Trek sevice problemo grrr...

[smilingcat]

One of the people I used to train with, is having a problem with Trek. Granted Trek and LeMonde are going separate ways... still, they need to honor their lifetime guarantee. If they don't want to honor their word, they shouldn't be offering such guarantee.. read my friends blog.

http://trek-lies.blogspot.com/

I hope I'm not violating some posting rules and if I did, please let me know and I will remove the link.

I still talk to him on regular basis and he is really mellow until you get him upset. And he is getting bit upset. The cycle shop where he is going through is a woman owned shop. Are they giving my friend a run around because he is going through a woman owned shop or what?? Or am I completely off base? or Trek is geting to be like a used car salesman?
I don't really want to fly off the handle here so...

Anyway, the lifetime guarantee should be viewed with certain skepticism and the tale from my friends is just a cautionary story to all of us.

what would you do or how should my friend deal with Trek?? File a lawsuit over a breach of contract?

smilingcat,

[SadieKate]

Let's put it this way, we will never buy another Trek. And Santa Cruz is on the line.

[katluvr]

I really hope this is a mistake and you get a better response and soon. I also hope this is an isolated incident--sorry that does not help you. :(It doesn't take but one dissatisfied customer to really spread the word. My LBS is a Trek dealer, my aluminum bike is Trek and recently I bought a carbon LeMond. I have recommenede him and these bikes to many. Then I hear of these "freaky" issues with carbon fiber bikes and get a bit scared.
I wish you luck on resolving this. I am sorry to hear such bad news. I feel like I should share this w/ my LBS guy (who is the greatest).

[Skierchickie]

Wow - that stinks. It doesn't sound like the same Trek I've known & loved for 20-some years. I bought a 560 when I was in college. After a while (not sure how long - it may have been as much as a year later) of not understanding why my computer would flake out on uphills (when I was standing), I mentioned it to my LBS. They shipped it to Trek, Trek checked it out and determined it was frame flex, and they shipped back a 660 frame for no charge. This guy's problem is far more serious than mine was. I got an actual upgrade, not just the equivalent frame. Of course, it was a much cheaper frame in the first place, but it still shows a huge change in priorities.

[Geonz]

(or a different person behind that desk... so hopefully somebody behind another desk will make a better decision!!)

[Mr. SR500]

Sounds like Trek offered a reasonable solution. Trek no longer builds LeMonds, so they offered a reasonable replacement for his Lemond. His bike was not top of the line, the new 5.2 Madone would be a nice replacement.

The replacement should be worked out between the dealer, Trek rep, and customer. Sorry the exact same frame was not available, but going from a 4 year old LeMond to a brand new Madone would be a very good upgrade. As for the carbon, the 5.2 is has black carbon = 110 (white = 120, red = 55).

Seems like Trek was fair to me.

[SalsaMTB]

Sounds like Trek offered a reasonable solution. Trek no longer builds LeMonds, so they offered a reasonable replacement for his Lemond. His bike was not top of the line, the new 5.2 Madone would be a nice replacement.

The replacement should be worked out between the dealer, Trek rep, and customer. Sorry the exact same frame was not available, but going from a 4 year old LeMond to a brand new Madone would be a very good upgrade. As for the carbon, the 5.2 is has black carbon = 110 (white = 120, red = 55).

Seems like Trek was fair to me.

+1 To me, it seems like Trek is trying to work with him. They couldn't get him the LeMond, so they tried going with a Trek. It seems a bit too premature to be bashing the company.

As for your question about Trek dealing with the shop differently because of the gender of the owner....I don't see anything they've done that would make me draw that conclusion.

[ilima]

It WAS top-of-the-line along with the Tete de Course (same frame, different components).

Did we read the same post? Because in the post I read, Trek offered the 6.5 first and then reneged on the deal.


Sounds like Trek offered a reasonable solution. Trek no longer builds LeMonds, so they offered a reasonable replacement for his Lemond. His bike was not top of the line, the new 5.2 Madone would be a nice replacement.

The replacement should be worked out between the dealer, Trek rep, and customer. Sorry the exact same frame was not available, but going from a 4 year old LeMond to a brand new Madone would be a very good upgrade. As for the carbon, the 5.2 is has black carbon = 110 (white = 120, red = 55).

Seems like Trek was fair to me.

[Mr. SR500]

It WAS top-of-the-line along with the Tete de Course (same frame, different components).

Did we read the same post? Because in the post I read, Trek offered the 6.5 first and then reneged on the deal.

