Wiggle: disappointing service

Sigurd

I recently bought from Wiggle a rear wheel for my commuter MTB hack (M:Wheels Shimano M475/Mavic XM317).

This is the second of these I have used this on my commuter bike. The first was in use for about 18 months before the edge of the rim split. I assumed this was due to my covering 25 miles per day.

The latest one lasted only 2 months before the rim split and peeled away while riding. This destroyed the inner tube and damaged the tyre. Luckily for me I was slowly climbing a hill at the time - 5 minutes later I would have been taking a fast downhill on a busy road. The result then would have been serious injury to me.

I have been very disappointed in Wiggle's response to this wheel failure. They insisted on returning the wheel to the manufacturer which resulted in my waiting a fortnight for a replacement wheel. Then it arrived without rim tape, innner tube or tyre, despite my having described the damage to the latter two items.

I reminded Wiggle about the damaged tyre and inner tube; they agreed to replace these but another two weeks later and the items still hadn't been dispatched.

Oh, and absolutely no hint of an apology for my experience or any acknowledgment of the inconvenience and additional expense I've been put to while I've been unable to cycle to work. They even rejected my unfavourable review of the wheel on the grounds that I referred to their poor handling of the failure. Apparently I should contact them directly about such matters, which is what I had been doing to no avail, hence my decision to post the review.

Any other recommendations for online suppliers?

iPete

pitchshifter

I blame Merlin cycles..

raymondo60

I blame Wiggo

Anonymous

I blame Ribble customer services

mudcow007

i blame wiggle.......

has anyone said that yet?

Chainreactions - they built my mtb wheels an as tony the tiger says

Kieran_Burns

Can you see if the wheel has been painted over? Is it a second hand wheel perhaps?

Sigurd

The wheel was brand new. I didn't ride off-road, I'm not a porker, I didn't overload with luggage and I didn't over-inflate the tyre. So a bit of a mystery.

mudcow007

Sigurd wrote:

The wheel was brand new. I didn't ride off-road, I'm not a porker, I didn't overload with luggage and I didn't over-inflate the tyre. So a bit of a mystery.

maybe just a Friday afternoon wheel?

sounds pretty bad, but failures unfortunately do happen

did you have your tyre running at a trillion psi?

pangolin

Are there any other decals visible under the ones that should be there?

rjsterry

I've looked at those M:Wheels on Wiggle before, and I've always been put off buy the stupidly low (half the price of the cheapest Shimano factory wheels) price. That said, that's no excuse for complete failure after only two months of normal use, or bad customer service.

dhope

Sigurd wrote:

They even rejected my unfavourable review of the wheel on the grounds that I referred to their poor handling of the failure.

They rejected your poor review of the product because you were reviewing their customer services?
The scoundrels. I blame Prince Harry

Sigurd

mudcow007 wrote:

did you have your tyre running at a trillion psi?

Only 70psi, well within the range for the tyre size as specified on a label stuck to the rim.

Gazzaputt

Somewhere in this LA is involved believe me it'll eventually come out.

itboffin

:shock:

I'm not feeling very well but this has cheered me up, 70psi porky is that you again?

Sigurd

itboffin wrote:

:shock:

I'm not feeling very well but this has cheered me up, 70psi porky is that you again?

Er, me no unnerstan...

cyclingprop

Sigurd wrote:

The wheel was brand new. I didn't ride off-road, I'm not a porker, I didn't overload with luggage and I didn't over-inflate the tyre. So a bit of a mystery.

So one failed pretty early and you're surprised another failed similarly?

I blame Schrodingers cat.

JamesB5446

What sort of sweeties did you get?

Sigurd

cyclingprop wrote:

So one failed pretty early and you're surprised another failed similarly?

Well, before ordering the second one I did look into whether the lifespan of the first one was unusually short; a couple of local bike shops and online opinions seemed to suggest that for the mileage (3000+ per year) and conditions (all weathers, plenty of rain and gritty muck on the ground) this wasn't surprising. I should add that I have cantilever brakes.

Thing is, better wheels start at twice the price but would they last at least twice as long as the cheaper ones? Unless they do there's no longer term saving.

Sigurd

JamesB5446 wrote:

What sort of sweeties did you get?

None with the original wheel, or the replacement. The 'free' replacement tyre and inner tube finally arrived today; there was a very small bag of mixed Haribo inside. They'll have to do better than that if they want me to shop with them again.

Greg T

I recently bought one of these

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/profile-aerodri ... xing-band/



From Wiggle.

It snapped as I tried to use it as a makeshift hammock.

