TW Europe Racquet Demo Program Poll:

[TW Staff]

As TW Europe is putting together a demo program, we would like to know your thoughts on this scenario:

We will require a 50 euro deposit per racquet with a maximum two racquet demo at a time. Each racquet will require you pay 5 euros for shipping that is non-refundable.

If you return the demos in good condition, you will receive your 50 euro deposit back in full.

If you decide to purchase, your deposit can go toward your purchase.

Obviously, if the racquet(s) is/are damaged, or don't come back, you will lose your deposit.

Please vote so we can get a little feedback concerning how this may or may not succeed.

Thanks.

TW Staff

[ericsson]

Very good idea! it can work both ways. (but please update TW Europe as the US TW, many sticks are not available yet...)
And i also think it would be best to purchase through mail, personal account (much easier), not through phone.
just my two cents.

[Danstevens]

It's not that bad. 100 Euros is not an absolutely massive figure to deposit when demoing racquets. My local sports shop asks you to deposit the full value of the racquet before demoing (unless you have a membership card for the store in which case it is free of charge). Although from there you can take out unlimited numbers of racquets without being a member, the upfront cost can quickly become the limiting factor.

Overall, I think the system is a great idea but you may want to invent some sort of scheme whereby people who buy a lot from TW and/or have spent a long time on the forums get more options when demoing (ie: take out more than 2 racquets). Maybe that's favouritism but I think that loyal customers should perhaps be rewarded. If you had a good range of demo racquets in acceptable condition, I certainly think I would use the TW service instead of Decathlon when the time came to choose a new stick.

Hope I've helped.

[Laker]

Actually € 50,00 per racquet sounds expensive to me.
Sorry for the silly question but are the freight costs included (round trip)?

[Moz]

The scheme seems reasonable, but it leaves out the most important question as to who picks up the freight.

I assume also there is no charge to demo the racquet. Please confirm.

[TW Staff]

Shipping will be an additional 5 Euros per racquet and is nonrefundable.

So to demo two sticks you are going to be in it for 110 Euros, but will be refunded 100 Euros once the demos have been returned with the frames in good condition. Do not worry about string breakage.

If a string on your demo breaks and you have a good history with TWE, we will ship you another demo which can then be returned with the others at the end of your demo period.

Chris, TW

[Moz]

Sounds very reasonable to me.

Will you ever be stocking the Boris Becker 11 Mid though?

[KoolBeans]

Sounds pretty good to me, but one question: What would happen if the racquet breaks, but there was no missuse. say you are just hitting normally and it fractures on a routine forehand or serve (not shanks).

KB x

[ericsson]

Shipping will be an additional 5 Euros per racquet and is nonrefundable.

So to demo two sticks you are going to be in it for 110 Euros, but will be refunded 100 Euros once the demos have been returned with the frames in good condition. Do not worry about string breakage.

If a string on your demo breaks and you have a good history with TWE, we will ship you another demo which can then be returned with the others at the end of your demo period.

Chris, TW

Chris, sounds good to me, but i hope the demo program comes soon, i have some friends at my local club that wanne test some rackets soon and will buy after.
Please keep us updated.

thanks!

[onkystomper]

That is a good scheme IMO. Most demo places in UK male you pay for the entire racket and then refund when you send it back. Some however send you a new racket at full cost and if you like it you keep it.. I can see how that may be a problem though as you would end up with a lot of 'demo' rackets

[onkystomper]

I would also ask why it is 5 euro per racket instaed of x amount per package as it would be no more expensive to send 2 rackets instead of 1

[stanfordtennis alum]

sounds/looks good to me..btw great looking site TW, keep it up!

[slagvaerk]

Is seems lika a reasonable demo program, OK by me...

[PimpMyGame]

It seems fair to me, the only question mark is where would the rackets be sent from and sent back to? I would have to check the postage costs carefully if the rackets were sent back to mainland Europe, as I'm in the UK.

[Moz]

I'm assuming the return postage costs are covered already.

[TW Staff]

Correct. The 5 Euro charge covers shipping both ways.

