Here’s the full news from Pro-Bikegear…
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
Dear Dealer,
PRO has identified a potential safety issue involving the PRO Hi-Comp road racing bicycle stems produced between November 2003 and June 2006. Due to fatigue these stems may crack and eventually break. If this happens during cycling, the cyclist may lose control of the bicycle, which could lead to serious injuries.
As all PRO products should meet the highest industry standards, as a precautionary measure, and in the interest of putting the safety of its consumers first, PRO has decided to undertake a voluntary recall of all affected stems.
The models affected are all PRO stems branded with the “PRO Hi-Comp” logo as shown on the picture.
Affected models are:
Background
So far, in total we received 13 pieces of the affected models back from the market showing a crack, 2 of which led to breakage and 1 to an accident with injuries.
Corrective action by PRO
We will be advertising a corrective action plan on our website and via a press release. In addition, we have prepared a poster describing the issue, which needs to be displayed in your store. Consumers who have an affected PRO Hi-Comp stem assembled on their bicycle will be asked to immediately stop using their bicycle, and return it to their dealer.
Action required by you
When a consumer brings in a possibly affected product, please check if it is indeed affected by reference to the models listed above. If the stem is affected, please fill out the consumer coupon together with the consumer. Please return the stem, including the filled-out consumer coupon, to your local PRO distributor. On receipt of the stem and completed coupon, we will provide a full refund directly to the consumer (based on the SRP as mentioned on the consumer coupon).
If you have a record of customers who have been supplied with an affected PRO Hi-Comp stem, please contact them directly and ask them to return their stem to you immediately. They will receive a full refund according to the procedure described above.
If you still have models of the affected stem on stock and/or displayed in your shop, please cease displaying and selling them immediately. Please return them to us using the enclosed „dealer coupon“, and you will be refunded the recommended dealer price. Please note that the dealer coupon should only be used for unsold stems, and not at any time for stems returned by consumers.
In addition, we kindly request you to take the following steps to assist us with this corrective action:
1. display the enclosed consumer poster in your store in a visible place;
2. provide a consumer coupon (a number of which are enclosed with this letter) to any consumer who asks for one, and be prepared to assist consumers in completing the coupons;
3. collect the PRO Hi-Comp stems from consumers and attach the completed coupon (one stem per coupon). Send the collected stems on a regular basis (at least once a month) to us or contact us to collect them at your shop. Upon receipt we will send refunds directly to consumers as soon as possible, using the details provided in the coupons.
If you require additional consumer coupons, please either contact us, or print them from the website: www.pro-bikegear.com