Specialized Bicycle Company

12:50, Jun 29
You: How long is this coupon code valid for, because everything id like to buy is out of stock 
You: do you have saddle bags for the diverge?

Bjorn: It should be valid for up to 90 days.
Bjorn: We currently do not have any saddle bags that we offer.

You: Will I get some sort of shipping confirmation for the saddle?
You: Will the coupon code work on parts? You said equipment, as in wheels?

Bjorn: Yes it will work on wheels
Bjorn: you can use the internal order number – 4177327 to reference your saddle goodwill. 

You: Okay thank you, feeling much better about all this

Bjorn: Yeah, our apologies. Anything else we can help with today?

You: just refer me to the best gravel carbon wheel set you have

Bjorn: Terra CLX 2

You: and the best man carbon wheel set?
You: mtnb

Bjorn: What kind of riding?

You: Mix of enduro and tech trail
You: for the stumpy evo pro i have
You: evo

Bjorn: Traverse SL wheelset

You: okay
You: Are they in stock?

Bjorn: Not at the moment

After some serious thought as to wether or not I wanted to spend several thousand dollars to upgrade the wheel set on my Diverge, I settled on purchasing two wheel sets (as I described in the chat) for the Terra II.  I wanted two because Specialized was out of stock of the MTB wheels I wanted and I thought I could use one set for road tires and the other as gravel tires.  The order shows that I was also purchasing tires for these wheel sets, bars, a stem and some gear.  I placed the order on July 5, US00095639113.

After my prior experience, I contacted customer support because I did not want the same thing to happen that occurred to my bike seat order.  The representative, Tanner, insured me it wouldn’t and my order would ship ASAP.  He even spoke to me as if I was crazy for reaching out.  As if I were wasting his time.  This is the one conversation I did not download to my computer regrettably.

The next day, I get the following email:

Hi Mark. 
This is Tanner at Specialized. Unfortunately, your order was cancelled again. I reached out to our payments team to get a better idea what is happening. 
Based on the information in our payment portal, it looks like you are in an error loop likely caused by keeping your browser open for an extended period of time. 
I would recommend closing your browser and reopening or trying a different browser (like Chrome). 
If place a new order, send me the order number and I will expedite your shipping method. 
Happy Trails
Tanner | Specialized USA Rider Care

Tanner
Makes a lot more sense as to why I reached out yesterday.  You’re asking me to place a new order rather than resolving things on your side? Can you call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx? Can you get back to me promptly please, you realize the payment has cleared with my bank…. yet again.  Does the same coupon code for 40% off remain valid and can you make it work for bikes? I have been on hold on the phone for 20 minutes now.  As a customer, I can’t believe my time investment on this.  I even reached out to you yesterday to prevent this and all I got was a bunch of condescending (“why you messaging me”) responses.  
Mark

Hi Mark.
When a payment authorization is cancelled, we cannot push the payment through. There is nothing we can do at that point except for have you place the order again. If you see a pending transaction in your account, it will go away in the next 1-2 days (there is typically a delay from payment cancellation, as is the case with all authorized payments).
Use the code USRC40-71LY-844P-3PYL-LFY1 for 40% off your order. It will not work for bikes.
When you try again after you have relaunched your browser, send me your order number and I will confirm if it goes through.
Happy Trails
Tanner | Specialized USA Rider Care

I also asked the following because I want the MTB wheelset and couldn’t get it.  I therefore decided, at this moment. I wanted two gravel wheel sets.

 

Tanner,
I also want this wheel set?  How do I order? Several things I want aren’t even inventoried.  Rival Traverse Carbon 29, hookless carbon, 30mm inner width, hand-built, 2Bliss ready. Im just trying to place a problem free order.
Mark

Hi Mark.
What issues are you having? Unfortunately, we have high call volume at the moment and all our agents are busy. If you would like quicker support, reach out via live chat.
I am afraid that wheelset is out of stock.
As soon as you place your order, send me your order number and I will confirm if it goes through.
Happy Trails
Tanner | Specialized USA Rider Care

I’m not seeing any order attempts yet.
Happy Trails
Tanner | Specialized USA Rider Care

Tanner,
I’m working on it.  This code you gave me is not working. Sent a screen shot.  Says invalid.  Old code does not work either.
Mark

Tanner? Can I get your help here???? Just burning time just to get an order in.  Coupon code you gave me does not work.
Mark

Mark
Are you trying to purchase a bike? It will only work on equipment and apparel. 
Also, we can apply the discount on the backend if you are having trouble. 
There is no screenshot for me to view. 
Happy Trails
Tanner | Specialized USA Rider Care

Tanner,
No, I am not trying to buy a bike. I sent a screen shot and live chat is not available.  Sending again.  Really frustrating. 

