General Cycling Discussion - Your brand new bicycle u-lock is not safe!

anything wrong with the flat-key locks?

Generally, there is nothing wrong with flat key locks. Assuming the lock is strong enough to withstand the expected forms of attack. Flat key locks can be picked, but in practice few thieves bother to take the time to pick them. Bike thieves generally rely on force attacks like bolt cutters over subtle techniques like picking.

I just tried this trick with my Sentry 3827 safe... which requires both a combination and a key to open... I opened the tumbler lock virtually *instantaneously*... didn't use a bic pen, rather used a plastic shield that came with a pencil to protect the tip of the pre-sharpened pencil... stuck it in the tubular lock and jiggled, literally virtually the second I stuck it in and started jiggling, it popped open...

Well at least I know what to do if I ever lose the key...

This speaks very poorly of Kryptonite (and other lock companies... Sentry as well - as a friggin' **safe** manufacturer, you would think they would try to protect your valuables with locks that work)... a google search reveals that this vulnerability was published in 1992 and should have been very well known to anyone whose business is locks - that they continued to sell insecure crap for so long, relying on ignorance (of lock buyers - I am sure over the past 12 years there have been some thieves who worked this trick to the max) to keep their useless product selling.

Very very bad, Kryptonite. There are only two explanations for what happened. First, they didn't know about the trick. Which means they are very very STUPID or else don't give a hoot about protecting their users' security, because it would not take much investigation to find this vulnerability. "How easy is the lock to pick?" is an obvious question, and this should be an obvious answer to anyone who knows anything about locks. If they are not STUPID, then they must NOT CARE, as long as their locks keep selling. I tend to think it is the latter, rather than the former. But have a hard time seeing how it could be anything but one or the other.

I'm not so sure if the lock companies were really that stupid.

Even though the information is now findable, that doesn't mean it was public knowledge. (There's A LOT of information on the Web, but that's exactly the problem. The more there is, the harder it is to find something among it.)

The reason why I have my doubts about this being generally known is that otherwise lockpick companies would've brought out some version of a (disposable) tubular pick based on this principle. But that hasn't happened so far. Yes, they are probably interested in selling they fancy, expensive ones, but since a deformable plastic pick would only be usable a few times, and since application of it seems to be a lot easier and faster than a professional one for $100, I'm sure they would still be able to make a good buck on it.

And since it's normally the lockpick manufacturers that try to exploit any weaknesses in existing locks (even if it would render a specific lock type useless), I figure if they haven't picked up on it so far, you can't really blame the lock companies if they weren't aware of it either.

Did you try a new, unstretched pen barrel (the other end of the same one might be sufficient) after using the grease? I'm curious...

Initially I tried it with the "broken in" end of the pen that I had used to pen the lock moments before the lube was applied. Since your reply I tried it with the other end or the pen, but still could not open the lock.

Any others experimenting with this? Really, you've got nothing to lose...

I just tried this trick with my Sentry 3827 safe...

I expressed a similar concern about my Sentry A3817 in a previous post in this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=623617&postcount=482). My feeling however is that my safe is in a relatively low-threat environment. I rely on it to protect valuable documents in the event of a fire more than to keep out thieves.

I hate to inform you good people, the locks in question, can also be opened, with freon. It has been outlawed, but if you look you can find it. It was explained to me, by my Motorcycle mechanic cousin. As Bikers tend to use the same locks, on motorcycles front break disk. The thiefs have done this for years. Spray freon into the lock, where the key goes, till the lock is frozen. Immedeatly, hit the frozen part of the lock with a very large hammer. The lock will shatter on the inside, unlocking the lock.
Hope this helps...
Rustie Rock
Lady Biker

"freon.... Spray freon into the lock, where the key goes, till the lock is frozen. Immedeatly, hit the frozen part of the lock with a very large hammer. The lock will shatter on the inside, unlocking the lock."

