classifieds - advice?

Koiler

right,

i bought a set of forks through the classifieds. a set of totems. that were described as fully working, on closer inspection, theres a couple of faults with them, firstly, the floogate adjuster is rounded and therefore no longer adjustable, and secondly, the steerer/ crown is making the dreaded 'crack' when braking or rocking the bike with the brake on.

the floodgate issue, im not that fussed about, it is annoying, having been told that all the adjusters worked fine, but its easily replaced and not the end of the world.

The steerer issue however, is terminal. a new CSU is around £300 which is more than i paid for the fork. and definitely more than i can afford.

ive tried contacting the seller through this forum, and a different one, but have had no response yet.

im not really sure what to do, at the moment, im left with a hole in my wallet and a fork that im scared to ride in case it gives out.

really, i need to hear back from the seller, but its been nearly 2 weeks since i first tried to contact him. i dont know whether he just hasn't logged in and read them yet, or whether to think that perhaps im being ignored.

really, i can see a couple of options,

- pay to have it fixed. which i cant afford, and even if i could, i'd be reluctant to as the combined cost of buying the fork, having it serviced and now having to replace the CSU would almost equal the cost of a new fork

- would it be worth speaking to my credit card company (paid through paypal using my credit card) to try and get the money back. has anyone done this successfully?

- or should i just chuck it away and move on and take it as a harsh lesson in life?

any opinions are welcome

cheers,

Ben

The Northern Monkey

1st... has the user posted since? may be that they are away?

2nd .... get on to your credit car company/paypal and see what protection you had.

Paypal = almost nothing
Credit card company = depends

3rd... get the fork checked. It may be something else.

Make sure you make copies of the for sale thread and PM's too.

If your're not sure and need proper advice, call the CAB.

cooldad

If you used Paypal gift, no comeback (it's in the 'gift'). Ditto on the card.
Otherwise you might have a chance with Paypal.
Is the person reading your messages? You can tell if they are in Outbox or Sentbox.
Are they a regular? If so and they've read your messages name and shame.

Koiler

thanks

its entirely possible that he hasn't read the messages yet, im just wondering what i can do about it really. i dont want to name and shame really. he's been a mamber for a while, but doesn;t seem to post much, so maybe it is just that he hasn't logged in in a while.

supersonic

pm me the name of the person

cooldad

See what SS can do.
But if you paid by Paypal you will have their email address - have you sent a message there?

Stuy-b

FWIW the cracking sound could be your headset and not the forks. i had a set of pikes that were making a cracking sound, i tryed another set of forks but the cracking sound remained, fitted the pikes but with a new headset and no more noise... just a thought

Stuy

MountainMonster

Stuy-b wrote:

FWIW the cracking sound could be your headset and not the forks. i had a set of pikes that were making a cracking sound, i tryed another set of forks but the cracking sound remained, fitted the pikes but with a new headset and no more noise... just a thought

Stuy

I thought exactly the same thing. When I moved forks from bike to bike the first time, I hadn't adjusted the headset properly so it was rocking a slight bit and making that sounds.

Koiler

cooldad - yeah, i have his email, ill try sending a message there. Thanks!

Supersonic - thanks, im at work at the mo and on my phone so ill PM you when i get home. Cheers pal

Re headset - i did consider this, ive played around with the tension on the topcap and the noise doesn't stop. The headset is brand new and was fitted @ LBS last week. The noise isn't really a hollow knocking sound, more of a metalic snap/ crack. Like when you undo a really tight bolt, the cracky noise it makes when it finally breaks free.

Ill have another look tonight though, thamks for the suggestion. I might take it into the shop and get them to take a quick look but all the stuff ive read online suggests its the bonding at the steerer. And we all know that the internet never lies...

Cheers,

ben

marcel147

I once sold a working DVD player and buyer paid through paypal. Without speaking to me, the buyer returned the product to me and claimed a refund through paypal.

He got his refund and I got robbed as I believe he broke it. Lesson is paypal look after buyers!

Part of paypal claim form used to ask have you returned the item already!!