Levo Gen 3 Ditched my LBS because they didn’t participate in Specialized Delivery

[Savan]

I have an LBS three blocks from my house and cancelled my Levo order after 3 months.

I ordered my levo before Christmas ‘21 and the delivery got pushed every month until told me middle of march. A week later I asked again and they said April/may. I called another LBS and they said ‘well we don’t have it and can’t get it but order it from spesh and have it delivered to us in about a week’.

Internally my head exploded and i was screaming WTF. The other LBS didn’t even give me this option. I looked at the delivery options in the spesh order process and shop A wasn’t on the list. I went in and cancelled my order and got my $3000 deposit back. The sales person didn’t even ask why.

Shop A apparently isn’t participating in whatever program spesh is using or they’d rather let me wait another two months (maybe) than have me order from spesh and presumably take a smaller margin on the bike.

Very lame of a multi-store mult-state Specialized Dealer. So they lost my sale and my future business. We also bought my wife an ebike the next week. Specialized lost that sale too.

 

[RustyIron]

I went in and cancelled my order and got my $3000 deposit back.

What's up with these "deposits" that customers are giving to shops? When I was shopping for a covid-era bike, the first two shops just put me on a list without any need for "money down."

It's not like shops nowadays are guaranteeing any delivery date, and they can sell any bike as soon as it comes in, so they shouldn't expect customers to pay up front. Think about it... if they get ten or twenty orders for bikes to be delivered at some future date, and require a $3000 deposit, that's $60,000 of float that they get to enjoy for an indefinite time.

It all sounds shifty to me. Shops that require a deposit with no guaranteed date of delivery deserve to be marginalized by direct-from-factory ordering from YT and Specialized.

 

[Stoffel]

I’m ok with a 10% deposit which I paid last year for my bike and this year for my wife’s bike.
I wouldn’t feel happy putting down any more than that especially if I had to wait months with no guaranteed delivery date.

 

[Pdoz]

This is a new system that only came out a few weeks ago - and both the old lbs AND YOU have had the delivery of your Dec order delayed so that bikes can preferentially be made available via online sails. Have you considered the lbs is just as pissed as you are? Specialized win, they make more profit selling that bike direct, the new lbs gets less margin - so you are not as valuable a customer to them.

You've just been screwed by specialized, don't be angry with the dealer

 

[Tim1023]

I would give the LBS the benefit of the doubt unless you know for sure that they deliberately held back the information about you being able to get it sooner if you order direct.

In any case, I find it shitty from Specialized that direct orders jump to the front of the queue in front of orders that have been on the system for months (can't see why the LBS should lie about this).

I think the move from Specialized was inevitable, but the dealers are getting screwed short term and the customers will be screwed by crappy service long-term.

See other discussion here: Specialized going to add Direct to consumer sales on 2/1.... - EMTB Forums

 

[Savan]

This is a chain (7 stores regionally) that took over my mom and pop lbs and some off the staff carried over. I go (went) there all the time and some of the staff carried over. When I bought the bike they told me it was a month out. I was fine with the deposit because of my relationship with the shop and the fact that they said the whole chain was only getting 4 of the model I wanted.

They didn’t seem to flinch at the lost sale so I wish they had lost the sale earlier and gave me the service of getting the bike sooner.

 

[Pedal-Man]

This is years ago...I have a Spesh dealer local to me, about 1.5 miles away. I went in to buy a Stumpjumper Expert. They asked what color and size I wanted. He hopped on the computer to check stock levels and said, "oh that combo is hard to find, only 5 on the west coast and 8 on the east coast." He gave me a price and I asked what kind of deals there were and he replied "none due to short supply."

I proceeded to call another shop 1 hour away. They responded with the exact opposite. Plenty of those in stock "22 on the west coast and 38 on the East coast", I asked the price and they were $600 cheaper than my local shop.

Long story short...my local LBS flat out lied! I drove and hour to save $600. They lost my business that day and any future business. Now I have another Spesh dealer that just came into the area about 6 miles away. They get my business now that I'm back on a Specialized.

 

[Tim1023]

...of course LBSs can be shitty too Hope you told them that they lost your business so they'd hopefully learn.

 

[Mikerb]

It is worth understanding the difference between order online and placing an order at a LBS ( as far as Specialized is concerned). If you order online you are accessing a central inventory of stock. It is either in stock or not. Just because it may be in stock in that central inventory it does not mean that the stock could have been distributed to various LBS. That involves a distribution process and would not be cost effective for any single bike order............keep in mind that the cost of distribution and the retailer margin comes off the profit margin for specialized. It is only cost effective for Specialized to organise a single bulk delivery of bikes throughout a region.
There will be Specialized dealers that are happy to be part of the new system by Specialized and those that decide not to sign on. It would probably depend on whether the majority of the LBS trade is selling bikes, or the majority of their trade is servicing and repairs.

ps...no way I would pay a deposit unless it was part of a delivery agreement with penalties if the date was not met or ability to be refunded 100% if date was not met. Even then a nominal fixed amount would be my limit.

 

[Jersey Skier]

This is a chain (7 stores regionally) that took over my mom and pop lbs and some off the staff carried over. I go (went) there all the time and some of the staff carried over. When I bought the bike they told me it was a month out. I was fine with the deposit because of my relationship with the shop and the fact that they said the whole chain was only getting 4 of the model I wanted.

They didn’t seem to flinch at the lost sale so I wish they had lost the sale earlier and gave me the service of getting the bike sooner.

