ProBikeKit.com - Are they legit?

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

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kyrider
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 4:37 pm

by kyrider

Hey riders,
I bought a set of wheels ($1700) from probikekit.com attracted by the lower price. The package was shipped from UK but US Postal Service managed to "lose" the package from the post office to my house. The online status was "Out for delivery" and then nothing. Of course nobody knows where the package is.

Anyway, I contacted PBK so I can get insurance info to file a claim and they keep saying that I need to allow for the investigation to take place before I can get a new item or refund.

What was your experience with PBK, are they legit? It's been a month since the delivery date and still can't get a resolution. Should I just accept that the money is gone?

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Notify your credit card company.

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themidge
Posts: 1528
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 4:19 pm
Location: underneath sweet Scottish rain

by themidge

I've bought plenty of smaller items (tyres and stuff) from them and have never had any problems. Sounds like an issue with the courier in the first place (big package) but I'm surprised that you haven't been able to sort it out with probikekit, although I've never personally had to deal with them in that way.

WorkonSunday
Posts: 540
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:39 pm

by WorkonSunday

I didn't have problem with them. I ordered a few times and on one occasion they lost my parcel, but the team sent out another one after receiving my complaint. friendly service as far as I can tell. my investigation was faster, only took two weeks.
Some say pour 10ml water out of your bottle to save that last bit of the weight. Sorry, i go one step further, i tend to the rider off my bikes. :thumbup:
n+1...14 last time i checked, but i lost count :mrgreen:

bilwit
Posts: 1526
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:49 am
Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

Like anything else you buy online, it's out of their hands once they ship it. If the status ever went to "out for delivery" then that means it was definitely scanned out for delivery. Unlike private delivery services like UPS/Fedex/etc, USPS is a disaster when it comes to customer service so investigations can take way longer than it should otherwise.

I actually had a very similar issue with PBK a couple years ago. They sent me some dura ace shifters but the tracking never updated at any point. Months go by and I finally contact them about it and they give me a different tracking number than the one I originally got and when I checked the status, the courier apparently failed to deliver it and gave me no notice to pick up so they sent it back. When I contacted PBK about it they said they could only refund me once the item is back to their warehouse which took another month or so.. pain in the ass but that's how it goes sometimes. Can't really blame them for the mishap.

PBK can be tricky at times (allow you to buy stuff that they don't have on hand and may never actually have them on hand to backorder, all the while it'll be "processing" indefinitely), but I've gone back to them recently for a few items here or there. If they don't ship within a week or two I just cancel. This sounds like a courier issue though.
Last edited by bilwit on Tue Aug 14, 2018 5:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

oldturd
Posts: 230
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:10 am

by oldturd

I buy from them often with no issues (with exception of Canada Post gouging me for import fees/handling/taxes)

audioblazer
Posts: 80
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2017 2:09 pm

by audioblazer

Lost 2 packages buying from PBK using the free service that tkje a long time to arrive if ever . However was promptly refunded . Reliable

hannawald
Posts: 1706
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2016 7:28 pm
Location: Czech Republic

by hannawald

I bought a wheelset from them. I waited for a new frame and it took a while. When the frame arrived i found out that the wheelset is not compatible with the frame, on smallest sprocket the chain in one position touched rear stay. Never happened to me before. Different wheelset was ok with the frame and this this wheelset was ok on another frame, just my wheelset and frame did not work together so hard to say whoom to blame.
Probikekit was so kind that they fully refunded me though I missed return period. It just took few months and many exchange messages and i had to keep pushing it. They always replied promptly but than nothing happened for a week..so expect a longer process but they are serious..

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ms6073
Posts: 4290
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:24 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

by ms6073

kyrider wrote:
Tue Aug 14, 2018 4:47 pm
The online status was "Out for delivery" and then nothing. Of course nobody knows where the package is.
Sounds to me like the issue is with the USPS not Probikekit.com. Unlike FedEx and UPS, the USPS carriers unload, sort, and deliver the packages and if Express and Priority mail take precedence, so if there at the end of the day, the other packages roll over to the next deliver day. Although the USPS has made big strides to improve processes, there is still a lot of room for improvement, but have you at least started the process for the USPS to investigate your missing item? Have you physically visited the local USPS office to talk the station manager?
- Michael
"People should stop expecting normal from me... seriously, we all know it's never going to happen"

AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Still, it seems like the problem is PBKs to solve.

That said, I do recommend going down in person to the post office. That has helped me several times shake loose a package especially when we had a super crappy driver servicing where I worked.

He'd do things like mark a package as "attempted delivery" after hours on a Friday evening and then wouldn't actually deliver the package until Tuesday or Wednesday or whenever he felt like it even though it was a Priority delivery. Going down and explaining these scenarios to a manager in person seemed to result getting this guy off his a**.

MrAnderson
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:04 pm

by MrAnderson

Never had problems with them but only ordered small items previously.

MisterNoChain
Posts: 275
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2011 9:29 pm

by MisterNoChain

I had never heard of this website but on google shopping they gave the lowest price for an ultegra di2 groupset. Looked for some reviews and decided never to buy there. 95% of people seem to be scammed.

glam2deaf
Posts: 712
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:36 am

by glam2deaf

Will never shop there again. Bought some tyres that were never shipped. Took almost 6 months to get a refund out of them.

KCookie
Posts: 1963
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:40 am
Location: Pom living in Australia

by KCookie

Ive ordered from them multiple times, nothing to expensive just Veloflex Carbon tyres, the goods are always despatched within 24hrs and on my door step in Australia within 7-10 days, so never a complaint from me.
I would speak to the C/C company or PayPal and let them know the situation.

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kbbpll
Posts: 494
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:56 am

by kbbpll

I've ordered small items (tires & bar tape, etc) from PBK without problems. US customs seems like a crapshoot as far as whether they hold your package for ransom or not, but if status is "out for delivery" and you see scans beyond point of US entry, then the problem is USPS not PBK or customs. Possibly PBK can pressure USPS to speed up the investigation? Seems like $1700 would have been shipped insured. My less than encouraging anecdote was anxiously expecting my new bike, seeing that "out for delivery" status, waiting breathlessly at home, and then watching them drag my $6000 bike to the neighbor's house. I went outside and yelled "hey, I think that's mine!". So, yeah, maybe check with your neighbors if you're on good terms with them...

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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