Bike Frame Dent
 

Hey guys,
i just got a bike from ebay but the guys from the shipping company managed to get a dent straight into the frame. The shipping was insured and I probably can get a refund for the bike, or a new frame. So, being presented with the options of getting a new frame, full refund, or partial refund and this frame what would you guys choose? I don't know exactly what the options will be, as the insurer only today replied back. I am worried that if i choose to stick with the frame, it may be a weak point that at some point may cause me major headaches :)
Photos below. Thanks.
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/4228/dsc02067.jpg
http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/1738/dsc02066z.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2723/dsc02063gr.jpg
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/8954/dsc02054n.jpg

uhh new frame or refund seriously dont ride that

First choice is get a new frame or a full refund. If the dent has caused hidden structural damage you may learn about it the hard way and have no recourse. If/when you sell the bike the dent could be a major sticking point.

Use your hard-earned money to get exactly what you paid for - a straight, perfect frame.

I agree with others who said refund/new frame.

There was a guy in the FG/SS forum who filled his frame tube with water and allowed it to freeze a couple times to pop a dent out. We were all quite skeptical but it actually seemed to work pretty well. I'm not suggesting this is a good fix for a dent like this but regardless of what anyone says- it has been done and did not further destroy the frame the way we all expected it would.

They owe you a new frame.

The box has a taped X right about where the dent in the frame is. It almost looks like the shipper damaged it prior to shipping and repaired the box without checking inside for damage to the frame. That is a great example of why you buy insurance for a shipment like that.

I once went to ship a bike I sold on ebay and the shipper told me that they limit insurance coverage to $150 on bicycles since no bike can be worth more than that. Naturally, I went to another shipper. They were clearly telling me that they did not want to ship bikes.

Dang man, that's nasty!!!
You don't want to ride nasty, do you??
You deserve a new, undamaged bike for the money you gave out!

Chombi

Agreed - new frame. And the seller needs a new shipper.

That is an ugly dent and an even uglier scratch.

However, judging by the size of the dent and the location, I doubt, that it is a structural issue and you could probably ride that frame safely. I think if that were my bike and I had not just bought it (like it got a dent from a rock something else that was my fault), I would ride it without hesitation.

It wopuld be better, though, if you can get the shipping co. to pay for it. Also, unless the original manufacturer has a spare new frame lying around that they will sell you for cheap (they usually will not), it might be more cost effective to just replace the whole bike.

But the first step is to find out how to have the shipper fix their mistake.

Good luck!

Nothing less than this!!!

The buyer has no need to play with the shipper. He bought the frame. It arrived in condition as noted. It is up to the seller to get him a new frame. And the onus is upon the seller to go after any reparations due to damage in transit by the shipper. Not the buyer.

Get a new frame. Everytime I would look at that dent I would hate it. They stuffed up so let them fix it. Unlicky hit, if it was 3 inches either side it would have missed the frame.

There is not a single reason not to get a refund / new frame

Someone obviously speared that box. Interesting that the tape matches. Regardless, I would get a refund and let the seller deal with the shipping company.

Full refund- if they just pay for a new frame-it will cost more than you paid for the bike.
All your money back-shipping+ actual buying price.You give up the entire bike.

It is aluminum right? Nasty dent, and aluminum isn't forgiving-steel slightly more forgiving

.Now real life, if I had dented the bike, and was stuck with it-I would ride it, and not worry about it. Now I would probably look for a donor frame, so switch parts over, but if it was my only bike-darned right I would ride it. This is strictly me, I take chances. Of course it is MUCH MORE LIKELY to fail than an undamaged frame, but it probably will never fail.How likely to suddenly fail, and drop you in a tumbling mess on the road/trail- NO ONE CAN PREDICT THAT?? Maybe the manufacturer has numbers on failures, but they sure won't let you in on it.

Get all your money back-forget about a new frame(maybe, maybe you can suggest you would like to buy it as salvage, but that is kinda tricky.
Charlie

New frame. If the dent was on the top tube, I'd inspect it and consider a partial refund, but a down tube is nothing to mess with.

Thanks so much for the replies.
Its been a month now so I can update you guys maybe it'll be useful in the future for someone.
The guy I got the bike from filed an insurance claim which was shot down because they said that signing for the delivery is also acknowledging that the package was ok on the outside. As I did not complain about that on pickup, I cannot get a refund. I will try to contact the insurer and talk to them, but as it seems, they're a bunch of asses and I think making me happy is not their number one priority.
The guy I got the bike from, obviously, has no immediate desire to refund me and said that we can settle this when the insurance claim gets fixed.. which probably means never.
In the mean time, I will go home, build my bike and hope for the best while at the same time I willl continue my fight with the isurerer.
Bottom line, whenever you get a package, make you at least inspect the outside carefully before signing.
Take care,
Tibi

Let the shipping company know that making you happy should be their number one priority. You have the sympathetic ear of thousands of biking enthusiasts on this forum. Threaten them with exposing their name to this community. A bad reputation is exhorbitantly more expensive than replacing a frame that they clearly damaged. Additionally, a good reputation is way more valuable than the frame.

Another option is to sue them. Forget about their policy about accepting a package before realizing the damage. The shpping company would find it cheaper to just replace the frame than fight a court battle.

I hate to see this shipping company take advantage of you this way, especially since the shipment was insured and there is clearly damaged packaging. Somebody has dodged a bullet at your expense - don't lay down and just take it.

Yep, damn right I'm not laying down the arms. I wrote the friendly email to DPD expressing my confidence that they will right the wrong. More to come, depends on their respone.
The main problem is that I am in Germany and I do not speak the language that well.

Get a native speaker to go over your emails.