[Closed] Specialized frame Guarantee Fiasco, SHAME on you Specialized

I would be be very grumpy, using twitter etc to name and shame.

Doesn't sound like specialized to me. Sounds more like a fibbing bike shop. Are they up to date with their invoices?

I would be be very grumpy, using [s]twitter etc to name and shame.[/s] the phone to speak to someone at Spesh

FTFY. Spesh are usually very good when it comes to warranty, in fact, I've known them to go beyond just very good, so worth pursuing through polite channels. Pwning with teh bomberz can wait for now, I'd say.

*Edit - As above, this doesn't sound like the Spesh I know*

This doesnt directly help you, but I had a chainstay crack on my 2005 enduro in 2010, and it was replaced with no questions under warranty.

I remember the life time warranty on my Pitch only covered the front triangle and not the seat & chainstays or rocker links and stuff like that.

Have you checked your owners manual or the online version for reference before you go in guns blazing at Specialized UK?

Surely its 5 years from the exact date of purchase. Like others have said spesh are good with warranties. I had mine replaced at 5 years(was front triangle though)

Your contract is with the shop. If it was sold with a lifetime warranty then they should honour it. If not kick up a fuss and name and shame.

Specialized are usualy good with warranty stuff so would try ringing them myself.

From their website (see the bit I have highlighted in bold):

LIMITED FIVE (5) YEAR WARRANTY ON SUSPENSION ATTACHMENTS AND SUSPENSION RELATED EQUIPMENT

Also subject to the following limitations, terms and conditions, Specialized warrants to the original owner of this bicycle that any Specialized branded suspension attachment points, and any Specialized branded suspension related equipment (including pivot points, bushings, shock units, front suspension forks, stays, plates, fasteners) when new are free of defective materials or workmanship. [b]This warranty shall expire five (5) years from the date of the original purchase[/b] from an authorised Specialized dealer and is conditioned upon the bicycle being operated under normal conditions and use, properly maintained and set up correctly for the rider’s weight. This warranty is void if the bicycle was not assembled by an authorised Specialized dealer in accordance with Specialized’s instructions and does not transfer to subsequent owners of the bicycle. This warranty does not apply to attachments and equipment which are unbranded or branded otherwise than with the Specialized brand, however, suspension equipment which is branded otherwise than with the Specialized brand may have warranty coverage offered by the specific manufacturer. Please check in your owner’s manual pack for information regarding these warranties or check with your authorised Specialized dealer for details.

Edit - too slow 😳

Specialized lists pivot points, bushings, shock units, front suspension forks, stays, plates, fastener as being under a 5 year warranty.

LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY ON FRAMES AND FRAMESETS

Also subject to the following limitations, terms and conditions, Specialized warrants to the original owner of this bicycle that this Specialized bicycle’s frame or frameset when new is free of defective materials and workmanship. The lifetime limited warranty is conditioned upon the bicycle being operated under normal conditions and use, and properly maintained. This limited warranty does not apply to paint/finish or components attached to the bicycle frame/frameset such as front forks (unless Specialized branded non-suspension forks forming part of the frameset), wheels, drivetrain, brakes, seatpost, handlebar and stem or any suspension related parts or components. Paint/finish, components attached to the bicycle frame/frameset such as front forks (to the extent not covered by this limited warranty), wheels, drivetrain, brakes, seatpost, handlebar and stem or any suspension related parts or components are covered under the limited two (2) year warranty (above). Certain suspension related parts or components may also be covered under the limited five (5) year warranty (below). This warranty is void if the bicycle or frameset was not assembled by an authorised Specialized dealer in accordance with Specialized’s instructions and does not transfer to subsequent owners of this bicycle.

LIMITED FIVE (5) YEAR WARRANTY ON SUSPENSION ATTACHMENTS AND SUSPENSION RELATED EQUIPMENT

Also subject to the following limitations, terms and conditions, Specialized warrants to the original owner of this bicycle that any Specialized branded suspension attachment points, and any Specialized branded suspension related equipment (including pivot points, bushings, shock units, front suspension forks, stays, plates, fasteners) when new are free of defective materials or workmanship. This warranty shall expire five (5) years from the date of the original purchase from an authorised Specialized dealer and is conditioned upon the bicycle being operated under normal conditions and use, properly maintained and set up correctly for the rider’s weight. This warranty is void if the bicycle was not assembled by an authorised Specialized dealer in accordance with Specialized’s instructions and does not transfer to subsequent owners of the bicycle. This warranty does not apply to attachments and equipment which are unbranded or branded otherwise than with the Specialized brand, however, suspension equipment which is branded otherwise than with the Specialized brand may have warranty coverage offered by the specific manufacturer. Please check in your owner’s manual pack for information regarding these warranties or check with your authorised Specialized dealer for details.