If a racquet breaks without abuse then you will not be charged.

Chris, TW

[PimpMyGame]

Well in that case I think it's a very good deal, especially as I don't have anywhere in my city where I can demo a racket AND pay a fair price if I want to buy.

Some places I can buy cheaply, but with no demo facility and other places I can demo but rackets are way too expensive. This will fit the bill.

[Steve F.]

Sounds good.

In Paris, shops here require a check in the full amount of the racquet. Box stores (alright, decathlon) puts a hold on your credit card or carte bleue. The demo may be kept out indefinitely, but it's understood that a week is the limit unless you call in and extend.

Questions for you Chris :

1. How long will the demo period be?

2. Assume that the racquets are insured during shipping?

3. Will the return shipping be as easy as peeling off a label and dropping the box off at the post office? Or will we need to go to a specific shipping agent?

4. Can we combine items with the demo order and have them shipped in the box without an additional shipping fee beyond the 5 euro? Small packable items such as grips, string, socks, clothes, etc? (eg, TWE offers free shipping only after 75 Euro (http://tenniswarehouse-europe.com/freeshipping.html), and thus I've resorted to ordering strings from elsewhere because of the 6 euro fee for even a single pack of string.)

Thanks for getting this demo program up and asking our pov!
S

[Steve F.]

Hi Chris -

Any updates?

Thanks -

[Meaghan]

In UK I can demo 3 rackets for £10 for one week (non refundable unless you buy) so 50 euros seems a lot but I understand you need to cover against loss or damage.
TW also has a lot more variety to choose from too.

[DavidGarcia]

In UK I can demo 3 rackets for £10 for one week (non refundable unless you buy) so 50 euros seems a lot but I understand you need to cover against loss or damage.
TW also has a lot more variety to choose from too.

Those 50EUR are refundable so I dont see the fuss.

What's the issue?

[Dave M]

In UK I can demo 3 rackets for £10 for one week (non refundable unless you buy) so 50 euros seems a lot but I understand you need to cover against loss or damage.
TW also has a lot more variety to choose from too.
The places i've used here in the UK have normally charged your card for the retail ost of the rackets and you have topay to ship them back, when they arrve back in good condition they refund your "purchase". This way seems more than reasonable.

[canadave]

So the US has a demo program, and it looks like Europe will have one too. Any chance we Canadians can get a little TW demo love? :(

[Steve F.]

it looks like Europe will have one too.

Don't jinx us over here canadave! :)

We're still waiting for confirmation on whether this will be done.


That said, tough luck on Canadians, I'd think the postal systems (or their lack of cooperation) are the spoilers.

[Steve F.]

Chris, sounds good to me, but i hope the demo program comes soon, i have some friends at my local club that wanne test some rackets soon and will buy after.
Please keep us updated.

I just noticed this poll will be open until the second week of September. :shock:

Just in time for rain and winter.

...Seems unlikely TW would have plans to start this program before then.

[doctor dennis]

Hi all.
I don't see the big deal of payin €50 as it's refundable. €5 is also reasonable per racket too as shipping is included. As with others here in the UK some places require a full deposit per racket. I do think that you should introduce some sort of loyalty scheme that gives other benefits to regulars. Another idea you could use is to get people to register (like a membership) take everyones bank details in this registration and not charge a deposit as you have security that you'll get your money back if anyone steals the rackets. You could also increase the amount of rackets loaned out and the actual loan period.
Cheers

[ericsson]

I just noticed this poll will be open until the second week of September. :shock:

Just in time for rain and winter.

...Seems unlikely TW would have plans to start this program before then.

Steve, i noticed that too :-?

[Steve F.]

Well, I just got off the phone with TWE... and I now have 2 demos on the way. :cool:
Spoke with one of the guys and he's sending them out tonight. Everything transpired just as Chris suggested at the start of the thread. Demo period is a week and there's a label in the box to ship everything back; cost is 10 EUR for shipping. Great work TWE!

[crosscourt]

As TW Europe is putting together a demo program, we would like to know your thoughts on this scenario:

We will require a 50 euro deposit per racquet with a maximum two racquet demo at a time. Each racquet will require you pay 5 euros for shipping that is non-refundable.

