Rubbish customer service at Winstanleys

Appalling so far. Bought a floor pump off them. Sent me a pump which was built 7 years ago. Understandably it failed within 6 months as the seals were crumbling away. When I asked for it to be sorted, I was asked to send it back at my own cost and if they found it to be faulty, then they would refund me a grand total of £5 for postage. Now how am I supposed to send a whacking big metal floor pump back for a fiver? And why do I have to pay for the returns?

The decent thing to do would have been to pick it up and sort it out. If it had clearly been abused or misused then you can charge me.

Currently the shiny non working pump sits unused at home. I have since bought something from Wheelies, the pump was manufactured within the last year or so. They are excellent, offer free returns and are hassle free.

Never again will I use or recommend Winstanleys online shop.

My experience with Winstanleys was good in the end. I just expected them to respond a but quicker. I'd send them a mail and had to wait 3-5 days for a response. Eventually we got there it just took much longer to get them to respond.

My advice would be to keep hassling them. Skype phone whatever..

call them with skype, costs pennies.

I would go to the manufacturer if you are now on the other side of the planet from where you got the bike.

If they choose to replace it it I suspect they will advise you of a service agent in the country you are in who may be able to undertake the warranty work.

Joemmo is absolutely right, it pays to be there. March into the store at a busy time and ask, in a loud voice, when they intend to look at your broken frame.

Make sure plenty of customers hear you and then watch as the casual browsers edge towards the door. Someone will soon be at your service.

And don't accept a fob-off; it's your right to be taken seriously regardless of how inconvenient it may be for the shop. If you haven't pranged the bike and you have a clear conscience stick to your story and don't get too wrapped up in their insistence on returning the frame to the manufacturer. You have no contract with the maker, it's the shop who took your money and it's the shop who have responsibilities to treat you fairly.

Best of luck.

I have mixed views on Winstanleys. Everything I have ever ordered from their specific BMX website has been at a good price and been with me next day as it should have been. But items ordered on the winstanleys.co.uk have left me waiting for goods, but once telephoned (can have a bit of a wait for an answer) have always cancelled orders I no longer wanted. When I have had to return an item, always dealt with quickly and refunded. Probably victims of cheaper prices = less staff, so less able to deal with some orders/problems as fast as they could.

Have you tried phoning them and communicating using the power of voice? It's much more effective and harder to ignore than an email.