I recently bought a Powertap 2.4 from wheelbuilder.com. It worked for one short test ride then lost connectivity on the second. I changed batteries, tried to relink the components, talked to customer service to see if there was anything esle I could do, no luck. The wheel and CPU must go back. I can live with this, sometimes things dont work.
This is where my problem starts, they are treating me like a normal warranty claim, there was absolutely no special consideration for the fact that my brand new $1500 bike part never really worked. After a bit of negotiation they offered to pay for UPS ground shipping to wisconsin and ground back to DC. They would pay for 2 day back if i paid for 2 day out. So more than a week worth of shipping and a week at their shop is what I get in exchange for deciding to buy their top end product. As a concession prize I also get to refit my bike with a bunch of polar stuff if i decide i want to know how far i rode or any other data while i ride my crappy old wheel for the next two weeks. All I really want is for them to foot the bill for 2 day shipping, at the very least on the way back as they would do it as a matter of course if I paid for the initial shipping charges.
I have heard that their customer service was great and that is part of why I chose a PT over ergomo. Am I off the mark here?
How do warranty claims work on everything else? I’m just asking because I’m not sure if warranted items that are shipped back to a company are shipped on the companies dime or if the owner is responsible for the shipping to.
I was pretty miffed at that too I had used mine for a month. I couldn’t see why there was a 7 day wait between when they got my PT and when they sent it back. I think their model is:
Have a great product which fails frequently, and then have a great service department, but split the shipping costs.
I would be curious to see what the avg number of times a PT gets sent back in the first 1.5 years (warranty period). I would also be curious to know what the repair cost would be if it were not under warranty any more.
PS
As a suggestion to anyone getting a PT, keep the box the wheel comes in! It’ll save you a trip to the bike shop’s dumpster or a cardboard oragami session if you have to send it back.
The way it’s worked for me anytime I’ve had to use warranty service, I pay to ship it back to them, they fix it, and pay shipping to send it back to me.
I had my PT Pro serviced earlier this year in fact (bearings were loose), and it was only gone for just over a week. I shipped it to them, and they shipped it back on their dime after fixing it.
would you be pissed? i suppose my whole point boils down to that I think the metric for reasonableness really shouldnt be the warranty practice. they only made a $30 concession from that anyhow.
In my expierence (mostly with computer gear) you pay to ship it to them, and they pay to ship it back (usually via ground, sometimes via the same method you sent it to them)
.
you pay to ship to them and they ship back the same way they recived it. this is actually part of my gripe. if i pay $50 for 2 day they will return it 2 day cutting the overall shipping time in half. They offered to pay both directions, but ground only. So… this is prett close to the cost of 2 day in one direction so not really a finantial concession, just a time concession on my part.
this practice may or may not be acceptable, but people should know what they are getting in to, hence a rant thread. i hate this kind of BS and probably just would have ponied up for two ergomos (2 bikes) if i knew i would have to deal with it.
its a tough product in that regard, you buy a saris hub and have to custom build a wheel to it. what do i return and to whom? i did buy the whole thing from one guy, but why should he eat the wheel cost b/c the PT was broken. further, i bought a matching front wheel which i suppose id be stuck with.
i’m with the majority on this. we did the same. you pay freight to us, we pay it back, and we send it back with the same priority (if you send 2-day we return 2-day).
i completely understand your frustration. at the same time, we’re all part of a community, everyone trying to keep his doors open for business, it’s an accommodation that serves everyone well. if consumers got all the consideration they wanted then there’d be no sport, because the producers would all go out of business pleasing their customers. alternatively, if producers charged what they’d have to in order to perform all the services you and your contemporaries want, you’d all complain about the price, and you’d opt to pay less money and buy the cheaper brand from the guy who doesn’t offer the premium service. and then you’d bitch about the bad service you’re getting.
i note that you aren’t asking whether you think your fellow readers think your view is reasonable, you’ve already made up your mind that it is. you just want to rant, and to continue to believe as you do regardless of whether the majority thinks your view lacks the weight of righteousness. no problem.
They were great with me. I had an older PT Pro wired and the HR kept dropping the signal. They sent me the “Wired” 2.4 CPU with Coded HR Strap for no charge at all. And they didn’t even require me to send back the old one so I have the old one as just a “Bike Computer” only for my other bike.
One thing though…I had to keep on them to make sure they sent it out. For some reason my order was held up for a week or so before it shipped.
you are correct, i really did just want to rant. i do appreciate the feedback from others, i did want validation but got some criticism as well. after the first reply i think i distilled my gripe pretty well. the warranty process is not unreasonable, what i feel is unreasonable is that i am being subject to it or that it is being used a a metric for what is reasonable in my particular case. not all sales make money, I would have expected them to cut into their profit by 50 bucks to try and build a lasting relationship. i am sure ill be in the market for such a product in the future. in retrospect, i have been upset with service at a few companies so there might be some expectation adjustment in order. in relation to saris in particular, i actually buy commercial products from them too, but didnt connect the dots for them until the end of the process.
in relation to the community point, saris is a business and i am a customer. i sell condos, if i pulled that line on a customer they would string me up for it. i recognize that those two markets are entirely different and i care a lot more about saris succeeding than a condo buyer cares about a development company succeeding. to say that producers would go out of business pleasing customers is a bit hyperbolic. if a company doest work i would contend it has more to do with the fact that their products were not market ready or sold too inexpensively. ultimately, some firms would go out of business giving others the ability to raise prices and offset either additional R&D or better customer service.
for what its worth, i left a message for a manager and he said they would ship 2 day for the return so they did step up after i pressed it a bit. i am shipping out there to save myself the 2 days it takes to generate a return ship lable so i can live with that.
They were great with me too. I’ll buy Saris again… I have been delighted with my dealings with them.
Expecting shipping both ways is pretty lofty. I think their position is reasonable. The shipping to them is part of the risk you as a customer sign up for buying on-line. If you bought brick and mortar you could walk back to the store and they should take care of you…