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news
Canyon Speedmax CF 9.0 SL down tube.jpgCanyon responds to storm of customer criticism over late orders
Canyon Bikes is under fire from frustrated customers on social media, some cancelling orders after delivery dates were pushed back – in one case to next April, eight months after the bike was ordered, and six after it was originally due to be delivered.
The German brand, which has a direct-to-consumer business model, says the move to a new factory coupled with teething problems following the implementation of a new IT system, are to blame. It insists it is clearing the backlog of orders.
But other issues raised by unhappy customers on Twitter include failure to respond to questions about delivery dates through multiple channels, plus incorrect or multiple billing.
Some have even bypassed UK customer service altogether, contacting CEO Roman Arnold directly in the hope of resolving problems.
He’d written to customers in November to explain the issues the company was encountering.
However, several Canyon customers have contacted road.cc in recent weeks to express their concerns about the service – or lack of it – they have received.
One, Jos (we’ve withheld full names) told us he’d ordered a bike in August, paid for it in September, and been promised delivery in October. He’s now been told to expect it in April.
Another, Phil, sent us a picture of the box containing a Canyon bike he received in late December, almost three weeks after he cancelled his order; a few days before it arrived, his card was charged the £1,699 cost, but he said that earlier, the company had tried to take £5,000 from his account.
Other customers contacted by road.cc include Guy, who bought a Canyon bike in February, receiving it 11 days later, and who then decided to order another bike from the brand to use in the winter.
After ordering the Canyon Inflite 9.0s on 20 November, he was told it would ship 10 days later; the date was put back to 14 December, then 21 December, but no bike arrived.
He spoke to Canyon UK on 23rd December who said they would email Canyon Germany, promising a reply by 28th December.
“I’m still waiting for that reply,” he told us. He said he had twice tried calling Canyon, spending half an hour on hold each time without an answer, was unable to contact them via the chat function on their website, and received no reply to tweets.
“I then emailed a formal cancellation over and tweeted Canyon saying the same again,” he said. “I’ve had zero response to either.
“Bearing in mind the number of people I’ve spoken to who have cancelled and then had either money taken or bikes then actually sent to them I’m not overly hopeful of this cancellation taking effect,” he added.
A fourth customer, Elliott, said that when he was told the bike he had ordered in September wouldn’t ship until March, he emailed the company’s CEO to complain.
He accepted a discount on a past season’s bike, only to be told later it was no longer available.
“At this point I was furious as I hadn't gotten anywhere, it was absolutely ridiculous and having done some research I'm not the only one in this boat, a friend of mine had a similar experience and just gave up in the end and bought a different bike from a different manufacturer,” he said.
Having set his heart on a Canyon, he persevered, but says that despite the company offering him a 10 per cent discount, the paperwork he has received does not take that into account.
He has continued to pursue his order via the CEO and received a shipping order in mid-December, then another yesterday; he’s now wondering whether two bikes will turn up.
So, what’s gone wrong with a brand that many swear by for providing a lot of bike for a lot less money than much of the competition?
Well, it seems in part that Canyon is a victim of its own success.
A move to a new factory in Koblenz in October to meet rising global demand was accompanied by the rollout of a new IT system that proved to have some bugs in it that needed ironing out.
While in the planning stage it may have made sense to do both together, hindsight suggests that the company had not accounted for the potential disruption that would cause.
Canyon brand manager Frank Aldorf, who is based at its head office in Germany, told us that those changes were accompanied by a surge in demand, partly as a result of the success of riders from teams it sponsors, such as Katusha.
Migration of orders from customers who had ordered before the IT system changed caused problems too due to incompatibility issues, while customer service representatives would check the database to confirm a despatch date one day, only for it to be pushed back the next.
Meanwhile, customer services in the UK at least were becoming overwhelmed, with 1,000 emails and 600 contacts through its website chat function each day.
