This is why I'm a hardass customer..
#1
DEJA VU
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This is why I'm a hardass customer..
Easton Flatboy Pedals, cost around $100 about 3 years ago give or take.
The bearings get shot around year 3
Bring it to the LBS, who tells me it isn't worth his time to contact easton about replacement bearings.
Here, buy these $50 pieces of crap from me, he says. Yeaah, cya man.
I call Easton and wait 2 weeks for some guy to get off vacation, of course they don't return the call.
I call and he's still gone, so I get pissed & refuse to get off the line til this gets solved, which it did.
I sent back my old, unwarrantied, beaten to hell pedals, and because I was persistent, now I am getting a brand new pair....for free.
Despite the time and effort, it was worth it. Love these pedals.
So I post this saying, whenever you think you may have lost a battle with customer service, bite down and give em hell.
Works almost every time and you'll probably get your way if you kill em with kindness and bust their balls @ the same time.
The bearings get shot around year 3
Bring it to the LBS, who tells me it isn't worth his time to contact easton about replacement bearings.
Here, buy these $50 pieces of crap from me, he says. Yeaah, cya man.
I call Easton and wait 2 weeks for some guy to get off vacation, of course they don't return the call.
I call and he's still gone, so I get pissed & refuse to get off the line til this gets solved, which it did.
I sent back my old, unwarrantied, beaten to hell pedals, and because I was persistent, now I am getting a brand new pair....for free.
Despite the time and effort, it was worth it. Love these pedals.
So I post this saying, whenever you think you may have lost a battle with customer service, bite down and give em hell.
Works almost every time and you'll probably get your way if you kill em with kindness and bust their balls @ the same time.
Last edited by Covalent Jello; 03-08-10 at 02:53 PM.
#2
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Here's to persistence. Good job.
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"Don't argue with stupid people; they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience."
#3
DEJA VU
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mm indeed. and thanks.
Hard ass, pain in the ass... The latter is probably more precise.
I think Easton's Customer service has a good rep as well, which probably helped. I didn't have to argue much with them.
Hard ass, pain in the ass... The latter is probably more precise.
I think Easton's Customer service has a good rep as well, which probably helped. I didn't have to argue much with them.
#4
one less horse
What made you feel okay about suggesting a manufacturer should replace or repair your 3 year old, bearings shot, "beaten to hell" pedals? Never mind getting all puffed up and proud about ultimately badgering them into it?
What you effectively did was drive up costs for everyone else. yay
What you effectively did was drive up costs for everyone else. yay
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Now you know the cost of Wal-Mart being in business -- EVERYBODY does blanket returns at one time or another, just to salvage their rep for one d-bag.
(My W-M example -- saw a BMX-poser bike come back in 4 pieces; the store took the return. The thing was a year-and-a-half old.)
I love 661 just because of this, from a tag attached to the shoes I bought from them:
"... but don't put on your best face, bring your worn-out shoes back to the shop, and say, 'This happened on the first ride, give me new for free.' If you wear 'em out, BUY NEW."
(My W-M example -- saw a BMX-poser bike come back in 4 pieces; the store took the return. The thing was a year-and-a-half old.)
I love 661 just because of this, from a tag attached to the shoes I bought from them:
"... but don't put on your best face, bring your worn-out shoes back to the shop, and say, 'This happened on the first ride, give me new for free.' If you wear 'em out, BUY NEW."
#6
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To be fair, OP was trying to rebuild them but nobody, from his LBS to, eventually, the maker wanted to help. He just got high enough up the food chain to someone willing to help. Hey, we all know that initial CS is often handled by the bottom-of-the-totem-pole groms at a company. That higher-up's choice at that point I guess to assuage his frustration with a new set over replacement bearings - - which would have been dandy, right CJ? . . .right?
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Originally Posted by Mark Twain
"Don't argue with stupid people; they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience."
Last edited by dminor; 03-09-10 at 12:13 AM.