He said, "Treks reply was that they had no Victoire frames in my size left but they might give me a Trek Madone 6.5 frame." Who said, the dealer, rep? Might is not will. He also said his bike was "the" top of the line, but in reality the Dura-Ace bike is the top of line.

I'm sure he is a nice guy, and I'm sure he is upset about his bike, but after reading his post it still seems Trek did their part. I did a quick Google:

'08 Trek 6.5 Dura Ace $5830
'04 Lemond Victoire Ultegra $3900
'08 Trek 5.2 Ultegra $3680

So in 4 years of development, you get more bike for the same money (as technology trickles down, like the new Madone frames (lighter stronger), 9 speed to 10 speed, etc...), the 5.2 seems a reasonable offer. The new Madones are awesome and a much better frame then the TI/Carbon Lemond he had.

I'm guessing he has other issues with Trek. In my experience they have been excellent!

[ilima]

Trek isn't going to replace the entire bike, just the frame. So the whole Tete de Course vs. Victoire thing is moot as our your whole bike comparisons (ever heard of inflation??)--both had the top o' the line frame at the time. The fact that a 2008 Ultegra equipped 5.2 costs less than a 2004 Victoire indicates the frames are not on the same level and argues against your point.

As far as dealing with Trek, it's the same as any company--sometimes you do get a bad service rep. Happened to me with Garmin, but another rep made things right.


He said, "Treks reply was that they had no Victoire frames in my size left but they might give me a Trek Madone 6.5 frame." Who said, the dealer, rep? Might is not will. He also said his bike was "the" top of the line, but in reality the Dura-Ace bike is the top of line.

I'm sure he is a nice guy, and I'm sure he is upset about his bike, but after reading his post it still seems Trek did their part. I did a quick Google:

'08 Trek 6.5 Dura Ace $5830
'04 Lemond Victoire Ultegra $3900
'08 Trek 5.2 Ultegra $3680

So in 4 years of development, you get more bike for the same money (as technology trickles down, like the new Madone frames (lighter stronger), 9 speed to 10 speed, etc...), the 5.2 seems a reasonable offer. The new Madones are awesome and a much better frame then the TI/Carbon Lemond he had.

I'm guessing he has other issues with Trek. In my experience they have been excellent!

[Mr. SR500]

I guess maybe just we'll agree to disagree.

[smilingcat]

Hi Mr. SR500 and ilimia,

Both of you have a point and thank you for reading my friends plight. He is more than capable of buying the 6.5 outright, it isn't about getting something more to him. It's just that he was led to believe they Trek were going to give him a 6.5 then they pulled the rug under him by offering something less because they claim that: it was made of lesser quality material and was offering a bike made of same quality material. 120OCLV versus 110OCLV.

Now the interesting point of this comment is that Trek is willing to offer him a bike made of comparable material. They failed in checking the material as being 110OCLV. So if they base their decision on which bike to replace then it should be 6.5 with 110OCLV not 5.2 with 120OCLV. This simply is interpreting their own words of comparable material.

Now about replacing with comparable performane bike. This is bit more contentious.

Suppose you bought a corvette 15 years ago. and you were given a lifetime warranty. And now, the corvette has broken down for no fault of yours, you take it to GM and request a replacement. Given its performance, GM offers you a Cobalt instead of Corvette. Would this be fair?? perhaps.

or would you prefer a new corvette. would this be fair?? Clearly, you are getting far more than a 15 year old car of yours.

I think both sides have good arguments. But that is not why I posted here. I just posted to show what can happen with "lifetime warranty" and how it can be interpreted. I'm sure Trek means well. Maybe somewhere someone in their company goofed.

And I take no offense to those who think my friend should take the 5.2. Mean while he is riding his Cannondale (his Paramount Racing Bike) with his training wheels.

smilingcat

[Mr. Bloom]

Personally, I think everyone is right here;)...just offering different perspectives.

BUT, I think Trek is splitting hairs and making an issue bigger than it needs to be. Plus, they really should have their facts straight if they're going to persist on this point.

The fact is that this guy seems to be a committed and experienced rider, with the potential to influence buying decisions of others...and that's someone Trek should nurture a relationship with...it's just good business to nurture centers of influence.

[smilingcat]

The fact is that this guy seems to be a committed and experienced rider, with the potential to influence buying decisions of others...and that's someone Trek should nurture a relationship with...it's just good business to nurture centers of influence.

You're so right about this and it went completely over my head. I could give you a big hug of appreciation.

