Warranty query.

manc_andy

Hi!

I bought a titanium bike (complete) just over two years ago. It was reduced in the sale and was at the top end of my budget even still! It was from a shop online - this is important...

Unfortunately the titanium has fractured near the seatpost. And as I bought this online, I was unable to take it back to the shop, but as it was one of the bigger bike companies I was able to take it to my LBS who stripped the frame and sent the frame to the warranties department.

They accepted it was a frame fault and have made me an offer. For ease of numbers I'll do some rounding. Original bike should have cost circa 3K, I got it for 2K, the offer they made initially is store credit for what I'd for what I paid. Unfortunately I am unable to purchase the same frame as they no longer make it and the equivalent frame to my old one costs more than the offer, (not too much more but still...) and it will also require some adjustments to fit the kit they removed from my old bike (the new frame would be thru axel & brakes flat mount off the top of my head...). These adjustments will have to be paid for as well as the LBS time and labour.

My question is simple really. Does this sound right?

Has anyone else had a frame fail and then get offered a warranty frame and have to swap over their old kit? - If I purchased the whole bike should they not provide me with a whole new bike or am I overly simplifying it?

Thanks in advance - I'm kinda new to the warranty thing, and not going back to the original shop has totally added a layer of complication so any advice will be most welcome!

A.

Matthewfalle

Frame for frame swap. That's how it rocks.

sloppyschleckonds

Seems a fayre offer

redvision

manc_andy wrote:

If I purchased the whole bike should they not provide me with a whole new bike or am I overly simplifying it?

No. Each component will have a warranty, and that includes the frame. But the shop only need to replace the part which had failed under warranty.

However, I would expect them to offer a like for like frame replacement.

taon24

Have had a giant frame replaced under warranty. Some parts were replaced (Bb was threaded now pf, seatpost was round, now D shaped.) I didn't pay for these neccesary changes, but did pay labour to get the bike put back together. End result was as new bike for a couple of hundred quid. (Cost of assembly plus new cassette, chain and cables).

manc_andy

Thanks for the advice. I feel like I know what to expect now. Think there will be some costs with the changes, but as long as they stay reasonable I feel it might be a reasonable offer.

Ta

A.

tmg

Legally they are obliged to put you in the same position you were in before the frame broke, so that means a like for like replacement or something better, what you paid is irrelevant, also don't agree to pay for the work as the LBS should be able to claim this direct from the manufacturer. I had a specialized frame replaced under warranty and it cost me nothing other than my time and expense to drop the bike off and pick it up from LBS

manc_andy

thanks for the comments, just wanted to update this....

The manufacture (I don't want to name and shame just yet) has offered a very low trade credit, and have taken the age of the frame into consideration. I'm not best pleased to say the least. They say it is upto the shop to make the difference but as this isn't the shop that sold me the bike, there is a discrepancy. (I must say that the LBS have been nothing but great, seems the issue is coming from the manufacturer and their valuation and I wouldn't expect the shop to make a loss if they didn't sell the bike in the first place...)

I had come to expect to get a similar frame and to pay something towards getting the components transferred, but now it seems that the nearest frame I can get would be accepting a worst bike that the one that broke.

Any ideas how I can take this forwards?

Ta

A.

cooldad

Take it up with whoever you bought the bike off.

timothyw

Have you actually contacted the original retailer? Seems like it's on them to sort it in the first instance.

I was screwed in a similar fashion on a frameset I bought from probikekit. Left me with store credit that was far short of covering a replacement, and having been screwed once by them I was in no mood to give them even more money for a new frame.

Conversely, had to claim for frame failure from Evans & Wiggle and they both dealt with me in an exemplary fashion.

slowbike

manc_andy wrote:

thanks for the comments, just wanted to update this....

The manufacture (I don't want to name and shame just yet) has offered a very low trade credit, and have taken the age of the frame into consideration. I'm not best pleased to say the least. They say it is upto the shop to make the difference but as this isn't the shop that sold me the bike, there is a discrepancy. (I must say that the LBS have been nothing but great, seems the issue is coming from the manufacturer and their valuation and I wouldn't expect the shop to make a loss if they didn't sell the bike in the first place...)

I had come to expect to get a similar frame and to pay something towards getting the components transferred, but now it seems that the nearest frame I can get would be accepting a worst bike that the one that broke.

Any ideas how I can take this forwards?

Ta

A.

Reject their very kind offer unless they're going to include Unicycle lessons ... ok, scrap that last bit.

