Call the sales line if you get no answer.
Ask to be transferred.
Be very nice.

Let us see your email that you sent them regards your compensation?

1/2 a story here.

My email, annoyed but not threatening:

Thanks for your reply.
I am sorry, but this timescale is unacceptable. On the 13th December, it will be nearly a month after notifying you of the problem. The frame is cracked on a weld through a manufacturing defect. I offered to strip all the components bar the headset to facilitate a quick turnaround but you insisted I return the complete bike, now you are saying nobody will even look at it for another two weeks!
I suggest you contact the factory as I do not believe this timescale to be acceptable. As I have already said, I am going on a cycling holiday, I believe I have been inconvenienced enough by a fault in your manufacturing process. I will be seeking compensation if I have to hire a bike for this holiday.

So I believe a suitable response, given that they can’t turn the bike around any more quickly, would have been something along the lines of “We are unable to improve on the timescale we have given, we will endeavour to return your cycle to you as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer compensation as this is not within the terms of our warranty agreement”

Maybe no better outcome, but I wouldn’t have been annoyed by accusations of threats and telling me they can return it whenever it suits them.

And to clarify, there should be no language issues. Canyon UK deal with UK warranty claims and are based in Kingston-upon-Thames.

Thanks for the clarification above – on that basis, I would agree that the delay in inspecting it is unacceptable, and having handled customer services for a large European cycle brand I don’t think that the response they gave you is really on.

As I said, I know that Canyon changed their setup in the UK quite recently, I knew the former UK rep and some of the background, and can well believe that this change has been for the worst for their customers.

I’m going to guess that the bike had to go back to Germany, but it was handled by the UK offices? If so I wouldn’t be surprised, its a typically Germanic protocol based solution…

You could screw them over by buying another bike from them for the holiday on your credit card, then returning it to them for a full refund in accordance with their 30 day return policy 😆

accordance with their 30 day return policy

The item has to be unused.

He could always use Wiggle as they offer a 30day test ride on their bikes……

Just to balance out some of the ‘I received my replacement before I’d even broke it’ replies in the thread, I waited around 6 weeks for a Cannondale replacement frame about 10 years ago and then 2 and 3 months respectively for 2 different Commencal frames 4 or 5 years ago.

So while the timescale quoted from Canyon is a bit bobbins, its not as unusual as many suggest. Doesn’t make it right and the tone of their response isn’t what I’d expect but it sounds like you’re gonna have to suck it up.

I would have thought though, that once the frame has been inspected, that it should be resolved pretty quickly.

Rocky Mountain took 3 months for each of my mates RM7 frames that cracked. When I had a problem with a fame Cannondale took 6 weeks to sort it out.

That’s poor. I warrantied a 13 year old Trek-built Klein a few weeks ago. As soon as trek saw the pics and the copy of the receipt the owner was offered a CHOICE of replacements within 24 hours. The weekend got in the way a bit, but it was no more than 6 days before he rode off on a brand new bike.
You just can’t beat that.

Good companies prioritise their existing customers don’t they?

How quickly did Canyon get your bike to you after you ordered it?

I’m dealing with Magura in regard to a pair of 4 year old forks that snapped at the brace.

I sent them an email to ask if they wanted me to send them the snapped lowers as I thought they might have been interested to see them, absolutely not a warranty claim, as they have been well used and a break was going to happen sooner or later.

They have collected them at their expense from my LBS for shipment to Germany, are inspecting them and have said they may sort something out if possible, much as I don’t expect a replacement it’s a stark contrast to the OP’s experience of Canyon. If my frame failed I’d be wanting a new one pretty bloody quickly TBH.

Canyon: yes, yes – no indication of the turn around time is fine, we have systems you see, which are more important than you. No we can’t possibly explain the process or duration any further. Top secret you see. Now stop bothering us you petty customer. After all we already have your money.

Sounds carp to me and I will avoid Canyon. The attitude in the response from Canyon sucks.

I’m sure it’s a very complex with various applicable laws, but if the bike is newish – maybe think about rejecting it?

As an aside: I always enjoy the few trade insiders that routinely pop up on these threads – the ones who sanctimoniously explain that you should be ‘matey’ and plead for help nicely – as it’s all down their discretion if they help you out or not.. 🙄

Maybe it’s a bit similar to what happens when some people are given a uniform 😀

Just looking at a Canyon Cross bike…..maybe try a diff make!

