I had the same reaction as Hugh and John to this thread. I understand this point of view: *What other company of their size gets such sincere and direct feedback and with little to no expense for re-engagement?* But the tone of this thread was, to me, more like non-constructive, non-helpful criticism.
As a long-time Rivendell customer, I've had a couple of interactions that were less than perfect. But that is the nature of most relationships. And the overwhelming majority of the time the company has gone above and beyond. Two recent examples. I pre-ordered one of the Cheviot sweaters. It came, it's beautiful. (I've been trying to find time to do a post about it.) I consider it a fantastic bargain. And then Rivendell decides they, I don't know? made too much money on it, so they send everyone who bought the sweater $25 gift certificates. Point me to another company that would do that. I would like to patronize them. (Funny enough, the "mistake" element entered here too, as they initially sent out certificates for $20 instead of $25. I had only the slightest fleeting thought of pointing out this "error." ) I get that it is partly marketing to a segment of its business that will order something sight unseen, and the certificate could potentially be a sales stimulant, but still. Second example. I bought a second-hand Clementine to replace the one I had to sell for financial reasons a while back. There was something not quite right, so I called Riv to discuss and see if my idea to fix it made sense. They offered a brand-new replacement frame and fork. On a four-year old bike. Of which I was not the original owner. I'm not saying nobody should ever criticize Rivendell. But this was about a one-off sale, a bike where either communication went awry or the builder had a bad day, or whatever. And Rivendell laid out the various "defects" and offered the bike for sale. Why that needed to have feedback is questionable to me. But then it spirals into finding stuff hidden in the warehouse (see the Crust basement sales on Instagram; this is a feature not a bug!) the cost of Riv customs, and how perverse it is that a Rivendell employee can afford a Rivendell. Maybe Rivendell customs cost a lot because they pay the builder and painter what their skills are worth, then make a bit on top of that as the designer and facilitator. Maybe a Rivendell employee can afford a Riv because they get a company discount, and because the company pays a living wage. Most on this list are, by definition, at least slightly obsessed with bicycles. Between this type of consumer, and the chance consumer who likes "quality" and happens to hear about or see a Rivendell in the wild, that's a niche market within a niche market within a hurting industry. Most people thinking of buying a bicycle would think a Clem Smith Jr. is too expensive. Those that don't, if they had heard of a Clem Smith Jr. would mostly scoff at it and get a carbon machine. Anyone considering a custom bicycle is aware of other options and price points, so I'm not sure that falls under constructive criticism either. That would imply Rivendell getting this info and thinking about changing its pricing structure due to the feedback. I think its safe to say Rivendell charges what they need to charge for customs and still adhere to their business tenets. I also find it odd that many are quick to criticize Rivendell's financial woes, yet find the price of a custom too high. Anyway, end of ramble. Athough it sometimes feels like piling on, I do appreciate the various viewpoints. (I just wanted to make sure the correct one got out there;^) On Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 7:57:05 PM UTC-5, Hugh Flynn wrote: > > Ok, fair enough, but I don't recall shushing anyone or implying one needs > to pass a Riv loyalty test. I simply find the tone of outrage and insult > over a frame being sold at cost a bit odd. I'm guessing the the builder and > painter got paid. It's a custom. They don't come at scale prices. > > If I were selling it, I might have knocked a bit off for the paint chip, > but I'm not selling it or buying it, so my thoughts on the matter are > pretty meaningless. That said, I'm the fist to ridicule Rapha and others > for "epic" marketing and bro-tuned adds - and I'm about as far away from > being a customer of "epic" goods as one can get. So where does that leave > me? Probably somewhat more reflective about MY comments than I was earlier > today... > > Hugh "got no dog in this fight" Flynn > Newburyport, MA > > On Sat, Feb 29, 2020 at 2:36 PM Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> Yes, there's exactly more to it as has generated discussion. The attitude >> that we have to shush and never be critical of anything is not helpful or >> healthy. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com <javascript:>. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ca02d958-2282-48ce-9d70-018a0dff739c%40googlegroups.com >> . >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/fe6ef386-ef32-44dd-af01-28ba027068bc%40googlegroups.com.