With Specialized's move to consumer direct they are now competing with their own dealers. In the short run,, Specialized will win the competition. They are putting their own dealers out of business or forcing them to pick another brand. In the long run, who knows. Maybe Sinyard will become the next Bezos.

 

[Jersey Skier]

I proceeded to call another shop 1 hour away. They responded with the exact opposite. Plenty of those in stock "22 on the west coast and 38 on the East coast", I asked the price and they were $600 cheaper than my local shop.

Long story short...my local LBS flat out lied! I drove and hour to save $600. They lost my business that day and any future business. Now I have another Spesh dealer that just came into the area about 6 miles away. They get my business now that I'm back on a Specialized.

So LBS #2 violated their dealer agreement by selling below retail to make you happy. Not all dealers are willing to jeopardize their business for one sale, some are.

 

[Pedal-Man]

So LBS #2 violated their dealer agreement by selling below retail to make you happy. Not all dealers are willing to jeopardize their business for one sale, some are.

Actually no...but nice try. The SJ was on sale at the time...my local dealer lied about current allocations of SJ and the "sale price" that it should of been. So dealer #1 actually violated the Specialized agreement by NOT honoring the sale price according to the website. That's why I called around and found dealer #2 was.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Actually no...but nice try. The SJ was on sale at the time...my local dealer lied about current allocations of SJ and the "sale price" that it should of been. So dealer #1 actually violated the Specialized agreement by NOT honoring the sale price according to the website. That's why I called around and found dealer #2 was.

Nah. Dealer agreement doesn't say you have to participate in every sale.

 

[Pedal-Man]

Nah. I just like to argue

I fixed it for you.

 

[Gavalar]

I have an LBS three blocks from my house and cancelled my Levo order after 3 months.

I ordered my levo before Christmas ‘21 and the delivery got pushed every month until told me middle of march. A week later I asked again and they said April/may. I called another LBS and they said ‘well we don’t have it and can’t get it but order it from spesh and have it delivered to us in about a week’.

Internally my head exploded and i was screaming WTF. The other LBS didn’t even give me this option. I looked at the delivery options in the spesh order process and shop A wasn’t on the list. I went in and cancelled my order and got my $3000 deposit back. The sales person didn’t even ask why.

Shop A apparently isn’t participating in whatever program spesh is using or they’d rather let me wait another two months (maybe) than have me order from spesh and presumably take a smaller margin on the bike.

Very lame of a multi-store mult-state Specialized Dealer. So they lost my sale and my future business. We also bought my wife an ebike the next week. Specialized lost that sale too.

So given that shop B informed you of an alternative process to get your bike you didn't go back to them and give them your business, seems that you have little to complain about seeing as you went for an alternative brand.

 

[Savan]

So given that shop B informed you of an alternative process to get your bike you didn't go back to them and give them your business, seems that you have little to complain about seeing as you went for an alternative brand.

I got my levo direct from spesh throught shop b and used the specialized delivery so they could get a little more money out of the transaction despite the fact that I’ve assembled/disassembled several bikes.

Specialized just didn’t have a bike int the price range we wanted for my wife or we would’ve gotten it through them for sure.

 

[akbud]

I've recently become aware of the new way Specialized is allowing online orders. There are tiers for dealers but all involve less profit if it is ordered online - substantially less. We have one local Specialized dealer that I really like but they also wanted a 50% deposit for me to order a Turbo Levo so that killed that deal and now I no longer have any faith they will continue with Specialized so if/when I order a ebike it will be a Trek

 

[Moshe]

I have an LBS three blocks from my house and cancelled my Levo order after 3 months.

I ordered my levo before Christmas ‘21 and the delivery got pushed every month until told me middle of march. A week later I asked again and they said April/may. I called another LBS and they said ‘well we don’t have it and can’t get it but order it from spesh and have it delivered to us in about a week’.

Internally my head exploded and i was screaming WTF. The other LBS didn’t even give me this option. I looked at the delivery options in the spesh order process and shop A wasn’t on the list. I went in and cancelled my order and got my $3000 deposit back. The sales person didn’t even ask why.

Shop A apparently isn’t participating in whatever program spesh is using or they’d rather let me wait another two months (maybe) than have me order from spesh and presumably take a smaller margin on the bike.

Very lame of a multi-store mult-state Specialized Dealer. So they lost my sale and my future business. We also bought my wife an ebike the next week. Specialized lost that sale too.

My LBS told me they couldn't get a Kenevo SL last September so they told me to go on Specialized sight to order one, if it was still available. It was, so I ordered it. I had the bike sent to my LBS. Specialized paid them to assemble it. The LBS offered me a free service within the first six months, as they do with anyone who buys a bike at their store. They told me that since they couldn't offer me the bike and I had to buy it online, that they would still give me the free service.
Prior to this, I have never been their customer. After this, I will always be their customer. If anyone needs a good specialized shop in
Cleveland, Ohio, try Spin Bike Shop in Lakewood, Oh.

 

[mwc951]

This may help to understand why Specialized "updated" it's business model...
Specialized Direct to Consumer

 

[Calsun]

Specialized has been selling online for at least a year and bikes that they showed as having on inventory I was able to find online with dealers' websites. Bought 3 Specialized bikes in 2021 from local dealers in the sizes I wanted.

It makes no sense to bash a local dealer when the problem is with the manufacturer. Better to spend that energy in a productive manner by exploring other options.