# Cannondale Nightmare!



## bicicletă (Aug 18, 2008)

*LBS Nightmare!*

I ride 48/49cm road frames, which aren't usually in stock at most LBSs. So, I ordered an '09 CAAD9 5 mid-September. On that day, the availability timeframe was the middle to end of October.

LBS update at end of October: "Cannondale's production is pushed back - bike will be available end of November".

LBS update at end of November: "Bike will ship next week".

LBS update 16 December: "No bike yet". LBS called Cannondale. Update same day: "Cannondale authorized payment, bike will ship today".

LBS update 29 December: "No bike yet". LBS called Cannondale. Update same day: "Cannondale got the color number switched, but we confirmed we gave them the correct number in September - Cannondale admitted fault. Cannondale said they have 2 bikes of the correct color available now, and that 1 of them will ship tommorrow".

LBS update 2 days later (today): "We didn't get shipment confirmation from Cannondale". LBS called Cannondale. Update 10 minutes later: "Cannondale says the bike won't be available until February".

I pulled my deposit. I'm right back where I was mid-September - money in hand, ready to ride. This whole escapade gets a huge, gigantic WTF?


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 8, 2006)

try another cannondale dealer


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

Your LBS not telling you the truth.


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## bicicletă (Aug 18, 2008)

I'm not so sure it was my LBS. I mean, how would they benefit by being dishonest with me? They appeared to have my best interests at heart - pre-fitting and all. The whole thing just doesn't make any sense. I work for the largest computer chip manufacturer in the world. If we treated our customers like that, we'd be out of business.


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## SwiftSolo (Jun 7, 2008)

bicicletă said:


> I'm not so sure it was my LBS. I mean, how would they benefit by being dishonest with me? They appeared to have my best interests at heart - pre-fitting and all. The whole thing just doesn't make any sense. I work for the largest computer chip manufacturer in the world. If we treated our customers like that, we'd be out of business.


Here's my thought.
You bought the bike from your local bike shop. It was up to them to make it happen for you. They failed! They have leverage with the distributor. 

Thank them for their time and move on to a new LBS. If it happens again, move again but this time go for a different brand.


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

Sorry to hear what happenped to you but Caad 9 bike I don't see why they could not the order in for you, unlike super 6 which is short supply as we speak as Swiftsolo mentioned go to another LBS and place an order.


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## HALOOPA (Nov 18, 2008)

i went to buy a 09 caad9 a few weeks ago and i was told that they wouldnt be able to get it till mid February....i picked up an 08 six13 that was in stock instead.


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

Six13 is a very good frame considered they were top of the line product back a few years, you going to enjoy the bike.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 8, 2006)

some cannondale dealers have more pull than others a year ago i bought a cannondale scalpel team edition mtb the cannondale dealer close to my house told me it would be MONTHS till i could get one so i went to another cannondale dealer who has a larger volume of the higher end cannondales. even with the frame recall that was going on i was riding my new bike less then six weeks later. i would try calling around and be honest with the shops that you have been given the run around and just wanna get a '09 CAAD9 5and see who really wants your business if they do they will get on the phone with the rep and make it happen.


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## bicicletă (Aug 18, 2008)

Thanks! I'll do just that.


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## fireplug (Nov 19, 2008)

Good luck with the shopping....sounds like the LBS dropped the ball


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 8, 2006)

Oh by the way putting a substantial DEPOSIT on the bike will expedite the ordering process.

since my "local" bike shop dosen't carry Cannondale i didn't have a relationship with any Cannondale dealers so when i walked in and started inquiring about bikes i made it clear that i was ready to BUY TODAY and would be handing them a nice check to get the process started.

knowing that i was serious and just not some tire kicker got them on the phone to the cannondale rep and got me pushed to the front of the line.


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## bicicletă (Aug 18, 2008)

Hello Kitty said:


> Oh by the way putting a substantial DEPOSIT on the bike will expedite the ordering process.


I spoke with another Cannondale dealer last night. They said the same exact thing. They recommended paying the entire amount for the bike.


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## paulm01 (May 12, 2008)

*I would be hesitant to do that*

I would rather have a small deposit hanging out there for a bike rather than the whole amount. Even if I had a great relationship with the shop I would not pay in full for a bike they did not have on the premises. A good deposit should give them enough incentive to order to bike for you. 