If you don't lock the lock in a position where it is easy to strike with a hammer, you can discourage this sort of attack. Lock you disc lock to your chainstay, and it is much harder to hit then on the ground. And the theif will risk damaging the frame...or better yet the theif will try to steal a bike that isn't locked up so well. A lot of this is just about making it a hassle for a lazy theif to steal.

Initially I tried it with the "broken in" end of the pen that I had used to pen the lock moments before the lube was applied. Since your reply I tried it with the other end or the pen, but still could not open the lock.

Any others experimenting with this? Really, you've got nothing to lose...


I filled my EV Disc lock with lithium grease and it opened right up. Didn't initally open with the "used" end of the pen, but it did with the unused side.. Made it take a little longer, but no more than 60 seconds.


Rob

I have a MegaLok by Kryptonite. Does anyone trying to open this? as I try with a bic pen but looks like the diameter for the lock is bigger than the others. I've tried to search online about information on this lock but I couldn't find any.

SER# F11******
Key# BA***

Thanks in advance.

I have a Trek ulock made by Kyrpto. The diameter is larger than the pen, the same "problem" as yours. I can't get it to work either. Maybe that is a good thing.

People have had sucess using the pen caps to open the locks with the bigger cylinders.

Me, too. I have an EV DISC Lock for my motorcycle and just finished opening it with a Bic pen. In the process the lock is made inoperable -- I can no longer insert the key nor can I turn the tumbler. I bought this lock to protect my bike on a cross country trip -- lucky I got home.

I'm thinking of switching to an On Guard Brute Mini. I've used the standard size lock, Krypto Evolution lock, for a while now and found you can lock a bike to almost anything. To you users of the Mini versions of Krypto and On Guard, what do you lock your bikes to with these tiny locks? I love the idea of having one fit in my pocket but won't switch to the mini if I can't lock it to much. Thanks.

For those of you who have On Guard locks with the tubular key--I heard back from their customer service rep yesterday and they said that they have UPS'd me a new MDisc lock with a flat key. I have been corresponding with Chris from customer support: support@todson.com

Anyone know if a Kryptonite MegaLok is vulnerable, too? After taking some Bic pens to it, I noted that the end doesn't even seem to fit the whole. The lock is probably two years old, if not a bit older.

Any info would be appreciated.

FWIW, I was able to pick my Kryptionite "Hard Wire" cable lock that I use to lock up a motorcycle. The cylinder of this lock is a bit wider than the barrel of the pen, but I was able to force/stretch the pen and get it to work. Took about an hour to get it the first time, but after a few successful attempts, I was able to get it open in about 7-8 seconds.

http://www.kryptonitelock.com/articles/2725/220213x2.gif

__Jason

I tried this with my Bike-Guard U-lock, and it also opened! The only difference, is that because of the larger diameter ring hole, you need a larger plastic cylinder...

I just got this email from Squire about U.S. Distributor ship of their locks:


Dear Damon:

Thank you for the information and for your inquiry about Squire bike locks. We manufacturer a wide range of cycle locks including D-locks, lock & chains, cable locks, security cables and accessories and do make several locks with a flat key design. You may view these products along with our company information by clinking on the link to our website below.

http://www.squirelocks.co.uk/html/newcycleintro.htm

Squire is an 8th generation family-owned lock manufacturer based in the United Kingdom who has been in business since 1780! We are currently in the process of setting up distribution in the U.S. and we should have everything in place within 60 days. We will let you know as soon as possible when these locks will be available in the U.S. and we appreciate your help in getting the word out to all the bikers out there who are having to go through this fiasco with Kryptonite.

Thank you for your interest in our products and we look forward to providing you with these quality locks very soon!

Best regards,
Ken Erickson
Sales Manager, Squire USA
Tel. 815-857-4330
Fax 815-857-4340
Email: <removed>
Website: www.squirelocks.co.uk

60 days. That's a while but I can hold off.

When I went to tell a good friend/coworker that rides about this he had found this

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7102784286

Looks like some feel that taking another persons bike is just a joke.

FYI- Just successfully picked my EVO 2000 with a bic pen. I'm really surprised how easy it went. After a couple tries, I could open my lock in 2-3 seconds, almost as easy as with a key. I know people say that with proper tools any lock can be picked but this was amazingly easy.

