 2nd-day shipment.
5. UPS still can't deliver the bike due to an address snafu (either by the bike store or UPS).
Fuck the triathlon training schedule...I'm going to go get a six pack.
(To be fair, I came in second in energy output (which is a joke) Someone named Antonio that was our RB won that-- I had the fastest time but I weighed less: hence less output). The only point of this is that different styles make a big difference, and I think I would be better not being a "heel strike" runner-- hence the vibram interest. I'd love to hear if anyone uses them. . .