A reduced staff over the Christmas and New Year period didn’t help the situation at a time when angry purchasers were using their own downtime from work to chase the company.
He admitted that the company’s recent performance had not matched the expectations customers have of it, and told us it is working round the clock to remedy the situation; of 15,000 orders outstanding at the start of October, some 2,000 remained unfulfilled by mid-December, although that is still around one in seven customers who remain disgruntled.
"From our standpoint, all the compelling reasons why a customer would choose a Canyon have in no way changed,” he insisted.
“Canyon continues to stand for the highest quality possible and for excellence in product design, in order to provide the very best riding experience. Here our demands from ourselves are no less than those of our customers.”
Nick Allen, UK market manager for Canyon, told us: “We are aware of the teething issues and subsequent delays and take them incredibly seriously and I can assure you that both myself and the team here in the UK are working extremely hard to ensure we give the best level of customer service we possibly can to ensure the levels of outstanding customer service we expect.”
The reality of doing business these days, however, is that consumers can now vent their frustration about poor customer service – or, their perception of it – on social media.
So brands – and especially internet pure-players with a direct-to-consumer model – need to reassure potential and existing customers that they are delivering on their promises.
If you’re thinking about buying a Canyon bike and your research takes you to the company’s Twitter page right now, you may think twice given other people’s recent experience; some have said as much on internet forums.
As Guy said says: “In the space of six months Canyon have managed to turn me from a fan (the Ultimate is a superb bike) into a very unhappy now ex-customer.
“The lack of communication from anyone senior at Canyon addressing this up front and explaining what is going on is an object lesson in how to not deal with your customers.
“Yes they’re great value and superb bikes, but the low prices are no longer worth the grief involved with actually getting a bike from them.”
Canyon have promised that they are committed to turning rectifying the problems.
Aldorf said: "The current situation is simply the unfortunate consequence of truly astronomical growth. Canyon’s brief history and staggering product demand is unparalleled in the bicycling industry.
“And, as we have struggled to accommodate this astonishing growth, we have fallen short of providing an equally positive consumer experience.
“We are confident, however, that all our recent investments and changes will enable us to achieve customer service on par with our products, and that we will be able to put these growing pains behind us in the next one to two months.”
Customers waiting on orders will be looking to the company to fulfil that promise.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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64 comments
Thank goodness I bought my Canyon second hand from someone on Ebay...
I can answer this from both perspectives, as I have 2 canyon bikes, a mountain bike and a roadie, and have had both flips of the coin 'experience'.
I ordered a road bike Christmas 2014, and it came 2 weeks before delivery date. absolutely spot on, and very very happy. The delivery was extremely speedy, and I saved a lot of money on a great bike/components. I recommended the company to friends, and 2 friends subsequently ordered Canyons after I tested the water (one a cyclocross inflite the other a full-suspension Nerve). No problems.
Come summer last year, I ordered a mountain bike, as even though i'm a road cyclist at heart, I love mountain biking too. I ordered early in May, and it took a month and a half longer than predicted. I did actually do a lot of social media shaming, amongst other platforms, and (I think because I was a bit of a bastard about it) I got the bike a lot quicker (haha, felt like quicker even though there was a delay) than others may have waited for, despite the delay. I read a rumor on twitter that there was misplaced shipping for the frames and that was why there was a delay in delivery, but I think it was a load of codswallop.
I must re-iterate what others here have said, the service is what lacks (majorly) with Canyon, if you get it fast, of course you would have no reason to complain, on the surface of experience you would expect it provides the same service as a shop like amazon or the like, click and buy. however, where as you kind of expect a fast-ish delivery, the problem Canyon operate with is this 'murky' grey area of not letting you know honestly where they are. My creative imagination wondered if Somalian pirates had somehow kidnapped the frame and were now holding it hostage, because Canyon certainly didn't give updates. The second thing that bugged me was revised delivery dates, they claimed a new date, and surpassed that date too after severe pestering from me. What I hate is when you give a company a chance to rectify, trust that the second date would be achievable, then they let you down again. I just took to twitter to warn other potential purchasers of the risks of severely delayed bikes, then the bike came soon after.