Thanks for all your responses, I really don't know where or who to start with, my local bike shop and where I bought it from is Noahs in Stroud Glos who are very nice and run a very tight ship, who could I contact at Specialized ? any help would be very welcome as I am lost without my bike and can't afford a new one (yet)

I think Trek are the same, lifetime warranty of frame and 5 years on swingarms.

Try the customer service e-mail below and see how you get on.

SPECIALIZED UK, LTD.
29 Barwell Business Park
Leatherhead Road, Chessington Surrey
KT9 2NY
Great Britain
Tel: +44 (0)20 8391 3500
Fax: +44 (0)20 8391 3501
E-mail: salesuk@specialized.com
E-mail: customerserviceuk@specialized.com

bit ridiculous isn't it

Chainstay on a FS, 5 years
Chainstay on a HT, lifetime

😕

"Noahs in Stroud Glos who are very nice and run a very tight ship"

Noah's is local to me also.

Nice yes, tight ship? No way José.

Contact Specialized direct. If I were you.

Really appreciate all the comments I have just emailed Specialized explaining my situation and hopefully I will get a reply.
Thanks All

Too many people opting for the Fudbook name and shame. As suggested above, speak to Spesh, and do it nicely.

If you know the date you bought it, and can prove it, then you are covered.

(If it was less than 5 years ago obviously)

Ring Specialized direct and tell them the dealer isn't honouring the warranty:

SPECIALIZED UK, LTD.
29 Barwell Business Park
Leatherhead Road, Chessington Surrey
KT9 2NY
Great Britain
Tel: +44 (0)20 8391 3500
Fax: +44 (0)20 8391 3501

Yup try contacting Spesh directly, and let us know how you get one!

Spesh have tightened their warranty procedures massively in the last couple of years - they used to basically warranty anything that broke, they're more by the letter of the law now, and for good reason.

However... They wouldn't say that because we're now selling 2015 bikes yours is 6 years old, that's rubbish.

Spoke to a chap only last month who had a crack in his 6 year old Sirus frame, replaced under lifetime guarantee no problem whatsoever.

You'd think Specialized would at least want to get the chainstay back to see if it is indeed a warranty claim. If it's been whacked by a rock they could at least then offer you a chainstay at a reduced/crash damage price. Even if it was out of warranty they could offer you a replacement at a price.
We get used to spending hundreds of pounds on tyres, wheels, deraileurs etc whats the problem with paying for a damaged chainstay? Especially after five years use.

Even if it was out of warranty they could offer you a replacement at a price.

Unless they don't have any 26" 2009 stumpjumper chainstays left.

You say late 2009, when exactly? Are we talking days/weeks/months left of the 5-years and did you buy it new from Noahs?

I'd also suggest that going 'guns blazing' is probably not the best approach.

Unless they don't have any 26" 2009 stumpjumper chainstays left.

...and are, perhaps unfairly, trying to get out of giving you a whole new bike. I guess they wouldn't be able to give you a 650b frame without also giving you a wheelset, maybe tapered forks etc.

Keep us updated OP.

Ring them, much better speaking to a human than emailing.... Unless you have something to hide?

I could be wrong, but as the bike was bought in 2009, is it not the warranty at that point of time that stands and not their current warranty??
If so, i can;t see anyting that implies the rear swing arms only have 5 years!!

When i snapped my old Enduro they were very good, however i went via the local concept store rather than the LBS. I even proved purchase via a bank statement as i didn;t have the original receipt 😆

If so, i can;t see anyting that implies the rear swing arms only have 5 years!!

It's not an implication, it's always been 5 years on swing arm bits.

So no warranty and offer on the replacement parts?
Something isn't quite right here (IMHO) i would be on the phone to SBUK (about now) and if you don't get a better response i'd be very surprised.