Hang on? Are people saying when you pay rock bottom for a mail order bike there isn’t much margin left for customer service? Well who’d have thought it…

I warrantied a 13 year old Trek-built Klein a few weeks ago. As soon as trek saw the pics and the copy of the receipt the owner was offered a CHOICE of replacements within 24 hours. The weekend got in the way a bit, but it was no more than 6 days before he rode off on a brand new bike.
You just can’t beat that.

That’s a great result for the customer, bet he was chuffed.

But for balance – I’ve been on the receiving end of awful customer service from Trek, weaseling out of a warranty claim for a known issue on one of their bikes.

And regarding Canyon, do the apologists here think a one-month wait before they even look at the busted bike is appropriate?

No, the OP shouldn’t get to jump the queue – but there shouldn’t be a sodding queue in the first place.

If they can afford to sponsor TdF teams they can afford another warranty bod IMO.

Hang on? Are people saying when you pay rock bottom for a mail order bike there isn’t much margin left for customer service? Well who’d have thought it…

+1

Canyon seem to sell bikes for about 20% less than the LBS for a similar equipped bike. e.g. Full carbon bike with full Ultegra for £1800, wouldn’t be over £2000 for a similar spec?

This is why I’d never buy a bike via a mail order company that didn’t have a shop I could go in.

I personally don’t think a month from the OP emailing them initially to them looking at the bike and making a decision is too bad.

It’s only 2 weeks after they actually received the bike.

Thing is the op could have bought two of the bikes from Canyon for the price of one mainstream bike from an lbs and saved himself the hassle 🙂

Had a few warranty issues with my Canyon (though none related to any failure of the frame itself), all been dealt with to my satisfaction in the end, though recent problem has taken a while longer than I would have liked.

If I were being kind, and after my experiences of a recent phone call with one of their guys, I’d say sometimes things are being lost in translation …

Great bikes, great prices, not quite so great customer service.

I’d buy another, but then I’m really tight!

(iv) Guarantee rights are limited to the aforementioned and any additional incurred costs (such as assembly, transport, etc.) and additional costs for assembly or material due to a model-change are not covered. Within the framework of our voluntary guarantee, the Customer shall bear these costs.

As others had said, my frame cracked, I’m glad I’m getting a nice shiny new frame, but I’m off on holiday do you have any demo bikes I could borrow / loan. Would have been the better way to approach it.

can’t see what they’ve done wrong as although you sent them images 1 month ago, I suspect they wouldn’t start looking at your bike until the received it which is fair and 2-3 weeks isn’t ages to wait.

^ +1

Ask nicely for a demo bike to borrow just for the duration of your holiday. I dont think that would be an unfair request especially if they know its going to take a few months to sort.

Canyon seem to sell bikes for about 20% less than the LBS for a similar equipped bike. e.g. Full carbon bike with full Ultegra for £1800, wouldn’t be over £2000 for a similar spec?

Trek Madone 3.5 matches that in price and spec, just about.

I’m glad I’m getting a nice shiny new frame, but I’m off on holiday do you have any demo bikes I could borrow / loan. Would have been the better way to approach it.

I don’t think Canyon have said he’s getting a new frame yet, they could turn around once they’ve looked at it and say it’s not defective materials or manufacturing process and refuse to warranty it.

What model is it..got a photo of the crack ?

3 months to get your bike is a .iss take their bikes are cheap because there is no margin for a shop. The time taken should be no longer than your lbs as you speak direct. My specialized road bike was a faulty frame whole new bike in 2 weeks. Mountain bikes are expensive and the customer service should reflect that

To be honest with you, the way it reads would suggest you are threatening them when you state you will be seeking compensation for losses incurred.
2 weeks is not a bad time frame if that is the time taken to resolve the issue.

3 months to get your bike is a .iss take their bikes are cheap because there is no margin for a shop. The time taken should be no longer than your lbs as you speak direct.

Quite right. Canyon cut out the shop and the distributor, so probably make much more per bike than a company like Lapierre or Spesh.

They also use horst link on most of their MTBs – so they’re not spending a bundle on wacky new suspension systems.

If they were to invest in better customer service it’d do them good in the long run, considering that’s the main reservation most people have about buying from them.

This is one of those that it’s easy to see both sides but it still sounds like communication from both parties hasn’t been perfect.

Like others have suggested, Canyon will need to have a good look at the bike to see what has caused the problem. This is the difference from buying direct as opposed to buying from an LBS where the LBS acts as an authorised agent and can check the fault on site. Some manufacturers have spare stock and can supply a replacement quickly, but others can’t do that so easily. Given we’re now into 2014 bikes, is yours a 2013 which may no longer be in production, and therefore also going to take time to resolve?