The trick to getting the cylinders aligned again after unlocking it is to either use the pen again or grind the outside tab off of the key.

-s

I have a Trek ulock made by Kyrpto. The diameter is larger than the pen, the same "problem" as yours. I can't get it to work either. Maybe that is a good thing.

I have the same lock. Given stories about kind of screwing up your lock if it's not pickable, I've been a little reluctant to try. Anyway, I spoke with someone at the Missing Link (Berkeley, CA 510-853-7471) and was told that this lock (it's definitely older than 2 years) is not one of the vulnerable ones to this exploit, that they changed something (the size of some part, I forget the details) a few years ago and older ones should be okay. [He also told me to just go ahead and try it, and that the worst that would happen was that I'd have to scrape down the part of the key that aligns it properly to be able to get the key back in, but I'm a bit nervous about doing so.]

But rather than have Kryptonite set some arbitrary 2 year deadline (and who keeps receipts for accessories anyway?), I'd rather see them just announce these are the locks with the problems=, these are the locks without that problem, and then fix all of the ones with the problem (for free). But I wouldn't be surprised if they're nervous about the liability of stating that some locks don't have a particular problem, since obviously any lock mechanism can be defeated with enough effort.

I have a Kryptonite lock that's older than 2 years, and I wouldn't have the receipt anyway, so I'm not too happy about the 2 year cutoff I've heard so far.

I called Kryptonite (800-729-5625) and complained to them about this, and their response was that they haven't yet made a final decision on this, and that that would be announced on Wednesday afternoon. I told him that if I had to pay any money to Kryptonite to get my lock fixed or replaced that I was going to look around for other manufacturers, and that if they wanted to hold on to the bike lock business for the long term that I suggested they not set an arbitrary date cutoff, and I requested that this information be passed along. He said okay, I have no clue if he's telling the truth or was just trying to get rid of me. But I suggest that if you are not happy with how Kryptonite may be handling this, please call them and let them know. If enough people complain, they may be responsive.

Looking around for Kryptonite replacements (see my other posts), the one I've been pointed to so far is OnGuard. I spoke with the company (800-213-4561) and suggested to them that if Kryptonite screws this up (like setting an arbitrary 2 year deadline), that they might want to consider offering a rebate on their locks if you turn in a Kryptonite lock. They said they had discussed something like this but that they simply do not have the ability to supply any more demand than is already there -- they've already sent all of their inventory to distributors and can only make more locks so fast.

He did say that some individual dealers may be offering such promotions. There was some initial miscommunication and I thought I had been told of dealers in SF with this, but that's not the case. I think my notes indicate City Bikes in DC has such an offer, but you should check that and verify -- I have a bunch of notes from a bunch of phone calls and it's getting a little confusing.

To you users of the Mini versions of Krypto and On Guard, what do you lock your bikes to with these tiny locks?

I have the Krypto skewers so that I don't have to lock the wheels. That way all I had to do was lock the frame to a parking meter or strong fence. Wouldn't leave my bike over night that way but during the day in high traffic areas it worked fine.

-s

I think my notes indicate City Bikes in DC has such an offer, but you should check that and verify

yup, found it:

http://citybikes.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=167

anyone know of anybody else doing anything like this? i'm looking for somewhere in the SF bay area

- rich

I just got this email from Squire about U.S. Distributor ship of their locks:
...
Ken Erickson
Sales Manager, Squire USA
Um, maybe you should edit that post to hide/obfuscate the poor man's email address. I don't think it was intended to be publically available (read: spambots).


I filled my EV Disc lock with lithium grease and it opened right up.
OK, so the grease trick doesn't really slow anyone down - great... that was my last hope. In the meantime, maybe if I attach, oh, say 8 different U-locks to my bike, I can hope that the thief doesn't have more than 2 or 3 differently sized bic pens... yeah, that's the ticket.

For those who are asking themself if it is serious. Kryptonite is offering replacement for all lock the sold since september 2002!
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetisscripts/abtinetis.exe/templateform@public?tn=home_home

Hi, I just want to let everyone know that the Master Lock pro-sport U-lock can also be opened with a Bic pen, possibly even more quickly and easily than a Kryptonite. I hope people are aware of this.

If ya'll are still look for better (faster) ways to do this, I found that skinny Crayola "Washable" "Fine Line" marker lids work MUCH better (for me, at least. I have a "Krypto Lok" U-lock). They are wider, more sturdy, and smoother (so they slide in easier). Two firm taps, turn, and that's it.
http://troubledyouth.org/pen.jpg
Ok, so these aren't new directions, the but the differences in the Crayola lids really make a difference. Even more scary, hu.


Almost makes me wish I were a crackhead....

NEWS RELEASE:

CLASS ACTION FILED OVER DEFECTIVE BICYCLE LOCKS
Krystle Rose Moore v. Ingersoll-Rand Company et al
San Diego Superior Court Case No. GIC836108

FILED SEPTEMBER 21, 2004

SAN DIEGO SUPERIOR COURT

A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of consumers who purchased bike or tool locks that have a cylindrical lock mechanism that can be opened with a Bic pen. The case filed today presents claims on behalf of thousands of cyclists and others who have purchased locks from Kryptonite and Ingersoll-Rand retailers during the past last four years. The suit seeks restitution and replacements for the defective locks. Some recent Internet cycling articles regarding the situation have suggested Kryptonite may have been aware of this problem as early as 1992. (see - http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/daily-news/article.php?id=4659) It could be problematic for manufacturers if they knew of the problem but continued to sell the defective locks.

One of the attorneys filing the case, Mike Bomberger, is himself an avid cyclist. His firm Estey & Bomberger is in the process of installing a link on their website (www.estey-bomberger.com) to answer questions and gather information from potential claimants. The link and information gathering page should be up and running by Wed afternoon.

contact information:
Mike Bomberger (mike@estey-bomberger.com)
(619) 295-0035 (San Diego, CA)
Darrell Palmer (classactionattorney@cox.net) (619) 293-3100 (San Diego, CA) :)
Kelly Puls (817) 338-1717 (Fort Worth, Tx)

Bleah. Tort lawyers. I doubt they'll be working to do anything for us, just more about lining their own pockets. That's how the torts work.

Koffee

NEWS RELEASE:

CLASS ACTION FILED OVER DEFECTIVE BICYCLE LOCKS
Krystle Rose Moore v. Ingersoll-Rand Company et al
San Diego Superior Court Case No. GIC836108



Scum sucking bottom feeding vermin. They can't even give a company the chance to do right. They just gotta be the first to get their case filed so they can collect the big money siphoning off a percentage of a big settlement where you, the consumer would get next to nothing.

I'd rather eat the whole cost of the lock than let these creeps make a penny off me. I may even go buy a new Kryptonite Ulock (disc lock) just to show my displeasure.

Greedy bastards. I don't know where they got the "thousands of cyclists" for the lawsuit from. But I suggest going to their website www.estey-bomberger.com when their link to gather information from claimants is up and filling it up with complaints about what they're doing.

Scum sucking bottom feeding vermin. They can't even give a company the chance to do right. They just gotta be the first to get their case filed so they can collect the big money siphoning off a percentage of a big settlement where you, the consumer would get next to nothing.

I'd rather eat the whole cost of the lock than let these creeps make a penny off me. I may even go buy a new Kryptonite Ulock (disc lock) just to show my displeasure.

If they're not too busy passing out business cards at the ER.

well hi everyone my name is Darrell and im from toronto ont and i have two of these Kryptonite U-locks and they are both comprimised the pen trick shure blew my my mind when i tried it and i have a really nice bike and now im scaird to just leave i alone.
well now i am wondering i dont have my recipt for my lock anny more cause i thought i got a good $75 lock X2 now what do i do ????????????

Greedy bastards. I don't know where they got the "thousands of cyclists" for the lawsuit from. But I suggest going to their website www.estey-bomberger.com when their link to gather information from claimants is up and filling it up with complaints about what they're doing.

There are certainly thousands of cyclists who have purchased Kryptonite Ulocks. The shysters just don't have them signed up yet. What they want is for you and me to go to their site and register with them so they can get a large number of 'clients'. When the settlement comes down (if there is one) the lawyers with the most suckers signed up get the biggest cut of the legal fees.

John Grisham wrote a book, 'The King of Torts', about this part of the 'legal' system. It's beyond sleazy.

BTW, I ordered a new Kryptonite NY 3000 ULock from Nashbar out of defiance. $54.95 - 10% coupon. Probably back ordered until May!

There are certainly thousands of cyclists who have purchased Kryptonite Ulocks. The shysters just don't have them signed up yet. What they want is for you and me to go to their site and register with them so they can get a large number of 'clients'. When the settlement comes down (if there is one) the lawyers with the most suckers signed up get the biggest cut of the legal fees.

John Grisham wrote a book, 'The King of Torts', about this part of the 'legal' system. It's beyond sleazy.

BTW, I ordered a new Kryptonite NY 3000 ULock from Nashbar out of defiance. $54.95 - 10% coupon. Probably back ordered until May!

I've been reading this thread for a while now but the lawyer bashing motivated me to finally post.

Do you know anything about the law other than what you read in a Grisham book? It certainly doesn't sound like it... FYI - that book is FICTION (and complete nonsense)

So - let me get this straight - we should all feel sorry for a company who may have known about a defective product since 1992 yet continued to sell it... A company which offered a LIFETIME WARRANTY offering to replace ALL PRODUCTS - yet now is only offering a replacement (inferior at that) for people who bought a lock since the arbitrarily defined September 2002 (and only for those who just happen to have a receipt - everyone else gets a big fat coupon). We should feel sorry for these guys but blame the lawyers???

Screw that - Kryptonite messed up. They offered a lifetime warranty on defective products and are now refusing to honor it. In fact, I doubt they would have offered anything without the fear of lawsuits. I guarantee that because of lawsuits, consumers will get a better deal out of Kryptonite. Kryptonite does not have your best interests at heart - only their own.

And so - I guess lawyers should file these lawsuits for free and not take any fees, too. Just the same as doctors, accountants, etc... all professionals should work for free. Otherwise they're greedy scum suckers. Riiiiiiight.

What I presume these lawyers are doing is putting up a website so that anyone interested in the case can contact them. This is a class action - in actuality, you only need one client. The lawyers are not going to make any more money by having one client or one thousand. One person can act in the interests of everyone else. It is how most consumer lawsuits get resolved these days because otherwise, no lawyer in their right mind would take a case over a $50 lock. And in the mean time, corporations like Kryptonite would get away with ripping us all off.

no we should blame the lawyers for not even waiting until kryptonite released their already announced for noon tomorrow (wednesday the 22nd) course of action towards their customers.

They obviously dont care about anything but money since they obviously didnt even read up on it enough to know kryptonite does have plans, although to what extenet is still unkown....stay tuned tomorrow for the real beef whatever it is.

In actuality, for a class action, you need a specific amount of people. I can't remember how many, but it's definitely more than ONE. Even then, the defendants can ask the judge to separate the plaintiffs into individuals anyway, which would be harder to fight, since each circumstance has to be looked at differently once the class is taken apart by the judge.

I don't think anyone thinks Kryptonite is the victim here- they definitely need to rectify the situation. But since people are now just complaining about this, I really think we should allow them to work through resolving our issues. If they're in the process of doing so, why sue?

We really are a litigous society. I have to applaud people that decide not to bog down our court system with frivolous lawsuits and choose to conduct themselves in a civilized and professional manner by working with Kryptonite and allowing Kryptonite to offer up an alternative before overreacting. I could see if there was no response from Kryptonite, or if they claimed they couldn't or wouldn't do anything, but clearly, they seem to be working towards some kind of resolution. We can now register our keys on their website, so I really believe that when we do this, we will be able to receive adequate resolution from this problem. Why jump the gun and file a lawsuit? Because they smell money, and they want their fees and big cash payouts, that's why. They could care less about us.

