# Bikesdirect did right by me!



## bobthib (May 28, 2009)

I got a BD Motobecane Immortal Pro a year ago May. While on vacation this past June, the right shifter (105's) broke. I jury-rigged down tube shifters on the stem, and continued riding while on vacation. 

I contacted BD (by email as they don't post any phone numbers) and got a reply. Shimano warrants their products for 2 yrs, so send it back for replacement. When I returned home to FLA I packed up the defective shifter and set it to BD. It was received the next day.

Up to that point BD was very responsive. My emails were answered within 24 hrs as promised, and sometimes the same day.

So far so good. 

Now before you jump up and down about the process, this is what I had bargained for in terms of warranty. When I researched bikes, I opted for an on line purchase. I recognized what I was getting, and what I was not getting. A "mail it in" warranty and email communications are part of the BD value proposition. It's the price you pay, if you will, for the money you save.

Anyway, back to the story. After about 3 weeks, I send an email in to BD inquiring about the status of the replacement. No reply. I sent another. And another. Finally, out of frustration, I posted my concern on BF.

Two days later the replacement arrived. I also got a PM from Mike apologizing for the poor communications, and promising that he would resolve the problem.

Let me say here that my concern was NOT the length of time it took to get the replacement. It was the lack of communication and follow up. By now I had borrowed a shifter from a friend and was doing just fine. I was willing to wait. But I wanted feedback.

Anyway, after a few weeks I finally got around to taking my bike in to have the new shifter installed. It was then that the mechanic informed me that the new shifter was the wrong color!

I contacted BD immediately. I requested a prepaid return label so I could send back the shifter and get the correct "Ice Grey" color.

The next day I received an email apologizing for the mix up, and asking if I would accept a NEW set of Ultegra shifters instead! Doh!

They arrived today!

Call me a shill if you will (no rhyme intended) but that's what good companies do when they goof. Exceed expectations. Everybody goofs up. Its how you recover that makes the difference.


----------



## Hooben (Aug 22, 2004)

Hats off to you for doing all that work.Glad that bikes direct made true on their stuff.


----------



## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

Not sure I really see the savings here. If I purchased the bike from and LBS I wouldn't be waiting 3 weeks to repair a shifter. Alsp can't imagine not having my bike 3 weeks over the summer.


----------



## midnite (Mar 31, 2010)

I bought a Motobecane Vent Noir at the beginning of the summer from BD. It arrived with a broken drop-in. I emailed a pic to BD, and they sent me out a new fork the next day. They didn't ask for the old fork back...didn't ask any other questions. And they actually sent me an upgraded fork, because they didn't have the exact model in stock.

I was really pleased with the company as a whole. And I have been very pleased with the bike.


----------



## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Yay for happy endings!

:thumbsup:


----------



## bobthib (May 28, 2009)

Tommy Walker said:


> Not sure I really see the savings here. If I purchased the bike from and LBS I wouldn't be waiting 3 weeks to repair a shifter. Alsp can't imagine not having my bike 3 weeks over the summer.


I was not w/o a bike for more than a few hours. The point was I took it upon myself to make things happen. That was my choice.

Don't ever buy a bike on line. It's not for you. That's ok. You made the right choice when you bought your bike.


----------



## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

When it was suggested multiple times that you look into your original email receipt or use google to find their phone number, why didn't you do it?


----------



## bobthib (May 28, 2009)

Local Hero said:


> When it was suggested multiple times that you look into your original email receipt or use google to find their phone number, why didn't you do it?


Too stupid, I guess. Besides, my problem with the service I was getting was NOT how long it was taking. It was their failure to reply. I don't know, but I can imagine that my calls may have gone to voice mail which may have gone unanswered. I don't know. But the point is, it your primary form of customer communication is email, don't you think you would expect SOME reply?

But I don't want to beat a dead horse here (where is that dead horse icon?) BD took the opportunity to use the case to fix some internal problems. Good for them.

The issue I'm bringing up is that they goofed, and went beyond customer expectations in correcting the problem. That's what good customer service is about.

I could tell you about some great customer service that I got at my LBS. Here was a case were a store manager that most of the people in my bike club dislike, when above and beyond to solve a problem for me. Another example of excellent customer service. I made sure I posted my positive experience to my entire club.


----------



## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

A free upgrade to brand new levers on both sides for a color match is a very good deal indeed.

I am glad it worked out fo ryou.


----------



## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

*I would have called and resolved privately*

You weren't getting what you wanted right when you wanted it so you made a thread in an attempt to hurt the business financially. You could have called the business but instead you used this forum as a bully pulpit.


----------



## SilentAssassin (Jul 29, 2010)

That was nice of them. Didn't you post a really nasty thread though about them too because you didn't have patience for a response and replacement? Tssk Tssk.


----------



## bobthib (May 28, 2009)

SilentAssassin said:


> That was nice of them. Didn't you post a really nasty thread though about them too because you didn't *have patience for a response *and replacement? Tssk Tssk.


I did! However, if you will remember, it was not a lack of patience on my part. It was their failure to acknowledge multiple emails requesting a time frame. Their communications model calls for next business day response. I called them out on not keeping to that commitment. 

From what I understand they have identified and resolved the problem. I would expect that from any viable business.


----------



## aw2pp (Aug 19, 2010)

Local Hero said:


> You weren't getting what you wanted right when you wanted it so you made a thread in an attempt to hurt the business financially. You could have called the business but instead you used this forum as a bully pulpit.


Actually, this seems to work here more often than not. Props to the OP for realizing this. It's just my opinion based on a few observations, so take this for what little it's worth: it seems to me BD is particularly sensitive to its perception on this forum, and therefore responsive to grievances made public here.