If you look at the thread on broken Santa Cruz frames, even they are unable to provide quick replacements for some parts that break.

I’m not suggesting you are right or wrong, but it does sound like you need to spend more time communicating with Canyon (UK or Germany) to find a suitable resolution, with a focus on a sensible outcome for everyone.

As others have said, I think the OPs email was inviting a terse response. An: “oh that’s disappointing, I have a holiday coming up, any chance of a loaner whist mine is being looked at” might have elicited a different result.

However, I think Canyon’s email is pretty rude tbh. Surely anyone who works in a customer service role should understand that the people they deal with are going to be a bit p*ssed-off, and should respond a bit more charitably.

I don’t think waiting 2 weeks for Canyon to assess the bike is unreasonable – however, you have to question what value the UK rep is in this situation. It seems like they are neither improving communications, or expediting the process – if anything, they seem to be slowing things down.

and additional costs for assembly or material due to a model-change are not covered.

and does this sound like the OP will be charged for rebuilding his *hopefully* warrantied frame ?

Hope not…

It does seem to be a long time. If they shift thousands of bikes a year then their customer service set up should be a bit slicker, taking 4 weeks to look at bike strikes me as meaning that they have a high workload in that department and are behind all the time!

I’d be miffed as they’ve also got all your components for that long – if they were still in your possession then a new cheap frame could perhaps have been bought to cover the cycling holiday at least.

I got a Nukeproof Mega frame from an LBS for 700 quid and built a brand new, decent spec bike for 2400 quid. Not far off the price of a YT. Lyriks, Hopes, Flows, Spank Spike pedals, SLX/XT, Carbon bars, Thompson stem/seatpost etc

If anything had gone wrong with it under warranty, I’d have gotten warranty replacements within a few weeks,

Shop around for deals from proper shops, that way you get a decent bike and decent customer service.

Oh yeah, I had a chip on my Nukeproof frame when I got it. I got a free headset. Another win for buying from a proper retailer

Sounds like a bit of give and take to me, the OP’s post might not have been supposed to be threatening/aggressive but I can see how it could be taken that way. But on the other hand I’d not be happy with those timescales.

We do seem to just accept crap warranty response sometimes, you hear about people buying replacement frames while they’re waiting for a resolution, you wouldn’t expect that with a car or fridge… When I broke my Hemlock, despite actually having no warranty Cotic had a new part with me 2 days later, I didn’t miss a day’s riding. Now that’s exceptionally good but it puts so many companies to shame.

If my Five broke, I’d take it 1 mile down the road where it was made.
If my Curtis broke, I’d phone and speak direct to the man who welded it.
If my Swobo broke… in fact, that’d survive a bomb blast.

Just sayin…

When I kept cracking my Spesh Pitch (two front triangles, two chain stays and one seat stay…), the LBS (who were Leisure Lakes) sorted things out very quickly – even when I moved 100s of miles away.

Don’t think I was more than 2 weeks without a bike…. top service.

So we bought two more bikes from them.

Seems like a customer appearing to be unreasonable (even if that wasn’t the intention) along with a company that aren’t dealing with things as fast as they arguably could, even if there’s nothing illegal about that.

If I got the OP’s email, I wouldn’t be particularly enamoured of them and I would probably want to make clear that we weren’t responsible for any indirect costs (eg bike hire) but at the same time would be trying to work out how to sort out something for the holiday (a test bike loan, for example).

Regarding the ‘month’, I don’t think that’s the right time to claim. They’ve said two weeks to inspect. I don’t think you can reasoably include the time from notifying them to them actually getting the bike. While two weeks to inspect is a bit longer than I’d hope, at the same time it’s not ridiculous or unreasoable as such I reckon and is just part of the downside of buying online which is offset by the price.

I guess that the question is how long after that two weeks it’ll be before you get your replacement. Assuming that it’s reasonably fast (a week, two max, I reckon) then I don’t really take much issue with Canyon other than suggesting that maybe they get people who can phrase emails better.

Took Wiggle a month to sort out a warranty dropper post for me.

And that was with a lot (polite) emailing and social media mateyness.

I work in a customer facing roll (but no longer in customer care thankfully) and being nice helps.

If you are a dick shouting your rights, no one will go over and above, but if you are nice, people will do what they can. It’s human nature.

FYI our service/warranty turnaround used to be about 6 weeks but we were in no way related to the bike industry.