LETTERS | YOUR SAY
Mail to: Saxon House, 6A St. Andrews Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1JA
Email: Jonathon.Harker@
intentmedia.co.uk
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Insurance firms strangling IBD business?
Customers got insurance for a bike they’ve had stolen? Great. But what happens if the claimant is forced to shun the local bike shop when purchasing a replacement? One frustrated retailer sounds off to BikeBiz…
Dear BikeBiz, Recently we’ve had a number of customers
being forced to buy replacement bikes from a rival bicycle retailer. A few of our regular customers have had their bikes stolen, but luckily for them have had an insurance policy that covers their loss. However, the insurance policy only allows them to buy their replacement bike from Wheelies in South Wales, forcing them to not use our shop. So, not only is the policy forcing our existing customers to shop for bikes elsewhere, the shop in question is hundreds of miles away! We’ve had customers coming into our shop and using our demo bikes to make their decision, only to then tell us that they’ve got to go ahead and buy the bike from Wheelies
because their insurance policy will only pay out if they buy it from them, which is incredibly frustrating. It’s outrageous that insurance companies
are taking custom away from us, pushing sales to a rival, making life harder for us. Hypothetically speaking – if a customer lived in a flat above our shop, they had their bike stolen and had insurance then they’d still be forced to buy a bike from shop hundreds of miles away. Where’s the sense in that? We’ve been seeing this happen more and
more recently. Have any other bike shops had similar experiences? Can anything be done to stop insurance companies forcing us to lose customers and sales?
Nirvana Cycles Surrey
Some insurance firms are leaving bike retailers fuming by forcing customers to turn to rivals
THIS TOPIC, phoned in to BikeBiz by the shop in question, has already got a number of responses on the BikeBiz trade Forum. If you want to provide your take on the situation please reply to us at
Jonathon.Harker@intentmedia.co.uk, or post on the Forum thread entitled: ‘Bike insurance forcing customers to shun local bike shops?’
Star Letter
Whether it’s a hand-written, sent- through-the-post letter, email or a comment made on the BikeBiz forum, the best letter of the month wins a prize from Oxford Products.
This month the lucky winner will receive the Ultra Torch 9.
Info: Waterproof Front headlight Anti-shock switch non- slip structure Quick release Jubilee clip suits 31.6mm handle bars Batteries included
STAR LETTER
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