Warranty Issues... Please help!

L

Lukey_p

Cannon Fodder
Just wondering if anyone can give me any advice regarding a dually frame that i have recently snapped??
I have an Avanti Vapour 3 which i bought about 10 months ago..

i snapped the rear swing arm last weekend and have been told that its covered under their warranty.
however i am told that the part that needs replacing is not available in my frame colour!
Am i in my rights to expect that my bike should look the same as it did when i bought it????
what can i do about this??

Thanks, Luke.
 
indica

indica

Serial flasher
Holy shit, that is a tragedy,
I'd call Sunrise or some other show and be interviewed and complain about how your life is now ruined and your ride quality will suffer.







Suck it up princess.
 
C

creaky

XMAS Plumper
It'd give me the shits. Tell them to replace the whole frame with a matching colour scheme.

Alternatively, ask them to get it sprayed / let you get it sprayed before they fit the new rear triangle.
 
C

C Dunlop

Likes Dirt
Lukey_p said:
Just wondering if anyone can give me any advice regarding a dually frame that i have recently snapped??
I have an Avanti Vapour 3 which i bought about 10 months ago..

i snapped the rear swing arm last weekend and have been told that its covered under their warranty.
however i am told that the part that needs replacing is not available in my frame colour!
Am i in my rights to expect that my bike should look the same as it did when i bought it????
what can i do about this??

Thanks, Luke.
Click to expand...
No. You are only entitled to an 'equivalent' replacement. Colours change every model year, so they probably won't have one. Normally replacement swingarms are just black. Sucks, but that's the story with every brand.
 
SideFX

SideFX

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I understand your frustration but maybe this is a good time to RAW your frame and save some weight .
 
M

mason33

Likes Dirt
Lukey_p said:
Just wondering if anyone can give me any advice regarding a dually frame that i have recently snapped??
I have an Avanti Vapour 3 which i bought about 10 months ago..

i snapped the rear swing arm last weekend and have been told that its covered under their warranty.
however i am told that the part that needs replacing is not available in my frame colour!
Am i in my rights to expect that my bike should look the same as it did when i bought it????
what can i do about this??

Thanks, Luke.
Click to expand...
My avanti torrent had the same thing happen, luckily they had the right colour seat stay in stock.

2011 Torrent 2 Seat Stay Damage.jpg
 
L

Lukey_p

Cannon Fodder
Yeah thats exactly where mine cracked.. to be honest it wasnt getting that much of a pounding when it broke either.

And i know there are a lot worse problem in the world. just ordinary having to ride around on a multi-coloured frame!
 
M

mason33

Likes Dirt
Lukey_p said:
Yeah thats exactly where mine cracked.. to be honest it wasnt getting that much of a pounding when it broke either.

And i know there are a lot worse problem in the world. just ordinary having to ride around on a multi-coloured frame!
Click to expand...
It's a really weak design, if you look at their new frames they've completely redesigned the rear end, "looks" much stronger. I'm thinking of seeing if I can buy a spare stay while they've still got them in stock and in the right colour because I can see it breaking again. Like yours I haven't used it for anything too serious, mainly xc/trail with a bit of downhill.

It's pretty crap that they can't replace yours in the right colour, but if they haven't got one, they haven't got one. At least you can actually get the part replaced under warranty, may just have to pay and get it painted.
 
Mywifesirrational

Mywifesirrational

I however am very normal. Trust me.
Wilson_753 said:
Buy a can of paint.
Click to expand...
indica said:
Holy shit, that is a tragedy,
I'd call Sunrise or some other show and be interviewed and complain about how your life is now ruined and your ride quality will suffer.
Suck it up princess.
Click to expand...
Bit unfair fellas's!

He's got every right to expect and demand an equivalent replacement under warranty - that means that it needs to be color matched or the entire frame replaced. If they expect people to accepts random leftovers that's pretty piss poor attitude to warranty customers.

If they tried to give me a unmatched rear I tell them to f*&^ off politely, then contact my consumer affairs advocate.
 
L

Lukey_p

Cannon Fodder
Good news, after getting onto an Avanti rep.. he has told me that they are stripping down a bike with the same colour and replacing my part in the matching colour.
But i bought a Santa Cruz Blur LT frame instead.
 
L

Ledbeater

Squid
Great result! Good for you... I guess they figured helping you out is good for their brand, rather than suggesting you "buy a can of paint" like some minnows out there...
 
wombat

wombat

Lives in a hole
C Dunlop said:
No. You are only entitled to an 'equivalent' replacement.
Click to expand...
I think it'd be reasonable to argue that if it doesn't look right, it isn't an 'equivalent' replacement. Aesthetics are a factor when people buy a product, so getting something that is all mismatched later may well not cut it.

I very much doubt that a car company could get away with replacing a dodgy quarter panel with one of another colour and claiming it's equivalent.
 
R

RodeoClown

Squid
C Dunlop said:
No. You are only entitled to an 'equivalent' replacement. Colours change every model year, so they probably won't have one. Normally replacement swingarms are just black. Sucks, but that's the story with every brand.
Click to expand...
I'd like to know the source of this comment, is it the manufacturers saying this or the Australian Consumer Law, because the latter is the one to take notice of and the above isn't mentioned anywhere in the ACL at all.

A small excerpt from the Australian Consumer Law which I have pasted a link to below:

Replaced products must be of an identical type to the product originally supplied. This covers colour, weight, everything that usually falls under the category of identical.

http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/Consumers/Consumer_guarantees_warranties_and_refunds/Repairs_refunds_replacements.page?

Also, so you all know the Warranty period offered by stores and manufacturers is a bit of a myth on products purchased after 1st of Jan 2011, products are now covered by a consumer guarantee. Which covers product for a "reasonable time", this "reasonable time" I find is usually proportionate to the amount paid for the item. So when I had a frame blowout 25 months after purchase, and was refused a replacement by the store/manufacturer I asked the office of fair trading to pursue it and was shortly after the recipient of a replacement frame.

This is a free service, that all consumers should know about and take advantage of.
 
wombat

wombat

Lives in a hole
RodeoClown said:
This is a free service, that all consumers should know about and take advantage of.
Click to expand...
Yeah it's free, until you actually try and put it into practice and butt heads with someone over the definition of "reasonable", then it can end up being a right pain in the are.
 
R

RodeoClown

Squid
wombat said:
Yeah it's free, until you actually try and put it into practice and butt heads with someone over the definition of "reasonable", then it can end up being a right pain in the are.
Click to expand...
In the dozen or so times I have used this service, only once has it gone further than 3 phone calls from the OFT. That time was for a piece of cookware that I had already had replaced under warranty twice, I chose to go to the tribunal for a cost of $30 and the retailer pulled out and sent me a new one.
 
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