Mark
Ok then place the order without the code and I will issue a credit for 40% off after checkout.
Happy Trails
Tanner | Specialized USA Rider Care

I then proceeded to tally up a new order and the coupon code wasn’t working.  Therefore, I was asked by Tanner on chat (finally got a hold of him on chat) to place a new order on July 6, 2023 and pay in full.  I was told the 40% balance would be refunded to me.  I hesitated, but proceeded anyways.   I was told the order will certainly go through this time.  This is also after a 30 minute phone call I had with specialized about restarting my browser, computer and then try a different browser all together.  I did all of this.  Keep in mind, this conversation and re-order attempts spans over 5 hours in July 6. This was order US0095672020.

A couple hours later, I receive the following email from Tanner.

Hi Mark. 
I’m sorry to say that your order did not go through again. You are still using the same browser and we are getting the same error code (your browser must not have been closed). You will need to order through another browser for your order to go through. 
Happy Trails
Tanner | Specialized USA Rider Care

Tanner,
Dude! My bank was pinged, it went through on my side. I have a confirmation email.  It shows the order processing, so what is going on!!!!! I restarted my entire computer.  Closed browser, cleared cookies, literally everything.

Im so over this.  You guys keep telling me im not doing something, and ive done everything.  I did a full restart.  Ive invested hours in this now.  Changed locations to use a different IP address, literally everything. 

Hi Mark. 
Yes, the payment was authorized (the bank ping you are mentioning), but the order did not clear our payment system due to the issue with Safari I mentioned earlier. It has now been cancelled and the pending transaction will go away in 1-2 business days. If you still would like to place an order, please do so through a different browser. 
Happy Trails
Tanner | Specialized USA Rider Care

Tanner,
Im using chrome now.  I’m going to try one more time.  If this doesn’t work, im over your brand. I have about 4 hours invested in o-r-d-e-r-i-n-g.   Im not a shop, this is nuts! 
Mark

 

A couple things.  Despite all this frustration, i’d like to clarify that the only swear word I used was the previously cited “WTF” acronym.  No foul language whatsoever.  I also re-attempted to place the order as described attached below.  I even pulled some things out as I didn’t want certain items anymore.

Another hour later…

Hi Mark. 
I really do appreciate you bearing with me. I’m sure you do not want to hear this, but your order was cancelled again. While Safari was causing an issue, it looks like the SKU for the S Works stem was also causing a glitch in our system (in our Oracle software specifically).  Everything else appears to be working so I am 99% sure your order will go through if you remove the S Works stem, and we can add it on the backend. 
Happy Trails
Tanner | Specialized USA Rider Care

Frustrated.  I decided to try ONE MORE TIME and this time, I had no coupon code again.  I suddenly realized that maybe I was just being messed with and that this order was being blocked so that I couldn’t use the promised coupon code. Then I receive the following message from a manager.   I sent the following emails; and yes, used the english language as a verb this time.

Tanner, 
Coupon code isn’t going to work again.  This is my final attempt.  For all this effort, please overnight, throw in something special or something else.  Otherwise you can kiss my business and referrals good bye.Trying to get out of my office, so if you can get this to me faster would be very helpful!!!!! Yeah dude, done with the brand!  Lots of brands out there. Goodbye. F****ing hours of my life wasted. It’s like you’re having a field day over there f****ing with me. 
Mark

Hey Mark,
This is Jamie, one of the managers of the Rider Care team. First and foremost, I’d like to apologize for the frustrations that you’ve encountered with your purchasing experience on specialized.com.
I’ve had a handful of meetings with members of our e-commerce team to understand what’s going on with your orders and why they seem to be not be processing as expected. There seem to be a number of factors in play here, some related to updates we’ve previously made to the website in early June, and the more recent order issue related to a particular SKU that our e-commerce team didn’t properly put on the correct price list. Due to these internal issues, they have caused your orders to fail. For that, we apologize and are committed to fixing these problems.
Previously, we had offered a 40% discount code as an apology to be used when reordering your order that had failed. The most recent order attempts, some 10-12x the original order value are not in the spirit of how this was intended, and unfortunately our e-commerce team has informed us that they’re not able to issue another code that may be used in this manner.
We would like to offer to comp your original order that didn’t import, which was a Men’s RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights, Men’s ADV SWAT™ Bib Shorts, and Men’s HyprViz SL Air Jersey. If you can confirm your shipping address, we’ll get this order sent to you immediately.
Again, we sincerely apologize for the issues you’ve had placing your order, and we’re doing our best to provide this feedback to the teams who can help get solutions in place.
Jamie | Specialized US Rider Care

