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SBR SPORTS

MGMG Posts: 470
Has anyone else suffered with the rubbish service you get from SBR sports. Used 'em twice and both times took forever (4weeks) for delivery and they dont anwser any emails AAAAAARGH!!!!!![:@]
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Comments

  • scott298scott298 Posts: 122
    yea they are C*#P!!!

    ordered once took forever then ordered again and I'm still waiting after about 11 months ! ignored my e-mails and phoning got me know where, so they knicked £20 of me!!
  • LuckyLucky Posts: 137
    used them, total rubbish.... shop is quite handy though, shame the website service lets them down...
  • Hey all. I had to register on here just so I could agree with how useless SBR are. I placed an order with them months ago. I never had any replies from emails i sent and it took days for me to actually speak to anyone. I cancelled the order in the end and yet when you check the order status online it still says awaiting stock??? Perhaps it will just turn up on the door step in a few months time.



    Very sloppy and unprofessional service, never again!!!
  • MGMG Posts: 470
    Well well well, After a month with no communication and no sign of the stuff I ordered 5 emails, countless phone calls, it actually took a threat of legal action before (amazingly promptly) SBR sports finally refunded me my money. A WARNING TO ALL, DONT USE THESE COWBOYS, SBR sports are proper timewasters!!!!!!!! Beware! [:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]
  • I ordered a new tri suit months ahead of the London Tri and never got it . eventually got a refund . poor communication , would never use them again.
  • Well the shop and people in it are great.



    Online service is worse then PANTS it's useless (and that is being kind)... they are certainly not geared up for any sort of online purchasing, take your cash before sending the gear - like way before - like take it and don't send it for weeeeeeks. Very frustrating. A friend of mine also looked to buy a wetsuit having tested one down at Heron Lake. Ordered it but never heard back so got it somewhere else. Seems like these guys are happy to throw business - wierd!

  • JJJJ Posts: 1
    Well its is a shame...."is it a case of much too much much too young"



    showing my age there....



    I first went to SBR when they had only one little shop in Windsor bought my first wet suit and even dropped into the lake my fisrt year of triathlon at Heron......



    found them all really helpful and really enjoyed my first year in triathlon.



    I also know how hard the managers worked to build up their business so going on my impressions and my gut feeling having chatted to the owner manager of SBR I suggested others use them.....



    I am very sad to say that each one of them had a terrible time with the staff at the shop in London and the web ordering one of those " wish I had not told em to go there" moments.



    Having set up my own business and knowing how much you sacrifice to get these things going to any level of success I am sure if the relevent people knew they would make steps to change it if they knew.

    Has anyone written constructive letter to SBR ,things can only change when people are aware they are going wrong SBR have actaully increased their size dramatically in a relative short space of time

    Maybe it is a little too much too soon, but it takes a massive amount of energy and dedication to develope that much in a short time and that may lead to there being a certain lack of contact with wahts going on at shop floor level.

    I think the core of SBR management really care about their business but maybe are not that aware it not going that well.

    Maybe we should tell them more than each other ?
  • Glad to say Ive never heard of them. Maybe an email directing them to this site would be a good start?
  • I know exactly where you're all coming from - the online side of the business is horrendous. But going into the shop is a different matter, ultra helpfull. And they have a considerable stock of wetsuits to try in Heron Lake. I've been waiting for an SBR tri suit since the summer.



  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    apparantly they will try to make it better now, cause the negative feedback on here could ruin their bussiness. But fair is fair, the thruth has to be told, good and bad.

    Maybe SBR could do a little effort for the dissapointed people on this thread by means of a bonus discount on next orders(if you still want it of course).
  • I've had a bad online experience wtih SBR and e-mailed Martyn direct from this thread. Very apologetic and is getting it sorted, nice guy and like he said to me - if he doesn't know there's a problem he can't do anything about it. fair play for putting his e-mail address on here, I wouldn't!
  • It surprised me to read the negative feedback on the website - I bought my bike from their Fulham store and they were really helpful and offered useful advice, including a proper bike fitting and measurement etc. Clearly they have just not worked out the internet side of the business. I hope this thread leads to an improvement.



    On the subject of online triathlon shopping, I haven't shopped at SBR online, but I have had a really excellent, personal service from "triexercise", which is based somewhere in Wales - i.e. a handwritten thank you and a couple of freebees with my order (may be tacky, but I'm cheap and a sucker for friendliness and a quick reply). Wiggle is also very efficient and fast, though their triathlon line is pretty limited.