Good luck

FYI I'm in a similar situation just now deciding to buy a super six 09 and waiting for a few sizes to try.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 8, 2006)

I was ready to write out a check for 1/2 the amount of the bike but the shop owner said 1/3 would be fine. I would not pay for the entire bike if they had to order it, but putting down 1/2 to 1/3 is reasonable in my opinion to get the ball rolling.

Has any Cannondale dealer offered to call around to other Cannondale dealers to try and fine the bike you want in your size? My local bike shop carries Specialized (boooo...hiss..) so when they have a customer that wants one that they don't happen to have in their size, color, etc...they get on the phone to other big S dealers and try to find one for the customer.

since they have a friendly relationship with the other Specialized dealers they can swap bikes and stuff all the time with each other I can't see why a Cannondale dealer can't pick up the phone and call around for you.


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

If your LBS not willing to do a inventory search then take your business to other shop.


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## jagstang (May 30, 2007)

Actually, your LBS probably wasn't at fault. Whenever I place an order with Cannondale, I call to verify it actually made it in their system the next day or so. You have to stay on them to get them to do anything timely, and I've seen them try to pull some pretty wacky stunts from time to time. IMO, they treat their mid and low volume dealers like crap.


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

I agreed with you Cannondale should not treat the low volume dealer like that on the other hand it's the dealer duty to ensure the order is place with MFG not the end user resposibility to verify with Cannondale, they have the obligation once the order is accepted with deposit if they no fullfill that then take the business else where.


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## robertburns3 (Jan 11, 2007)

Hello Kitty said:


> Has any Cannondale dealer offered to call around to other Cannondale dealers to try and fine the bike you want in your size? My local bike shop carries Specialized (boooo...hiss..) so when they have a customer that wants one that they don't happen to have in their size, color, etc...they get on the phone to other big S dealers and try to find one for the customer.


Yes, my C-dale dealer did this for me last year, when I bought a System 6. I am in Michigan and they traded with a shop in Indiana, just a like a car dealer will do. They made a big deal out of it saying that most bike brands frown on it, but C-dale encourages it. The bike showned up in a week or so, unbuilt.

BTW - This doesn't sound so much like a C'dale nighmare as much as a typical bike industry nightmare.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 8, 2006)

bicicletă have you looked on eBay ?

I was all gung ho about getting a 09' Super Six Team Edition but just looked on eBay a few times to see if i could pick off a 08' Super Six ultimate, team or super six 1 that was in dealer inventory they were looking to unload back in October of last year.

lo' and behold i came across a NEW 07' System Six 1 with SRM that a dealer was trying to unload at a price that would be sinful to publish on a public forum. Yeah i wanted the blingy 09' Super SIX Hi-Mod Team Replica with the campy record 11 but using the power of "eBay" i was able to get a NEW bike 1/3 the price of a 09' WITH the SRM powermeter.

Yes i can deal with the shame of riding a 07' bike.

For what your looking to spend on a 09 CAAD9 5 you might be able to get you a NEW last years model a few levels up that some dealer is trying to unload. yeah i know the all white paint job on the model you want is pretty sweet but if you can get a bike hundreds less with a better component mix and nicer wheels color dosen't matter that much eh?

just throwing out an option for you.


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

Hello Kitty,

That is great if you can find the right size & color on Ebay but the only concern is warrenty coverage should there is any problem can you take it back to your LBS and have them take care of the problem, beside all Cannondale dealer can't sell their bikes via mail orders must be in store purchase.
Congrat on your purchase with SRM set up.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 8, 2006)

zamboni said:


> beside all Cannondale dealer can't sell their bikes via mail orders must be in store purchase.


wink-wink nod-nod this wasn't an "offical" sale just an individual that some how got a bike at a bike shop that had been sitting in inventory for a while and listed it on eBay.

you would have to be pretty naive to think that bike shops don't unload their inventory on eBay throughout the year.

yeah yeah yeah I've heard it all about how the manufactures frown on it but it's real easy to have a mechanic strip down a bike put a sheet on a work bench take a few photos of the parts and then list it on eBay.

do a search right now on eBay and you'll see a bunch of last years bikes with tags still hanging from the bars on them for sale. warranty issues? I don't make my buying decisions on what kind of warranty I can get if the company stands behind their product then I shouldn't have any problem with it if something goes wrong if I'm the original owner or not. 

you have to be patient with eBay sometimes your not going to log on there this afternoon and find exactly what you want in the size and color and price you want to pay but if you have a couple of weeks and watch the auctions on a daily basis more than likely something will come across the radar.

a WEEK after I purchased my bike a lightly used 08' super six 1 with SRM went for $3500 somebody got a fantastic deal. 

if it's taking the poor guy this long to get hooked up with a bike maybe he should be looking at other options is all I'm saying


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## Oldteen (Sep 7, 2005)

OP's situation sounds like LBS was at least part of the problem. At the time of original order CAAD9's were not in critically short supply, although 48cm is a less common size.