That’s right, the extremely clear offer that I cited above, which clearly shows wheels are included was just taken back by a manager who apparently did not see how valuable my time, effort and brand loyalty had been to Specialized. I also want to call attention to the new offer for bing tights and a jersey, which was never an order I made on Specialized.com.  I looked at those items and purchased through the dealer Jenson months ago.  So this wasn’t a good counteroffer at all.  In response, I wrote the following:

Dear Jamie,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to you representing myself, Mark Smith, who recently encountered an unfortunate situation with Specialized Bikes. Your company failed to follow through on a 40% discount offer, which I believe constitutes an unethical business practice.

On June 29, I received communication from Specialized Bikes, through direct correspondence, stating a limited-time offer for a 40% discount on products, Specifically wheels and only excluding complete bikes (see attached). This offer immediately caught my attention, as I had been considering purchasing the attached order from the Specialized brand.

To take advantage of this enticing offer, I promptly visited your website and contacted your sales department to make the purchase. However, to my disappointment, I was informed that the promised discount was not applicable to the desired product. This contradiction between the initial offer and subsequent denial left me feeling misled and deceived by Specialized Bikes.

I would like to bring to your attention the ethical standards that reputable businesses are expected to adhere to. When a company makes a specific offer or advertisement, they have a moral and legal obligation to fulfill the terms presented to consumers. By promoting a 40% discount offer and then reneging on its applicability, Specialized Bikes has breached this obligation and engaged in an unethical business practice.

Moreover, my trust in Specialized Bikes has been significantly undermined by this incident. I feel that I was lured into considering a purchase based on false promises, which has damaged my perception of your brand and its integrity. I have a paper trail supporting these claims. This negative experience will lead me to share my disappointment with others, potentially causing reputational harm to Specialized Bikes.

In light of these circumstances, I kindly request that Specialized Bikes rectify this matter promptly. It is only fair and just that you honor the 40% discount offer for the attached cart order. Doing so would not only uphold the ethical standards expected of a company of your stature but also restore my confidence in your brand.

Please be aware that I reserve the right to pursue legal remedies if this matter is not resolved in a satisfactory manner. I hope it will not be necessary to escalate the issue, as my primary objective is to reach an amicable resolution that benefits all parties involved.

I kindly request a written response within 24 hours to confirm your commitment to honoring the 40% discount offer. Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me at the details provided below.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope to resolve it swiftly and amicably.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Smith

Everyone want to see the response?

 

 

Hello Mark,
I understand your disappointment, and sincerely apologize for the frustrations you’ve had with your purchasing experience.
Unfortunately, due to the profanity that has been used with multiple members of our team, we will not be able to process orders from you through specialized.com. It sounds like you’ve concluded this as well with your messages that you intend to take your business elsewhere, and we apologize that we’ve been unable to meet your expectations as a brand. If you’d like to read more about the Terms and Conditions that apply to orders placed on Specialized.com, they can be found here .
This is our final communication on this, and again, we apologize that the experience has elicited such anger and frustration.
Jamie | Specialized US Rider Care

 

Attached below is the order I wanted to place.  To end this blog, I just want to clarify that, as a consumer, I was literally purchasing over $4k USD in goods from a company with some of the highest profit margins on the planet under the advisement of specialized themselves after they initially provided me with a 40% off coupon code.  Just mystified.  Being the author, I’m aware that this content may read as if i’m tipping the odds in my favor; however, this is literally an exact account of what happened.  Everything. Verbatim.

In the event that you are a team member associated with Specialized Bicycle Company, know that the reason i’m pursuing this further is because the effort going into writing my experience requires <1/100th the total time I’ve lost attempting to place the order at specialized.com.  Just honor your offer, send me my things, take my money and we can literally all move on from this.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-review-fairness-act-what-businesses-need-know