#7
one less horse
To be fair, OP was trying to rebuild them but nobody, from his LBS to, eventually, the maker wanted to help. He just got high enough up the food chain to someone willing to help. Hey, we all know that initial CS is often handled by the bottom-of-the-totem-pole groms at a company. That higher-up's choice at that point I guess to assuage his frustration with a new set over replacement bearings - - which would have been dandy, right CJ? . . .right?
leading the witness
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Over ruled!!!!!!!
I always wanted to do that.
I should sick the OP on Diadora. I picked up a pair of Chilies that proceded to co,e apart after about 10 rides. I never heard back from them.
I always wanted to do that.
I should sick the OP on Diadora. I picked up a pair of Chilies that proceded to co,e apart after about 10 rides. I never heard back from them.
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Like a circus monkey on a stolen Harley......
Like a circus monkey on a stolen Harley......
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Customer service truly is worthless these days.
#10
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I have to admit...Crank Brother's has rebuilt both of my Candy's no questions asked for free. I just paid my own shippin cost to them. Their CS IMO is pretty good.
First one had a broken spindle...second had a bent spindle. They replaced the spindles, bearings, cages...and even the little plates with the logo. The only thing left orig was the delrin'ish housing.
First one had a broken spindle...second had a bent spindle. They replaced the spindles, bearings, cages...and even the little plates with the logo. The only thing left orig was the delrin'ish housing.
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I see the problem- you bought something from easton. They made it about 2 years, 11 months more than I would have expected.
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You should've kept calling them. falling a part after 10 rides is different then falling a part after 3 years of abuse.
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Those bearings are available at any bearing supplier. You don't have to wait 2 weeks to get a set of bearings.
#15
DEJA VU
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What made you feel okay about suggesting a manufacturer should replace or repair your 3 year old, bearings shot, "beaten to hell" pedals? Never mind getting all puffed up and proud about ultimately badgering them into it?
What you effectively did was drive up costs for everyone else. yay
What you effectively did was drive up costs for everyone else. yay
That in addition to bearings failing 2x in 3 years (on only one pedal)
Raising the price for everyone else, that's exaggerated, meh, I'll mail you your extra 3 pennies if you want
I guess they should have had someone ready to take my credit card info so I could buy a simple bearing replacement kit, but they didn't, made me wait 2 weeks, and then planned on making me wait more. Bad enough I have to wait for the new pedals to be shipped in a couple weeks seeing as they're on backorder. I have no remorse for the company, when it comes this far I generally never do anyways.
And yes, I'm proud! I hope someone else will do the same and not bend over to customer service.
Like I said, this is just why I am a pain in the ass customer, because it pays off.
I want other ppl to do the same. When people suck at doing biz they should know, I would want the same.
What I really did was make Easton a better company. But only because I told them where they went wrong & got their attention, really.
Last edited by Covalent Jello; 03-12-10 at 06:39 PM.
#17
DEJA VU
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Neither were available so Easton lost out..I woulda taken new bearings though and called it a day..!
Last edited by Covalent Jello; 03-12-10 at 06:06 PM.
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Not trying to prolong a flame war, but you do sound like my riding bud at work; he has an '03 Epic, is lusting for the '10 Stumpy FSR Elite, and while in the LBS for a fork rebuild, asked the staff if SpecialEd still had lifetime warranty on their frames... his intent is to get a NEW frame by bashing the sh** out of the old one while racing again this year.
Warranties are not to salvage your trashed parts; they are to cover a potential flaw in the manufacturing. NOTHING made by man last forever, so people need to quit abusing the lifetime warranty concept.
Warranties are not to salvage your trashed parts; they are to cover a potential flaw in the manufacturing. NOTHING made by man last forever, so people need to quit abusing the lifetime warranty concept.
