Getting kicked around by LightCarbon, should I dispute with paypal?

[dsveddy]

I ordered a frame from LightCarbon at the start of the month, and was given an estimate 15 days production time before it shipped. Now it's been 24 days. I emailed them 15 days in to check in on the status and they said it would ship this week. This week has almost come and gone, and...nothing.

I had planned on using this frame for cyclocross season and at this rate I'm not going to get a frame in time. Should I pull the trigger and dispute with PP (I did purchase with buyer protection), or is this kind of kicking-the-shipping-time-can down the road par for the course?

[jefflinde]

they do make them in batches by size so to wait a few weeks is not out of the ordinary.  if you have emailed them once and gotten a response i would wait until next week to email them again.  I have purchased close to 10 frames from them and have always gotten what i ordered.  some time they ship next day, some times it takes a bit.   

One thing to be aware of is US custom may hold it for a while.  i have had frames go through in 1-2 days but i have had them sit for 2 weeks.  tight time frames and ordering from china are not things that go well together. 

[TidyDinosaur]

I understand your impatience... I have the same problem every time I buy big items from China (the impatience). BUT I have yet to encounter a seller that is not over-promesing and under-delivering when it comes to production or shipping times, so I would wait a little longer...
Before you order they are all very friendly and promise you the world. When they have your order/money that all changes 

[electrolux]

Always the case with Chinese brands unfortunately. I'm sure they will ship eventually.

[dsveddy]

Alright guys, thanks for talking me off the ledge. I’m not pleased but I’ll wait.

[jonathanf2]

Best shipping and delivery I had was ordering from SPCycle. They were blunt and straight to the point when messaging, but they didn't beat around the bush. It took exactly 10 days to prep the raw frame, on the 11th day it shipped and by the 14th day it arrived on my doorstep. From that experience, I'd consider buying from them again.

[carbonazza]

Best shipping and delivery I had was ordering from SPCycle. They were blunt and straight to the point when messaging, but they didn't beat around the bush. It took exactly 10 days to prep the raw frame, on the 11th day it shipped and by the 14th day it arrived on my doorstep. From that experience, I'd consider buying from them again.

If you’re in a hurry, first check if the frame is in stock.
If it is, you’ll get it as you described.
If it’s not in stock and you want it painted, expect to wait longer than you might think.

[FullCarbonAlchemist]

Definitely normal. We all know how tough it can be to be patient with this stuff but LightCarbon is a reputable company and aren’t screwing you. For better or worse, this is how the game is played.

[dsveddy]

Alright, after 2 broken promises from Wendy that my frame would be shipped "next week", I followed up once more and was told that the frame was ready but the fork with no rivets was not. So I was given the choice of taking the fork with rivets immediately, or waiting more time for the different fork. I took the former option, and I'm relieved to say frame is shipped and tracking says it's in my country.

So all-in-all, 47 days from invoice-paid to frame-shipped. A datapoint for y'all to have.

[PLA]

Seems pretty normal. As I understand, they make stuff in batches, not individually for single customers.

I think everyone can rest assured when ordering from LightCarbon.