PCW - Marty Crotty

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Lina
Posts: 1060
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 9:09 pm

by Lina

calicyclist wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:14 am
Just a quick update for anyone interested...Marty eventually texted me the Monday after I posted this...to ask about why I was trashing them on message boards. LMFAO. No explanation for the past 3+ months or anything else - other than his busy Friday schedule for why he didn't respond that day.

Black Inc Fives on the way to Argonaut and I should get my bike at the end of this month and will post pics.

And in case anyone else is having trouble getting a response from Princeton - apparently complaining about them on here is a better strategy than calling their phones directly.
As sad as it is but the best way to get a response from any company nowadays is to complain about them publicly in social media.

by Weenie


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Broady
Posts: 678
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:02 pm

by Broady

What custom work was it you were asking for? I've seen a few people with them fully painted on Insta, different colour decals etc.

calicyclist
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2022 5:54 am

by calicyclist

Karvalo wrote:
Mon Mar 13, 2023 9:38 am
For the OP - if a brand doesn't offer custom, the CEO acts like you're 'from the moon' when you ask if they can do custom, maybe don't twist their arm into seeing if they can get you custom? It probably won't end well :noidea:
Well, like I stated in the OP, they had a whole custom program back then called bespoke that now has completely vanished. The initial conversations were over email which was when he made it seem like it was hard. When we spoke over the phone he made it sound totally doable as long as I had patience and was willing to pay the upcharge for them. I said I had plenty of time = indicated I wanted them by March to match my bike delivery timeframe and then it all seemed okay.

Like I said if, at any point, he just reached out to tell me that was the deal, I would have said fine and moved on. My issue is that when you ask someone for patience, make them wait 3+ months, change your mind, and don't even proactively tell that person who has been patiently waiting you did so, it's just shitty customer service and made me feel like they didn't want my business. I have no idea what the reason for the time was. Just seemed like such a scam.

Honestly the other part is that when I finally got the news I was just in a shit mood due to this accident and the surgery and everything which isn't letting me ride so I am more emotionally charged right now about everything else in my life because I am depressed as hell. One of the main positive things I had been looking forward to was the new bike day and he put a damper on that which probably made me overreact even more.
Argonaut RM3 | Pivot Trail 429

calicyclist
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2022 5:54 am

by calicyclist

Broady wrote:
Mon Mar 13, 2023 2:21 pm
What custom work was it you were asking for? I've seen a few people with them fully painted on Insta, different colour decals etc.
I asked for them to mirror the honeycomb design they have on the Wake's on both sides of the wheel so it was symettrical and do it in blue to match the uper half of my bike (I am doing a blue to raw carbon fade with Argonaut).
Argonaut RM3 | Pivot Trail 429

Broady
Posts: 678
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:02 pm

by Broady

calicyclist wrote:
Tue Mar 14, 2023 3:52 am
Broady wrote:
Mon Mar 13, 2023 2:21 pm
What custom work was it you were asking for? I've seen a few people with them fully painted on Insta, different colour decals etc.
I asked for them to mirror the honeycomb design they have on the Wake's on both sides of the wheel so it was symettrical and do it in blue to match the uper half of my bike (I am doing a blue to raw carbon fade with Argonaut).
Ah, that doesn't sound too outlandish, shame they couldn't work something out.

calicyclist
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2022 5:54 am

by calicyclist

Broady wrote:
Tue Mar 14, 2023 11:09 am
Ah, that doesn't sound too outlandish, shame they couldn't work something out.
Yah I had assumed it just meant printing the decal twice and applying it to both sides but what do I know. :noidea:
Argonaut RM3 | Pivot Trail 429

User avatar
APPROVED
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2021 5:15 am

by APPROVED

Don't take this the wrong way but I think Marty was "too nice" from the begining because he wanted to please your needs...
From a sales guy perspective you always want your customers to be happy and buy from you.

We simply need to start saying "That is not possible."

I hope you will enjoy your new bike and get weel soon!

njleach
Posts: 209
Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2010 9:46 am

by njleach

APPROVED wrote:
Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:16 am
Don't take this the wrong way but I think Marty was "too nice" from the begining because he wanted to please your needs...
From a sales guy perspective you always want your customers to be happy and buy from you.

We simply need to start saying "That is not possible."
The problem is that Marty said it was possible, and the client was happy to pay an additional $400 to get it done

otnemem
Posts: 398
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:55 am

by otnemem

1) They were still offering the bespoke treatment.
2) Both parties agreed on execution and cost.
3) Princeton's Marty then, after deadline nit being net, renegs on the whole thing.

