How helpful are Kinesis?

londoncommuter

I'm pondering a completely unnecessary but nevertheless lovely Ti frame and am fairly set on a Kinesis Gran Fondo. I've got some questions though and so e-mailed Kinesis a few weeks ago with still no reply. I sent a gentle reminder e-mail last week.

I wouldn't have tried to get in touch directly with them other than I'm locked into a using a fairly clueless shop who won't be able to offer anything useful. I could bother another shop but that's not really fair.

At this sort of top end price I had hoped for great service as you want a nice cosy feeling when making a heart over head purchase (and if you can't get it when looking to buy what would they be like with a warranty claim.....).

Am I being unfair? Anyone had good/bad experience?

imposter2.0

Phone them?

londoncommuter

Imposter wrote:

Phone them?

Fair point but I find e-mails are more useful when you've a few questions and are better than spending hours trying to get hold of the right person to talk to.

imposter2.0

londoncommuter wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Phone them?

Fair point but I find e-mails are more useful when you've a few questions and are better than spending hours trying to get hold of the right person to talk to.

How's the emailing working out, then?

londoncommuter

Imposter wrote:

londoncommuter wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Phone them?

Fair point but I find e-mails are more useful when you've a few questions and are better than spending hours trying to get hold of the right person to talk to.

How's the emailing working out, then?

They appear to completely ignore them which was kind of my point. No need to be smug about it.

I was hoping for some actual input into how other people have found dealing with Kinesis.

sungod

manufacturers can just ignore the general public, they expect their distributors/retailers to handle local contact with consumers

aside from that, it's eurobike time, in the lead up/now there'll probably be even less chance of getting a response

kinsesis uk disti is... Info@Upgradebikes.co.uk ...but again they may just push you to the retailer

if you buy, your contract is with the retailer, not kinesis, the 'great service' you want will need to come from that retailer

imposter2.0

londoncommuter wrote:

They appear to completely ignore them which was kind of my point. No need to be smug about it.

I was hoping for some actual input into how other people have found dealing with Kinesis.

No smugness - just a bit of irony. I've phoned Kinesis before - got straight through and got the answer I wanted. Hence my suggestion that you phone them.

coops1967

Or you could try Enigma or J Laverack for UK titanium options.

crossed

I've had problems with getting them to reply to emails.
I called them and they were great, really helpful.

luv2ride

Crossed wrote:

I've had problems with getting them to reply to emails.
I called them and they were great, really helpful.

It's a shame to hear this. When I emailed some geo queries prior to ordering a Pro6 disc, they came back pretty much straight away. Also think it was Dom Mason who responded, which as the chief designer at the time was pretty good. Of course he's only gone and set up Mason Cycles now. Maybe consider their steel frames, given they get great reviews as well as the GF ti? I still have the GF ti on my wish list though....

timothyw

I had a Kinesis Crosslight Pro6 frameset fail recently - nearly 2 years old so within warranty. ProBikeKit were the retailer.

Obviously a lot of this is PBK's fault rather than anything to do with Kinesis, but still, the outcome wasn't particularly satisfactory.

I had to pay to return it to the retailer at my own expense, and have been given store credit rather than a cash refund, which isn't much use as amount of credit falls far short of that which would enable me to purchase a replacement Kinesis frameset from PBK - I had snagged it for £338 which obviously was a very good price - whereas the new model is listed on PBK for something like £550, so to buy that I'd need to put in another £200 - nearly what I paid in the first place.

I do sort of wonder if Kinesis would have supplied a replacement frameset of some kind to PBK in settlement, which PBK are now selling for the healthy current markup.

Bit of a cautionary tale anyway - I'm not quite angry enough to kick up a fuss, but certainly would stay away from a similar purchase from PBK/Kinesis in the future.

londoncommuter

TimothyW wrote:

I had a Kinesis Crosslight Pro6 frameset fail recently - nearly 2 years old so within warranty. ProBikeKit were the retailer.

Obviously a lot of this is PBK's fault rather than anything to do with Kinesis, but still, the outcome wasn't particularly satisfactory.

I had to pay to return it to the retailer at my own expense, and have been given store credit rather than a cash refund, which isn't much use as amount of credit falls far short of that which would enable me to purchase a replacement Kinesis frameset from PBK - I had snagged it for £338 which obviously was a very good price - whereas the new model is listed on PBK for something like £550, so to buy that I'd need to put in another £200 - nearly what I paid in the first place.

I do sort of wonder if Kinesis would have supplied a replacement frameset of some kind to PBK in settlement, which PBK are now selling for the healthy current markup.

Bit of a cautionary tale anyway - I'm not quite angry enough to kick up a fuss, but certainly would stay away from a similar purchase from PBK/Kinesis in the future.

That sounds terrible and a bit odd. Shouldn't you just get issued with a replacement frame when making a warranty claim?

As you say (even though they are ignoring my e-mails and I will call them after the advice above), I'd give Kinesis the benefit of the doubt and guess PBK are at fault.

svetty

Had the Scandium version of the GF. The chainstay cracked nr the junction with the BB - apparently scandium can be a bit brittle. The bike was a year outside the warranty but Kinesis honoured the warranty in any case and offered a replacement frame....

The_Wicker_Man

If you are on Facebook, look up their Facebook page and send them a message that way. I've done that in the past and the seem to respond the next day.