DAMN YOU WIGGLE.

waddlie

Is it actually the rim from Wiggle that broke? Or a completely different one which isn't actually broken but your mate who knows about bikes says it is?

I blame the parents.

First.Aspect

The law is (I think) that you have a contract with Wiggle in relation to something that is fit for purpose, and Wiggle have one with the supplier, which is completely not your problem. Within the first year, they have to show that the product failed because of misuse. In the second year, the burden is for you to show a manufacturing defect.

But they don't have to take your word for it. If they sent it back to the manufacturer to get it assessed, as a means of fulfulling their end of the bargain, I don't see a problem with that. Sadly from your perspective, its no different from them asserting that its only going to be replaced if the manufacturer reimburses Wiggle.

If they were to come back and say "there's no manufacturing defect so you can't have your money back" its gets muddy, because its not quite "we can't see that you did anything like drop it from orbit or take it scuba diving, so you can have your money back". My understanding is that they would have to point to some evidence that you did something to cause the failure. It sounds like they just sent you some more wheels though, albeit it took a mail order amount of time. If it bothers you, shop at a bike shop. You pays your money, you takes your choice. Wiggle and other online only stores are slightly cheaper for a reason.

gbsahne001

Had one of the same wheels on the Winter bike and it lasted 2 winters without going out of true and is now out of service due to high mileage and the rim wearing out (brake surface). Now on handmade wheels which were only £10 more expensive from PI; Rigida Sputnik & Chrina on Deore LX and 105 respectively.

Just re-read the OP and realise that it was a different wheel he was talking about :oops:

cooldad

70 psi seems very high for a MTB rim. Double or more what you'd normally run. Is it designed for that?

Sigurd

cooldad wrote:

70 psi seems very high for a MTB rim. Double or more what you'd normally run. Is it designed for that?

According to Mavic, it can take up to 113 psi for a 1 inch tyre, 88 psi for 1.5 and 63 psi for 2 inch.

My tyre was 1.25 so 70 psi is well within limits. Even more so as I wasn't doing any off-road riding.

cyclingprop

Sigurd wrote:

cooldad wrote:

70 psi seems very high for a MTB rim. Double or more what you'd normally run. Is it designed for that?

According to Mavic, it can take up to 113 psi for a 1 inch tyre, 88 psi for 1.5 and 63 psi for 2 inch.

My tyre was 1.25 so 70 psi is well within limits. Even more so as I wasn't doing any off-road riding.

Which begs the question: why on earth were you riding a mountain bike in the first place? Pervert.

Sigurd

cyclingprop wrote:

Which begs the question: why on earth were you riding a mountain bike in the first place? Pervert.

It would only be perverse if I had a choice of bikes. This was my only bike when I started cycling to work and I still can't afford something more suitable.

By more suitable I mean a Civia Bryant.

t4tomo

Sigurd wrote:

cyclingprop wrote:

Which begs the question: why on earth were you riding a mountain bike in the first place? Pervert.

It would only be perverse if I had a choice of bikes. This was my only bike when I started cycling to work and I still can't afford something more suitable.

By more suitable I mean a Civia Bryant.

Well I admire your choice in bikes both current and desired, but not your ability to appreciate what is and isn't possible for an online retailer. Ok so you've been bikeless whilst they sorted it, which is a right pain, but I can also undertand they have to go through the hoops and going back via the manufacturer etc.

Back to bikes, I love riding my old steel frame moutain bike, although it is reserved for drydays and gentle trail rides. You should treat yours to a nicer wheelset if you aren't going to invest in n+1

Civia looks nice, hub gears are ideal for commuting, does it come with alfine 11 or 8 speed?

desweller

This is the downside with online retailers; when things go wrong they're not always the swiftest to sort them out. Not many high street bike shops are great in this area either; unfortunately this is where Halfords gain an advantage thanks to their comparatively late opening hours.

This is why I have two bikes that I can use for commuting and learned to build my own wheels. If you are dependent on your bike then you have to budget for some contingency.

Drfabulous0

When you buy an item as a consumer the retailer does not hold the warranty, the manufacturer does, the retailer has to return the faulty item and await a response, which can take a while, even if the retailer judges that it is a clear warranty case the manufacturer retains the right to repair it rather than replace or refund, so the retailer can't replace your item without running the risk of ending up with a used product, no retailer can afford to do this in the current climate and 2 weeks to turn around a warranty claim is not bad, you are just being an awkward customer.

The difference with Halfords is nothing to do with opening hours, rather that they take on the warranty themselves in order to get a better wholesale price.