If you return the demos in good condition, you will receive your 50 euro deposit back in full.

If you decide to purchase, your deposit can go toward your purchase.

Obviously, if the racquet(s) is/are damaged, or don't come back, you will lose your deposit.

Please vote so we can get a little feedback concerning how this may or may not succeed.

Thanks.

TW Staff

I am completely behind a demo program. But I think that the two racket limit is a problem. I might really benefit from being able to demo three or four rackets side by side. For example the two K Blades, and the two Black Aces. I also think that the deposit could be graduated. 50 euros for one racket, then 30 for the next, then say 10 for the next.
The postal arrangements sound good. But I am prepared to pay more for post if the program can be more flexible.
I would also like a renewal arrangement. The weather in London has been so poor this summer that a one week demo is no guarantee of being able to hit with the rackets (other than against a garden wall) at all.

cc

[martinrousev]

Shipping will be an additional 5 Euros per racquet and is nonrefundable.

...

Chris, TW

If shipping to any country in EU is 5 EUR then I vote for this program with both hands.

[onkystomper]

Well i called TW Europe today to get a couple of demos and was tols sure you can have the demos all you do is pay for postage.. i asked how much and they said we ship them to you & you ship them back the shippingfrom Europe to the UK was quoted as 10 euros and then i have to pay for it back.. Shipping from UK is going to be around 20 Euros... that is 30 Euros to demo a racket... not sure if the programme is working quite yet :)

[lemmie]

Well, I guess, since the Demo program has not started offically, it could have been just a friendly service for a costumer. ;-)

[lenderbender]

Just curious do you ship the rackets back in the same box that they came in? Never actually demoed a racket off the internet before

[Steve F.]

Just curious do you ship the rackets back in the same box that they came in? Never actually demoed a racket off the internet before

Yes, same as TW USA does it. There's a label provided, you stick it to the box and drop it off at the post office. Postage already paid (by you, when you ordered the demo)

[lenderbender]

Yes, same as TW USA does it. There's a label provided, you stick it to the box and drop it off at the post office. Postage already paid (by you, when you ordered the demo)

aah k thanks

[flequimark]

Hi,
I'm from Spain and I think this is a great idea.I'm enjoying my hollidays in NJ,USA and the demo programm provided by TWusa is fantastic,I have demoed 4 racquets and chose my favourite and the price is fantastic.
I think TWeurope will win more customers because of this facilities, and in my opinion paying 50 Euros which are refundable isn't any issue.

Hope it comes soon!

[Orangejumper]

this seems very good as the stock on offer is second to none.
am game 100%

[ac3111]

I vote for the programme. In the UK I visited 2 stores for demo and the amount of money they required as deposit was much higher...

[martywebster]

Was on the phone to TWE today to ask about the demo program and also enquite whether they had any of the Yonex racquets as it was mentioned earlier that they didnt have them. The guy wasnt the most helpful of people but yes they do let people demo raquets and he said it would be 5 euros. He also told me to send them an email and they would call back, they havent got back to me yet though

[ac3111]

The racket they send you is a used one? And if you get to purchase they send you a new one?
I will call them one of the following days but if anyone knows it may save me from calling...

[oedem]

I have just a question: where do racquets have to be sent?

is it sure 10€ are costs to send them back?

[ac3111]

I have just a question: where do racquets have to be sent?

is it sure 10€ are costs to send them back?

For Greece it is 10 euros. So for Italy it can't be more.
Inside the package with the racquets there will be a big sticker from the courier company that will have already written on it your name as a sender and the TW europe address etc as recipient. This sticker has a barcode because it is the return ticket for the package. You stick it on the outside of the return-package, give it to the same courier your demo racquets came with (mine was with ups) and then everything is set...

[threed]

I emalied TWE, unfortunately they told me the demo program is active only in Germany and in France.

Hope soon will be launched, I want to test so many racquets.

[lenderbender]

nooooooo! well at least i wont be busy demoing rackets now that I have exams coming up:shock: