Bike Shop: Buyer Beware

I received the following email from a friend and teammate recently her and Tom's recent experience involving Spokes and Specialized Bikes. Feel free to re-post or forward to anyone you feel would be interested.

June 29, 2009

Fellow Triathletes and Bikers,

Many of you have asked about the situation with Tom's bike. I wanted to fill you in and warn you about both Spokes, etc., as well as Specialized. As many of you know, at the Kinetic Sprint race in May, Tom took his Specialized Roubaix out of transition, tried to start riding, and the chainstay blew. FYI, the chainstay is the part of the frame that is on the bottom side of the chain. There was literally a hole in the frame.

As soon as the race ended, we immediately drove to Spokes, etc. where Tom had bought the bike about 18 months earlier. (The bike had just over 1000 miles on it.) We assumed they would back their product. Our assumption could not have been further from the truth. This break was strange; Tom was just getting onto the bike. Something must have been wrong with the frame for this to happen. The mechanic told Tom he'd take a look and talk with Specialized and get back to him.

Several days passed and Tom heard nothing. He called Spokes, etc. and learned that the Specialized Rep, "Blade" had determined that Tom must have been in an accident and that there was no way Specialized would replace the frame. Tom was told that a carbon frame would only break at a joint where two pieces come together and that only an accident could cause a break like that. It wasn't true. Tom was not in any sort of accident. In fact, several Team Z members and the USAT official (Ed) happened to be standing there when it happened. There was no crash, accident or anything of the sort. The Specialized Rep, "Blade", didn't care and refused to work with Tom. When the Spokes store manager finally received a crash replacement price from Specialized, it was for their top line Roubaix, which sells for $5000. Tom was offered it for $2900. Tom's bike was an entry/mid level Roubaix. Tom asked about purchasing a replacement frame, but Spokes, etc. and Specialized were unable to help him with this.

Tom wanted to raise this to a higher level and was told by Spokes, etc., that they would look into it and get back to him. They never contacted him. Tom left a message for the store manager. He never called back. Tom sent an email to Specialized offices in California. They responded that there was nothing they could do. After several weeks, Tom was finally told that they were going to send the bike out to Specialized in California for an assessment. This would take at least an additional week. Given the circumstances, Tom felt a bit better and that there might be some hope.

After close to a month of little to no response, I asked Tom if I could contact Spokes, etc., as an attorney, to see if we could get something moving. He agreed. Here's what I learned:

1. Spokes, etc. never sent the bike to Specialized in California.

2. The owner of Spokes, etc. Jim Strang, told me that Spokes, etc. was only the middleman in this and there was nothing they could do. They would not back their product. He further told me that if I wanted assistance, I would have to work directly with Specialized on this. I was shocked. I had never heard of a store that refused to back the products it sells and instead sends its customers to work directly with the manufacturer!

3. Blade referred me to the Specialized attorneys in California who then told me this was not their issue, but rather a warranty issue. I asked to speak with someone in warranty, but they couldn't find anyone for me to contact.

Bottom line, both Spokes, etc. and Specialized refused to back their product and Tom, having spent thousands of dollars on the Specialized bike had to, again, purchase a new bike, just 18 months later.

The easiest solution to this issue would have been to offer Tom a replacement frame at cost or just above and put the components from his broken bike onto the new frame. I mentioned this several times, but both Spokes, etc and Specialized refused. In the end, Tom spent thousands of dollars on a new bike.

Warning and Recommendation:

1. Avoid buying from Specialized. While Specialized is rated as one of the top bike manufacturers, Tom's bike was a lemon. He was never in an accident and the frame broke. A bike manufacturer should only be top-rated if their product is supported and Specialized bikes are not. If you buy a Specialized and have an issue with it, they will not help you. Specialized refuses to work with their customers and you will be on your own to fix/replace the bike.

2. Avoid buying from Spokes, etc. Through this experience, it becomes apparent that Spokes, etc. does not back its products. Per my conversation with the owner, Jim Strang, they consider themselves only "middlemen" of the products they sell. As a customer, if there's an issue, you, the customer, are responsible for tracking the manufacturer down and resolving the problem yourself.*

Tom and I are now discussing next steps including possibly filing a Small Claims Suit against Specialized and Spokes, etc. This all could have been avoided with just a little bit of customer service. Tom wasn't asking for anything for free. He was asking for what would have been reasonable, but Spokes, etc., and Specialized refused.

DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THIS SITUATION! Be very careful if you decide to buy a Specialized or work with Spokes, etc. You cannot be certain of the quality of the product you are buying and, if it is faulty, like Tom's frame was, there is no customer service support to help you.

Thanks for reading this and feel free to pass it on to anyone you think might heed its advice.

Jill Rhodes, J.D., LL.M.

*Note: Tom and I don't agree on this point. About six weeks after this happened, Tom returned to Spokes, etc. He was unable to find a frameset in a timely manner from another bike dealer. The manager at Spokes, etc sold him a Trek at a "pretty good price." That said, had Spokes, etc. truly wanted to help Tom, they would have provided him with a new Specialized frame at cost and not just "helped" him by selling him a new bike at a discount.