Koffee

Wow, this thread just hit 400,000 views! :eek:

400,001 makes me! :D

Koffee

Screw that - Kryptonite messed up. They offered a lifetime warranty on defective products and are now refusing to honor it. In fact, I doubt they would have offered anything without the fear of lawsuits. I guarantee that because of lawsuits, consumers will get a better deal out of Kryptonite. Kryptonite does not have your best interests at heart - only their own.


Did you bother to read the warranty that comes with a Kryptonite lock? Mine states:

LIFETIME WARRANTY
Should this chain stop working due to a manufacturer defect, we will replace it for free.

By the way, if you are known primarily as a bicycle lock manufacturer and you find out some of your best products do not provide any security, what would you expect to happen to your market share if you don't volunteer to provide a remedy to your customers? It doesn't take the threat of a lawsuit to figure out what would happen to your business.

Keep in mind also, that it's not just Kryptonite with vulnerable products. I expect that virtually all manufacturers of Ulocks have the same problem. MasterLock certainly does, OnGuard does. I guess tomorrow the lawyers will file against them too, along with everyone else who has made a Ulock since 1992.

NEWS RELEASE:

CLASS ACTION FILED OVER DEFECTIVE BICYCLE LOCKS
Krystle Rose Moore v. Ingersoll-Rand Company et al
San Diego Superior Court Case No. GIC836108


It's nice to see these people use the 'net (when they're not chasing ambulances). It's sad to see they cannot read. THIS IS NOT A KRYPTONITE SPECIFIC PROBLEM, fer cryin' out loud! They want money, and are going after the one company that they think has most of it. Disgusting.

--J

>I recall seeing a few posts recently (I don't recall if they were on bikeforums.net or not) - about people
>who "thought they locked their bike" only to find the bike gone and the lock mysteriously still on the
>pole. A friend of mine just told me a similar story, and I think I know why this is happening now.

No, think again.

A thief does not undo a lock to steal what is locked, then stand there *relocking* the lock to a pole. They get the hell out fast, with the bike and with or without the lock.

I was mystified noticing the odd bikeless U-lock on a pole in the city, until one day recently I checked my bike after I'd locked it, and noticed I'd missed the bike with the U-bolt lock! Easy to do for the overworked bike commuter (even easier if there's a bike on the other side of the rack you're working around). Now, I caught myself, and am extra careful since, but not everyone checks their work. You only have to make the mistake once to get your bike stolen.

Kryptonite are doing too little too late. Most cyclists have already had to buy new locks since this news broke last week. The only action that would satisfy me and those of us who had to take action immediately would be a full refund. Kryptonite are using temps to call those who have made complaints to their HQ but this is merely a damage limitation PR exercise. KRYPTONITE SUCKS.

PS The threat of lawsuits are sometimes the only thing that corporations respond to.

I've no doubt this is *not* a hoax, since there are numerous videos and witnesses of the trick working.

My old model relatively cheap 'Bumper' brand U-lock has the round lock part at the one end of the flat cyclinder, not in the middle like in the videos. Kryptonite used to make locks like this too (maybe they still do). Does anyone know if these types of locks are safe? The end of a pen wouldn't fit; I tried opening with a texta tube only to mash the latter.

[QUOTE=bigbadsteve
I was mystified noticing the odd bikeless U-lock on a pole in the city, until one day recently I checked my bike after I'd locked it, and noticed I'd missed the bike with the U-bolt lock! Easy to do for the overworked bike commuter (even easier if there's a bike on the other side of the rack you're working around). Now, I caught myself, and am extra careful since, but not everyone checks their work. You only have to make the mistake once to get your bike stolen.[/QUOTE]


I've caught myself doing the same thing, but I'm not sure this explains it either. Don't you think a person -- coming to retrieve his/her bike and finding only the lock -- would at least unlock and take his/her perfectly good lock from the rack/pole?? There's no reason to be out a lock as well as being out a bike!

