Lost two days of training here in Kona due to Tri-Bike Transport not having the bikes here as promised. 200 bikes from the east coast didn’t make it out of LA on Friday. Bikes did actually arrive today but an original e-mail they sent said bikes wouldn’t be ready for pick up till between 6 and 7 pm. Meanwhile they send another email later in the afternoon changing the pick up time from 3 to 6pm. Luckily, I just made it today before 6 but there will be people who come later. They’re charging $500. At that price point they need to provide premium service above and beyond what the airlines provide. They “can’t afford” to give refunds or rebates. Too bad. I’m done with Tri-Bike Transport. What a hassle. The airlines have lost my bike numerous times in past years but it usually shows up the next day, and the airline delivers it to your door. I never had any damage to my bike with the airlines and last year I had a carbon water holder ripped off the down tube by Tri-Bike Transport. (They did have it replaced for free). No more Tri-Bike Transport, I’m going back to the airlines.
I’d rather just ship via UPS…Bike shop to bike shop. Seems like that would be easier. I wouldn’t trust the airlines with anything.
I am sorry to hear this but why bash them publicly? These guys have great customer service and would/will very likely work hard to make up for this. This does stink but I don’t understand how angry you are. You are in the greatest triathlon place at the greatest triathlon time of the year! Enjoy yourself. No “training” today is going to benefit Saturday anyway. TBT may have just prevented you from ruining your taper! This should really be a thank you thread.
Type A personality disorders are something to behold.
I am sorry to hear this but why bash them publicly? These guys have great customer service and would/will very likely work hard to make up for this. This does stink but I don’t understand how angry you are. You are in the greatest triathlon place at the greatest triathlon time of the year! Enjoy yourself. No “training” today is going to benefit Saturday anyway. TBT may have just prevented you from ruining your taper! This should really be a thank you thread.
x2.
Nicely put.
x3
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I am sorry to hear this but why bash them publicly? These guys have great customer service and would/will very likely work hard to make up for this. This does stink but I don’t understand how angry you are. You are in the greatest triathlon place at the greatest triathlon time of the year! Enjoy yourself. No “training” today is going to benefit Saturday anyway. TBT may have just prevented you from ruining your taper! This should really be a thank you thread.
I don’t have a horse in the race here at all, neither do I know OP nor I have ever used TBT. If these are facts, why not make it known. What is this, communism, so we would keep our mouth shut, just because you think it should not be public.
If the OP is operating based on the scheduled taper leading into the biggest race of the year, payed $500 for the service, which I think is a lot of damn money, then there is an expectation of service to live up to it’s promise.
I am totally missing your point, educate me. It has got nothing to do with type A as suggested.
I flew for NetJets Inc, I was in charge of $35 million jet and transported celebrities, fortune 500 executives, former presidents and other public service officials. NYC to LA cost these people $60000 per flight, we delivered every single time, safety and experience beyond…They payed and expected it. Quite ok for the premium we were charging. All we had to do is live up to what my company promised.
My wife and I have used TBT numerous times (~10 times) including three Kona trips and never had a problem. Just offering a different perspective and experience. They are a great company and anything that goes wrong is almost certainly out of their control.
Sorry, I guess my point is as a customer of a multitude of products it is inevitable that sometimes things do not go perfectly. When a company does not follow through on their end of the bargain almost never is the best policy to out said company publicly. I can’t speak for flying on a 60,000 flight but in my frequent flying experience on commercial airlines it is not too often where everything is smooth. When flights get cancelled my work day or whatever I am flying for gets messed up. But, as a customer I know United or Southwest or whoever will do what they can to appease me and my flight mates. TBT uses commercial freight and airlines and as such are subject to changes often out of their control. As a many time user of TBT, I have ALWAYS been “taken care of” when things happen. And they do, but I just think it’s unfair to publicly punish them or any related company. Of course I am not a communist I just think this specific situation would be better taken care of if the OP had gone directly to Marc L with his displeasure. TBT I am sure would gladly take care of him and anyone else this has affected. even as far as taking care of the cost of a 2 day bike rental and quite certainly a free future voucher. Now, I’m not sure what will happen. When someone swings at me rather than acts professional, I know how much different my reactions can be.
Have you ever tried shipping a couple hundred bikes to an island?
