Problems with ProBikeKit.com



makoti

New Member
Oct 19, 2013
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This is more of a gripe post than anything, but I am really put off by the policies at ProBikeKit. Might save someone else some time.

I needed a few things, had never bought from them before, and since the prices were pretty good, I figured I try them. What sealed it was I could get discounts on both items I wanted – a Campy cassette & a helmet cover. I did some searching & found a code for Sugoi clothing. 10% off. We’re talking about $2.50 savings. Not a lot of money. It was the same discount for the cassette, so about $4.50 there.
So, I go to place the order & it will only take ONE of the codes. And when I went back to try to get both codes to show up, it deleted the one I had gotten in. I went back again to try one more time, and now it deleted BOTH of them and neither would show up. Gotta be a glitch, I thought.
Contacted PBK & was told “One code per order”. Period. If I want to use two codes, I have to place two orders. And pay shipping twice. What????
I can see this if I am trying to stack codes (even though a lot of places let you do this), but this was getting one valid discount on one item & a different valid discount on another. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I really thought that when I explained it to CS, they’d take care of it in a heartbeat. Nope.
So, I’ll find the stuff elsewhere. Thanks PBK, for narrowing down my equipment searches in the future.
 
I've been ordering bike components and clothing online from many places and I cannot think of one those online stores that allows more than one discount code in the order form. Many places locally with coupons will have in fine print, "cannot be combined with other discounts" and you are left to make a choice of which one gives the best discount because you can only use one or the other. Maybe there are other sites that allow multiple discount entries and I have just not used them.

I have no issue with your thoughts on PBK since that is the beauty of living with free choice and the opportunity to pick from another source, but for me personally PBK is one the best online sources that I have used as long as I am not in a rush to receive the item. I typically buy my tires from them since the tires are typically half the price (no discount coded needed IMO when it is half the price including free delivery) of most of my local sources and they are delivered right to my door. I just consider that delivery is a bit longer and make my orders well in advance of my actual need.
 
Yep, PBK is a great source for tires, my favorite GP4000's. Plus, I've gotten Nalini bibs and last season's pro team jerseys from them, all at bargain prices. Quick free shipping to the US via the Royal Mail works just fine for me.

Get most of my clothing from Performance, but I'll continue to do business with PBK for tires and other bargain items. Great prices and service.
 
And if I was trying to combined codes, I'd agree with you. But as I stated, two different codes for two different items. And yep, I can see how it would be a problem to put in two codes. That's where Customer Service comes in. There was none. "Sorry, you're out of luck" was the basic answer. It could have been taken of easily. They didn't even try. That's what put me off.
If they work for you, that's great & you should use them. I just posted in case someone else was planning to use two codes.
 
Originally Posted by makoti
Contacted PBK & was told “One code per order”. Period. If I want to use two codes, I have to place two orders. And pay shipping twice. What????
This is quite customary.
 
" Might save someone else some time."

I have only good things to say about PBK, Wiggle & Chain Reaction.
 
I used to only have "only good things to say" about ProBikeKit (PBK). However my recent order (Dec 1st, 2014) has yet to arrive (Jan 1st, 2015). So I did some checking and it seems that PBK has gone downhill. Unfortunately because my prior experiences have been good I didn't do my homework before placing the latest order.

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/ProBikeKit

Should you decide to order from PBK I do wish you the best of luck.
 
I just logged into PBK and checked my order history. The last order was last summer and no problems yet. I'll definitely keep an eye on the latest reviews before ordering again.
 
I'd recommend avoiding them if you are outside of the UK. The prices are great, but not so much better than other UK online sellers that offer free shipping to the US (Wiggle, Merlin, etc.). Apparently they are better at serving the domestic UK market with mail order.

Ordered a Shimano groupset in late December. Credit Card charged and received shipment notice and tracking number. A month later and the tracking number has never updated, with the shipping company saying they never received the package. Probikekit says they shipped it and it's a shipper problem. They won't refund or ship/reship. Now I have to ask my credit card company to get involved.

The juice just isn't worth the squeeze.
 
Guy, I was about to have my creditcard company get involved when they talked me down and the shipment FINALLY arrived. My order was similar to yours - Shimano groupset and some other misc tires and stuff.

Did a quick search with DuckDuckGo (experimenting with this as an alternative to Google) and found several forums with complaints about PBK and other UK online sellers. Your, and my, experiences are not unique. These problems seem to have started about 9 months ago.

People with orders above $200 have reported problems with getting the product through customs. It sounds like a shipping company PBK has used would charge people $50 to get the shipment thru customs. Lots of dissatisfaction is because this was not clearly stated at the time the order was placed and it was not clear that the shipper was connected to PBK.

In any case - my order (around $800) went thru customs without incident and there was no extra charge.

Based on my experience - from the time the order has been "Dispatched", expect it could take 4 to 6 weeks to deliver. I used the standard "Free" delivery.

Good luck,
Greg
 
PBK is awesome, Just ordered Dura ace 9000 group set with Ultegra 6800 group set, took 3 weeks to Canada. Awesome deal! I saved over 1200$ instead of 4.5$ so for me I would be ready to wait 9 weeks not 3 :)
 
I just bought a Castelli Misto jersey. Estimated delivery was 3 weeks; it arrived a couple days early. Good price - no complaints.
 
Chain Reaction came through yesterday. Also a delivery that was earlier than expected.