What I will summarise with is if Canyon gave honest (albeit long) delivery times, it would feel more like they care for their customer, instead they 'hold' onto a sale, by updating unrealistic delivery dates. This I believe is a selfish act and should be called into question from their ethos, If they are about 'pure cycling' as their strapline says, then if they can't offer that experience to a customer when they say they will, they should let more honest companies fill that void. I have put this to them, their very own strapline - used against them, still didn't move things forward.
They did offer €100 off the model up from mine as they had it in stock, but I only wanted what I paid for.
Unfortunately the German efficiency statement seems to have bypassed Canyon as of last year. I can only assume from this recent news from road.cc the problem is still severe. I do hope they pull through this major blip of theirs.
My advice to potential buyers would be to factor a delay in, if you anticipate an extra 2 months at least and can tolerate a wait, then I can confirm the the Canyon frames are very good, and matched with handsome priced components, making a great overall bike.
My advice to Canyon would be: Pull your bloody finger out!
Rant is exactly the word I was searching for.
If the private sector were anything like as inefficient, resistant to change, and as entrenched as the NHS, we'd all be riding penny farthings
I am nervous - my new CF SLX frameset is due for pre-payment in a couple of weeks and for delivery by mid-Feb. I have that sinking feeling that I will transfer the funds only to later be informed of a big delay.
My first Canyon purchase was incredibly smooth, but this order process has been chaotic to put it politely. I must have received half a dozen pre-payment invoices, each one different. I also requested a change of stem length - previously no issue. The new system however is totally inflexible, they cannot even send the correct stem length with the new frameset, I have to wait until it arrives and then request the correct one is sent afterwards.
To put this down to the new IT system or factory move is a little disingenuous though I believe. My brother purchased an 'in-stock' CF SL early last year, it took 10 weeks to arrive.
I genuinely feel sorry for the UK team though. They are clearly overwhelmed and under-resourced, taking an average of 2 days to respond to each email and not being able to give any real information as the info from Germany seems innacurate.
The only comfort I have is that I ordered my frameset before they hiked the price up £200!
That fella's a large c conservative.
If they had even been close to what they originally promised, I could have been riding the bike months ago when the weather was perfect. Instead, I wasted hours of time dealing with incompetent or downright deceitful people.
I was in a LBS just before Christmas, and the whole Canyon issue was discussed. They told be that there is now a quorum of LBS's that actually refuse to service Canyons - more to do with their direct selling model than anything to do with this mess they've caused for themselves. Is this really the case? Any Canyon owners been declined LBS services on their bike?
Can't see this being the case generally after all there are plenty of LBSS to deal with. If they turn away business just go somewhere else. They should make money on servicing anyway. Failing that learn to do your own. I may chose to take my bike to LBS dud to time, but I have built bikes from scratch in the past. Wheel fixing is the only thing I can't do and for that I would only take the wheel, they would have no way of knowing what bike it came from. Your LBS should not dictate which bike manufacturer you can choose.
A friend used to work at a concept store for a very well known cycle manufacture. They would service any make of bike but not Canyon, all to do with the reasons you have stated. I've also known certain LBS's actually charge more to service bikes from direct sales manufacturers.
I find this attitude totally bizarre as another friend who runs his own shop is quite happy to admit that a big chunk of his profit is from servicing work.
Except my friend had exactly this particular problem, dealing with an LBS. Promised a replacement frame, months dragged by...
I have ordered canyon bikes before and after the UK office opened. I found things better before the Uk office opened.
Also check out the euro prices much less than that we get to pay I pounds!!!
Why?
still like the bike though. And would buy from canyon again if the pound price was comparable to the euro price.