Chill out
Agree there was probably a better way to present the criticism. At the same time I think it is good to hear both sides of individuals experience for folks making future decisions on the offering.
From my own experience, I have been pleased with TBTs service. I will say the area they can improve on is the hotline. I found that to be fairly useless which I believe only adds to peoples frustration when things go off schedule. This may explain why a number of individuals take to the forum.
How much if any of this had to do with the BS in Chicago with the arson at the FAA center? If that was a contributing factor I would give them a free pass and then some.
Not entirely sure but I think that speaks to the frustration. I am not impacted by this situation but it sounds like communication with those impacted could be improved. Better explanation of why, etc. as well as ensuring they have a customer support model in place so individuals can get additional information about their specific situation. At the end of the day a couple of hundred for a service is no chump change so it brings about a certain set of expectations both around delivery and support.
Again, maybe it has improved but similar to what others mentioned the hotline number provided never yielded a person or response for me. I am still waiting to hear back from my voicemail last year.
Have you ever tried shipping a couple hundred bikes to an island?
Chill out
Nope…but then again, I don’t have a business based on promising to do just that.
Being involved with logistics and shipping somewhat in my professional life (ordering products form overseas based on customer demand), it seems to me that TBT’s schedule was way too close to the “line.” Based on their communications, the bikes were scheduled to arrive last Friday. Way too close, IMO, and leaves zero margin for error (especially given the variances of overseas shipping).
Combine this with poor information re: “hotlines”, lack of responses and updated, or conflicting, information all in the setting of the biggest race of the year and the inevitable result is massive customer frustration.
First rule of business - under-promise and over-deliver. Seems that TBT, in this case, did the opposite.
Just my $.02.
Bingo! We started yesterday @ 3:00am in Baltimore. Still in San Fran, as we delayed in Balt and missed connection to kona. Sometimes shit happens on a trip that long. I’m just looking forward to getting there. I guess my bike is there to:-) never had a problem with tbt.
Tri Bike Transport provides our logistics to every Ironman race in North America. We agreed to let anyone affected by the delay use a QR bike if they needed to get a ride in. They reached out to us immediately and we tried to help. The delay sucks, but they were working behind the scenes to accommodate everyone.
Lost two days of training here in Kona due to Tri-Bike Transport not having the bikes here as promised. 200 bikes from the east coast didn’t make it out of LA on Friday. Bikes did actually arrive today but an original e-mail they sent said bikes wouldn’t be ready for pick up till between 6 and 7 pm. Meanwhile they send another email later in the afternoon changing the pick up time from 3 to 6pm. Luckily, I just made it today before 6 but there will be people who come later. They’re charging $500. At that price point they need to provide premium service above and beyond what the airlines provide. They “can’t afford” to give refunds or rebates. Too bad. I’m done with Tri-Bike Transport. What a hassle. The airlines have lost my bike numerous times in past years but it usually shows up the next day, and the airline delivers it to your door. I never had any damage to my bike with the airlines and last year I had a carbon water holder ripped off the down tube by Tri-Bike Transport. (They did have it replaced for free). No more Tri-Bike Transport, I’m going back to the airlines.
You do know there is a special post just for this right here: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Cry_like_a_little_biatch_here._P1566945
Lost two days of training here in Kona due to Tri-Bike Transport not having the bikes here as promised. 200 bikes from the east coast didn’t make it out of LA on Friday. Bikes did actually arrive today but an original e-mail they sent said bikes wouldn’t be ready for pick up till between 6 and 7 pm. Meanwhile they send another email later in the afternoon changing the pick up time from 3 to 6pm. Luckily, I just made it today before 6 but there will be people who come later. They’re charging $500. At that price point they need to provide premium service above and beyond what the airlines provide. They “can’t afford” to give refunds or rebates. Too bad. I’m done with Tri-Bike Transport. What a hassle. The airlines have lost my bike numerous times in past years but it usually shows up the next day, and the airline delivers it to your door. I never had any damage to my bike with the airlines and last year I had a carbon water holder ripped off the down tube by Tri-Bike Transport. (They did have it replaced for free). No more Tri-Bike Transport, I’m going back to the airlines.
Man, that is sooooo awful !!! I hope you had someone there to hug you for such a traumatic event … probably so devastated that you had to withdraw from the race 
Laugh of the day!!!