Warranty/after sales support - who are the gooduns

sandy771

Read about Trek and apparently not so good aftermarket support as far as frames go. Who does give good support?

What about bikes such as Canyons that seem to get a great review but are bought over the internet?

antfly

Marin are very good, I had a 4.5 year old frame replaced with a brand new model because it cracked at the top of the seat tube and it's a much better frame than the original. Don't think Canyon are from what I have read.

cooldad

Reading one complaint in one thread is not exactly proof of a lousy warranty.

cat_with_no_tail

I hear Wiggle are very poor. Blame them. But BE WARNED!



(can't believe CD didn't beat me to it)

nicklouse

sandy771 wrote:

Read about Trek and apparently not so good aftermarket support as far as frames go. Who does give good support?

What about bikes such as Canyons that seem to get a great review but are bought over the internet?

warranty has nothing to do with the maker.

it is an agreement between you and the seller.

antfly

Not so sure about that. I was told by the shop that my frame wouldn't be replaced without the receipt but they spoke to Marin who said they would replace it.

RevellRider

Working the other side of the counter, I can say that Specialized are the most helpful when it comes to any warranty issue. Trek also rank highly in my book as do Marin/Whyte.

Part wise, I can't sing the praise of Hope enough

nicklouse

antfly wrote:

Not so sure about that. I was told by the shop that my frame wouldn't be replaced without the receipt but they spoke to Marin who said they would replace it.

that is called good customer service, BUT your warranty is ONLY with the point of sale. What the maker does or does not do has little to do with anything.

where is DIY when he is needed.

supersonic

It depends on the terms of the Warranty - they vary. They do form contracts though.

andhr

nicklouse wrote:

antfly wrote:

Not so sure about that. I was told by the shop that my frame wouldn't be replaced without the receipt but they spoke to Marin who said they would replace it.

that is called good customer service, BUT your warranty is ONLY with the point of sale. What the maker does or does not do has little to do with anything.

where is DIY when he is needed.

This is true, the seller may have some recourse under his contract for faulty goods - but a lot of sellers agree to remove that clause in favour of cheaper prices (some electrical retailers for instance with TVs, which is why they always offer to repair them even when they're broken and a day old).

You, the buyer, don't actually have a contract at any time with the manufacturer (the seller does), and therefore have no legal way of enforcing any 'warranty' or 'guarantee'.

supersonic

The SOGA and your rights cannot be removed though.

The warranty, which is in addition to your rights, provides a legally-binding assurance that any problems caused by manufacturing defects during a set period will be remedied. They do not have to be provided, and may be with the manufacturer (usually as guarantee) under their terms.

antfly

nicklouse wrote:

antfly wrote:

Not so sure about that. I was told by the shop that my frame wouldn't be replaced without the receipt but they spoke to Marin who said they would replace it.

that is called good customer service, BUT your warranty is ONLY with the point of sale. What the maker does or does not do has little to do with anything.

where is DIY when he is needed.

OK, but the shop have to get a new frame off the maker before they wil replace it under the "lifetime warranty".

njee20

Specialized are by far the best I've dealt with. They're the only company where I'd just replace the goods without asking, they just never turn stuff down.

Trek are very 'by the book'. It's not a bad thing, but they will weasel out of a claim if they can, and they're infamous for replacing half a frame with a mismatched colour etc.

glentressmonster

When I worked in a bike shop the manufacturers were very much the bottom line. The retailer can give you an opinion, but at the end of the day they are influenced by the hassle factor of speaking to the distributors or the manufacturers and they don't really get paid for handling warranty transactions, so many shops will be arsey about it.

That said, I found Specialized and Cannondale were fantastic with their policy on warranty when I was in the industry. As are Orange, as a few of my friends have found when dealing with them form a customer's point of view. When I had a one year old Trek frame crack on me, they offered me a choice of a like-for-like replacement or an upgrade using a frame from the previous years range (can't say fairer than that).

If you are asking because you are buying a bike and are taking this in to account, don't. The chances of you needing a warranty claim is slim, unless you have a track record of killing bikes (in that case buy the most bombproof bike you can find). Make your decision on what you are using it for, how a bike handles and the spec you get for your cash (in that order). They are the most important factors. Don't let hearsay on manufacturer's warranties sway you.

jairaj

So when you buy an item with a "2 year manufacturer's warranty" what does this mean to you the customer?

supersonic

It depends on the small print.

sandy771

glentressmonster wrote:

you are asking because you are buying a bike and are taking this in to account

No hidden agenda - just seen some posts re warranty on here and wondered who was good and who wasn't.

benpinnick

njee20 wrote:

Specialized are by far the best I've dealt with. They're the only company where I'd just replace the goods without asking, they just never turn stuff down.

This.

FunBus

jairaj wrote:

So when you buy an item with a "2 year manufacturer's warranty" what does this mean to you the customer?

It should mean exactly what it says. But depending on the brand, will determine how simple, or difficult it is to action. The point of contact for the customer, is ALWAYS, the seller, so the shop or website. Then, in turn, they make their claim from their seller, the distributor....who then in turn again, will make their claim through the brand.....who then in turn make a claim from the manufacturer/frame maker. This is nearly always the procedure in the cycle market apart from sometimes the last part.....some brands absorb the cost of replacing frames without claiming from the factories and add a percentage into their sales costs to cover this.

As for cycle shops who get arsey about spending time making claims on your behalf because they 'dont get paid to action warranty claims'.....i would say that's rubbish and, if it happens, that shop is rubbish. It's called after service and that's what retailers are there for and, why they make their margins.....the only time they should kick up a stink is if you bought the bike from elsewhere - then they didnt get the margin to warrant their time.

supersonic

Your point of contact regarding your statutory rights under the SOGA is the retailer.

Warranties (and guarantees) are an ADDITION to your rights. They are whatever they say they are, this can be through the retailer, or if it states so, the manufacturer direct.

lawman

Touch wood not had to use it yet, but Ibis after sales and warrenty is meant to be very very good.

jeannot18

Not one of the great name but for what it is worth, Decathlon are pretty ok. So far on my RR8.1 bought last year in May 2011, I have had 1 cassette, 1 back derailleur, next was another derailleur (upgraded to x9 because warehouse sent the wrong one (instead of x7), back brake (including cable, housing, pad and lever) - one of the piston was sticky, BB with new chain ring. Bike is guaranteed for 2 years, and frame for 5 years. Decathlon must such a buying power that I guess they don't really care too much about replacing parts. I am not too sure how a small lbs would deal with problem. Would they start arguing that you are not taking care of your bike, that you are too rough with the bike?
The guy from Decathlon told me that I have must have been unlucky with my bike because usually they don't have that many problem. I ride the bike 2 to 3 times a week, and nothing extreme at all. So I don't know.
JC