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Ribble responds to customer concerns over bike delivery delays

“The optimistic timescales are one thing - it's the waiting till the day before each dispatch date to bump them down the road each time which gets me,” sums up the mood

Last month we reported on the troubles Bowman Cycles were having fulfilling orders and now Ribble is the latest bike brand to feel the ire of disgruntled customers annoyed by last-minute changes to delivery dates, as highlighted by this recent road.cc forum post.

Factory closures and disruption to the supply chain since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as increased demand, has meant bike companies the world over are struggling to fulfill orders on time. British brands have the extra complication of Brexit to deal with too, but many bike buyers complain that companies leave it too late to tell them about delayed deliveries. 

> Britain’s bike shortage, part 1: what’s going on, when will supplies return, and how can you improve your chances of bagging the bike you want?

British brand Ribble has responded to criticism about delayed bike deliveries to consumers by saying that when holdups result from UK port and logistics issues it receives communication at "very short notice". Ribble adds that it has been heavily investing in its customer service team, and will continue to, and also highlights that there’s a dedicated section of its website that pulls together its ‘Best Availability’ bikes with the earliest dispatch dates.

We all know that buying a bike is really difficult at the moment, but once you hit ‘buy’ on a brand’s website there’s an expectation of regular customer-service communications and for expected delivery date information, especially on a bike you’ve already paid for. But some of you have said on the road.cc forum that you are experiencing issues with Ribble repeatedly pushing back delivery dates.

> An absolute clusterf**k: Bowman Cycles speak out on supply chain issues after unhappy customers complain

Uncertain delivery dates from bike brands are common right now, but many of you have also highlighted a lack of communication regarding the delivery status of bikes.

> When will Britain’s bike shortage end?

“Almost everyone in the industry has supply-chain problems, but that's not an excuse for bad customer service,” one reader, bobrayner, commented on the forum thread.

Ribble is among the bike brands struggling to stick to the expected delivery dates given to consumers when they purchase a bike.

road.cc reader JVN01, for example, recently started a forum post about their experiences of multiple last-minute delivery date pushbacks and lack of communication after purchasing a Ribble CGR Pro Ti Di2 bike back in May of this year – and is still bike-less.

In the approach to the first projected delivery date of early October, JVN01 received an apologetic email from Ribble advising that, due to component shortages, the build was being delayed until late October.

JVN01 said: “As late October approached I contacted Ribble via their support chat to confirm my 'new' delivery date shown on my live order tracking status page was still on track. Oh yes, they said, everything is correct with your revised delivery date.

“This was the case right up to 24 hours before the delivery date, at which point it suddenly jumped back to mid-November. The same thing happened again a few weeks later when the promised dispatch date approached and got bumped back to 3rd December.”

Waiting again for 3rd December, JVN01 said: “I contacted Ribble customer chat again who confirmed my order was still on track for 3rd December dispatch... However, just a day before the promised dispatch date it suddenly slipped back to 17th December.”

JVN01’s complaint is regarding the lack of warning about further delays to a customer who has paid for a product.

“The optimistic timescales are one thing - it's the waiting till the day before each dispatch date to bump them down the road each time which gets me - it's obvious Ribble know they can't honour the dispatch date long before it arrives, so they could (should) be honest with their customers who have, in many cases paid upfront in full for their new bike.”

He concluded: “If Ribble are unable/unwilling to predict when a certain bike will actually be available then they should simply remove it from their listings as being available to order.”

Ribble explains that the build date it communicates at the point of order is based on the confirmed purchase order delivery dates given by its component suppliers, plus the bike brand says it adds a significant buffer on top to cover any potential delays.

“However, each of these components is part of a global supply chain that has been under significant pressure and whilst the buffer we put in place results in many customers getting their bike before the communicated date, the current supplier and logistics delays the industry is experiencing are in some cases breaching the buffers we have put in place resulting in build dates slipping," says Ribble's Caroline Joice.

“Further complication is added where these delays are UK port and logistics-based and communication is received at very short notice.”

