# BD Buyers Beware



## andulong (Nov 23, 2006)

Hi all,

I recently purchased a bike from BD. It is a Mercier Serpens LTD 30. A beautiful bike and great componets. My only gripe is this: It is not the size that cyclesmercier.com specs it to be on their site. I ordered a 56. I need a 560 or shorter TT and the 56 is speced with a 560 TT. After assembling and a short test ride the bike felt a tad bit big. I took out my tape measure and did some checking. the TT is a full cm longer than it is supposed to be. The other measurements seem to fit what a 56 is supposed to be (stand over and seat tube length) So if you are picky about bike fit (and who isn't?) ask a lot of questions and try to get the dimensions in writing prior to the sale. I was referred to the cyclesmercier site to get my dimensions and it is not correct or maybe not up to date. Whichever...I still did not get what I bargained for. I promptly contacted BD to inform them of my problem and here is what they had to say... (According to the manufacturer, you have a 56) That's it!!! From my years of being a consumer I think the correct answer would have been...We are very sorry that the bike was not the size advertised or represented on the website...please let us know what we can do to make it right. Yeah, I am a bit pissed off. Shopped around for 3 months, found my exact size and ordered it only to get something else that they say is correct according to the manufacturer...but not the website. BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU BUY FROM THIS COMPANY! I am now forced to use a shorty stem which makes the bike fit better but looks like crap. Like I said before...very nice bike...wrong size...who's fault is it??? Not sure. The dimensions were not posted on the BD site and the ones at the Mercier site were incorrect. 

UPDATE:::Mike from BD did contact me after reading my message here. He was much nicer and understanding than whomever sent me the original e mail reply. The TT is definitley longer than advertised (I know how to measure it) Mike offered to do a refund of the bike and sounded very nice in his message even after I ripped on them here in this forum. Thanks Mike!

BJ II...I don't get it??? I think you may be in the wrong forum.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

andulong said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I recently purchased a bike from BD. It is a Mercier Serpens LTD 30. A beautiful bike and great componets. My only gripe is this: It is not the size that cyclesmercier.com specs it to be on their site. I ordered a 56. I need a 560 or shorter TT and the 56 is speced with a 560 TT. After assembling and a short test ride the bike felt a tad bit big. I took out my tape measure and did some checking. the TT is a full cm longer than it is supposed to be. The other measurements seem to fit what a 56 is supposed to be (stand over and seat tube length) So if you are picky about bike fit (and who isn't?) ask a lot of questions and try to get the dimensions in writing prior to the sale. I was referred to the cyclesmercier site to get my dimensions and it is not correct or maybe not up to date. Whichever...I still did not get what I bargained for. I promptly contacted BD to inform them of my problem and here is what they had to say... (According to the manufacturer, you have a 56) That's it!!! From my years of being a consumer I think the correct answer would have been...We are very sorry that the bike was not the size advertised or represented on the website...please let us know what we can do to make it right. Yeah, I am a bit pissed off. Shopped around for 3 months, found my exact size and ordered it only to get something else that they say is correct according to the manufacturer...but not the website. BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU BUY FROM THIS COMPANY! I am now forced to use a shorty stem which makes the bike fit better but looks like crap. Like I said before...very nice bike...wrong size...who's fault is it??? Not sure. The dimensions were not posted on the BD site and the ones at the Mercier site were incorrect. Small claims??Advice??


....................


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## covenant (May 21, 2002)




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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

30 Day Satisfaction guarantee.

As much as I like to rip on BD it seems that they do honor this. You maybe out return shipping but if you really don't want the bike contact them and make arrangements to send it back.


They really do need to work on e-mail replies. One sentence replies are very, very common with them. Considering that BD and the "manufacture" are one in the same it is even more lame.

If you have problems send Mike (bikesdirect forum name) a PM. I'm sure he will make you happy.

PS
Be glad you didn't get an Airborne Zeppelin like you wanted. They have really long TTs.


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## je_herr (Oct 2, 2007)

I also recently bought a Mercier 56 cm Serpens Ltd for the upcoming Sea Gull Century 2007. Find it to be an incredibly fine ride. Lightweight. Smooth shifting. Excellent handling. The triple makes the hills manageable big time. My only issue was the 110mm stem was a tad too long. Felt I was falling forward. So I bought a shorter and adjustable Ritchey stem at LBS for $60. Perfect placement! I'll buy again from BD.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Lifelover said:


> 30 Day Satisfaction guarantee.
> 
> As much as I like to rip on BD it seems that they do honor this. You maybe out return shipping but if you really don't want the bike contact them and make arrangements to send it back.
> 
> ...


