CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Vulpine sample sale now on but website flaky

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  1. jules878
    Member

    My email was different. (Sounds like they may well have taken money from my account for part/all of order they can't fulfill).

    Dear customer,

    This is a message from Nick, our founder to all remaining customers without orders. We are extremely aware of the delays and inconvenience to you in not replying. Until we get to your order, we wanted to explain what's going on.
    "Its been 12 days since the Sample Sale. During the sample sale the server was overwhelmed by huge traffic, despite adding considerable capacity to cope. Traffic levels were far greater than anything else we'd experienced. This meant that a great many people couldn't access the site, so I decided I had to shut it down.
    Since then we have discovered that despite assurances this wouldn't happen, some of the stock figures didn't update properly either, not removing what was sold. Thus we over sold stock without realising.
    You are almost certainly one of hundreds this happened to. Because of the complications this caused, we are having to trawl through the orders to sort which have issues and which don't, and to offer alternatives wherever we can. This is very time consuming for a small team.
    Its nice to be so popular, but certainly not to let you down, which we have. I absolutely hate imperfect service, and right now we are far from perfect. At least I am able to instigate changes from what we've learnt, and bring in new technology and partners, who will be in place soon. Growing pains hurt.
    In the meantime I'm afraid I need to be honest and say you will have to wait longer, so that we can properly deal with each order in turn. We are going as fast as possible, with more long nights ahead.
    We are very concerned about this and the whole company is concentrating on getting it sorted.
    You WILL be contacted and I can only apologise again.

    Yours sincerely,
    Nick Hussey.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  2. gembo
    Member

    My email today generic and not hopeful, meanwhile they still have my cash. I suppose they don't want to give it back as it seems they are not sure wether I received my stuff or not?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  3. paddyirish
    Member

    I've received an email saying they have dispatched my order today. first communication for 2 weeks. I'm not impressed, but feel lucky that I'm better off than others on here.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  4. Nelly
    Member

    I feel for you guys - I dont know how or why it was so dofferent, but my order arrived two days after pressing the button (and this was only a few hours before the sale was prematurely ended).

    Hope you get your gear soon.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  5. gembo
    Member

    Probably just depends on items you ordered. The most popular items being over ordered many times and they have to work out who was first ( me) but took money from us all. Plus there are maybe three of them working on it?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  6. paddyirish
    Member

    Hoodie and beanie arrived today. Very pleased with hoodie which is snug and fits well. Beanie is a small gift for Mrs Paddy.

    Shh, don't tell her it's from a cycling site...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  7. Frenchy
    Member

    Anyone know what the problem items are?

    Jersey and shorts, I was hoping to have by next weekend. Less worried about hat, gloves and socks I also ordered.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  8. gembo
    Member

    Rain jacket definitely out of stock.

    Email saying you are instructing yr lawyers and they will get back to you with what they have and don't have.

    Email now, I emailed with the lawyer thing last night about 10pm and was emailed right back

    Posted 7 years ago #
  9. jules878
    Member

    Good tip. I've heard nothing since the generic email about a week ago. They keep saying they are tiny staff team, and almost got it sorted. I was (mildly) sympathetic at first, but now very fed up that they captured vast sum of money with no sign of goods nor £££ being returned!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  10. Muirwoods
    Member

    I'm in the same position but have had no email updates on my order. My patience has finally worn thin and I've just emailed politely pointing out that it's been 20 days since I ordered (and paid) and I have received no goods or updates on whether they can honour my order or not. Have quoted Consumer Rights Act and breach of contract that was entered into when I ordered as I find that tends to get attention.

    I really like Vulpine's products but this sort of thing leaves a sour taste.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  11. Klaxon
    Member

    Lawyers and consumer rights act? Bit melodramatic here.

    One email/support ticket to cancel explicitly requesting a refund, wait a couple of days and then call your card company and charge back the order.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  12. gembo
    Member

    Tried the reasonable approach klaxon but did not get a reply,even though I know this name of the person dealing with this fiasco. they are so inundated that only dealing with people who mention lawyers.

    Charge back the order sounds good though I did not use a credit card but just my cash,one card.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  13. jules878
    Member

    I know someone who placed order with the 25% discount. Her order was processed promptly and arrived last week.

