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I've just had the most amazing service from Orange and thought it only right that I share this experience with others.
I've always been a fan of Orange and have a 5, an Alpine and a P7. I've always liked the rugged construction of all their bikes and so was concerned when at Glentress the other week when one of the lads commented that my 2007 5 looked like the swingarm was flexing on climbs. Indeed I could haul the swingarm back and forth a bit by pulling on the rear wheel.
I decided to call Orange to ask them about it and they invited me in to have a look at it. I hadn't had time to clean it since Glentress and so took it in in a bit of a sorry state.
Ben, their Warranty manager gave it a really good going over whilst I was there and found a crack which probably explained the swingarm flex. I bought the frame new from Stif in 2007 but it was now 4 and a half years old so I was expecting shrugged shoulders and had pretty much resigned myself to buying a new frame.
HOWEVER, Orange offered me the following:
A brand new frame at 50% RRP
Free Maxle upgrade
Free custom colour upgrade
Half price Kashima RP23 upgrade
Free Headset
On top of all that, they told me to leave the bike with them and they would build all my parts over. I collected my shiny new bike today and found that they had cleaned all my original parts, given me a new seatpost as the seat tube was a different diameter and a new SDG Bel Air saddle as my original one was getting a bit tatty 😮
They had fitted brand new gear cables too and bled the rear brake to within an inch of its life.
I am one very happy bunny and looking forward to giving my new steed a run out this weekend.
I don't think I've ever had service like this from anywhere - let alone the mountain biking industry, absolutely amazing and very welcome indeed.
My only regret is that I bought a road bike before Orange announced their Carb-O.
If you're considering buying an Orange I wouldn't hesitate for a minute - you're in extremely good hands 😛
Specialized would have given you a free one
[i]Specialized would have given you a free one [/i]
the moral being - next time your Orange 5 breaks take it to specialized?
customer service is about exceeding what people expect of you. If you leave people feelign warm they'll say nice things about you. In this casae Orange went well beyond the letter of the warranty and sorted someone out a replacement frame and did extra stuff too. That's good service.
I applaud them, frankly, it's irrelevant what the cost was the OP is a happy bunny and quite rightly, imo.
Ben's ace. He sorted my broken ST4 out and even had the new one painted for me in a non std colour. And fitted a new headset.
They have always been fair with me too. Not ^^^ that fair, but ive no complaints.
It was all going well until you said 'steed'. Then I sicked up my pasta meatballs. Good deal on the new 'bike' though (closer to a bike than a swingarm).
For all the Love/hate against/for Orange. I bought my first proper bike direct from them (2006 crush) took it back with minor probs and they fixed them for free. Proper nice people and good service, I think of them as my LBS who make bikes!
Yep, I'm well impressed, this is what customer service is all about. DJG, you can keep your Spesh, from what I've seen you'll need them more often than I'll need to trip over to Halifax 😉
Forgot to mention, they also converted my rear Pro2 to Maxle, no cost 😛
Awesome.
top tale that. and the nice thing is you will always remember that, where as if you had thrown a frame in a box and got a new one back ...
just another fek about with a bike.
Credit where it's due. Well done to Orange. 🙂
That is amazing service but POIDH!
Great customer service, totally beyond what they could have done given their actual warranty obligations.
Dear Orange, I have a Sub 3 frame in the loft. Can I have a new ST-4 please for cheap. Thanking you muchly. 😉
top marks orange!
i now want a 5 even more 😉
My next bike will almost certainly be an Orange. This tale further contributes to this notion...
Good stuff , great to hear... 😀
That is pretty amazing customer service.
That is frankly, one of the most impressive no fuss service I've come across. And to think, I was chuffed today with Sony replacing my 4 year old PS3 60gb with the exact some model for £110. Because we all know the classic 60gb was the best one they made.
Definitely black catted my warranty story. Happy for you bud 🙂
Wow - fantastic service that. Well done Orange!
Go Orange!
