New Shoes

I don't like Shimano any more.

They make good cycling gear but their customer support sucks. I bought some Shimano cycling shoes (model SH-R214) online and found that they needed a special 'cleat fixing nut' in order to be compatible with my cleats and pedals. This special part didn't come with the shoes so I decided to call Shimano directly hoping that they would just mail me the part.

Nope.

The customer support guy gave me the part number, told me they had plenty in stock and that I had to go through a Shimano distributor to get it. I called my cycling shop, Champion Cyclery since they are a Shimano distributor but the guys there told me that there is a minimum order amount and this part was not enough. I would have to wait until they placed their next order. I called a few other cycle shops but no one could help me.

When I called Shimano back a few days later and asked if they could tell me the name of any distributor that had recently bought the part and I would call them to order it. The customer service guy says he can't do that and that they are now out of stock on the part and it will be the middle of April before they have this again. I asked if there was anything I could do to get this part because if not I would be changing brands. The guy didn't sound like he cared. I could almost hear him shrug when he said sorry with a sarcastic tone.

They have lost my business.