    Sound like these might be getting priority over the "sample sale" orders!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  14. Nelly
    Member

    "I know someone who placed order with the 25% discount. Her order was processed promptly and arrived last week.

    Sound like these might be getting priority over the "sample sale" orders!"

    Not the case, I ordered from the sample sale and received my order within 2 days.

    I was clearly just lucky, but I don't think they are deselecting sample sale customers.

    I think the systems have been overwhelmed and have accepted orders they should never have touched.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  15. chdot
    Admin

    "I think the systems have been overwhelmed and have accepted orders they should never have touched."

    Sounds like the ordering system didn't have an accurate record of the actual stock.

    Presumably this is a mess that will get sorted, and lessions will be learned - and maybe some suitable apologies and perhaps vouchers which some people will want to use.

    I remember when a famous Edinburgh bookshop had a half-price sale which was an attempt to generate cashflow to fix a real financial problem (it didn't work).

    Posted 7 years ago #
  16. Frenchy
    Member

    Sent a second email at the weekend, then left an answer phone message this morning - got an email reply half an hour later.

    Jersey and shorts both out of stock, will be refunded. Other items being sent today.

    Ach well. Trip to EBC will be necessary before the weekend.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  17. jules878
    Member

    Part of my order fulfilled. Refund received for the rest (no jacket, no merino).

    Very happy with items which arrived this morning.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  18. gembo
    Member

    I have refund, somewhat more generous discount than offered previously with Xmas day cut off. I am pretending that if they throw in the three quid bunnet I will order (I will order any away as jacket maybe within same price range now as sample, well a bit dearer)

    Posted 7 years ago #
  19. Nelly
    Member

    I am currently wearing my merino hoodie - its very warm but I think I would have been displeased to have paid full price for it.

    Hoodie not yet tested but feels cozy on this autumnal day.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  20. How does the sizing come up with vulpine? I'm normally S or M for most.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  21. gembo
    Member

    unless they specify race cut they are on size . I have a merino long sleeve poloshirt from their sale. Maybe a little neat in the medium aince I washed it but large would have been too big I think. I am 38/39 inch chest and go Large in Rapha but small in Boden (if that helps)

    There will be a PY meet up this Friday I could bring the jacket and you could try it? I think it is medium and fits fine but I cannot sWEAR ON THIS AT THE moment

    Posted 7 years ago #
  22. Thanks, I've ordered a M jacket, S+M gilets and S top. Will see what they send and how they fit.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  23. gembo
    Member

    My jacket is a medium, only small left but I have a jacket. I have quite a few of their three pound caps. Their kit is good. Hope it fits

    Posted 7 years ago #
  24. paddyirish
    Member

    Not really surprising given terrible website and poor cust service.

    Liked some of their products though...

    Posted 6 years ago #
  25. gembo
    Member

    Shame, he had been trying to float the idea of me investing in the company (not just me anyone on his mailing list). Crowdsourcing. THe last Rapha survey did ask you if you shopped with them so they were on the radar.

    THeir kit is good.

    Maybe some bargains Vultures circle on Vulpine etc

    Posted 6 years ago #
  26. Klaxon
    Member

    I put them down as a dishonest and/or incompetent company after trying to buy something during the sale of the original post, had the same 'website issues' everyone else had, but then they took down the sale and minutes later everything worked again perfectly.

    Sorry, lost your chance guys.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  27. gembo
    Member

    @klaxon, the had my money for four weeks. Without reimbursing for non.-existent jacket which then did reappear about a year later (I.e. They had no idea what stock they had). I think incompetent rather than dishonest. I used their semi-dishonesty to negotiate 50 per cent off an excellent Jacket and also asked that they throw in a free cap which they did.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  28. stiltskin
    Member

    Given the buoyant nature of the market they were aiming for: If they couldn't make a success of the company, then they must've been doing something majorly wrong.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  29. gembo
    Member

    @stiltskin, good point. They all went on holiday recently to Sevilla and had a nice time judging by the photos

    Posted 6 years ago #
  30. Osmond Walls
    Member

    That's a shame I like their stuff (when on sale), maybe if someone can come in and spend on a website instead of hols to Spain then it'll be a goer.

    Posted 6 years ago #

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