    Mike





  • OK , After a negative experience of SBR last year , what a turn around , This year by accident I ordered a wet-suit from them (thought I had ordered from someone else , got my acronyms wrong!!). I had sworn I would never shop on-line with them again.



    Turns out they did not have the wet-suit I was after in stock , due to problems at the suppliers, but Kate at SBR was very responsive and helpful in sorting me out with a suitable alternative. Apparently a new team has been brought in since Xmas and they have certainly made a difference. I would use them again. So they have turned my opinion around.



    Looks like they have listened to feedback and done the right thing . Thanks to Kate for all the help. Good job.
  • AgnessAgness Posts: 27
    Just had to register to affirm how useless and unhelpfull SBR sports are! have contacted them three times regarding an order for a orca tri suit. I ordered it 6wks ago (money has come out of my account). They keep saying they will email me but never do. think i will demand money back.



    Does anyone know any shops that stock a good selection of wet and tri suits im based in keswick (north england) and am willing to travel. have previously gone to a specialist tri shop in edinburgh but they couldn't help me.

    Am in a state of panic coz im doing keswick tri in 4wk! SBR sports has let me down!
  • sfullersfuller Posts: 628
    why not order from wiggle.
  • AgnessAgness Posts: 27
    Im a bit put off by ordering over the internet. Got my wet suit over internet from a company called tri uk today(service excellent!) However im convinced it is too small! After 3 attempts to get it on and advice over the phone ive given up! awaiting help after weekend from my boyfriend. Think i will prob send it back and travel to a shop for some professional advice (if i can find one, any suggestions would be welcome) its a unisex wet suit (floor)& i thinks i may need a female specific one, ive never had a wet suit on before. was soo looking forwards to having a swim in derwentwater this afternoon. Am going cycling with a load of friends round the north east tomorrow. feel like dropping out and driving to this tri uk shop in yeovil to try stuff on. Am totally desperate Will look at this wiggle site though thanks



    i
  • sbrstevesbrsteve Posts: 7
    Sorry to hear about your bad expericience Agness. Is there anything I can do to help resolve it?

    I am one of the shop managers in Windsor, and am willing to help you out. Bad publicity is something we can all do without. I applaud jameshillery, for being so honest. It is right what he says, we have listened to all the feedback we get, and are trying our utmost to keep all our customers happy.

    For your info, we are fully stocked with Orca Tri and Wet Suits (we currently have over 500 wetsuits in stock, in all models and sizes).

    Agness feel free to pm me, so we can resolve this.





  • First timerFirst timer Posts: 139
    Not had any probs with the spoken company but as were having a moan i have had plenty of trouble with Cycle express twice now i have ordered on line cos the site says in stock but after 10 days and still no new shoes the answer on the phone says that they have not got them in yet.

    So why say they are in stock when clearly they havent.

    Well wont be caught again.In the end i took the day out and drove to Tri UK in Yeovil and got what i wanted and a little more.

    Sorry for the moan just wanted to let you all know,Its good to know about these shops.

    [:@]
  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    Agness,

    overhere in Belgium we freequently have wetsuit testing days at different stores/pools/hapenings.

    I'm sure you guys in the UK must have them too (since tri is far greater in Uk than Belgium).

    Try before you buy, my best advice.

    Best of luck.
  • AgnessAgness Posts: 27
    Thanks for the advice. just got back from 2 full days cycling. Watched a clip from utube on how to put a wet suit on with plastic bags and had another go. Got it on but felt soo restricted! i reckon if i went swimming in it i'd prob drown. took it off v fast though when i realised that my hands were turning blue! Anyone else had this?

    Im off again at weekend, going in search of wet and tri suit, no point doing more training if cannot get essential equipment!

    Thought i'd go to triangle in leeds (first stop) would like to be able to try a few wet suits on. does any one know this shop or any other with a good range. pref northern england, however if i have to travel far i will.



    ps my arms arn't fat
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    I live about 10 mins from triangle in leeds, but never knew it was there! I plan on going there in the next couple of days to check out their tri-suit range, so i will check out what they have got in the way of wetsuits and let you know.
  • LuckyLucky Posts: 137
    Having been a poster in the SBR suck thread 2 months ago, I've recently used them for a couple of internet orders and found them to be very good, a bit more feedback on the order status would be good, but other than that all good....



