My Enigma through the years

2011


2016 (A Crack in the Dream)


2020


Last week






Comments

  • elbowloh
    elbowloh Posts: 7,078
    What have you been doing to it?!?!
    Felt F1 2014
    Felt Z6 2012
    Red Arthur Caygill steel frame
    Tall....
    www.seewildlife.co.uk
  • SamWalker
    SamWalker Posts: 11
    Riding it pretty normal-like, elbowloh. I don't thrash my bikes. I seem to have got a bad 'un. I mean, it was good while it lasted – aside from the need for repairs – but I was expecting to get more than 10 years out of it (five before the first major fault). What's worse, the company is reneging on their "lifetime warranty", perhaps because they're tired of fixing their mistakes on this one.
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,851
    What's their reason for rejecting the warranty?
  • SamWalker
    SamWalker Posts: 11
    In a nutshell, that they’ve already done enough for me by repairing it twice, and 10 years is a reasonable lifespan for one of their bikes. I’ve posted more about it on my blog, and here.
  • elbowloh
    elbowloh Posts: 7,078
    Lifetime is definitely not 10 years. Feck'em, give them both barrells on your blog, here, FB whatever. So long as you stick to the facts there's no libel/defamation issues.

    They should have just replaced the frame to start with as you said.
    Felt F1 2014
    Felt Z6 2012
    Red Arthur Caygill steel frame
    Tall....
    www.seewildlife.co.uk
  • homers_double
    homers_double Posts: 8,315
    "joins forum to promote blog..."
    Advocate of disc brakes.
  • SamWalker
    SamWalker Posts: 11
    elbowloh said:

    Lifetime is definitely not 10 years. censored 'em, give them both barrells on your blog, here, FB whatever. So long as you stick to the facts there's no libel/defamation issues.

    They should have just replaced the frame to start with as you said.

    Yes, I am releasing the social media kraken, for what it's worth.
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    edited May 2021
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    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • slowmart
    slowmart Posts: 4,516
    I love the tombstone although it accurarately and succinctly provides the manufacturers position.

    Would the OP have made a different purchasing decision at the point in time he purchased if the expectations were met in this case?

    Personally I would agree with the manufacturer in this instance, why? Expectations and a reasonable application of the "lifetime guarantee" I purchased a Indi Fab Ti Deluxe, lifetime warranty, which was replaced under warranty, would i have expected the same frame to be working without issue after another 20 years ? not at all, premium product but Ti is a notoriously difficult material to work so after the first issue i was more realistic in what claims would be supported in the future.

    There are too many variables for a manufacturer to produce a bike which could be affordable and last 50 years plus given the variables of usage, rider weight and due care




    “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring”

    Desmond Tutu
  • 50 years would be nice, but I won't be around that long. Even 20 years would've been a massive improvement. A major fault after only 5 years though? Then 2 more cracks in the next 5? Expecting more than that for a supposedly premium brand isn't unreasonable.
  • First.Aspect
    First.Aspect Posts: 17,298
    Lifetime warranty is a marketing tool that balances increased custom and prices against the cost to actually honour it. It is also non transferable.

    Quick skim of your story and at the very least the re-breaking of the BB is an issue. They acknowledge it is a manufacturing flaw by repairing it in the first place.

    Chances are the chainstay breakage is another duff weld by the same person at the same time.

    Very poor attitude, it seems, particularly giving you short periods within which to accept on the hoof contract variations. Ignore any pillocks on here who tell you that 10 years is "lifetime". I just scanned Riley's t&cs and although they have a "fatigue" get out of jail free clause in there, there is clear distinction between 10 year warranty on some parts and lifetime on others. I bet he just took Enigma's with him.

    Also, there is a pretty good argument that the comparison of their old and existing T&Cs confirm that even Enigma don't think that "lifetime" is 10 years, or they would not have changed them. Implicitly also, in even the current t&Cs, the term "lifetime" (as in loyalty scheme) is distinct from "10 years".

    On the proviso that you can find a single warranty document with both "lifetime" and "10 years" in it, like Reilly's this seems like pretty straightforward breach of contract to me.

    Even if they resolve your complaint, it would probably put me off Enigma to be honest. There are cheaper non butted Ti frames available that also don't have a lifetime warranty.