I was absolutely shocked that my friend received this email from the London Duathlon on the weekend.

“Did you sleep in on Sunday?”

No, actually, she didn’t.  She registered with me in May to take on the huge challenge of completing the Classic Distance.  We planned our summer around long training rides and spent a few weekends in Richmond Park tackling the hill laps in preparation.  Then in August she broke a bone playing rugby, had to have surgery to help it properly set and the Doctors said absolutely  no Duathlon.  She emailed the London Duathlon to ask about her options to defer her entry to next year because of a medical issue. She knew there were no refunds, but was also told that she couldn’t defer the place or transfer the place in the sold out distance to someone else even 4 weeks before the event.  The same day she spoke with them, London Duathlon posted on Facebook that they were releasing (selling) 20 more places to the Classic distance.  She couldn’t defer or transfer her spot but they were happy to sell more for to the event.

Emma was disappointed to say the least, and had to sit out the event we had planned and trained for for the past 5 months. Then she got the above email that implied she SLEPT IN? Was lazy and just missed it? Forgot to set an alarm? Come on London Duathlon that is not cool and not funny at all.  She did everything she could to contact you and arrange a situation where she could put her registration to use and you said No. In this case, you are the ones who were lazy here and “slept in.”

I was impressed with the organisation of the Duathlon and had a great day but you need to re-thinking your customer care and communication before Emma (or myself) sign up for any more events.

*update*

The London Duathlon replied to my blog/tweets and apologised for how the email read and promised to take on the feedback for next year.  I’m not convinced yet and still want them to change their registration policy of no transfers/deferals, but admitting their mistake  is a good first step.