| General -> Accessories. | Auxilary Triumph Powerport ... - footrest peg sans highway bar. | | | | Categories : |
|  | Topic : Dealing with Vikings (a cautionary tale) |  |
| | | Steve | | Set |  |  | | Reg. Date | : | 24/03/2011 | | Posts | : | 480 | | Location | : | Chesham, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 17 May 2013 - 23:18 Post title : Dealing with Vikings (a cautionary tale) | | | I've been looking for a set of hard bags and found these on line.
Link
OK that's the sort of thing I'm looking for. But being in the UK I'm aware that there are hidden costs in buying from the USA. On Viking's sight there is a live chat feature so I asked.
I was told to send an email with the part I wanted, address etc to an email.
The set of emails that followed from "Stanley" you will find hard to believe. The text of it below:
email 1 as instructed
Hi
I am interested in buying a set of Viking Lamellar Medium Hard Saddlebags - LAM-70-B.
However I live in the UK.
Address:
xxxxx
UK
I have a paypal account but it has the same address as above.
I have a Triumph Thunderbird 1600.
Can you tell me the cost with post to the UK and any additional tax?
Many Thanks
Steve
Reply 1
Dear Valued Customer,
Thanks for showing interest in our products. Here are products listed below for UK. Please select from them so I can quote your for your order.
ACESSORIES
AXE-27
AXE-30
BR-2000
BR-3000
CHAR-060-PL
CHAR-11-PL
CHAR-600
CHAR-680-PL
CHAR-900-PL
CHAR800
DR212-PL
ECO-LINE
ET-191
GREENARROW
GUD100
PAN-55
QTR-099-PL
RT-200
RT100
SW-90-PL
SWORD SERIES
TB-500
TOL-900
TRP-20-PL
TRP-66-PL
TUN200
TUN400
VIC-071
VK-005
VK-102-PL
VK-103
VK-104-PL
VK-107-PL
VK-2337
VK-2700-PL
VK-750
VK003
VK107-S
VK2500
VN-2009
WIN-100-PL
If you have any questions, please feel free to reply to this email.
Best Regards
VikingBags
[after searching for a few of these, none of which were what I wanted, I got a bit pi**ed off]
email 2
Got no idea which of these relate to LAM-70-B. You tell me.
Steve
Reply 2
Dear Valued Customer,
These are the saddlebags, trunks and seat luggage. You can type the product number in search tab and check the product then let us know so we can quote you for your order.
email 3
I can only repeat:
I am interested in buying a set of Viking Lamellar Medium Hard Saddlebags - LAM-70-B.
This is the description and part number from your web site.
Why are you sending me another list that doesn't have this in it?
reply 3
Dear Valued Customer,
Sorry for inconvenience this product is not available in stock for UK.
email 4
Why not? Surely it is just a case of working out the post to the UK etc. It can't be much different to the other products you send to the UK.
reply 4
Dear Valued Customer,
Sorry for the inconvenience. This product is not available in our international ware house. So we can't send this to you. I do apologize in this regard.
Gave up
Can't be that much of a valued customer then 
You think maybe they thought I'd buy something else?
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| | | Smitty | | Chaac | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 01/10/2012 | | Posts | : | 996 | | Location | : | Hawkesbury, NSW, Australia |
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| | Posted : 18 May 2013 - 01:49 Post title : Re: Dealing with Vikings (a cautionary tale) (Re: Steve) | | | and that is why there are guys like Fast Eddy making a living, cause these other places can't think outside the box they live in
Just a thought, but I would flick Eddy an email with the ones you are after. He may be able to source them for you.
| Cheers Smitty 
2013 Matt Graphite Storm, Foran Razorbacks, Hagon shocks & springs.
I don't get angry, I get even 
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| | | zolti | | Thor | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 23/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 3,127 | | Location | : | newcastle , United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 18 May 2013 - 05:51 Post title : Re: Dealing with Vikings (a cautionary tale) (Re: Steve) | | | valued customer 
beggars belief mate
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| | | essbjay | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 01/02/2012 | | Posts | : | 328 | | Location | : | Melbourne (ex Lowestoft, UK), VIC, Australia |
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| | Posted : 18 May 2013 - 06:55 Post title : Re: Dealing with Vikings (a cautionary tale) (Re: Steve) | | |
Had a slightly better buying relationship with Viking.... but the written correspondence was like dealing with Manuel from Fawlty Towers....