I broke a rear swing arm out of warranty mind you, tried to get another for free but they wouldn't budge but they did me a new one and a full respray on the frame for £300 was pretty good considering you buy an orange knowing the length of warranty on the frame and a full respray etc is £200.
their mobile phone coverage is shit though, don't ever forget that
Its better than some companies and they seem to have done a good professional job but i'd still be a bit disappointed to be paying probably close to £1000 for a crack in the swing arm (unless it was crash damage then fair enough)
However maybe i'm just cheap and have unrealistic expectations!
Here's a pic for the unbeliever 😉
[img] 
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scaredypants - Membertheir mobile phone coverage is shit though, don't ever forget that
Aint that right 8)
Forget everything I said above. They appear to have welded a plastic abomination on the front of your new frame. Demand a refund!!!
Yeah wtf is that!
Looking good there mate, bet you cant wait to try it out.
Great service from Orange and may well help to sway my mind for next purchase "Alpine 160€#';"€ in chrome.
But dont tell the "Dragon",
eh,eh I mean wife.
Sorted you out there! Excellent customer service.
[i]wonders why he's considering changing his five[/i] 😕
I got the thread that holds the bearing dust cap helicoiled by Orange, while I waited in my lunch hour. I'd stripped it by clumsiness.
If you can get to Holywell Green they seem to be very willing to go above and beyond - others I know have also got similar stories to tell.
That monstrosity on the front stops all the crap clouding your vision on enduros and fast descents. Try one and you'll understand.
A bender fender will do the same job and isn't anywhere near as ugly.
Excellent news.
was looking for something else and came across this. good result!
Specialized would have given you a free one
no they wouldn't. check the T&Cs Spesh swingarms aren't considered part of the frame.
That's above and beyond - well done Orange. If only they had replied to my work experience letter....
Again, can I big up Ben and Orange - busted ST4 swingarm after 3 years. Email at 5pm day 1, Ben aswers 7:30am Day 2; by day 4 I had shiny new swingarm, with bearings, in my sweaty palms at not cost.
I have owned a number of Oranges (2x C16r's, P7, Sub5 and now ST4) and used to sail with thier sails, but this was outstanding service and help.
Another happy customer here. Had Orange's for years and live quite close to Halifax so have popped over a few times. Last time I was there it was for new decals for my 5. Dean spent ages showing me how not to completly mess them up, got examples of all the versions in stock and knocked me a bit of cash off. Another time Ben let me have a Sram 990 cassette at a biiiiig discount after I'd heard horror stories about cheaper cassettes on Pro 2 hubs. Big thumbs up from me 🙂
sorry for being a cynic, but offering stuff half price and free just shows the appalling amount of markup that is behind these items. a £1200 orange frame can be sold for £600, and they must still make money....
nice one orange !!!!! thanks for sharing that mrfrostie... 😉 always good to get great feedback.... "The futures bright...the futures ORANGE"...... i wish 'Orange' could nick that slogan...lol 
top tale, great service above and beyond, and reassuring having bought an Alpine 160 last year and then hearing the odd tale of failures.
As equipped with Hope parts fingers crossed I should be sorted if anything breaks.
sorry for being a cynic, but offering stuff half price and free just shows the appalling amount of markup that is behind these items. a £1200 orange frame can be sold for £600, and they must still make money....
Maybe they are happy to lose a bit in the hope the buyer will be happy and buy another at full price in the future? Either way I'm sure the mark up on an Orange is no more then any other bike and I guess they have to make money?
Great service.
My Santa Cruz has never broken though 😆
If the OP is chuffed to bits (and rightly so IMHO) with the result then that's all that matters. Orange didn't have to go the extra mile, but they seem to with aplomb.
BTW, even Spesh have a very limited (2 years IRC) warranty on swingarms and linkages, from the OP's post I assume that the crack was on the swingarm, not the main frame? Either way, it's a fantastic result all round.
I hope the OP enjoys riding their new bike 🙂
If the OP is chuffed to bits (and rightly so IMHO) with the result then that's all that matters. Orange didn't have to go the extra mile, but they seem to with aplomb.
^that.
And as ever, we are quick to critisise and complain...nice to have a balance.
misterfrostie...i had the same great service from Ben and Orange, not quite as good as you regarding the rear end upgrade, back riding around Glentress within a week,top drawer service.Nuff said !!! 😆