Trek guarantees: a myth that falls

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country

Author	Message

giantrek

Posted: Mar 20, 2020 at 11:39

Quote

In May 2012 I bought my first Trek, a Rumblefish Pro, convinced of buying a nice bicycle with a brand like the Trek behind it: a name, a guarantee. Not happy at the end I buy three more of Trek, always for the same reason. At the end of January of this year, the screw fixing the shock absorber to the link breaks for the second time and Trek assistance tells me that the link is worn out (???) and that it must be changed. Ok, I say, but after a few days they inform me that the bike is old and out of production and that the part no longer has it as a spare. The booklet they delivered to me with the bike does not show the details of the warranty and refers to the site. I'm sincere, at the time I didn't worry about it. I have checked now and I find that for full bikes up to 2019 the link has a 5-year warranty while the frame has a lifetime warranty.
In consideration that for the correct interpretation of the Italian legislation, "the supplier must undertake to ensure that the spare parts are made available for the necessary repairs during all the reasonable life expectancy of the product, except in the case that the supplier has clearly stated, before the supply, that the spare parts will not be available beyond a certain date ”, I open an official complaint to Trek asking to buy the link or to have a new frame complete with links at the price of the latter.
After a week the Trek EU replies that the two-year warranty has expired and that the piece is not available but they propose to buy a new bike or a frame (without saying which and if compatible with the parts of my mtb) with the 20 % discount. The answer also goes to show that the writer did not even know the contractual terms of their guarantee.
I also write to Trek Italia which even in their reply "breaks down the frame into several pieces" attributing to each one guarantees of different durations. It is not considered that without that link the bike is unusable. Then, who among us stops to read the guarantees of our beloved mtb with the lens?
I wondered what would have happened if the frame would have broken: would they have given me a new frame but different in all? Could I have reused all parts of my bicycle without creating a hard-to-find monster?
It is shameful that their inefficiency is entirely passed on to the customer. If they had said and written at the time of purchase I would have no objection but to claim that the frame is guaranteed for life, in my opinion it is deceptive because if you want to buy a full frame they will sell it complete with rear and link and therefore you are induced to believe that the link is also part of the frame.
Among other things, through a friend I managed to have the name and surname and email of a person at Trek USA. I wrote him two emails but he did not deign to answer me. Beautiful, is not it?
I conclude with a purely economic consideration: how long would it take the Trek to give me a complete frame of links at the cost of the link? We can estimate the industrial cost at 200/300 USD, not more.
Everyone draws their own conclusions but personally, I am very disappointed and bitter and I feel fooled four times, so many are the Treks that I have purchased. And they will be the last.
I am convinced that Trek will not change his mind and therefore I will try to see if I can somehow repair the link. But for me it is important that everyone knows how incorrect these big multinationals are which have only one purpose: to make money!

RoadStain

Posted: Mar 20, 2020 at 11:58

Quote

Your experience is a mirror of a friend of mine from just this very week. He took delivery of his replacement (bike) for the first ride in the last couple days.

Like you (and me and most) there is an illusion of a lifetime warranty on the frame...sure, but not the "frameset" including the swingarm (note: Specialized has a lifetime on both). Some Treks even have a shorter warranty.

From there, the answers will vary on what shop you ask, what their volume is and how much throw they have. He was told, "swing arm not under warranty, they are out of replacements". Well, until I called a friend at Trek who said: "oh, we do have those, get me his paint code and we will paint it to match even"....OR we will give him a new frame and swingarm (where the question turned into rear shock, non-boost and on and on). OR $X off of a new bike (into the thousands) to get a discount off of FULL MSP of a new bike....plus shop costs, tax on the total value and a few other stupid things.

Same questions...what the hell use is a lifetime warranty on a frame when it has no value at all without the proprietary swing arm to function? That is akin to a Lifetime Warranty on a frame, well, but for carbon failures. Never was a fan of Trek but thought or OCLV (optimal cracking low value). Nor the delusion they are made in USA. While my "Designed in California" Specialized is no boutique bike, at least it does have a Lifetime Warranty and I have seen many times over a few decades of some simply amazing service from the big S company.

Also, I never, not ever fault someone for making money. Anyone want to buy some TP? I have been hoarding it for a couple weeks. "Slightly over retail".

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