 It seems a common enough complaint against BD- that their bikes aren't exactly what is advertised, with just enough differences to irritate people. Of course, the reason for this is they aren't really the 'manufacturer.' They order 'no name' bikes from Asian builders and what arrives in the container is often different that the specs or prototype. 'No name' doesn't mean bad- the same factories could be building Bianchi or Specialized next week, but those companies won't accept substitutions, pay more, and have a much higher markup. You do seem to get a lot of value for money from BD, if you can stand that it might not be exactly what's advertised. 

Of course, when this happens, BD should offer to pay for return shipping simply because it is different than what was ordered. OTOH, maybe, as someone else suggested, if this is the only complaint, the buyer should just get a stem 1cm shorter and see if BD will pay for it to avoid getting a bike back- seems like it would be a win-win situation.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

je_herr said:


> I also recently bought a Mercier 56 cm Serpens Ltd for the upcoming Sea Gull Century 2007. Find it to be an incredibly fine ride. Lightweight. Smooth shifting. Excellent handling. The triple makes the hills manageable big time. My only issue was the 110mm stem was a tad too long. Felt I was falling forward. So I bought a shorter and adjustable Ritchey stem at LBS for $60. Perfect placement! I'll buy again from BD.



http://youtube.com/watch?v=roMxTYVxj98


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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> http://youtube.com/watch?v=roMxTYVxj98



Just say "Thank You"


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## sonex305 (Jun 17, 2007)

Definately contact Mike from BikesDirect here via a PM. He will respond quickly and get you taken care of. 

...the remainder of this message was edited by me. I usually avoid the whole shill issue because I wouldn't want to be accused of that either. I suffer from "foot in mouth" disease way too often"


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

sonex305 said:


> Definately contact Mike from BikesDirect here via a PM. He will respond quickly and get you taken care of.
> 
> Mike from BD, you know I am a big supporter of yours, but the post by je_herr,
> whether it is you or one of your employees is just stupid. This sort of thing really makes your company look bad in the eyes of everyone. Please stop the shilling. your products speak for themselves and these sorts of games are not neccessary.


This is a type of urban myth
There is no shilling on this forum or any other forum by any employee of mine
In fact, they are all too busy to even keep up without having time to read posts [much less post]

My main concern here is that anwers are too short to some emails we receive.
it is tempting to answer too directly.
I answered e-mails for 2 weeks this summer and it kicked my butt - the e-mails just never slow down and we have had a hard time keeping up even after doubling the staff this year.

thanks for your support

mike


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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

*Great Flick*



tennis5 said:


> ..."usual suspects" ..


Interrogation Cop: I can put you in Queens on the night of the hijacking. 
Hockney: Really? I live in Queens, did you put that together yourself, Einstein? Got a team of monkeys working around the clock on this? 

Verbal: You think you can catch Keyser Soze? You think a guy like that comes this close to getting caught, and sticks his head out? If he comes up for anything it'll be to get rid of me. After that... my guess is you'll never hear from him again. 

Kobayashi: My name is Kobayashi. I work for Keyser Soze. 

Verbal: Back when I was picking beans in Guatemala, we used to make fresh coffee, right off the trees I mean. That was good. This is **** but, hey, I'm in a police station. 


Jeff Rabin: I'm telling you this guy is protected from up on high by the Prince of Darkness.

Interrogation Cop: You know what happens if you do another turn in the joint? 
Hockney: F*ck your father in the shower and then have a snack? Are you going to charge me d!ckhead? 

Verbal: After that my guess is that you will never hear from him again. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And like that... he is gone.


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## tennis5 (Mar 12, 2007)

Lifelover said:


> Interrogation Cop: I can put you in Queens on the night of the hijacking.
> Hockney: Really? I live in Queens, did you put that together yourself, Einstein? Got a team of monkeys working around the clock on this?
> 
> Verbal: You think you can catch Keyser Soze? You think a guy like that comes this close to getting caught, and sticks his head out? If he comes up for anything it'll be to get rid of me. After that... my guess is you'll never hear from him again.
> ...


Too much time on hands...patty pat pat...


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## sonex305 (Jun 17, 2007)

bikesdirect said:


> This is a type of urban myth
> There is no shilling on this forum or any other forum by any employee of mine
> In fact, they are all too busy to even keep up without having time to read posts [much less post]
> 
> ...


Mike- I really didn't mean YOU personally were doing any of this nonsense, so my apologies if it sounded like I insinuated that. 

