avidone1

I have had two occasions recently to contact customer service of bike related companies.
First was Selle Anatomcia for suggestions on increasing seat and leg comfort.
The second was Serfas for a pump issue.
Both companies responded quickly and to my complete satisfaction.
With Selle I was getting some sit bone pain on the right side and left leg numbness on the left.
I sent them an email and was surprised to get an email back with the name and phone number of their fitter who said "call me"
I did, left a VM and within a couple of hours got a return phone call. The gentlemen asked a few questions, made some suggestions and encouraged me to call him back to let him know how it's working out. I followed his principle suggestion, namely to lower the saddle down about half an inch and off center to the right a couple of degrees. It has greatly improved the issue.
With Serfas I bought a floor pump that has a rubber 'stopper' that locks the handle in the down position. I broke it the first day. I called Serfas and they immediately sent me a new one.
I wonder, is my experience with customer service typical of bicycle related companies, or have I been lucky?
Whats your experience?

joeyduck

I recently had a great interaction with Serfas. I bought new shoes and the front cleats for the MTB shoes had screws as place holders. I lost two of the four screws. Which allowed for water and cold air to get into my toe box.

I emailed and they promptly replied and mailed out new screws. Easy as can be. It made me very happy with my purchase.

Not cycling related but I have had excellent customer service from Black Diamond regarding a head lamp years ago.

I don't recall others.

Biker395 

Ibex sports ... who represent VDO (cyclometers) and Exposure Lights. Their customer service has always been exemplary. That's why I'm strongly inclined to be a repeat customer.

qcpmsame 

Its great to read a post that wasn't crabbing about a company, these two names will stick in my mind when I am considering a Serfas product or a saddle, in the future. Thanks for sharing the information with us.

Bill

rick458

I got a Galaxy S5 Active for its toughness, and bought a Quadlock for an S5 hoping I could fab it to work with the S5 Active.
When I received the case and bike mount it was instantly apoearent that it would never fit reguardless of any mods.
I sent an email enquiring if plans for a S5 Active case were in the works at 2345 central time, and received a response at 0200.
ANNEX said that there were no plans for that style case, but gave several suggestions, and also gave me a return authorization to return the S5 case, even though I knowingly bought the case for the other phone.
They then contacted me 3 more times to see if I resolved the problem.
I ended up swapping phones with my wife who already had a S5 ( that is an experience btw).
So in my book Annex (Quad lock) get 2 thumbs up for customer service.

Doug64

Good companies stay in business by providing good customer service.

I had a small crack in the top tube of my Bianchi Volpe frame. The local Bianchi dealer did the original contact with pictures and description. Bianchi asked that the frame be shipped to them for inspection. The shop shipped the frame to Bianchi, and in about two weeks I had a brand new frame and fork (complete with headset). I did the tear down and rebuild so that was no-cost. The only cost was $20 to the LBS for shipping.

Now the only thing left of my 2007 Bianchi is the seatpost and bars.

campngolf

Love the great CS stories. It's good to give some "press" to those companies that do good instead of always hearing about the bad ones.

joeyduck

Come to think of it, I think my current saddle coming to the end of its life after nearly 20,000 km is a Serfas. It has been an excellent saddle. I am not looking forward to the replacement hunt.

leob1

Not cycling specific, but they do sell bikes and accessories, LL Bean is hard to beat for CS and product support. If a product fails, send it back. It they find it defectiv they wil replace it, and refund your shipping cost. If a product fails, years after you bought it, and you think it should have lasted longer, they will replace it.
On the other end is Thule.

Pamestique 

NiteRider Lights... local So Cal company. Fixed a problem with a light quick, fast, shipping on them. I've heard other good stories about them. Would recommend their products highly.

While I currently don't ride either brand, I like Trek and Specialized. Each stands behinds its products. Many years ago, I had a Spec. frame crack. They promptly replaced not only the frame but paid for upgrades to the fork, shock (this was a Mountain bike), shifters and brakes. Essentially I got a brand new bike! I have steered new riders to Trek... they offer nice bikes at a good pricepoint and I've found those shops to be informative and helpful. If I need work or help, I go to a local Trek shop. I actually purchased my Landshark through a Santa Maria Trek Shop.

