In July, I ordered an electric bike from a firm called Cowboy via the Cycle to Work scheme offered by my employer.
At the time, it said delivery would be in September, which I was happy to accept. However, by then, the order was showing a “target delivery date” of early October. This came and went, and I heard nothing.
Cowboy then gave me a new date, a week or so later. It said my bike was on the truck at customs.
Again, when that date passed, I was given another. This has been repeated over and over, and we are now in December.
The website currently says my bike’s target delivery was over a week ago.
Contacting Cowboy is a nightmare, with responses taking several days. I also can’t cancel the order as it has been done through Cycle to Work, and I am already having the payments taken from my salary.
Having looked at some online reviews, I’m not the only one experiencing this issue.
AK, by email
Given the dire state of the bicycle industry, you might have thought a company that had lots of orders would have been doing its darnedest to keep its customers happy.
As you say, there are several others complaining of delays for their bikes to arrive, and of how hard it is to get information out of the firm.
I asked the company about your case and it told me that it deeply regrets the inconvenience you have experienced. It must have done some good, as your bike was delivered last Friday. The company has also given you a £100 goodwill gesture.
“The delays were initially driven by a huge surge in demand following the launch of our Cruiser model, which impacted our suppliers,” says Cowboy. “This was then coupled with an unexpected issue with UK customs, linked to Brexit import checks, which held up the delivery further.
“We are working with customs to prevent this from happening in future.”
The company had offered you a refund, but one of the problems of buying through the Cycle to Work scheme is that these arrangements can be very difficult to unwind.
There are so many 40%-50% discounts on bikes right now, it may be cheaper and easier to buy direct, rather than through a scheme.
This is because retailers rarely give the users of the scheme the same kind of discounts they offer to people buying conventionally.
They argue that they face extra costs, which is why so many refuse to sell through the schemes.
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