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Warranty - What they cover ?
After finding after a few months of riding that the rear wheel of my bike was getting a bit on the wobbly side I took it into the shop where I bought it and been informed that Im going to be charged by the agent for for a hub rebuild because the sealed hub was found to have water inside. This I thought would be a fault with the seals themselves and not because of something like the way I have been cleaning the bike e.g high pressure water.
Would like to know where I stand as I feel that after spending nearly $6000 for an off road bike that it should be able to take slightly wet conditions.
My $500 bike that I used to ride to work in the rain doesn't seem to have any issues so thoroughly annoyed that I have to pay for a fault of the product and not by the user.
Any help would be appreciated.
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IF you been using high pressure water then I would strip every bearing you have on the bike and regrease them.
Don't use high pressure hoses (or even tap pressure hoses if you live in a high pressure area such as Perth Hills).
http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/4979...
http://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/bikewash.htm
http://www.bicycling.com/maintenance/repair-main...
If I had a $6k bike, it would be cleaned with a brush made out of the legs of thousands of monarch butterflies- certainly not a water blaster.
Just to point out that I did not blast it with the hose. I have had a few bikes for the past 17 years of MTB and always looked after my bikes very well.
I also rinse with water, then brush with bike wash (the pink stuff) then dried using a micro bead cloth then cleaned the chain using a Rock n Roll (the gold one) cleaner.
Point was the warranty seems to be a bit vague if the seal could have been faulty if using under normal conditions, not riding through streams, creeks and not using a high pressure hose as I only rinse off using the shower setting.
... or whatever the equivalent is in your state.
Sometimes retailers and importers need to be dragged kicking and screaming to do the right thing.
However, if you have a $6k bike, I'd have thougt you'd have cartridge bearings which should be cheap to replace?
I would think that water causing an issue is not warranty but normally if it hasn't been that long they wouldn't charge. I've had bearings replaced under warranty where it was water damage.
TBH though, the more expensive a mtb generally means you need to replace parts more often and they can tend to break easier. This is because of light, minimal materials used.
Wasn't sure if you had used HP water - hence the IF on my post. You don't mention how old the bike is except for a few months - was it a new model or an 'old' model that had ben in stock for some time?
What do they mean 'rebuild the hub'? It sounds like the bearing has partially collapsed if the wheel is wobbling. Has it damaged the hub casing? If so it is virtually/actually a new hub. FWIW if the company or the dealer wont come to the party they are rubbish. But it seems they have not sold you a bike that is fit for purpose, that you have looked after it, and that a complaint about the DEALER (that is who your contract is with) to consumer protection is in order.
Is it a Specialised bike? Had the same problem with my crank bearings - they locked up due to water damage after a few months - but it was a relatively known issue in the US, and got them replaced free because the dealer decided to, not because it was warranty.
IMO you could contact the consumer protection but the dealer should come to the party. If the dealer wont come to the party -you COULD (stress could) let him know how you feel and then mention your disussion list and how you will post on this situation and their response.
So out of curiosity, who was the dealer?
It's not unusual to get denied a warranty claim or told you need to pay for this or that.
It's pretty much up to the shop to prove you damaged it from misuse etc, which is usually impossible.
Consumer protection is normally just that. Consumer protection. They rule in favour of the consumer.
These days you have to pay to lodge a claim (and can't owe any money on the product/service), which, IMHO, makes them far more effective as they aren't dealing with people who are simply regretting their purchase or just being difficult arseholes.
Consumer law states: for a minor issue, the seller can decide to repair or replace. For a major issue, the buyer can demand a refund.
I bought a hell a few year back. A fairly cheap but vital component broke. Retailer refused to take it back, said I'd need to ship it to Melb. Contacted the manufacturer there who were supposed to get back to me on free shipping (after all, Holden can't expect you to pay to ship a car back east for a warranty claim). They never got back to me.
I successfully argued this was now a major issue and got a full refund.
Unfortunately shops get frequent fraudulent warranty claims, which is why they are automatically resistant.
"I was JRA, when my frame exploded into a million pieces"
I had a similar problem with my bike with rear hub going after 6 months. Went back to the shop I bought it from and they told me it was normal wear and tear. I then contacted the manufacturers head office in Australia and they contacted the shop and I ended up having the rear hub fixed under warranty
I recently had something like this and it was replaced under warranty. After 3 months of ownership the rear wheel hub became loose and it was supposed to be sealed. They idd point point out it was a wear and tear part however not after just 3 months. Trek came to the party and replaced the whole rim.
Helps that I have a good relationship with the bike shop and leave all the servicing to them so there was no question about upkeep.
I bought a bike and took advantage of the ongoing free service. 10 months after purchase the rear derailleur became faulty. The LBS picked it up on a regular (free!) service and replaced it. The relationship with the LBS breeds trust and helpfulness.
Remember there is a difference between warranty and consumer protection. If you get no luck with the former, go the latter.
