crazy low prices. too good to be true?

[elanzarotta]

has anyone used a website called conduitcycle.net to buy a bike? the prices are incredibly low and it seems too good to be true so i am skeptical of the website. if anyone has any experience with these i would love to hear about it and know if the website is actually legitimate.

thanks for any help

eric

 

[alienator]

As always, if it seems to good to be true, it most likely is. In this case, the company is located in Indonesia. Right now, Indonesia and Malaysia are the heart of such online cycling store scams. Looking into the site, the first glaring problem is there is no "About Us" link. That should be a warning sign. A second HUGE warning sign ought to be the fact that on their "Shipping & Returns" page, they confuse the 14 day return period with a 10 day return period. Of course the prices are a dead give away, too.

 

[danfoz]

Even with an about us one should be skeptical of "too good to be true". Ironically these guys (http://www.fipperbicycles.com/pages/About-Us.html) have some legitimately priced bikes which gets one second guessing. But after looking at a deal on a Cinelli Pro Estrada priced a few grand below fair market value I did some research and these guys at Fipper are a scam. What you say, a scam even though they show a photo of their lovely storefront. One possible giveaway aside from selling a new $5000 bike for 2 grand - no CC accepted, only Paypal and Bank transfer. Another... the fact that the Online "Help" is always offline.

Come to think of it conduitcycle sounds familiar and may have even been on the thread that I discovered revealing a whole slew of internet sharks out of Singapore and Malaysia. That said I got a great deal on a set of Shimano DA wheels from a fella in Malaysia and he even payed a hideous return shipping fee on one of the wheels that arrived slightly damaged.

 

[tonyzackery]

'Buyer Beware' has taken on an even more sincere meaning now that on-line shops are a dime-a-dozen.
Paypal is your friend with these enterprises should you want to give 'em a go. Chances are highly likely you'll never see anything that you pay for, and getting your money back via Paypal is not a major hassle.

 

[danfoz]

I'm sure a Paypal refund is possible, but if it's a transaction that funneled funds out of a checking account (many have Paypal setup that way), it's likely to be more of a hassle than via a CC.

 

[tonyzackery]

A Paypal refund is a definite when you don't receive what you paid for.
As I don't know how "many" have their Paypal accounts set up (I have my credit card and bank account linked so I can use either if I choose), I can't make an informed assumption about what "many" do...

 

[danfoz]

I should have indicated many of the people I know. But as many folks use paypal, many probably have it setup in a variety of ways. Feel free to get the last word in, it was just a choice of words.

 

[tonyzackery]

LOL! Thanks for your permission.

 

[Budarooski]

Knowing Flipperbicycles is a scam, I placed a large order with them with bogus information. We should flood their order system with bs orders...what are they going to do about it - absolutely nothing they can do. Time to turn the tables on the crooks!

I ordered three sets of wheels and a bicycle and it quoted me $79 for shipping to Chicago. Yeah, ok, whatever. I couldn't ship that stuff to my neighbor for $79!

Thanks for Your Order! Your order was sent to us but requires payment before it can be completed.
Once you've provided payment, your order will be completed. The outstanding balance of your order is $10,029.68 USD. Instructions on how to pay for your order are shown below:
Account Name: REZA HARAHAP
Account Number: 8000-608-638
Swift Code: CENAIDJA
Bank Name: Bank Cetral Asia (BCA)
Bank Branch: BCA Katamso MDN (8000015T)
Country : Indonesia

You can confirm your payment to [email protected]

 

[Fred75]

Fipper Bicycle is mosdef a scam. I followed Budarooski's advice and placed a couple of fake orders. They ask for money wire or Western Union transfer !!!