For women, Terry is a great company. Have been buying their products for years. Top quality and if there's an issue, responsive to your needs or complaints. And for me, nothing better than a Terry saddle!

joeyduck

I did have a good experience with Norco. I had a hybrid I got from a friend and after a year or so it developed a crack on the down tube. They wouldn't warranty it since I wasn't the original owner and I couldn't verify crash history. But they gave me a stellar deal on a new frame, a desk better than crash replacement.

79pmooney

And men. I haven't tested their customer service. I have ridden their Fly seats for years. Really high quality seats. I have yet to do anything or see any problem except I Snowseal the leather every so often. It is real leather and wants to be treated as such. My three best bikes have Flys. 24,000+ miles so far on three seats.

Ben

RonH

I've received excellent customer service from Sigma Sport. I bought a BC1909 computer in 2009 for the HRM feature. Clumsy me dropped the computer on a concrete floor in 2011 and the case cracked so two of the buttons fell out/off. I contacted Sigma Sport and they said to send the computer to them for repair. About two weeks later a new BC1909 came in the mail -- no charge.
Dropped it again (just call me butter fingers ) about 6 months later. Called and sent it to them and another BC1909 at no charge.
Last summer I hit a few bumps in the road and I noticed that the button for resetting fell off somewhere never to be found. Again I contacted them and sent the computer to them. This time they sent me a ROX 5.0 (again at no charge) because the BC1909 had been discontinued.
Can't say enough good things about them.

joeyduck

This is great to hear I have been seriously considering their computer.

Rick@OCRR

I'd like to add Garmin to the list. I contacted them because my heart monitor was goofy (too high readings following by too low readings . . . very erratic.

The Garmin Customer Service Rep asked me if I'd washed the chest band in a washing machine. I admitted I had.

He said that since the owners manual says it's okay to do (which it really isn't) he told me he'd send me a new one, no charge (including the sensor "bean") if I promised not to put it in the washing machine. I promised not to.

A few days later I received a new Garmin chest strap in the mail. Gotta love that customer service! Kept my promise too; hand wash with mild soap in warm water (after removing the "bean").

Rick / OCRR

fietsbob

Nite Rider gave me a New Bar Mount for My old Halogen Battery headlight when I Lost 1 small part from their discontinued Older Version

the new Gratis replacement retails For $30 NiteRider Universal Handlebar Mount | The Colorado Cyclist

ping jockey

I had a Saris trunk mounted bike rack and one of the straps that hold the bike in place broke after several years. I asked the LBS if they could get replacement straps and he said he would call for me.

The next time I went to the shop he said they couldn't replace the straps as they were assembled into the arm, so they sent me two new arms.

Great service from Saris and the LBS.

doctor j

Cannondale. I had an issue with Cannondale apparel and with a bike. I was very satisfied with the speed and nature of the responses to these two situations.

KenshiBiker

+1 on NiteRider. They fixed a problem I was having with my Lumina 650 (even though I told them I thought it was out of warranty), and on a separate occasion, when I asked where I could buy extra mounts for my Solas tail light they sent me two, free of charge.

Dinotte, when my 300R mount slipped down during a ride and the rubber cover for the USB plug caught in the spokes and ripped off, they first told me it wasn't necessary to have the cover since it was already waterproof without it, then offered me the choice of buying a new cover or upgrading to the Quad 4 at a significant discount. Since I like the specs on the Quad 4 better than the 300R, I went for it - no regrets.

Not strictly a bicycling company - Dry Guy (the shoe dryer folks). When the plastic knob for the timer broke (after having it for about 6 years), they happily replaced it for no charge.

All of the above encounters made me smile a little bit (not always easy to do).

P.S. It probably doesn't count, but I have gotten exceptional after-sales service from the place I got my bike: Rex Cycles. Of course, it's a small, two-person shop (just Steve Rex and Doug, the mechanic), that makes custom bikes, so you'd kind of expect good service. They do not disappoint.