    BTW - The Windsor shop is great [;)]
  • andysvenandysven Posts: 10
    afraid i'm still not with you, ordered a couple of things last year, some came, a pair of bike shorts didn't, even after numerous phone calls & emails nothing happened (the emails weren't even replied to), so i emailed the guy conehead suggested about a month ago, no reply at all (nor any out of office or delivery failure so the email definitely went to someone at sbrsports.com) pretty damn rude.



    am cutting losses and never using them again.





    wiggle however, is awesome, have never waited more than 3 days for anything to arrive!
  • sbrstevesbrsteve Posts: 7
    Andysven- pm me or email me at [email=sbrsteve@googlemail.com]sbrsteve@googlemail.com[/email], or [email=enquiries@sbrsports.com]enquiries@sbrsports.com[/email]



    I will certainly try to help you. All emails that come through to me (sbrsteve) are replied to- even if it is a courteous 'sorry I cant help you'[;)]



    The address that Conehead suggested is no longer active,(as we are currrently up dating our systems) and if you do actually email that address, you get a very courteous email back, redirecting you to the relevant address. Try it, if you dont believe me.



    We have been very busy improving our internet business and making vast improvements to the internet business, and apologise that you have been the recipient of bad customer service. We are striving to be very competitive with the likes of Wiggle, and others, and in many cases our prices equal or in fact better Wiggle's and other main stream mail order companies

    .



    We are a growing business, and have admittedly had our share of disgruntled customers, but which business genuinely hasnt?













  • dunedogdunedog Posts: 15
    As a newbie to tri but doing Wimbleball in 5 weeks I have been buying all my stuff on-line (the Lakes doesn't seem to have anywhere handy). Used various companies and found SBR fine when ordering a wetsuit although post took longer than some (7days). Wiggle are outstanding but check around for prices. TFN (total fitness nottingham) were also very efficient and helpful, had orca suits at the door in 48 hrs and did a speedy exchange with Mrs DD's suit. Any bike bits.. it's got to be chainreactioncycles...orders pretty much next day, free post. Also very good for buyer reviews. Good luck for Keswick. At least the water has warmed up!
  • pr8jaapr8jaa Posts: 1
    This is an old thread I know, however I had to join this forum to inform that SBR

    hasn't got any better than the previous posts.



    I have just cancelled my online order for a wetsuit 20 days after the order.

    After 2 no replys to emails and a phone call which promised delivery

    but still no wetsuit. I now cannot get a new wetsuit until SBR

    refund my credit card (they took the payment 2 days after the order) and they

    say it can take up to 10 days for a refund.



    The web site is also full of bugs - adding random items to my basket which then

    cannot be removed.



    Sorry but I won't be using SBR ever again,

    [:@]

    James

  • Me too. Sorry to be joining this thread so late, as it may have lost momentum by now but I recently used them as Wiggle did not have stock of certain items. SBR didn't have the items either but neglected to tell me until 10 days after the order went in. They didn't answer the phoen, there was no customer service at all...I won't be trying them again. TriUK on the other hand...absolutely brilliant so far. prompt, efficient and friendly
  • dunedogdunedog Posts: 15
    Wetsuit bought as mentioned above has split on seam. Sent it back to SBR 2 days ago. I will see what the customer service is like. [8|]
  • threekneesthreeknees Posts: 19
    Such a shame about the online service but as a complete newb this year I have had nothing but friendly service from the staff at the Fulham branch...even one of the mechanics who was assembling a bike was able to give me helpful advice about using a plastic bag when trying on my wetsuit for the first time...



    Have used Wiggle and Primera with great results...

    F

  • MGMG Posts: 470
    I think the basic message from this link is, companys like SBR are more than willing to take your money but only offer crap service in return. By the sounds of it the "improvements" SBRsteve mentioned havnt come to fruition, cant say I'm surprised. Zero after sales care, zero communication and as far as I'm concerened (and by the sounds of it, alot of others) they wont be recieving any more custom from me.



    There are plenty of quality triathlon retailers out there people, triuk, sigma sports, total fitness nottingham and wiggle to name but a few. These companies have built up a good solid reputation for competative prices and rapid delivery, the latter SBR could NEVER claim to give!! I've said it before and I'll say it again, DONT USE SBR ONLINE SALES!!!!! [:o]
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