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Posted by Ted Mittelstaedt on July 6, 2008, 6:51 am
>
> >
> >
> > That's not necessarily a shyster. Did you ask him to order them and you
> > would pick them up a week later? What did he say?
>
> They refused to accept the order until the tyres are in stock, the Indian
> call center telephonist suggested that I email and request they let me
know
> when this happens - so far they have not acknowledged the email. The
> practice of offering a product for less than their competitors and being
> "temporarily out of stock" when you try to buy one is common elsewhere -
In the US this is called "bait and switch" and it is illegal. In fact, not
only can
the customer sue the retailer for fraud, the company
that makes the item being used as the bait can also sue the retailer for
fraud
(because by being out of stock, the retailer is denying them sales and
tarring their name) The usual procedure on this side of the pond is to
report the retailer to the local attorney general.
In the UK it is also illegal, I believe the usual procedure is to report
it to the Advertising Standards Authority.
> particularly the computer trade where a shop advertises something like
> memory at a price too good to be true, they're *always* "temprarily out of
> stock" - "but we have these that do the same job at twice the price", they
> rely on the customer stumping up out of frustration - I on the other hand
> write that traders name down to remind me not to deal with them again.
You should report them. Here's the info for you:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/consumers/fact-sheets/page38036.html
> > being late to the party, don't respect this of course, but so
> > far the rest of the tire manufacturers have managed to hold the
> > line against Cheng Shin using a variety of FUD tactics - you yourself
> > of course have fallen for it hook, line and sinker. The truth is that
> > Cheng Shin is a huge manufacturer employing 15,000 people
> > worldwide, and has been in business since the Sixties, and many
> > of their tire models are better quality and construction than more
> > expensive ones from the name brands you are used to.
>
> Unfortunately I cannot agree with your gushing praise of Cheng Shin, they
> drift badly and I don't thrash the bike at all, they're terrible in the
wet
> and didn't have all that much tread depth when I unpacked them new - so I
> didn't get much mileage before the tread was doen to the legal limit.
I would hardly categorize my comments on Cheng Shin as "gushing
praise" In the US for example (keeping in mind that many brands
here in the US don't exist in the UK and vis-versa) you can go to a
"price club" such as Sams or Costco and buy Michelin tires, then go
to a local tire dealer and buy Michelin tires, and the tire model of the
Michelin sold at the Costco will be significantly different, with less
tread,
than the model sold at the local dealer. The most famous example of
that were the Firestone Wilderness tires used on Ford Explorers -
the Wilderness tires Firestone made and sold to Ford were temp C
rated, those were the ones that blew out - the Wilderness tires made
and sold to the general public - same make and model and tire size -
were B temp rated and did not blow out.
I have thus learned over the years that you cannot label all tires from
a particular manufacturer as bad or good.
The last time I bought tires for my bike I went to the largest local
motorcycle dealer who had stacks of them on the rack, and I
ordered them from him. Of course, there was a markup - although
small. However, there was no shipping charge so the price came out
as a wash.
Ted
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