Been told that I will be charged $65 to rebuild the hub by the distributor and that I had to email my complaint to them via the LBS. Then informed by the distributor that it was not down to warranty as it was wear and tear due to water and sand.
The story continues but would like to know where I stand as I feel that the LBS did not really look after me.
Last $65 they are going to get out of me I'm afraid
I mean, we ride mountain bikes for crying out loud. Water and sand go with the territory, and that is why hubs are supposed to have seals - to keep that crap out.
Sounds to me like the seals failed to do their job. Not fit for purpose.
Warranty!
I could go down the Fair Trade route Hawkeye and that would be my case. They claim that they are under usual wear but I'm mainly disappointed with the shop. They got me to supply them with an email to forward to the supplier and then asking me to pay for the replacement due to normal wear and tear after about 16 rides.
The hubs are Easton XL on a Yeti 575 and love the bike but poor on the poor quality of the hubs and asking me to replace something I use once every couple weeks will mean this will be that the shop sees my hard earned cashola!
Will they use the same crap bearings again? If so I'd just spend the money and buy some Enduro bearings and get another shop to put them in.
Hey Rich,
Ok, it's time to be blunt cause you sound like you are about to wimp out and give in. Report to Fair Trading. Be part of the solution. Letting them get away with it is only reinforcing their actions are correct.
Fair trading will take various things into account including price. A $6k bike will buy you lot of sympathy from them. A $100 kmart bike wouldn't have. Report it, you have nothing to loose.
I have dealt with the WA and NSW depts a few times. They are very nice to deal with. Know your rights and fight for them.
btw warrenties are for gumbies. They are marketing ploys. They are only useful if they go beyond your legislated consumer protection rights. Most don't.
Good luck
Consumer advocate.
FF
In a nutshell I paid the $60 for the replacement hub and told had to wait for 1hr for them to get the wheel ready as the very annoyed LBS person had 2 other jobs before. Attitude was the same if you knocked someones drink over.
He first asked if I was happy to pay for the $60 and of course responded with a no of course I'm not happy paying for something I feel should be under warranty, then was asked if I was going to work with him or not in a very rude manner.
I reminded him that I was the customer of his shop not the distributer and why am I being treated so rudely (someone clearly not having a good day).
Then after waiting 1.5hrs, I was then asked by the guy who sold me the bike originally to pay and if I wanted to go out on their local rides. He was very nice and gave some advice about the bike but felt a bit cheesed off considering they stock some really quality gear and compelled to never pass any wonder that way again.
No thank you or apologise, so basically that was the end of the relationship of that LBS.
Good news is that it is getting dry and can ride this weekend and had a quick cuddle when we got home when I put it back in the shed.
And here is the difference between an excellent shop and the one you dealt with.
Bought my first 29R hardtail. Rode it for 4 months and just could not get comfortable on it. Changed bars, stem, seat went in for fitting a couple of times. Owner says lets start again. Measures me up (basically a BG Fit process even though not a Specialised bike). It indicates I am between frame sizes, lets try you with a smaller frame he suggests. Takes my bike, strips it fits everything to a new smaller frame size and sends me out to ride. Perfect finally comfortable. Cost for the change over = Zero, nothing, zilch. One satisfied customer and a relatvely loyal one that now buys more bikes there.
Next bike, cranks bearing craps out, but it is a known problem in the US but not treated under warranty here in Aus. The LBS changes the bearings. Cost = Zero, nothing, zilch.
Tell that LBS to shove his business where the sun don't shine.
Incidently where did you get that lovely Yeti 575 from?
Rich, it might be worth digging a bit deeper.
- The person who sounds like the mechanic (Unfortunately, generally not hired on the strength of their social skills but often required to deal directly with customers...) was a dick.
- Your claim would have been denied on his technical advice (Surprised?).
- The bloke at the counter (customer service) was nice and tried to be helpful.
But have you spoken to the owner? You know, the one who has actually put his money where his mouth is. The one who may not have had that much choice in hiring that mechanic, given WA's record unemployment rate. The one who may understand what customer service means and may be very p-off at seeing his business dragged into the gutter by some jerk employee.
I know it's a lot of "may"s and I "may" be totally wrong, not knowing the context.
But I'd put more faith in this approach than the Consumer Protection one.
Good luck! and failing that, you can always resort to Oldernslower's first suggestion in the "IRIS+ Personal Drone" thread...
Sucks that you folded to BS bully tactics, but it's NOT too late for consumer protection.
Remember, you can still call them and ask for some advice before deciding to lodge a complaint.
I always like to name bike shops that do both the right and wrong thing.
Kalamunda Cycles and Georges bike shop in Willetton have been as good as I can ask for.
Name and shame.
Agreed, name and shame.
Unless you don't mind the same thing happening to fellow mtbers.....
A vindictive shop owner can make life difficult for this forum's owners. Defamation law in this country is stacked against free speech and a lawsuit could lose us the site.
Ask Rob first. Make sure you have evidence like an email trail to support you.