FWIW- Can't legally buy a "new" Cdale (or most other major names) on eBay. Makers prohibit this under threat of losing the shop's dealer status, and yes they do monitor this on eBay & other on-line sites. Also- major manufacturer likely would not honor any warranty claim if they knew bike was purchased outside what they consider legitimate channels. Can't see how a reputable bike dealer would operate that way if they care about customers & want to stay in business.
Then there's the problem of dubious quality black market frames labeled as a big name. Recently Specialized had a problem with counterfeit Tarmac frames appearing on eBay. 

http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/...tail/2050.html


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

Hello Kitty,

Don't take it the wrong way I've seen a few people at the LBS bought their bike from Ebay and ending up with the wrong spec and imperfect paint, since you pay top dollars for the bike I would say at least get a chance to inspect the merchandise.

Cannondale is pretty strict on their warrenty replacement if you are the second hand owner chance they will not replace the frame should any defect occur. I realized you can save a ton by going with Ebay and the risk you take ? That is my two cents.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 8, 2006)

calm down...

all i'm doing is offering the guy another option.

like i said i was ready to drop $6500 to $7000 for a new bike i'm not on any team so i don't get any kinda team hook up and it is a chunk of change no matter what kinda disposable income you have, so before i went down to the local shop i figured there might be something on eBay worth while. so lo and behold after a few days searching eBay i found this EXACT bike for 1/3 the cost of what i was originally planning on spending and it was too good to pass up. 










IF i was a dealer that had a bunch of inventory that was getting stale I'd not think twice about parting it out and kicking it to the eBay curb. I've got a friend who is a manager at a local Harley Davidson dealership and they clean out the inventory and parts department once a year on eBay i don't see anything unethical with it perhaps you do.


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## Oldteen (Sep 7, 2005)

Kitty-

Glad your eBay buy worked out well, but it's not hard to find stories of web auction 'great deals' that turned very sour. Even stolen stuff regularly shows up on web auctions. You have to be careful. 
Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of saving $$. My most recent bike purchase was a mint condition used DA carbon Synapse bought locally at great discount. I knew the bike's history & accept the fact I'm 2nd owner and Cdale owes me nothing. And I've got no problem with parting out stuff on eBay. I just think that too many web auctions describe an item as 'new' (implying full rights of new purchase warranty) when 'mint condition' would be more precise.
- and no I do not work at a bike shop.


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

Kitty,

All I'm saying is you have to be carefull with Ebay merchandise some of the sellers might not be legit, I'm glad to see your purchase turn out to be perfect and most of sellers will not accept return after the sale. For me I would buy a second hand bike from my friends rather than from some strangers.


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## bicicletă (Aug 18, 2008)

*Update*



Hello Kitty said:


> yeah i know the all white paint job on the model you want is pretty sweet


Actually I had ordered black.

I emailed Cannondale to get their perspective. Based on the explanation in their reply, it became evident that the problem was with my LBS. Also in the reply, Cannondale gave me a heads-up that the same model/color/spec that I had ordered was delivered just after Christmas to a shop in another city, 100 miles away. I called - they still had it - it was worth the drive! Here it is:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showpost.php?p=1956731&postcount=676

In all fairness to Cannondale, I edited my original post.


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## Hello Kitty (Sep 8, 2006)

absolutely fantastic it's great that everything turned out alright the bike looks great now it's time to put some miles on that bad boy. :thumbsup:


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

Congrat on your new toy enjoy, sharp looking bike.


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## bicicletă (Aug 18, 2008)

Thanks! The maiden voyage was sublime - 70°F and full sun, only shorts and jersey needed - crazy for January!


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## cbuchanan (Mar 6, 2006)

Great to hear that it all worked out for you. Congrats on a sweet looking Cannondale.


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