When we first had the idea of starting Biker Rated, we needed to find some retailers to recommend. There was no point in us recommending products that no-one could get hold of.
While we love shopping in motorcycle shops and dealers, they’re not always convenient and don’t always have the products we want. Any online retailer we recommended had to have a great range of products and brilliant customer service. It wasn’t just about finding the best price.
So we ordered a product from SportsBikeShop without them knowing who we were, so we could review our experience and share that review with you.
We also wanted to test SportsBikeShop’s returns procedure, as one of the risks when buying online is that the product you’ve bought doesn’t fit – whether that’s a helmet or a disc lock. A great returns process means you have the confidence that if the product you’ve bought isn’t quite right, you’ll be able to easily switch it for one that does the job.
25th March, 16.05 – Order placed
We bought this Oxford Boss Disc Lock, which cost £29.99. SportsBikeShop have a brilliant delivery policy; offering free delivery on orders over £25.
We placed our order at the end of the day and we were sent a confirmation email immediately.
26th March, 16:08 – Order dispatched
We were sent an email letting us know that our order was on its way. The email let us know that our order was shipped by Royal Mail 2nd Class and that we could expect delivery within 3 to 5 working days.
There were clear customer support contact details in the email. Also included in the email was a PDF sales receipt.
29th March, Order arrives
Packed in a jiffy bag and arriving in undamaged packaging, our order arrived exactly as ordered. The lock was in its original packaging, which some products on eBay or Amazon are shipped without, presumably to save space but it always leaves you wondering if it’s new.
Our order was delivered on the third working day following its dispatch. This is perfectly acceptable to me but if I wanted a faster delivery, I could have paid £2.95 to get next-day delivery or £9.95 to get a Saturday delivery.
It’s good to know that if you’re in a hurry, you can get next-day delivery on most items if you order before 3pm.
The order contained a packing slip with clear instructions on how I could return the item.
5th April, 15.17 – Return arranged
We logged in to the website to arrange a return and refund. In the My Orders section, I could see my order and I clicked on the link to return it.
There’s a short form which asks you to select a couple of options. I chose ‘Item no longer required’ and then there’s a second option asking whether you want a refund or whether you want to exchange it for another item. There’s also a free-form comments box for you to add in any other information.
Presumably, SportsBikeShop uses this data to improve its product listings. If lots of people are returning a certain item because it doesn’t fit, then SBS can update their product descriptions to help people better understand the size and choose the right fit, first time.
After submitting the returns for, I was sent an email with a PDF attachment. All I needed to do was print out the address label and pop my packaging in the post. The package was posted on Saturday the 6th April.
12th April 11.52 – Return received
I was sent an email confirming that SportsBikeShop had received my return.
12th April 11.52 – Refund created
The first email was immediately followed by another email stating that my refund was in process.
SportsBikeShop’s email said: “Your refund will be processed shortly. We will contact you again to let you know when your refund has been completed.”
13th April 10.29 – Refund completed
A day later I was sent an email confirming that my refund has been completed.
SportsBikeShop said: “This amount has been credited to your Visa card ending 7016. Usually refunds are instantaneous (depending on bank) but please allow 3-5 working days for this transaction to appear in your account.”
Our Verdict
Overall I was very impressed with SportsBikeShop’s service. From the free delivery to the way the refund process was really logical and straight forward.
I’ve shopped for products online where the retailer has a strange and confusing returns process, which makes you feel like they’re making it difficult so you don’t bother sending the product back.
When it comes to buying online the returns process is arguably as important as the price.
The returns process is clear and fair, with no re-stocking fees and any exchanges would have been delivered free too.
That’s why SportsBikeShop is one of our recommended retailers. They have a huge amount of choice in their range, great pricing and a top-notch communication and returns system.
You can check out the SportsBikeShop on this link.