The frame is under warranty, they've accepted it's at fault - they should replace the frame. As some of the components the replacement frame needs are different to the ones you had on your previous bike, they should provide those too. Up to them if they do it in house or pay your LBS to do the job - eitherway, "trade credit" isn't going to cut it.

I've been lucky with bike faults so far - just one warranty failure, dealt with by Hargroves & Specialized without a fuss - and like TMG - my only expense was dropping the bike off and picking it up.

svetty

Their offer isn't aceptable - the frame is under warranty so they need to replace it - at their cost - with a frame of equivalent spec. If that means extra components then I'd expect a bit of haggling over these tbh - esp if they are of higher spec/value that the original.

warrior4life

If expect a replacement of an equal quality frame.
Components and stripping I’d expect to pay for.
Occasionally manufacturers or distributors will reimbursed this cost to the shop but that’s very rare.
If the shop strips and reassembles the bike it’s usually a goodwill gesture.

Matthewfalle

Slowbike wrote:

manc_andy wrote:

thanks for the comments, just wanted to update this....

The manufacture (I don't want to name and shame just yet) has offered a very low trade credit, and have taken the age of the frame into consideration. I'm not best pleased to say the least. They say it is upto the shop to make the difference but as this isn't the shop that sold me the bike, there is a discrepancy. (I must say that the LBS have been nothing but great, seems the issue is coming from the manufacturer and their valuation and I wouldn't expect the shop to make a loss if they didn't sell the bike in the first place...)

I had come to expect to get a similar frame and to pay something towards getting the components transferred, but now it seems that the nearest frame I can get would be accepting a worst bike that the one that broke.

Any ideas how I can take this forwards?

Ta

A.

Reject their very kind offer unless they're going to include Unicycle lessons ... ok, scrap that last bit.

The frame is under warranty, they've accepted it's at fault - they should replace the frame. As some of the components the replacement frame needs are different to the ones you had on your previous bike, they should provide those too. Up to them if they do it in house or pay your LBS to do the job - eitherway, "trade credit" isn't going to cut it.

I've been lucky with bike faults so far - just one warranty failure, dealt with by Hargroves & Specialized without a fuss - and like TMG - my only expense was dropping the bike off and picking it up.

No they shouldn't supply the components - not their fault your frame is outdated.

Frame swap of equal quality/standing in their range.

slowbike

Matthewfalle wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

manc_andy wrote:

thanks for the comments, just wanted to update this....

The manufacture (I don't want to name and shame just yet) has offered a very low trade credit, and have taken the age of the frame into consideration. I'm not best pleased to say the least. They say it is upto the shop to make the difference but as this isn't the shop that sold me the bike, there is a discrepancy. (I must say that the LBS have been nothing but great, seems the issue is coming from the manufacturer and their valuation and I wouldn't expect the shop to make a loss if they didn't sell the bike in the first place...)

I had come to expect to get a similar frame and to pay something towards getting the components transferred, but now it seems that the nearest frame I can get would be accepting a worst bike that the one that broke.

Any ideas how I can take this forwards?

Ta

A.

Reject their very kind offer unless they're going to include Unicycle lessons ... ok, scrap that last bit.

The frame is under warranty, they've accepted it's at fault - they should replace the frame. As some of the components the replacement frame needs are different to the ones you had on your previous bike, they should provide those too. Up to them if they do it in house or pay your LBS to do the job - eitherway, "trade credit" isn't going to cut it.

I've been lucky with bike faults so far - just one warranty failure, dealt with by Hargroves & Specialized without a fuss - and like TMG - my only expense was dropping the bike off and picking it up.

No they shouldn't supply the components - not their fault your frame is outdated.

Frame swap of equal quality/standing in their range.

Hmm - ok - take that to the extreme and see if it's reasonable.

Lifetime warranty on the frame - which fails - 3 years old - "standards" have changed completely so a new frame will need all new components - so instead they offer the trade price for a new frame and leave the owner to build it with new components - how much is a groupset - £300-500 ? Replacement Wheels (hub width has changed - or they only do disc brakes and you've got rim brake wheels) - another £150 - so for £450-650 you can get a "new bike" - but hang on - you had a bike that was working perfectly until the frame failed - now they want you to spend £££ on replacing it ... is that reasonable?

tmg

What does it say in their warranty in respect to a replacement frame? I think its time to name and shame them as their response is shocking, you bought one of their bikes in good faith with a warranty and now they are being difficult - shame on them!