As far as J&B goes it's regional and the contracted account rep is the key. I have worked with them previously at a LBS and found that the rep's attitude towards your shop and their job in general will dictate a lot of what happens good bad or otherwise. I haven't pushed our shop to use J&B because of my experience with our regions rep. We are currently using Lexco and have decided to apply with cyclone as Lexco not working out. We have been denied by other suppliers in the past for not having a store front or being too small. Does anyone have experience applying to accounts like QBP? Any hints for making a co-op sound more appealing to different suppliers. We would like to have more options and have grown to two locations and can sign for packages during business hours!

James Roedl The Bike Project (manages the Campus Bike Shop TBP's second location) ________________________________________ From: thethinktank-bounces+jmroedl=illinois.edu@lists.bikecollectives.org [thethinktank-bounces+jmroedl=illinois.edu@lists.bikecollectives.org] on behalf of thethinktank-request@lists.bikecollectives.org [thethinktank-request@lists.bikecollectives.org] Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 7:52 PM To: thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Subject: Thethinktank Digest, Vol 91, Issue 29

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Today's Topics:

1. Re: Beware of Quality Bike Parts and their inflexibility with co-ops (Doug Cutter)
2. Re: Beware of Quality Bike Parts and their inflexibility with co-ops (Doug Cutter)
3. Re: Beware of Quality Bike Parts and their inflexibility with co-ops (james bledsoe)
4. Re: Beware of Quality Bike Parts and their inflexibility with co-ops (Tom Bulten)

Message: 1 Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 17:19:26 -0600 From: Doug Cutter cuttercrew@gmail.com To: The Think Tank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Cc: The Think Tank thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Beware of Quality Bike Parts and their inflexibility with co-ops Message-ID: 8203F17A-B2D5-4CF1-9F58-62698339FFD8@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

For similar reasons and unpredictable drivers from UPS, a few years ago we arranged for our QBP shipments to be sent to a nearby UPS store. We have to pay a small handling fee at the store, but it solved our delivery challenges from QBP. We worked with our regional sales rep at QBP to set it up.

Regarding J&B, we also have to use the UPS store address as their delivery driver was not able to call in advance to allow a volunteer to meet them at the shop.

Regards, Doug Cutter Fort Collins Bike Co-op

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 25, 2014, at 12:08 PM, Leslie Peteya lesliepeteya@gmail.com wrote:

Hi all, Wanted to warn y'all of dealing with QBP.

After 7 years of having a dealer agreement with QBP for your basic small potatoes shop stuff, we decided to shut down our account with them over their new inability to ship to a new ship-to location. I succinctly explained the nature of our shop (volunteer, limited shop hours, etc.) and necessity of shipping to a different location, but it fell on deaf ears.

Damn shame, because they said we were an excellent account with good financial management.

I also wasn't pleased that they said they denied other new co-ops an account based on similar issues.

This comes after their corporate policy of tightening up on third party suppliers, designed to keep the local bike shop in business. Ironically, we're still around after multiple for-profit local bike shops in our area have failed, and as a local community bike shop, we're now being hurt by the very policy designed to protect LBSs.

We still have an account with United Bicycle Supply, and I'm exploring new accounts with Cyclone and Seattle Bike Supply.

Can anyone recommend other suppliers that support our shops with community missions?

Thanks, Leslie Durham Bike Co-op

Message: 2 Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 17:19:26 -0600 From: Doug Cutter cuttercrew@gmail.com To: The Think Tank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Cc: The Think Tank thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Beware of Quality Bike Parts and their inflexibility with co-ops Message-ID: 8203F17A-B2D5-4CF1-9F58-62698339FFD8@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

For similar reasons and unpredictable drivers from UPS, a few years ago we arranged for our QBP shipments to be sent to a nearby UPS store. We have to pay a small handling fee at the store, but it solved our delivery challenges from QBP. We worked with our regional sales rep at QBP to set it up.

Regarding J&B, we also have to use the UPS store address as their delivery driver was not able to call in advance to allow a volunteer to meet them at the shop.

Regards, Doug Cutter Fort Collins Bike Co-op

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 25, 2014, at 12:08 PM, Leslie Peteya lesliepeteya@gmail.com wrote:

Hi all, Wanted to warn y'all of dealing with QBP.

After 7 years of having a dealer agreement with QBP for your basic small potatoes shop stuff, we decided to shut down our account with them over their new inability to ship to a new ship-to location. I succinctly explained the nature of our shop (volunteer, limited shop hours, etc.) and necessity of shipping to a different location, but it fell on deaf ears.

Damn shame, because they said we were an excellent account with good financial management.

I also wasn't pleased that they said they denied other new co-ops an account based on similar issues.

This comes after their corporate policy of tightening up on third party suppliers, designed to keep the local bike shop in business. Ironically, we're still around after multiple for-profit local bike shops in our area have failed, and as a local community bike shop, we're now being hurt by the very policy designed to protect LBSs.

We still have an account with United Bicycle Supply, and I'm exploring new accounts with Cyclone and Seattle Bike Supply.

Can anyone recommend other suppliers that support our shops with community missions?

Thanks, Leslie Durham Bike Co-op

Message: 3 Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 17:19:41 -0700 (PDT) From: james bledsoe jamesbleds0e@yahoo.com To: The Think Tank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Beware of Quality Bike Parts and their inflexibility with co-ops Message-ID: 1395793181.22488.YahooMailNeo@web141505.mail.bf1.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

it would be good to forward this tread to QBP

On Tuesday, March 25, 2014 11:25 AM, Wm Dakota Callaschai mylifeinthenow@gmail.com wrote:

J&B Importers inc!! They have a warehouse like 30 miles from you!! 919-877-1002 give them a call. Troy Bike Rescue has been gettin our stuff from them for almost 10 years!! Its been great! On Mar 25, 2014 2:08 PM, "Leslie Peteya" lesliepeteya@gmail.com wrote:

Hi all,

Wanted to warn y'all of dealing with QBP.

After 7 years of having a dealer agreement with QBP for your basic small potatoes shop stuff, we decided to shut down our account with them over their new inability to ship to a new ship-to location.? I succinctly explained the nature of our shop (volunteer, limited shop hours, etc.) and necessity of shipping to a different location, but it fell on deaf ears.

Damn shame, because they said we were an excellent account with good financial management.

I also wasn't pleased that they said they denied other new co-ops an account based on similar issues.

This comes after their corporate policy of tightening up on third party suppliers, designed to keep the local bike shop in business. Ironically, we're still around after multiple for-profit local bike shops in our area have failed, and as a local community bike shop, we're now being hurt by the very policy designed to protect LBSs.

We still have an account with United Bicycle Supply, and I'm exploring new accounts with Cyclone and Seattle Bike Supply.

Can anyone recommend other suppliers that support our shops with community missions?

Thanks,

Leslie

Durham Bike Co-op

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