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stevo_com
Would say that is true of everywhere since C19 began, and worse since the B word. They are managing your expectation by basically saying nothing firm, I don't count a bike/item arrived until its literally in my hands.
If we were in 2017-2019, and shops were giving you vague estimates is because 1) the estimate is genuinely vague as cargo bike mftr's are a niche of a niche and stuff happens when its possible to happen 2) the shop doesn't value your sale/maybe thinks you aren't super interested. It used to be for us, every 10 active inquiries would result in 8.5 to 9 sales, yes, that high. But since the ebike boom (~2019) that has now dropped to around 2-3 sales made on 10 inquires, maybe lower, margins are lower so unfortunately I (and others) cannot put as much time into these until they become a deposit down kind of a deal. At that point we'll bend over backwards for the CX.
Since C19 and B have occured/still are occurring, all bets are off, the bike will turn up when it turns up (to our border), then add 5 days to 10 weeks onto that (to clear UK customs)= when it might actually turn up*
*And even then, correctly labelled, correctly physical + electronic paper worked imports get turned back by our own customs agents for reasons known only to themselves. Then repeat process. It is incredibly hard work, most shops are good at shielding the CX from those stresses, but inevitably they have to be told of the realities of it all.
Long story short, if something you like is in stock and you want it (don't stress yourself into a £5k purchase, there will be other bikes), put a holding deposit down to show you are actually serious to the supplier, then go home and have a cup of tea, consult your SO and the people of the internet and then take it from there. Then ring supplier and make them aware of your decision. Sounds mental I have to spell this out to people but have had it both ways recently (where CX was as vague as hell, but actually wanted a £6k bike ASAP and thought they would only communicate this through telepathy, vs, CX was very very adamant they wanted something, ordered it without deposit because they were so firm and so keen, then turns out 'never said that mate').