JVN01 is not the only customer to have spoken out about having such experiences. road.cc reader JP Cycling commented on the forum thread: “I had the same problems with Ribble, constantly pushing back the dates, this coupled with useless customer service made me cancel my order.”

road.cc reader Tom_77 also commented: “'I’m still waiting for my Gravel AL [...], Ribble confirmed my order on the 1st October, was expecting to get it at the start of November. Currently, the Ribble website is showing an estimated dispatch of 17th December 2021.” Although he added in a further comment “ got an email to say my bike has been built and I should have it in 3-5 working days.” It’ll be interesting to hear next week if this has been fulfilled.

 “I think the communication from Ribble could be a lot better,” Tom_77 agreed, “ I also feel that they may be being a bit too optimistic when estimating timescale.”

Ribble says it has been growing its Customer Service team over the last 18 months and to make its communication channels more robust it has also been developing its contact centre capabilities by introducing new technologies and systems. Ribble says that this is ongoing and will continue to evolve and improve.

Aware that most lead times are much longer than consumers would like, Ribble points out that it has a section on its site that pulls together its ‘Best Availability’ bikes.

“These are builds which are configured with componentry that is more readily available and is constantly updated and amended to reflect the supply situation and to make sure the bikes contained within the range can be purchased, built and delivered in a shorter time frame,” Ribble explains.

Here is the full response we received from Ribble’s Customer Service Operations Manager Caroline Joice:

Ribble reacted very quickly to the increase in global bike demand and has significant component orders in place to fulfil current and future demand. Every Ribble bike is hand assembled in the UK and is the combination of over 40 components which can be customised via our Bike Builder tool and personalised to one of over 400 million design iterations using our Custom Colour proposition.

“The build date we communicate at the point of order is based on the confirmed purchase order delivery dates given to us by our component suppliers plus a significant buffer we add on top to cover any potential delays. However, each of these components are part of a global supply chain that has been under significant pressure and whilst the buffer we put in place results in many customers getting their bike before the communicated date, the current supplier and logistics delays the industry is experiencing are in some cases breaching the buffers we have put in place resulting in build dates slipping. Further complication is added where these delays are UK port and logistics based and communication is received at very short notice.

“We understand that the management and communication of these supply and logistic delays can have a negative impact on our customers and their overall Ribble experience which can detract from their new bike excitement. Therefore, in the last 18 months we have invested significantly in growing our Customer Service team and developing our contact centre capabilities by introducing new technologies and systems which make our communication channels more robust. This is ongoing and will continue to evolve and improve.

“We appreciate that due to the aforementioned reasons some of our lead times are currently longer than we would like, so we have added a dedicated section to our website to pull out our Best Availability bikes, these are builds which are configured with componentry that is more readily available and is constantly updated and amended to reflect the supply situation and to make sure the bikes contained within the range can be purchased, built and delivered in a shorter time frame.

“We sympathise with and apologise to customers who experience and are disappointed with build delays and rest assured we are doing everything we can to improve the situation and remedy their journey with us.”

Not just problems for Ribble...

Last month, some of you said on our forum that you were experiencing similar issues with another popular British bike manufacturer, Bowman Cycles.

There were claims of incorrect builds, poorly packed bikes and a lack of response to emails or calls, and when we spoke with their founder and managing director Neil Webb he confirmed that supply chain issues were having a devastating effect on the company’s ability to fulfil orders, and he’s trying to “work out how to refinance” the business.

“The big players are taking all the space," he added. "All the smaller businesses like us that I know are experiencing this same problem in some way, shape or form and these constant delays have taken huge amounts of manpower to manage.”

Commenting on the company’s lack of response to concerned customers, Neil Webb said Bowman had fallen short of expectations.

He said: “I’m aware we haven’t been able to get in touch with people for five or six weeks, which I understand is really shit. In hindsight we should maybe have told people ‘yes, we’ve got your email but we can’t tell you an answer’, but we thought the problems we’re experiencing would have been sorted out quicker than they have been.

"We’ve been waiting to give people the correct information and I can only apologise for people’s frustrations about that.”

You can read more about Bowman's situation, difficulties and response over here.

Have you purchased a bike this year but have yet to have it delivered? If so, what’s your experience with the bike brand's customer service been?

Anna has been hooked on bikes ever since her youthful beginnings at Hillingdon Cycle Circuit. As an avid road and track racer, she reached the heady heights of a ProCyclingStats profile before leaving for university. Having now completed an MA in Multimedia Journalism, she’s hoping to add some (more successful) results. Although her greatest wish is for the broader acceptance of wearing funky cycling socks over the top of leg warmers.

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33 comments

Avatar
mostly | 2 years ago
1 like

Ordered an electric hybrid back in September with an October delivery estimate, its been pushed back each month until now we're told it'll be March.
Sharp practices from Ribble, with each communication they assure me that the 'Frame will be here in x ' it never is. Will attempt a refund, buyer be very beware.

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Slem22 | 2 years ago
1 like

I ordered a Ribble Step through hybrid electric back in July 2021 Delivery date was to be December 17, 2021. Months later date was pushed to April 22, 2022. Today, April 12, I received an email that pushed the delivery date to June 3. I paid £2500 upfront for this bike, so Ribble has had my money for almost a year without producing my bike. Does Ribble seriously expect customers to accept these continuous delays? I know many companies are experiencing delays but this latest delay from Ribble is approaching a year since my order. I am beyond angry and I am seriously considering cancelling my order.

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JVN01 | 2 years ago
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It gets worse... checking my order status regularly since before Christmas it has been stating a dispatch date of 28th January. Now when I check my order status, all mention of estimated dispatch date has disappeared completely. Have tried emailing Ribble customer service for an update and had no reply. How much more crap can it get? Is it the same for all Ribble orders now?

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wazgilbert | 2 years ago
1 like

I just wanted to point out that neither the pandemic, nor Brexit are truly the issue with Ribble.

I bought my CGR AL over three years ago, and had exactly the same problems back then. 
they didn't have stock of the frames, parts or both at different times during the saga of my bike build. 
although they were quite nice about it, I just got to the point of exhaustion with all the delays and seemingly endless setbacks, I came to the conclusion that they don't stock anything properly. I think they order from their suppliers when they have customer orders. That's what happens when accountants start running businesses, and not the enthusiasts who started the business.

Brief summary;

Ordered Oct 2018

Delivered Jan 2019

Still trying to solve problems in March;

Seatpost was faulty,  the rear wheel was incorrectly assembled (no spacer on cassette, causing freehub to undo its lock washer, needing a trip to a mavic wheel dealer to fix), the rear drop outs were loose, causing the shifting to go completely adrift.

And that's before we consider that the CGR AL is marketed as internal cable routing, but the cables are exposed at the BB and run outside the bike along the chainstays!

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SwissTony | 2 years ago
0 likes

I ordered a Ribble CGR Ti frameset which arrived well ahead of the due date (although there were a couple of other issues). Works out a bit more expensive to source components for a custom build but worth it if you want a bike sooner rather than later.

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Tom_77 | 2 years ago
0 likes

I do now have my bike.

Overall I'm not too unhappy with how things have gone - we're not living in "normal times" so I'm prepared to cut people a fair amount of slack.

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JVN01 | 2 years ago
2 likes

To be quite clear, my reason for raising the issue initially was as a result of having had no luck getting any meaningful response from Ribble customer service after having given them my money and then expected to be kept informed as to progress of my order.

I fully appreciate the challenges Ribble are having due to supply chain issues but this in no way justifies a complete lack of timely communication when orders are delayed. I've no intention of making Ribble's already difficult situation any worse but as others have already stated, it is not beyond reasonable to expect Ribble to be able to track individual orders in realtime and configure their systems to inform customers when their orders are delayed.

I would rather feel that I'm being treated with respect and wait a little longer for my bike than feel I've been taken advantage of and still have no idea when my bike may be delivered...

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Squeaky | 2 years ago
1 like

I've had a CGR Ti on order since April - it has been moved back four times - current estimated date of delivery is Dec 17.

I also have the complication of my road bike having been stolen.

However, whilst it's frustrating I have found the Ribble support teams to be pretty good.

The website updates are a bit vague and it's definitely frustrating when the delivery moves back at late notice, but I've been able to contact Ribble through the chat function and even speak on a video link if I need to.

The whole industry is screwed by the supply situation and I believe Ribble are doing their best in horrible conditions.

In the meantime I'm building my fitness on a very heavy mountain bike...

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David9694 | 2 years ago
1 like

It breaks my heart to think that there may be people whose entry into the wonderful world of cycling is being delayed like this. It takes a certain temperament (that I don't have) to promise to supply something that you don't have in your own warehouse, or at the very least a reliable date from a trusted supplier. 

There's a tonne of used bikes on Ebay to be had. I get the occasional one for c£100 that's looking a bit sorry for itself, fix it up and it goes for sale via my local repair cafe. Someone gets a pretty decent bike, I get a bit of retail therapy, some problem solving (remember freewheels?) and I stay off the sofa for an hour or two these dark evenings. 

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Akegata | 2 years ago
3 likes

I have made a an account just to come on and comment on this post. 
 

I ordered a road bike from ribble earlier in the year and eventually cancelled it after several months of delay, and then rather foolishly went back and tried to order a custom mountain bike from them with a custom paint job. 

And sure enough the delivery date changed the day after it should have arrived with me, and frustratingly they couldn't tell me why, what bits they were missing or what was causing the delay. 

To add insult to injury the customer team has actually gotten worse through the year, at least when I cancelled my road bike they made an effort to engage with you and keep the business. This most recent time the way in which I was treated I was actually insulted. 

Somehow they have managed to convert me from  someone who tried to buy two bikes from them at 3k a time to someone who will never go near them again and warn other about their service. 
 

in the mean time I have found a better specced bike, at a cheaper price and it's been dispatched to me in less then ten days. It's not exactly what I wanted but a bike in your hand is lot more useful than a promise of a ribble 
 

 

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Rik Mayals unde... | 3 years ago
2 likes

I have been told that Ribble have now been sold, so we shall see if the new owners can improve on things. It's such a shame that action is taken once a negative Trustpilot review is posted. That's a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

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Gkam84 | 3 years ago
1 like

I'd give companies a break if they were just honest with customers, but some are still taking orders for products they know they can't deliver on. I'm not saying Ribble is guilty of that, as I haven't shopped with them, but I know of others doing it.

There are some items in the industry that now have ETA's into 2024 and a couple of parts I've heard of being pushed back to 2025. That is really a bit of a piss take, but it will be the new norm, this backlog caused by Covid isn't going to catch up as long as demand is still the same as it's always been. Some companies, like Shimano, have opened new factories, but with bike frames, it's not as easy, all current factories that are open as running at full capacity. 

Any company using Brexit as an excuse is just at it IMO, Brexit hasn't caused delays to anything that was due to arrive in 2021, there was an initial knock-on effect when Brexit kicked in, with delays at ports because of import fees and forms, but we are nearly two years down the line from that. It's Covid that has caused all the issues because no one was manufacturing and all stock was being used at rapid rates that could never and might never be replenished. 

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gbzpto replied to Gkam84 | 3 years ago
3 likes

Brexit happened at the beginning of 2021 not 2 years ago

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David9694 replied to gbzpto | 2 years ago
2 likes

I thought there were still customs checks that would normally happen with EU to 3rd country goods movements that haven't yet been implemented, are due to start in January and that the UK isn't prepared for. Does anyone know?

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Gkam84 replied to gbzpto | 2 years ago
2 likes

No, you are thinking of the transition period, Brexit happened in January 2020, nearly two years ago.

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gbzpto replied to Gkam84 | 2 years ago
1 like

Yes but nothing came into force until the beginning of 2021.

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Rik Mayals unde... replied to Gkam84 | 2 years ago
1 like

I've been told that at one point Ribble had over 5000 bikes on order, all paid for in full, and no idea when they could supply. And they were still taking orders. If, for example, each bike was £3,000, that's £15 million they have pocketed without delivering. Makes the books look good for selling the company.

This came from a Ribble employee. 

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JVN01 replied to Rik Mayals underpants | 2 years ago
1 like

That sounds worryingly plausible, and the very same thought had occurred to me...

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Steve K replied to Rik Mayals underpants | 2 years ago
1 like

I know it won't be appropriate for everyone, but the solution to the paying up front issue is to take advantage of their interest free credit offer.  Then you don't start paying until you get the bike.

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Mr Grumpy | 3 years ago
2 likes

As mentioned above, it's not just Ribble that are experiencing supply problems. I also ordered a Ti frame in May from another supplier based in Rutland. When I contacted them in October, a week before my 'due date', I was told that delivery would be 'likely in the first few months of 2022'. This surprised me as I'd had no contact from them at all since I placed my order to inform me of the potential delays. I still suspect that if I had not contacted them in October I'd still be waiting for a call or message.
I emailed them for an update again recently but have heard nothing.
It's really frustrating and I know I'm not the only one in this position, but a bit of customer service would go a long way.

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RoubaixCube replied to Mr Grumpy | 3 years ago
3 likes

I would go easy on them.

The fact that you understand that youre not the only one in same position is even more confusing to me. It should be the reason why you should cut them some slack.

Being one of the more popular retailers, they probably have a few thousand people to contact about their orders and customer sales/support staff cant get to everyone and even more so now since people are being pushed to work from home again.

Its like youre being angry for the sake of being angry when none of whats going on is actually their fault.

Im sure even halfords as big as they are, are having the same issues fufilling some of their orders too to a varying degree.

If youre not happy with the service, you can always take your money elsewhere.

I used to work customer service. You being frustrated and shouting at me isnt going to complete your order any quicker if we really have nothing to give you.

Im sure their customer service teams have been trampled on pretty hard.

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Sriracha replied to RoubaixCube | 3 years ago
8 likes
RoubaixCube wrote:

none of whats going on is actually their fault.

"This surprised me as I'd had no contact from them at all since I placed my order "
You used to work in customer "service"; it's not their fault if they can't communicate in timely fashion with their customers?

My take is that you seldom know how good or bad a company is until/unless things outside their control go wrong. Then you find out.

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Secret_squirrel replied to RoubaixCube | 3 years ago
5 likes

Where did he mention that he shouted at anyone?  Stop projecting your bad experiences onto him.  Also stop defending poor customer service.  It literally takes 2 minute to send a proforma email.

I used to manage ops teams.  My policy was to alway be proactive about contact - even if it meant admitting we didn't have a clue at that point in time.

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RoubaixCube replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
0 likes

I didnt say that Mr Grumpy shouted at anyone. Im just making the point that shouting or getting mad at customer support/service in general doesnt help anyone apart from ruining someones day. If the support teams hands are tied, they are tied. Getting angry at them wont get you any further as they quite often have no control over the situation at hand. People dont seem to get it. For instance If you go shopping for banannas and the supermarket is sold out of banannas, shouting at or getting aggy with the cashier or the other staff members wont get you banannas any quicker. It doesnt help you at all.

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David9694 replied to RoubaixCube | 2 years ago
2 likes

Tell drivers that, will you.

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Hirsute replied to RoubaixCube | 2 years ago
2 likes

That analogy doesn't work though. I go to the supermarket but they don't ask for payment upfront nor do I expect every item to be there.
Whereas if I order a bike, I expect them to have stock or accessible stock if they are advertising certain bikes.

Any half usable CRM will be able to bulk email customers based on orders, order status, supply chain. It's really not difficult.

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ejocs replied to RoubaixCube | 3 years ago
2 likes

Weird reply that responds to points no one actually made. Mr Grumpy's post didn't fail to take it easy on anyone, didn't fail to cut anyone any slack, didn't express anger, didn't suggest that he had behaved aggressively with customer service, etc. It's not even about Ribble, if you read what he actually wrote, and indeed he forbearingly withheld the name of the company to which he's referring. In fact, overall his post was very chill and just suggested he'd appreciate slightly better communication from the company he gave his money to.

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mdavidford replied to ejocs | 3 years ago
0 likes

ejocs wrote:

he forbearingly withheld the name of the company to which he's referring.

Hmm - I think you might be stretching a point there.

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ejocs replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

Heh, fair enough, but still it's clear that he wasn't trying to slag them off by name, his post isn't going to turn up in a google search about them, etc.

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JVN01 replied to RoubaixCube | 2 years ago
0 likes
RoubaixCube wrote:

If youre not happy with the service, you can always take your money elsewhere.

Taking your money elsewhere isn't all that easy once they already have your money...

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