#19
DEJA VU
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Not trying to prolong a flame war, but you do sound like my riding bud at work; he has an '03 Epic, is lusting for the '10 Stumpy FSR Elite, and while in the LBS for a fork rebuild, asked the staff if SpecialEd still had lifetime warranty on their frames... his intent is to get a NEW frame by bashing the sh** out of the old one while racing again this year.
Warranties are not to salvage your trashed parts; they are to cover a potential flaw in the manufacturing. NOTHING made by man last forever, so people need to quit abusing the lifetime warranty concept.
Warranties are not to salvage your trashed parts; they are to cover a potential flaw in the manufacturing. NOTHING made by man last forever, so people need to quit abusing the lifetime warranty concept.
They couldn't do that, because someone was on vacation, and I had to wait, but got new pedals out of it.
So, I'm pretty happy considering they dicked me around for a while there.
Especially considering, had I not been pushy, this wouldn't have happened.
When I say pushy, I mean, doing what an average customer should do, but often may not.
Now, they have a pair of pedals that were used by a customer to look at. Even better for them.
The left one didn't break at all, it was the right one that broke two times. My right foot is dominant, I have a habit of that. =-0 Coincidence?
Last edited by Covalent Jello; 03-12-10 at 09:42 PM.
#20
Time for a change.
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Never paid that much for pedals and I started on Shimano SPD about 94 0r 5. Still have the original pair I bought and other than the springs not adjusting as tight as I like-They work fine- I just use them on a bike I don't ride often. At the cost of M520's- I doubt that I would rebuild them- just buy a new set but $100 pedals that need a $20 repair kit make sense.
Problems come about when suppliers and manufacturers don't put themselves out for Customet service. I have rarely had problems with getting replacement parts or rebuild kits but I just go to me LBS and they sort everything for me.
But I did have a problem with a lamp I bought about 4 years ago. The manufacturers came out with a Quick release bracket that was advertised on the Internet. Asked at the LBS and a week later the news was that the bracket is not yet in production- even though it had been put on the web page. It would be a couple of months before it was available.
6 weeks later and a small package came through the post. It was "Pre-Production" version of the bracket and "Could I test ride it and feedback info" The LBS had told the Lamp manufacturers my name and as I had registered with them when I bought the lamp- They had sent me a bracket FOC in the post. They got the Info and I got a free $25 bracket.
Problems come about when suppliers and manufacturers don't put themselves out for Customet service. I have rarely had problems with getting replacement parts or rebuild kits but I just go to me LBS and they sort everything for me.
But I did have a problem with a lamp I bought about 4 years ago. The manufacturers came out with a Quick release bracket that was advertised on the Internet. Asked at the LBS and a week later the news was that the bracket is not yet in production- even though it had been put on the web page. It would be a couple of months before it was available.
6 weeks later and a small package came through the post. It was "Pre-Production" version of the bracket and "Could I test ride it and feedback info" The LBS had told the Lamp manufacturers my name and as I had registered with them when I bought the lamp- They had sent me a bracket FOC in the post. They got the Info and I got a free $25 bracket.
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#21
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SRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM! Best Customer service EVER. Break something of theirs (truvativ, rockshox, avid, sram) they have a crash replacement program. Something breaks JRA, no hassle, it's on its way.
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I probably would have just bought new pedals instead of deal with four weeks of bull ****. But that's just me.
#24
DEJA VU
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I was tempted to but I'm stubborn and it's the principle of it all.
But mainly it's just that I've been managing to ski instead of bike in the meantime =P
But mainly it's just that I've been managing to ski instead of bike in the meantime =P
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Suck at doing business? They built pedals that lasted you 3 years... then you apparently enjoyed them enough that you wanted to keep them rather than going to a different brand but you aren't willing to pay the money for a new set to support a company that made a good product for you. You're just content to b*tch at them til you get your way and not reward them for making a product that did its job for you.
Not only that but now you get online and brag about it like you've won some contest against them. I love the way people think these days.
Not only that but now you get online and brag about it like you've won some contest against them. I love the way people think these days.