In fact, he does help out a lot of new riders who want to participate in Team in Training program. Besides his own training and training other racers, he also ride with Team in Training ride. Stays with the new rider, shows them how to change a tire out on the road... pushes them up the hill and encourages them. Really nice man. And yes he does give out wonderful advice to people who want to buy a good bike.

And I go to him for advice just because he has more experience with the equipment than me. And I've got over 20 years of experience spanning over 30 years. Of the time I've known him (less than 10 years), he has owned a Bianchi, Calfe, Cannondale, LeMonde for the road bike. and I think he owns two mountain bikes and a track bike where he goes to the Carson velodome to ride every thursday or so... And god knows how many set of wheels he owns. seems like he is riding everyday all day. He also participate in other charity rides as well.

smilingcat

[Running Mommy]

ahhhh the joys of bike warranties!

Sounds like Trek is getting too big for their britches and doesn't care if they lose a customer.
And fwiw i totally disagree with mr sr500.
Trek needs to step up to the plate and take care of their customer. The bike may cost the consumer 1600 more at retail, but certainly not at cost.
Adn sometimes as a company you have to take a bath on things to keep the customer happy.
I'm sure it doesn't help that Trek and Lemond are embroiled in a heated court battle right now.

Hopefully your friend can get someone at trek with their head on straight (not up their arse) who will do the right thing.
I'm actually a bit shocked that they wouldn't give him a bit better bike so they would get some good word of mouth pr out of it.

example- Running hubbys mtn bike friends all ride high end mtn bikes.

Friend A breaks his Turner. He calls them and they say "no problem, we will send you a new frame stat" and in the process of talking to him realize that he could use an XXL frame instead of the XL. Apparently that's all they made when he had originally bought it. So they send him an XXL and do a custom paint job for him. VERY HAPPY CUSTOMER

friend B rides Ellsworth- as do friends c,d,e, and f (etc). Friend B's Ellsworth breaks despite the fact that he's NOT a hard core rider, and doesn't even ride that hard. The frame didn't even have any real scratches on it. He calls Ellsworth and they totally blow him off. They were basically offering him nothing. So now not only does friend B have bad feelings towards the company, but so does friends C, D, E, and F.
Most of them have since sold their Ellsworths.
so not only ONE Very UN-happy customer but FIVE!

It's that old adage all over again!

[ridebikeme]

Umm... well as most of you have mentioned already Trek should step up to the plate; and hopefully they will! Unfortunately, I have seen this happen way too many times, and unfortuantely most of the issues have also come from Trek. It doesn't matter whether it's a Bontrager tire/tube(which many of my customers have had problems with) or Klein, or Gary Fischer. The reality is that if you pride yourself in customer service then you take care of the customer!!

For me the reality is this: there is a lot of competition out there in the bike industry right now, and many companies would bend over backwards to help their customers/shops through difficult situations like this. That is what customer service is all about, not simply lip service as some offer. The bad press that Trek has received simply from this forum is something that no one wants, and something that will cost them a lot of money and time to change. Everyone makes mistakes, but this is simply no mistake! It was a decision that someone made with all of the current information available.... the end result a poor business decision.

Lastly, Lance was/is a great cyclist/athlete, and the reality is that he could have rode any brand of bike he wanted. Trek did NOT make him a great cyclist, however he definitely made their name much more wellknown. I wonder what he has to say at Mellow Johnnys now?

[Mr. Bloom]

Trek needs to step up to the plate and take care of their customer. The bike may cost the consumer 1600 more at retail, but certainly not at cost.


Outstanding Point RM! Keep in mind...Trek's effective cost is still even about 30% to 40% below your dealer's cost as well.

I hope that Trek has one of those 'bots that searches the 'net for posts about them.

SmilingCat: Maybe you should place your post on bikejournal to get more traffic and debate...

[smilingcat]

popped this thread back to the top. My friend got a call from Trek and it seems they came to their senses.

first and foremost, they apologized for the poor handling of the situation.

Then they gave him a choice between two bikes Tete De Course or 6.5 Madone Pro. He decided to take the Madone. smart move.

Stay tuned.
smilingcat

[melissam]

SmilingCat,

Thanks for the update -- I'm glad that it was a happy ending. Can't wait to hear how your friend likes his Madone!

- Melissa

[PinkBike]

thanks for the update - very cool!

[Mr. Bloom]

Of course! In the long run, truth and justice always prevail.

"In the long run we're all dead" John Maynard Keynes