Due disclosure: I am not a BD customer, but the business model intrigues me, and perhaps someday I will be. Hence my interest in these threads. And from what I can tell so far, this is a theme.


----------



## dolomoto (May 6, 2010)

I broke a RD hanger (and bent the RD pulley cage) awhile back. The LBS couldn't source the hanger. I PM'd BD on this forum on a weekend and had a reply back on Sunday evening.

BTW, BikesDirect stocks RD hangers (they are listed on their website).

I've been very pleased with my LeChamp Ti and BD service.

YMMV.


----------



## tonkabaydog (Jul 22, 2010)

BOTTOM LINE: How many bike company presidents/owners contact the end consumer for resolution of an issue?

Mike follows these threads closely, is very accessible via PM in this forum and super responsive.

I like their model and they have been around now for almost 10 years.

Without them, I would be relegated to buying a used bike on ebay with none current equipment and ZERO warranty at an even higher price than what BD offers.


----------



## unboringuy (Jul 27, 2010)

tonkabaydog said:


> BOTTOM LINE: How many bike company presidents/owners contact the end consumer for resolution of an issue?
> 
> Mike follows these threads closely, is very accessible via PM in this forum and super responsive.
> 
> ...


I agree. I don't understand why there are so many nay-sayers about BD. I think they offer a very good product at an excellent price. And the customer service is prompt and Mike and crew go out of their way to ensure a satisfied customer. Way to go, BD. (Not a shill, but perhaps a cheerleader.)


----------



## AtlantaR6 (Sep 9, 2010)

I bought a bike off Craigslist and it broke. I did look at the BD website though, it would be great if they could send me a new one to replace it. Think they are reading this thread?


----------



## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

AtlantaR6 said:


> I bought a bike off Craigslist and it broke. I did look at the BD website though, it would be great if they could send me a new one to replace it. Think they are reading this thread?


My friend bought a bike used. The shifter broke. When he took it to the bike shop to get it repaired or replaced, SRAM sent out a new set. Free. 

It's a different situation than what the threadstarter experienced. First off, the bike my friend bought was used. It was not under any warranty. He just wanted a repair or replacement. Second, my friend is a cool customer who expected to pay for labor or a replacement. Even if he expected a replacement, he would probably explore all available avenues prior to blackmailing a business with negative reviews in order to get what he wanted. He probably wouldn't wait two weeks to inspect a product. He definitely wouldn't demand a prepaid mailing label to send something back just because the color didn't match, especially after waiting weeks to inspect it. My friend doesn't have an obnoxious sense of entitlement.


----------



## bobthib (May 28, 2009)

Local Hero said:


> You weren't getting what you wanted right when you wanted it so you made a thread in an attempt to hurt the business financially. *You could have called *the business but instead you used this forum as a bully pulpit.


Wrong! BD does not have any phone # published. Their business model involves email communication only. I don't have a problem with that. My problem was they were not answering my emails. 

My main regret was the title I chose for my original rant. It was a poor choice for my concern. It should have been about communication. I do not have a problem with their warranty process. It is what I bargained for when I chose to buy from BD. 

I am happy to say that BD used the situation to resolve some glitches with internal processes. You can say I used a bully pulpit but bottom line problems got solved. It was never my intention to hurt BD financially. If they had failed to to an "autopsy" on the incident and correct things internally, they would only hurt themselves. 

In addition, I feel strongly about giving credit where credit is due, hence this post.

Besides, what is this forum for? Is it not do discuss the pros and cons of various manufacturers and their products? If everything posted was hunky dorey, who would believe a word of it?

Everyone makes mistakes. Just like people, good companies learn from them.


----------



## bobthib (May 28, 2009)

Local Hero said:


> My friend bought a bike used. The shifter broke. When he took it to the bike shop to get it repaired or replaced, SRAM sent out a new set. Free.
> 
> It's a different situation than what the threadstarter experienced. First off, the bike my friend bought was used. It was not under any warranty. He just wanted a repair or replacement. Second, my friend is a cool customer who expected to pay for labor or a replacement. Even if he expected a replacement, he would probably explore all available avenues prior to blackmailing a business with negative reviews in order to get what he wanted. He probably wouldn't wait two weeks to inspect a product. He definitely wouldn't demand a prepaid mailing label to send something back just because the color didn't match, especially after waiting weeks to inspect it. *My friend doesn't have an obnoxious sense of entitlement.*


I pity your friend. People will take advantage of that poor sucker for all if his life. He is pathetic. Tell him to grow some balls and expect to be treated fairly.

Sram, Shimano, and Campy all provide the warranty for their components. In Shimano's case it's 2 years. If BD had told be to go direct, I would have. Then my rant (had there been one) would have been against Shimano. But BD chose to handle the transaction.

For the life of me, I can't see how expecting a company to correct THEIR mistake is having "an obnoxious sense of entitlement" I paid the shipping to send the defective shifter in. They asked me to send pictures before had "so we can find a match"

Now, when the send the wrong shifter and expect them to send a call tag for the wrong one I'M expecting too much? 

Local, you better grow a few too. People will be walking all over you too.


----------



## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

bobthib said:


> BD does not have any phone # published. Their business model involves email communication only.


The confirmation email you received after ordering your bike had a phone number. If not, finding the number using google takes all of 30 seconds.


bobthib said:


> I pity your friend. People will take advantage of that poor sucker for all if his life. He is pathetic. Tell him to grow some balls and expect to be treated fairly.
> ...
> Local, you better grow a few too. People will be walking all over you too.


How much has the LBS charged you for labor?


----------



## tonkabaydog (Jul 22, 2010)

Can we stop this thread now. Unconstructive.


----------



## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

Yes, we wouldn't want anyone thinking ill of Tonka truck's new best friend...


----------