I had this with evans with a pair of spesh trail boots, sole came away, evans said return to us, got a call saying they had returned to spesh, who had said no. I called spesh and was told they new nothing about it, they called evans and then called me , saying a new pair had been dispatched

Doesn't sound like specialized to me

Does to me. They'll do anything to wiggle out of any claim no matter how small IME.

I have dealt with Specialized over warranty lately and they are not what they used to be. Apparently a new guy took over around May or June and I know the shop that were dealing with me had a few problems- much slower turnaround, unsatisfactory solutions to warranty issues and several frames (including mine) turning up that were completely different to the one being warrantied.

The shop mechanic told me he wanted to knock out the new guy in charge of Spesh warranty. I would trust the shop on this, while people have previously had great experiences with Specialized warranty I think while the new guy settles in things will be quite different.

There's more to it than that. Let's say they got burned with their generosity. It's a shame, but they're never going to get back to the good old days!

They're still good with legitimate warranty claims, but don't expect an easy ride if there's any ambiguity or doubt in your claim.

yes, another +1 to call Specialized direct and have a chat. Sounds fishy.

I'd call not email, I know its a bit intimidating, like wow, speaking to another human being, but honestly it might be worth making the exception and actually speaking to them. 😉

amplebrew - Member
I think Trek are the same, lifetime warranty of frame and 5 years on swingarms.

Varies from bike to bike, but it's closer to one year on swingarms than five, IIRC And have seen a lot of folks needing that warranty.

speak to Spesh, and do it nicely

As they famously do when someone names a bicycle part after a European town?

😉

windydave13 - Member
I could be wrong, but as the bike was bought in 2009, is it not the warranty at that point of time that stands and not their current warranty??
If so, i can;t see anyting that implies the rear swing arms only have 5 years!!

If the dates are right then you have a claim from date or purchase as it will be within 5 years, if it was bought before September 09 then it's out of warranty.

Stick to your guns unlike when I gave up with them. I had a Specialized warranty claim rejected as they said my spd shoes were well used. (less than one year old heel glue seperated from the upper). Thought oh well so I bought another (exact same) pair. The SAME thing happened again- this time I binned them and bought Shimano. The samething has happened since.

Note to Hora, my claim to madison about my Shimano winter boots falling apart was rejected because "it had been a wet winter"

Hah. someone tried telling me that the stanchion coating premature wear wasnt really a warranty problem as the stanchion coating was 'cosmetic'.

Trek are just as bad, IMO, even on much newer frames.

For some reason it seems to suit certain armchair experts to believe that these big companies excel on warranty service, but the reality for many of us actual customers seems to be quite different.

Once bitten, twice shy - I'm sticking to secondhand or budget MTBs in future.

Specialized have always had a well justified reputation for being superb. Trek are good, but they do things very much by the book. They will warranty a 20 year old frame (I've seen it), but only if it's a very clear cut warranty job. They won't make concessions for frames bought second hand etc. Spesh traditionally were much more keen to just replace anything that broke! Spesh have moved to Trek's way of working now, it's a shame, but perhaps inevitable.

But then I broke a Titus (pre Planet-X) and it came back from them more damaged than when it went, [b]and [/b]they didn't actually accept the warranty claim. Buying from a bespoke brand was definitely not better service!

Trek are just as bad, IMO, even on much newer frames.

They were faultless when my Top Fuel (swingarm) cracked last year.

+1 on calling them rather than email.

I've no direct experience but a mate had some wheels replaced 2 or 3 times under warranty, in the end I think they gave him a brand new upgraded set.

When I worked in a Spesh dealer they were very, very good almost to the point of being too helpful (one chap with a second hand frame got a great deal on a replacement).

I'm guessing that the wheelsize change is going to have an impact - its not longer just a frame. Older forks and wheels will no longer work so, if a nre frame were offered with bigger wheels I can imagine people kicking off.

Buying from a bespoke brand was definitely not better service!

I wouldn't expect it to be, especialy not a struggling outfit like Titus.

They were faultless when my Top Fuel (swingarm) cracked last year.

Glad you had a good experience. They were shocking when a cable rubbed most of the way through my carbon Fuel EX within months.

Even though it said in their internal literature that customers should be warned by dealers of the risk of such... and I wasn't!

njee- have you dealt with them since April or May? The shop I was dealing with were really struggling with them and said the difference since they changed staff was marked. They showed me a Hardrock frame sent to replace a Rockhopper, my Stumpjumper was completely wrong and things were taking months rather than days to sort.