I wanted some day-trip - weekend bags and as I suspected that the design wasn't that brilliant they had to be relatively cheap.
The Viking bags with the shock-cutouts fitted the bill in design and price (supposedly 50% off).
I suspected they were originally built to the 'reduced' price and, after receiving them, I would have been dissapointed with them at the full price.
They were available from the Viking warehouse in Sydney which also affected my decision.
As you can see in some of the photos they have a good overlap at the front but the design is poor around the shock cut-away. Rain is easily blown in and everything in the bag has to be wrapped in a waterproof bag if rain is expected.
Although I'd asked just for the bags with a blank back for mounting on the q/release brackets they came drilled for the included, removable throw-over strap. One hole matched up but I had to fill and seal the other which is under the bracket back plate so doesn't show.
I suspect you get whatever they have in stock, that's close enough, in the 'foreign' warehouse....they don't seem to want to send Internationally.
Anyway, here's the photo of them fitted.... The leathers not bad but some of the stitching is thin and a single row, the back seems quite thick so the 'droop' might take awhile. I'll see how they go but I like the full hard bags, leather coated, from Tsukayu.....
 's
| Colin Chapman once said: "If you add horsepower you'll be quick on the straight,...but if you remove weight you'll be quicker everywhere.." ....so why in hell did I buy a Thunderbird...!!!
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| | | Southern_Ranger | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 14/05/2013 | | Posts | : | 368 | | Location | : | Aylesbury, Bucks, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 18 May 2013 - 07:48 Post title : Re: Dealing with Vikings (a cautionary tale) (Re: Steve) | | | Shame Steve they look like a nice set. I'm looking for something similar would have been good to have Seen them on your bike.
| 1700 Supercharged TBird. Southern Ranger, AKA John 
| | Post edited by Southern_Ranger on 18 May 2013 - 07:50 |
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| | | mat1600 | | Thunderbird | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 06/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 8,596 | | Location | : | Bridlington, Democratic Independant State of Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 18 May 2013 - 08:22 Post title : Re: Dealing with Vikings (a cautionary tale) (Re: Steve) | | | Don't forget when you get stuff from abroad, its taxable when it hits our shore. Expect to pay quite a bit in tax, and they chuck in a handling charge just to kick you in the teeth. It will probs work out around 15% to 25% of the goods.
| My first natural instinct is to breathe. My second is to evade tax's.
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| | | Steve | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 24/03/2011 | | Posts | : | 480 | | Location | : | Chesham, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 18 May 2013 - 12:24 Post title : Re: Dealing with Vikings (a cautionary tale) (Re: mat1600) | | |
mat1600 wrote:
Don't forget when you get stuff from abroad, its taxable when it hits our shore. Expect to pay quite a bit in tax, and they chuck in a handling charge just to kick you in the teeth. It will probs work out around 15% to 25% of the goods. |
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That's why I asked the question, been caught out that way before. cost + postage + import duty + handling charge (for postal service opening and checking for customs) adds a big chunk of money.
Found these instead from a source in England. Link
Arrived Thursday, a bit smaller than the Viking ones but the quality is OK for the price. Look better in the flesh than in the photo's on e-bay. Fitting kit is a bit of a joke comprising of a rubber grommet, metal insert, big washer and a bolt for each hole in the panniers. No brackets to attach to the bike of any sort although the panniers have been moulded to take some sort of bracket. Sent an email asking if there were any brackets that should come with them but so far no reply, as I have a set of easy brackets I'm not so bothered about that but will have to work out what the best way of fitting is. I'll have to drill some new holes and block up the old ones I can't use. Will post some pics when I get around to fitting them.
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| | | mat1600 | | Thunderbird | | | | Reg. Date | : | 06/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 8,596 | | Location | : | Bridlington, Democratic Independant State of Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 18 May 2013 - 13:50 Post title : Re: Dealing with Vikings (a cautionary tale) (Re: Steve) | | | Had to re-drill mine. Was no problem.
| My first natural instinct is to breathe. My second is to evade tax's.
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