This cannot be spun into anything but shitty customer service.

Karvalo
Posts: 3444
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

otnemem wrote:
Thu Mar 16, 2023 2:14 pm
1) They were still offering the bespoke treatment.
Were they? The post said they used to have a custom section, not necessarily that they had one in November. Clarity is needed.
otnemem wrote:
Thu Mar 16, 2023 2:14 pm
2) Both parties agreed on execution and cost.
Did they? Earlier in the OP it is said that after initially declining, Marty later 'seemed ok' with the proposal. This is suspiciously vague. 'Seemed ok with' is not a synonym for 'said yes' in my experience. A couple of paragraphs later in the OP it has morphed into "the wheels he promised back in November." Which is it? What was actually said? What was actually promised? We don't know.

What is clear from the OPs own description is that from the outset Marty / Princeton didn't want to do it but the OP kept pushing. I learned a long time ago that people who can't take no for an answer are the last people you ever want to go out of your way to try and please.

otnemem
Posts: 398
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:55 am

by otnemem

Calicyclist, your case has been cracked. And you didn't even get to enjoy those 5 spokes. Rest in peace buddy.

Karvalo
Posts: 3444
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

otnemem wrote:
Thu Mar 16, 2023 3:26 pm
Calicyclist, your case has been cracked.
Yeah? I'm curious - of the two of us, who claimed to know exactly what happened?

otnemem
Posts: 398
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:55 am

by otnemem

I'm not going to give you my phone nr dude, stop trying.

Karvalo
Posts: 3444
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

otnemem wrote:
Thu Mar 16, 2023 5:48 pm
I'm not going to give you my phone nr dude, stop trying.
That's a shame, you seem like such a charmer. But just to be clear, you don't have Marty's side of the story and you don't actually know exactly what happened?

calicyclist
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2022 5:54 am

by calicyclist

Karvalo wrote:
Thu Mar 16, 2023 2:40 pm
otnemem wrote:
Thu Mar 16, 2023 2:14 pm
1) They were still offering the bespoke treatment.
Were they? The post said they used to have a custom section, not necessarily that they had one in November. Clarity is needed.
Yes the bespoke page on their website was still there in November and Marty also referenced it on my call with him. In fact, when giving me the initial $400 price he pointed out that this is a better deal than I would have received going direct through the bespoke team and that they would have charged at least $800 - the price he later changed it to just a few weeks before completely reneging during the delivery window.
2) Both parties agreed on execution and cost.
Did they? Earlier in the OP it is said that after initially declining, Marty later 'seemed ok' with the proposal. This is suspiciously vague. 'Seemed ok with' is not a synonym for 'said yes' in my experience. A couple of paragraphs later in the OP it has morphed into "the wheels he promised back in November." Which is it? What was actually said? What was actually promised? We don't know.

What is clear from the OPs own description is that from the outset Marty / Princeton didn't want to do it but the OP kept pushing. I learned a long time ago that people who can't take no for an answer are the last people you ever want to go out of your way to try and please.
When I said seemed ok I mean he seemed okay with the design proposal specifically. Words Marty used on the phone with me in November were statements such as "I will get you your wheels." If that isn't promising them I am not sure how else to take it. Additionally, on Thursday, January 19th (two months after I spoke to Marty on the phone and ironically the exact day I was hit on my bike) Marty sent the following via email to my Argonaut contact:
We did receive the sample you sent. We forwarded it to our manufacturer. This wheel set is going to be produced in February, with the design Tim wants, after we resume operations after their Holidays over there.

If this was just a paint change, it is very simple, and we only charge +$200 for that. However, Tim wants a different decal, which requires redesign, samples, numerous hands and heads spending time on it, so this is a +$800 job. I may have quoted something different in past emails as I was unaware of the additional work and design needed for special decals, but there it is, this is the feedback we have received.

Hang in there, late February we should have something. Again, were it not for the New Year we'd have this completed 4-6 weeks more quickly, but here we are, this happens every year at this time, And special projects are even more hampered.
This was the last contact we had from Marty until late February when we were expecting the wheels and reached out to find out where they were and were informed they decided not to make them and didn't bother to proactively inform us.

Take from all of this what you will but these are his exact words.
Last edited by calicyclist on Thu Mar 16, 2023 7:19 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Argonaut RM3 | Pivot Trail 429

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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