Edit: Add Foxwear to the list. The couple of times I've placed orders with them, I've received emails from Lou about the sizing within 24 hours, even on weekends. Add to that custom fit and materials, good product, nice features, and very competitive prices. I never hesitate to recommend them.

tsl

Blackburn.
In 2008 I bought one of their cyclometers. In 2013 a button on it stopped working. When I phoned, since the model I owned was no longer made, they offered either a full refund or replacement with a current unit. I took the full refund since the current unit did not include something I use frequently. (HRM? Altimeter? I forget what.) I used the refund to buy a replacement unit, NIB on fleabay.

bike24.de
I really like dynamo hub powered lights on my commuters. I dislike the American distributor for Busch & Müller lights. Instead I purchase mine direct from Germany at bike24.de. When a B&M taillight failed on my commuter, I emailed bike24.de. They emailed back saying they'd issued a full refund to my card, no questions asked. I bought a replacement taillight from them that day. Due to flucutations between the dollar and the Euro, the replacement cost less than the refunded amount.

Ribble Cycles UK
I buy almost everything from Ribble--including the frameset for one of my commuters. Last year I mistakenly clicked the wrong size seatpost--two of them at $90 each. Followed the instructions on the web site for their 90 days no questions asked return/refund policy. Immediate refund was applied to my card. Although they didn't contact me saying they'd done that. All it cost me was return shipping to England, about $20 if memory serves.

BengeBoy 

Companies where I've had great service either fixing stuff or solving problems:

Garmin -- I once lost a two- or three-year old cycling computer on a ride (it fell off on a steep mountain descent, and fly over a bridge railing into a river). They sold me a replacement refurb unit at a very reasonable cost.

Dinotte lighting -- the owner will personally answer questions. They also buy back older models when it's time to upgrade (or at least they used to).

Selle Anatomica -- I sent them an old saddle for refurbishment. They lost it. They sent me a new one with a note saying, "we lost your old saddle, here's a new one," without skipping a beat.

Co-motion Bicycles -- (based in Oregon) -- have run into the founder/owner several times at bike shoes. What a knowledgeable, patient guy. I don't own a Co-motion but would love an excuse to buy one.

StanSeven

I don't doubt their customer service is good. The thing I dont like about L.L. Bean is the poor quality of thir products. They used to be the premiere company for outdoor gear. I had jeans from them that just shouldn't wear out. More recently thir jeans started to fray and fal part in six months. Boats, jackets, hats, and equipment all are the same way.

JTGraphics

I have several places I have used on this webpage the good and bad ratings for all I've used as well as several Ebay users.

rydabent

I have had very positive experiences with both of the American companies that make my bike and trike. Rans and Terratrike.

B. Carfree

Wow, I've had totally opposite experiences with the companies you have successfully dealt with.

There aren't many cycling-related companies that I consider poison and just won't deal with anymore, but NiteRider is one. In fact, it is the only one. I dealt with the owner and three his six employees many years ago when their then top-of-the-line light totally failed on me. They convinced me to ship it back to them on my dime for a paid refurbishment. I did. The light was still a failure of the worst kind (works for a while, then inexplicably the electronics have a seizure and it's all dark). After several more hours on the phone with the owner and his new customer service representative, I finally just gave up. His message was, "You bought it, it's your problem." Every reputable bike shop in the area had either already stopped carrying their products, because of both the high failure rates and the total lack of standing behind them, or they did shortly afterwords.

At the time, my commute was 100 mile round trip, mostly on forest roads, and having a reliable light or three was rather important to me. I'm very thankful for good light companies like Dinotte. He stands behind his products, will fix any that go wrong (even when it's not his fault in any way), offers accurate helpful advice and, let's face it, makes great lights.

Trek's customer service was top-drawer back in the '80s and '90s. When I had occasion to use it again a decade ago, it had clearly gone someplace in a hand-basket, if you know what I mean. Maybe you have better dealers, or at least higher volume dealers, who can coerce them to behave better down there. Hereabouts, the only lousy bike shops in town are the ones that are Trek dealers.