"...the remainder of this message was edited by me. I usually avoid the whole shill issue because I wouldn't want to be accused of that either. I suffer from "foot in mouth" disease way too often"

Either way, keep up the good work and keep making great products. I will continue to purchase. Speaking of which, that Immortal Ice certainly looks nice. For some reason, it keeps calling my name.:idea:


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

je_herr said:


> I also recently bought a Mercier 56 cm Serpens Ltd for the upcoming Sea Gull Century 2007. Find it to be an incredibly fine ride. Lightweight. Smooth shifting. Excellent handling. The triple makes the hills manageable big time. My only issue was the 110mm stem was a tad too long. Felt I was falling forward. So I bought a shorter and adjustable Ritchey stem at LBS for $60. Perfect placement! I'll buy again from BD.


You just started cycling this year and you're ready to do a century? :shocked: Must be that awesome Mercier. 

Good luck with the century.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

So many prodcut "testimonials" from brand-spanking-new folks (for a variety of products) include "I love the product, it is INCREDIBY SUPER AWESOME, except for the little EASILY REPLACEABLE WIDGET. But it was easy to replace! Once it did that, PRODUCT X was PERFECT."

Do they teach that one in Shill School? Does it add "believability" to the product?

If posters here are just happy customers, and feel like avoidin' all the hassle, they could avoid that format...


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

sonex305 said:


> Mike- I really didn't mean YOU personally were doing any of this nonsense, so my apologies if it sounded like I insinuated that. It IS unfortunate that in this forum it seems that WAAAAY too often someone has something bad to say and then another jumps in to say something positive as their first post. Then they never post again which makes it seem a bit "fishy". I am sure you have better things to do with your time so I can't imagine it would be you.
> 
> Either way, keep up the good work and keep making great products. I will continue to purchase. Speaking of which, that Immortal Ice certainly looks nice. For some reason, it keeps calling my name.:idea:


 I think it's a lot more likely to be folks with their first bike in ages, they like it, they're excited, and they end up adding a little hyperbole. Then either they tire of cycling, or 'name brand snobbery,' and you don't hear from them again.


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## je_herr (Oct 2, 2007)

il sogno said:


> You just started cycling this year and you're ready to do a century? :shocked: Must be that awesome Mercier.
> 
> Good luck with the century.


Thanks. Excuse the cluttered garage, but here a few pics for those who might appreciate: my Schwinn Sierra Comp hybrid (circa 1985 and 28lbs), my wife's 2006 Trek, and that <awesome> 2007 Mercier. Though I've been riding and running for > 30 years, thought it was time to buy a road bike and really cycle. So I read up on what the market offered, visited a few LBSs, went with the Mercier, did 130 miles this past month, liked it and signed up for the Century. Enjoy whatever you ride!


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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

tennis5 said:


> Too much time on hands...patty pat pat...



Not really


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## sonex305 (Jun 17, 2007)

je_herr said:


> Thanks. Excuse the cluttered garage, but here a few pics for those who might appreciate: my Schwinn Sierra Comp hybrid (circa 1985 and 28lbs), my wife's 2006 Trek, and that <awesome> 2007 Mercier. Though I've been riding and running for > 30 years, thought it was time to buy a road bike and really cycle. So I read up on what the market offered, visited a few LBSs, went with the Mercier, did 130 miles this past month, liked it and signed up for the Century. Enjoy whatever you ride!


Good job and keep at it. My apologies for calling you a shill. I will stay away from that topic from now on.

I'll be in the back removing my foot from my mouth...:mad2:


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## Oversane (Mar 31, 2007)

I think the Moto forum is the only manufacturer's forum to boast locked threads. 

I really don't know why this is allowed to happen.


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## vpkb (Jul 30, 2007)

freedom of speech


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## je_herr (Oct 2, 2007)

sonex305 said:


> Good job and keep at it. My apologies for calling you a shill. I will stay away from that topic from now on.
> 
> I'll be in the back removing my foot from my mouth...:mad2:


No problem. Cleat up and enjoy the ride.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

je_herr said:


> Thanks. Excuse the cluttered garage, but here a few pics for those who might appreciate: my Schwinn Sierra Comp hybrid (circa 1985 and 28lbs), my wife's 2006 Trek, and that <awesome> 2007 Mercier. Though I've been riding and running for > 30 years, thought it was time to buy a road bike and really cycle. So I read up on what the market offered, visited a few LBSs, went with the Mercier, did 130 miles this past month, liked it and signed up for the Century. Enjoy whatever you ride!


 Are you sure you want to start with a century? Have you done any longer rides? I don't know when you've signed up for it, but there's a huge difference between a ten mile ride every day and 100 miles in one go. Start reading the racing, training and nutrition, & coaching forums for advice on how to get in shape and stay topped up with energy. Bonking is no fun. Best of luck. My bet is yours will be the first Mercier across the line


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