Lance Stephenson takes a look at bike warranties and what recourse you have when you find your precious, expensive baby has a major frame problem.
Mountain biking is hard on your equipment. We barrel along rocky paths on thin walled rubber tyres, we drag the brakes down long descents to the point of boiling the hydraulic oil and we ride many hours past our service intervals on our suspension forks. Mountain biking is an equipment driven sport, and in saying that, I place a high value on looking after it. Performance being a huge part of this, and the other the cost to replace it. Having a part simply wear out from lack of maintenance is just wasteful and irresponsible. But what happens when a part fails? So let’s say that you’ve bought a new bike and you’ve had your LBS service it regularly, but the frame has cracked?
The first thing you as the consumer need to do is to produce your original proof of purchase. Even if you bought your bike from the shop doing your warranty, the shop has to attach that to a whole ream of paperwork to request a warranty. Your LBS has to take high res photos of the crack and has to give the wholesaler a little insight to the service history and condition of the bike. Your LBS will have to strip the bike for you, and have it sent off to the wholesaler to replace. This process is quick, it should take a day to do. The process then goes through headquarters who will cross reference serial numbers with batches known to have a failure of sort (although they won’t readily admit this) and then award a warranty on that frame for you. In the case of some manufacturers, they will credit the wholesaler in RSA with the value of your frame, so that they can pull stock off their shelf to turn the warranty around in short time. This process from sending paperwork to having a resolution is up to four days because of time zones and queuing in the system. Some manufacturers will only award warranties from warranty stock, this often is a great outcome for those who have a unique colour that is discontinued because they will get the exact replacement. This process can take anything up to three weeks though. This period is ALWAYS in my experience delayed by customs.
SCENARIO: You broke the rear end of your full suspension frame, and you have received a replacement but it’s a different colour. This happens because of production changes in the product. I personally would do my head in trying to overlook a mismatched frame/rear triangle. It does happen in the industry and I must say that on both sides of the fence it’s fair and unfair. The consumer IS getting a replacement, and the manufacturer IS paid for a pricey item that is aesthetically pleasing but defective. If I was the manufacturer I would replace both for the customer. This brings me to another situation, like receiving a new model frame replacement which is, say, a boost rear end and your old frame was old 135mm quick release. The manufacturer has replaced your frame for you, and may have discontinued that model spec; normally they will replace this part at no cost. But lets say you request the “upgrade” to a boost rear end, the wholesaler will charge you accordingly. Most of this is down to clear and open communication.
Warranties vary from brand to brand, all of them however do state in the owner’s manuals that each country is governed by their own consumer law. Most of these manuals will tell you that a warranty will only be awarded if your bike is assembled and serviced by an authorized dealer. In this manual, they all state that the cost of rebuilding your bike is for the owner’s account. This I find is a hugely overlooked fact that the consumer needs to take heed of. Many consumers will rant and rave about having to pay to rebuild a bike after a failure. Now as a consumer I can understand that, but the wholesaler handling the warranty isn’t the manufacturer and therefore is only “handling” your claim, just as much as the bike shop. However, there are some wholesalers and local manufactures that will not only warranty your claim for you fast, but they will also collect your bike and rebuild it for you at no cost. In most consumers’ cases though, having an excellent and loyal relationship with your LBS will count for a great deal when dealing with warranties. Good bike shops that feel your loyalty will rebuild your bike for a very marginal fee or for free. They have no obligation to do so, so it’s up to you as a patron of your shop to cultivate a good relationship.
All of these above brands state one VERY main stipulation insomuch that each of the respective warranties only count to the first original owner. So if I buy a bike that is two days old from “Joe Blog”, the warranty falls away. This sounds really daft, but it’s there because we have to have limitations and rule to have a civilized society. I would like to see some sort of “Authorized Warranty Transfer” system, where a bike that is still within a period of 6 months carries its warranty over. I have seen many Shop Demo models sold after 2 months of use (and proper maintenance) not warrantied and I think that is really not good for a brand. Tour companies buy bikes in droves to do tours with; they have the warranties as they are the original owner.
Limitations on warranties come in many forms. The most common one is paint, which in most cases is on average only covered for a year. Other limitations include moving parts, either drivetrain and wheels, but also suspension components and bearings. Pivots and linkages are also not covered for a lifetime within the “lifetime” warranty. These items are moving parts and are susceptible to wear and tear. Speaking of wear and tear, all manufacturers will take it case by case and look at your bike as a whole. What’s its wear and tear like, how well have you looked after or abused your bike.
Insurance companies know the ins and outs of warranty policies, and will (depending of the type of insurance you have) cover you when the warranty from your claim is rejected. But lets say you have a carbon frame, that is out of warranty and you aren’t insured, there are a bunch of very clever carbon repair specialists that can fix a frame. It’s a far cheaper option, and in most repairs, is stronger at that point. Alloy frames are a no go when it comes to repairs. Welding a cracked frame is not ideal, as alloy frames are tempered with heat to reach an even strength and re-welding it causes a heat stress point that is now a weak point.
In closing, warranties are there to protect you as a consumer against defective product; most manufacturers have fantastic policies in place. My experience is that you can buy a good product with a good warranty, but it’s how the warranty process is handled that makes up for it. This comes down to the LBS and your relationship. If you are going to shout and perform inside the bike shop about a frame that is broken, I’m sure that you will have a warranty claim, but if you approach the situation with tact and diplomacy, you will be awarded with a warranty claim and maybe a few extras you didn’t bank on. If all else fails, look up your rights according to the “Consumer Protection Act of RSA”. If you are in the situation that a Wholesaler/manufacturer is rejecting a warranty, you may claim against the person/business that sold you the item.