Well Jim as you decided hijack a cycling forum to be overtly political let me respond in kind. How about you focus your attention and efforts inwards on improving the NHS from within because from my experience it is a case of the emperor's new clothes, i.e. everyone wants to believe but reality is there's not much there to admire.
Shockingly bad organisation unfit for purpose that with the exception of a few standouts (e.g. Frimley PCT) is dire and sub-standard to a staggering degree. Cancer diagnosis and cure rates that rank on third world level and general non-life threatening care and treatment that beggars belief. Heaven's above Bracknell PCT cannot even focus an X-ray machine or point it at the right bit.
From where I stand you need to stop believing your own hype mate. You are nowhere near as good as you'd like to think you are. Appreciate everyone tries hard and does care but that is nowhere near enough to paper over the over bloated and structural cracks which are massive and harming.
If all of our political masters weren't so timid and fearful at the backlash over the emperor's new clothes they'd drive a bus right through the middle of this behemoth and re-architect it properly for the 21st century not leave it rotting in a 1940s carcus.
Rant over...
I ordered a Canyon Aaroad. They mucked me around so I'm now a proud owner of a Scott Foil bought from Westbrook Cycles. Spot on customer service and the bike is brilliant!
Should have bought from your LBS with something in stock.
Canyon should have been honest and reduced their danage limitation and kept up customer service.
Now they made this error while under pressure, they may take a long time to recover but Ribble had this problem too and turned it around too into a successful business.
NHS? Wait till the schools are privatised lol.
Try Rose at rosebikes.co.uk. They lived up to their delivery date for me, and nothing's come loose.
They're having problems with existing orders.
They're going through the backlog of orders they're late in sorting.
Do you see them closing orders until they get it sorted and not mounting more and more on the existing problem? No? I wonder why they're "victims of their own success".
You get what you deserve when you buy into this company's little world.
You can bypass using Canyon UK and the GB pricing by requesting to be charged in Euros on the order form in the special instructions section. Means that you have to transfer your money straight into the Canyon bank account but it worked for me and the bike turned up earlier than anticipated.
I had my heart set on an Aeroroad but the delivery problems in August 2015 were an issue. These bikes are getting more technical to look after and less easy DIY. Frame faults with carbon being pushed to higher performance limits makes local inspection a must. Any online business MUST have exceptional remote customer support to compete with LBS, regardless of the price difference.
In the end I opted for a Giant Propel with 20% off RRP plus some clothing and misc kit worth £350 added for zero cost via LBS.
It's been perfect and flawless, even if it has less of the cache of an Aeroroad. However I have been riding it and not waiting for it....
Sorry Canyon, you messed up.
@polainm
either way you were getting a 'Giant manufactured' frame by buying the Aeroroad or Propel , the Propel is a great bike
(Canyon is Giant's largest CF frame customer)
regarding LBS not servicing Canyon bikes, that just seems really stupid and short sighted, as well as somewhat bitter?
there is good money to made from servicing, its actually the most profitable part of a bicycle business, and with the dramatic changes that bicycle retail is undergoing, smarter retailers are changing their focus away from holding large stocks of branded goods, to servicing, bike fitting, fitness training and other services the internet is not able to provide!
we will service anything at my shop (admittedly we'd advise a customer if we cannot get a proprietary headset or mech hanger), and we make good money from assembling bikes bought mail order. we charge a normal labour rate. this customer often becomes "our" customer and will come back for servicing, bike fitting, new tires, clothing, etc.
I did about a dozen bike fits, at £150 a time (plus average spend of approx £110 on saddle/custom footbeds/cleat shims) last year for customers who had bought Canyon bikes
A penny farthing would actually be an improvement over "no bike at all", which is what this private sector company appear to be able to provide!
I would never claim that the NHS is perfect, and I'm sure many of your criticisms are valid. However, the systematic failings are not the fault of clinical staff, but rather they are the consequence of political interference and chronic underfunding. Letting the private sector at it will simply siphon more public money into the pockets of bosses / shareholders. I undertake some private practice myself, so I know exactly how that side operates and how much of a mark-up they charge.