Why jump the gun and file a lawsuit? Because they smell money, and they want their fees and big cash payouts, that's why. They could care less about us.

Koffee

Exactly,
lawyers go for the deep pockets, and the company that has not dealt with the problem (Master by the look of another post) Gets away scott free 'cause they are too small to worry about.





If the losers in a tort case had to pay the winners legal fees, less of these types of lawsuits would be filed. Lawyers would have to actually look at the merrits of the case before running to the courthouse with dollar signs in their eyes.


Edit: I now have a "gunsafe" that is useless. :(

So - let me get this straight - we should all feel sorry for a company who may have known about a defective product since 1992 yet continued to sell it... A company which offered a LIFETIME WARRANTY offering to replace ALL PRODUCTS - yet now is only offering a replacement (inferior at that) for people who bought a lock since the arbitrarily defined September 2002 (and only for those who just happen to have a receipt - everyone else gets a big fat coupon). We should feel sorry for these guys but blame the lawyers???

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=kryptonite+lock+pen&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=1992Dec3.114116.25385%40ericsson.se&rnum=4

From: Torsten Lif (etxorst@*****.*****.se)
Subject: Who's the thief?

View: Complete Thread (6 articles)

Original Format
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.marketplace
Date:1992-12-03 04:07:15 PST

In article 5214@*****.com, davevh@******.com (Dave Van Horn) writes:
>Torsten Lif writes:
>
>>They took a number of bike locks to a specialist who broke or picked
>>them all easily. Among the easiest were ALL Kryptonite models because
>>... ANY lock with a cylindrical key of that style can be picked in
>>seconds with the plastic cap from a cheap ballpoint pen...
>

I totally agree with this one. No matter what you may think about lawyers, Kryptonite knew that their locks with this type of locking mechanism could be easily opened with an ordinary bic pen but continued to mislead their customers about the security of their products. Instead of coming up with a new type of lock, they continued to disregard the problem and hoped and prayed that the thousands of people who bought their locks would simply not find out about this serious flaw in their locks. Is it cheaper to come clean and come out with a new lock or hope that their customers don't find out about the problem? I'm sure they were concerned about how much it would cost them to fix and just chose to hope it would go away and it did. Now that the story got so much coverage they can't ignore it and are being forced to take action. It's not because they "suddenly" found out about a major flaw in their product I can assure you. Unless companies are faced with the possibility of paying large financial penalties for actions which harm consumers, they can never be counted on to just do the right thing. Lawyers may be duchebags but they're also doing consumers a great service.

Oh give me a break!

Ok I, like another fellow previously have been reading this but now I gotta post. Kryptonite knew their lock was faulty eh? Why then didn't this class action suit happen before? Because they didn't know. Why would a multi-million dollar company knowingly sell a faulty product and back it up with a guarantee to replace the lock free of charge if it fails? Think about it, there's absolutely no logic here. I'm writing the bloody LSAT but I can honestly say that the class action suit is garbage. It's Jim "the Hammer" Shapiro style. The suit was filed after the lock/pen issue hit mainstream media, had it been done prior to that I might have been impressed. Instead, this is lawyers showing up at the accident site. Pathetic. I have a kryptonite that's useless now, and I will have to buy a new one. I could be given a new one but I didn't register mine and I don't have a receipt from 2 years ago. The lawyers aren't helping me, I won't see a penny from a class action suit, but some lawyer boy drivin' a Benz is gonna get some nice 20" rims on that puppy. Oh, you know why they need the lock to be registered or with the receipt and not just bring in the lock? Because if they didn't then that theif that broke your lock is also going to get a brand new Kryptonite lock to go with their new bike. Oh the bitter irony! What I've learned from this, register the damn lock, it would have taken me 2 minutes 2 years ago. I'm not angry with Kryptonite, I'm ticked because we live in a world of creative theifs and I was too lazy to fill out a card. Oh and lawyers suck, even though I'm going to be one.

Has anybody found out what they are doing for people who own their locks? Have they made their annoucement of intentions for us who bought them?