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Assembled the bike first before complaining? Hmm.
Yeah, he's trying it on. It's a very common scam to claim repairs for damage to get it much cheaper. He'll patch it up and use it or more likely sell it for a profit.
Or he's assembled it and damaged it in the process, in use, or as mentioned while fitting to a rack.
I can't see any way a loose wheel would cause the fork damage. Chain stay damage actually looks like from a jammed chain,though it sounds like you admit that may have already been there, despite claiming as new, which puts you in a difficult position there.
As suggested just offer return and full refund.
To me, those photos (not the first one) look like damage from a disc rotor. Did you remove them before packing the wheels in the box?
BTW I’d agree that bubble wrap is next to useless when it comes to heavy metal parts banging together (eg bike bits). The damage on the forks is in an odd place if the wheel was strapped to the side, it looks to me as if something was banging against the forks - looks like a series of circular chips as the item hitting the forks moved about.
It’s a nightmare packaging bikes for transit. I won’t do it anymore as I find it very time consuming, I like to pack them so they can survive being dropped, stamped on, buried under hundreds of Kgs of other packages etc.
Looks like the buyer has damaged it and now chancing his arm! Which he will likely succeed with due to Ebay and PayPal’s ridiculous practices. Not helped yourself selling it ‘New -other’ when it isn’t and wa in fact used.
If it were me I would tell the buyer to return it to me for a refund. It’s one of the reasons I only sell on eBay cash on collection.
Bit of a mess of a situation, god knows what really happened.
But those markings to the fork must have took a bit of doing whatever happened, as mentioned looks like a grinder has had a go at it or something, reckon you'd struggle to get as good a marks is on it just now swinging the thing against a lamppost half a dozen times.
My take having viewed the photos...
The fork brace damage could have been a cassette. The damage shows vertical lines spaced evenly on it, which look a similar distance apart to cassette spacing.
For these to make sense, the fork would have to be turned 90 degrees to the left and the rear wheel packed on the right, cassette facing inwards and next to the fork brace. This also lines the cassette up with the damage on the downtube, with the cassette sitting between the fork brace and downtube when packed.
The damage on the fork brace being done by a disc rotor could also be plausible, with a wheel packed in the same way with the rotor facing in.
I think the OP can ascertain the cause of the damage just by thinking about how they packed the bike, was it packed how I've suggested? Fork turned left and a wheel to the right of the frame/fork?
Return for full refund is a costly option overall as you'll end up paying to have a damaged bike shipped back to you... which may also get damaged again. I'd offer full refund and return but hope the buyer requests less compensation, settle that then just draw a line under it. Life is too short
As Simondbarnes and others
whether there was at least a cheaper option than the Specialized paint?
Specialized don't offer touch up paint.
So, since Spesh touch up paint don't exist, £35 quotes for it are BS. At this point the whole thing starts to sound off. Bike box not damaged, you say? Hm. There's a lot of possibilities for how the damage has occurred, but when the proposed remedy involves figures based on lies, I'd be thinking someone was chancing their luck. Leaving the fictitious pain cost aside, the labour for the repair actually doesn't sound insane. Tough call.
Buyer probably chucked the bike in the back of his car, without any thought to it moving about. Cassette or disc damaged the fork brace.
Don't fanny about, just offer him a refund. I wouldn't be giving him a red cent, the whole thing stinks.
This.
That damage on the fork crown looks deliberate. If you zip tied the front wheel to the frame in transit there is no way that its coming off.
I always send a bike with the rear wheel in place and the front wheel cable tied to the frame.
He's at it, call his bluff. Ask him to send it back for a full refund. As above don't give him a single penny.
I suspect you'll be met with radio silence.
Rips my knitting out this kind of thing.
It’s a nightmare packaging bikes for transit. I won’t do it anymore as I find it very time consuming, I like to pack them so they can survive being dropped, stamped on, buried under hundreds of Kgs of other packages etc.
It needn't be. We package hundreds of bikes every year (20+ on some days) for delivery by TNT couriers. No bubble wrap though. Plumbing insulation, some other foam and a few zipties. It helps that we have our own boxes made up that mean we don't have to remove wheels.
Most damage we see from bikes arriving in the workshop is from cassettes hitting frame and/or forks - and the marks look just like the ones on the OPs forks.
Or of course he could be telling the truth. Happened to me - received a bike that hadn't been packed well and the cassette had scratched up the fork stanchion and the frame. Initially the seller was very good and said I could send it back, the problem was I had already sold my old bike so would be bikeless. I was wanting money off to the value of a stanchion repair.
Point is, he seemed like a decent bloke, I don't think I'm that bad a bloke - we would both have preferred a hassle free transaction, but these things happen. Why not point him in the direction of this thread and suggest that the STW collective decide the course of action and value of any compensation to him.
Looks to me like cassette damage on the forks and disc on the other bits barring the crank bit which is clearly old
If I had a bike turn up like that I'd not even want a part refund I'd be sending it straight back. Who on earth would cause that much damage for a bit of money off. He's probably worked out what it's worth now with the paint damage and asked for a refund of the amount lost and probably hoping you ask for it back, I know I'd not want it. I don't blame him at all for that
Most damage we see from bikes arriving in the workshop is from cassettes hitting frame and/or forks - and the marks look just like the ones on the OPs forks.
agree
BTW I’d agree that bubble wrap is next to useless
agree
.It’s a nightmare packaging bikes for transit. I won’t do it anymore as I find it very time consuming, I like to pack them so they can survive being dropped, stamped on, buried under hundreds of Kgs of other packages etc
agree.
Shipping is very tough to the bikes. Sometimes very hard to understand why it's so tough onto the equipment.
Bubble wrap is inadequate
This.
If you've got wheels in with a frame, you have to put something to stop the axles from grinding against everything. A folded piece of cardboard works great.
I had a chap send me a carbon road bike wrapped in some bubble wrap and a dirty t-shirt. The axle from the front wheel rubbed a hole in the frame. The guy told me it was packed well and the courier's fault. I got nothing back from him, £150 would have made me feel a bit better.
Pay the money and take the lesson about packing bikes properly.
The axle from the front wheel rubbed a hole in the frame.
sounds crazy but it's that way.
Courier van / truck: shit rear suspension and they don't secure the boxes. Stuff smashes around all the time in the rear... Really great if heavy boxes fall on top and jump all the time up and down on your bike...
Is this "professional transport / courier service"?
I doubt.
But the drivers are normally in a too big hurry to really care.
I'll repeat - we send out hundreds of bikes every year by TNT. We don't have issues of bikes turning up damaged and I doubt that TNT drivers are that much different from the rest.
There a reason brand new bikes are packaged with the rear wheel in the frame and no front disc fitted. If your sending one then I suggest following this. Also very little bubble wrap used, sometimes some foam padding but this will have cardboard on top. Other places just protected by cardboard. Oh and as said above front wheel zip tied in place, as are bars when not fitted.
I gave the buyer a partial refund, which was what they asked for. This thread confirmed my feeling that there was a possibility that this actually was damage that was sustained during transit, so I didn't mind doing so on this occasion. Annoying though, for bother buyer and seller. I think I'll get the local bike shop to pack any bikes I might sell going forward.
The perils of selling on eBay. Never worth the hassle.