You're quite right, this isn't the right forum for this. Unfortunately, after 22 years of continuous front line NHS service, the current impasse with Hunt & co is really making me lose the plot!
No, not quite he didn't. These customers' problems are being compounded by dealing with an 'internet only' company, which is what I was referring to. At least with the LBS you have direct recourse with an individual, face to face and if it's a manufacturer problem, then you have someone to fight your corner.
Except that individual is in exactly the same position as you. They have no power or ability to resolve the issue. They just get fed the same line from the manufacturer as you would be getting from Canyon.
I have had to cancel two bike orders because of extensive delays. My last order was for a 2016 scott mtb which was due to come into stock Dec '15, but got reschedule d to April '16 So instead I bought a higher spec 2015 frame and I'm in the process of building it up.
Certainly it's possible to have a bad experience with an LBS. I'm sure there are some who are incapable of dealing with warranty issues when faced with a 'difficult' manufacturer, but again, this goes back to your choice of both retailer and manufactuerer in the first place.
Interesting that Giant are mentioned in the comments here (and apparently as the actual manufacturer of Canyon's in the first place) - both brands offer high quality, good VFM bikes, but only one are known to have good warranty terms/ process, and only one sells through a network of dedicated shops and authorised reatilers in the locality that you're making the purchase. To me it's a no-brainer, especially in light of the problems suffered by Canyon customers, which have been discussed for some time on forums like these.
I have been unlucky enough to have to make 3 frame warranty claims (in the same 5 year period) with another manufacturer - all honoured and replaced but I am certain that without the shop dealing with this on my behalf, I would not have had the success, or level of service that I did. Not to mention that each time they rebuilt it and waived the costs.
You chose your product and merchant and makes your choice..
And this one simple comment tells the whole sorry story.
Ask EDF Energy what happens with a SAP software migration, for one. There are many others!
Another Canyon 'victim' here, recently.
In fact I cancelled my order today and confirmed it on web chat. Phones go unanswered, and last time even web-chat (they reccomend you use this) took FOUR HOURS of constant tyring to get an advisor on the page. Today it took a minute, and they seemed totally relieved and without any apology or question they cancelled a £3.2k order.
It's the first true and accurate communication I have had from Canyon since my order in November for the latest Ultimate CF SLX.
They have consistently failed to answer any questions at all, and three times quoted the EXACT block of meaningless text, alluding to having no idea where or when my bike would be delivered.
According to the CEO in a bike mag article, he wrote to everyone to apologise. I have yet to find anyone who received this letter so can only presume its a corporate lie.
The UK section are constantly bumming-up the range on the Facebook pages but yet are impotent at dealing with real live customer complaints and are firmly shackled by the Germans. In fact they seem to get ignored by Canyon Germany for whining at them....
Good luck with the bike search, but this company is sadly in decline in 2016/17 and so best avoided. This many people are NOT wrong.
Indeed you make your choice, and you also decide if you wish to pay the sometimes 25% premium over the internet suppliers for this safety net.
A comment like 'I am sure...' is heresay. You didn't persue these claims yourself so you have no idea what would have happened.
I have known LBS to refuse frame waranty claims but it is rare. I also see many internet retailers working to resolve the same issues. When parts are ordered, as they invariably will be with frames, the timescales may not be any different.
I'm happy to risk the £1000 saving on a £4000 bike, that should more than cover any 'after sales' service troubles. A bit like insuring a £200 washing machine for £90 a year, as so many do - its not always the sensible backup it first appears once the calculator comes out.
My Canyon buying experience has been excellent. Perhaps I am lucky but then again - I do ride like the wind.
Best of all the Canyon logo on the downtube is a clever font back-slanted so that when it's on the upright it's straight. #Chapeau!
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