Cannondale Warranty - Frame being replaced, have some questions

Timmyepp

I have a 2016 Cannondale Supersix Himod DA2. I bought the bike 5 months ago, and have only ridden it a handful of times due to weather. As I was cleaning it outside, I noticed some imperfections in the carbon around the seatpost. Cannondale is giving me a new frame, the Black 2017 DA1 version. The only issue is that I am not sure they will give me a new seat, as the seat that came on my 2016 DA2 is color matched to the grey and red of my existing frame. That along with the cost to get all of the components moved over is a bit of a tough pill to swallow. It is basically a brand new bike with a pretty obvious factory defect, and it's not like I am getting an upgraded frame. It would be different if my bike was a couple years old. Am I right to push back? Anybody have any experience?

wotnoshoeseh

So I saw the same questions on your other thread.

I think it appropriate that you are getting a new frame, so good on that front.
With respect to paying the costs for swapping over the components, I'd have thought that would have been covered by the LBS, however, the LBS you are dealing with is not the supplying dealer for the original bike.
I'm not sure how the law is where you are, but in the UK the contract is with the supplying dealer, so, if the law is the same where you are, I can understand why the LBS would need to get paid. However, if you are not getting what you believe to be a fair deal, I'd go back to the LBS and ask them to approach Cannondale for the swap out costs.
As for the saddle, I don't think they will do anything, but it might be worthwhile asking the question directly.

Be polite, and be courteous. I'm not suggesting that you aren't or won't be, but when you have "skin in the game" it's easy to become overly passionate....

Good luck.

devonboy

My lad has just had a diverge frame replaced under warranty.Total cost to him was just over £80 which he was happy to pay as he got effectively a new bike (and one which did not have a cracked chainstay!).

Kudos to Specialized,the new frame arrived within the week and thanks to the dealer who was not the original supplier but built it up the day after arrival.

Timmyepp

wotnoshoeseh wrote:

So I saw the same questions on your other thread.

I think it appropriate that you are getting a new frame, so good on that front.
With respect to paying the costs for swapping over the components, I'd have thought that would have been covered by the LBS, however, the LBS you are dealing with is not the supplying dealer for the original bike.
I'm not sure how the law is where you are, but in the UK the contract is with the supplying dealer, so, if the law is the same where you are, I can understand why the LBS would need to get paid. However, if you are not getting what you believe to be a fair deal, I'd go back to the LBS and ask them to approach Cannondale for the swap out costs.
As for the saddle, I don't think they will do anything, but it might be worthwhile asking the question directly.

Be polite, and be courteous. I'm not suggesting that you aren't or won't be, but when you have "skin in the game" it's easy to become overly passionate....

Good luck.

Thanks, I am in the manufacturing business, and always appreciate when a customer is polite and understanding when we make a mistake, I probably work harder to make sure they are satisfied than those customers who get angry and rude. I have stayed polite and understanding in my dealings with the LBS, and asked them to see what Cannondale would be willing to do in regards to my concerns. I have reiterated how much I like the bike, and that I am willing to work with them to get this resolved as easily as possible. I posted this because I wanted to know if my requests were out of line based on other people's experiences.

ratsbeyfus

Hi
I had a dispute with Cannondale over a CAAD9 frame that developed a crack. I had to fight tooth and nail with them to get a replacement frame under their lifetime warranty. Various people I've met have said that Cannondale can be difficult to deal with when problems arise, whereas other similar sized manufacturers such as Specialised are more than willing to go the extra mile for their customers to keep them inside when things go wrong. The experience put me off Cannondale as a brand which is a shame as I really like their bikes. I say, be firm but reasonable with them - don't be fobbed off.
Good luck

ianlash

Just wanted to say what a good experience I had with Cannondale when my 2015 Synapse HiMod SRAM Red developed a crack in one of the seatstays. I bought it from Evans in 2016, so I returned it to them (it was 15 months old). They dealt directly with Cannondale who were happy to provide a new frame (2017 model), and also agreed to swap the saddle to match the new frame colour. All components were swapped over by Cannondale, without issue, at no cost to me.

I must say I was impressed with Cannondale and Evans, although the process did take about a month (CDale only took about a week of that).

Timmyepp

They did not cover the component switching or address the mismatched seat, but overall I am happy with the new frame. It took the LBS a couple of tries to get the bottom bracket bearings seated right, but now all is good.