brakemeister

Trek JApan.. something is not right.... a bend frame and a handlepost is usually warranty .. absolutely no problem to get something like that replaced from Dahon.....
Maybe you need to work on finding a better dealer .........

Sharpie answer : I tell you that is the very best way to fix small scratches.. all this funky paint doesnt work, as it is designed to be burned in and if you use it "cold" it will make a mess and never work just right.. A sharpie however .....Great ... for all red tones I suggest Finger nail polish....

Rubber O rings fir the handlebar...... you can get all kinds of O rings in every hardware store ... go all out and get you a pair .... :-) I agree however. stuff like that should be available, its a very cool idea

There are ather manufacturers for rear shocks for the 07 and earlier Jetstream out there, Unfortunately Cane Creek doesnt have any shocks nor parts anymore ( I bought the last ones) But that is not only Dahons fault. In this case the manufacturer of the shocks should have a decent enough bin full of replacement parts for Dahon ready to go and also available after the original is no longer specked. Unfortunately in the bike industry this is all to common , that a Parts manufacturer goes all out to get speck , but after the speck is over they dont care about spares no more.... But as I said they are a few 130 mm long shocks out there ....
( I think it was 130 mm long right ? ) The new one on the 08/09 Jetstream is longer

thor

TrekJapan

Thor,

You're the only saving grace in the Dahon community.

I have an LBS here who sells Dahon. I did not buy my bent Mu P8 from them and they have tried to intercede for me with Dahon and I've just gotten no love at all.

I'm just of the opinion that my bent frame, at the hinge area is a money hole for me. I took it back to the department store I got it from and they got the parts for a hinge to fix it and changed the stuff but the hinge area is bent. It was basically the same.

Dahon simply won't do anything for me except to tell me to take it back where I got it.

I have a Speed TR, a Speed P8 and a used Jetstream XP and don't get me wrong I absolutely positively love the bikes and can't get enough of them but when it comes time to replace, upgrade, or whatever I do with all these bikes I have, Dahon is just not an option.

Heck as you know all the orders I make to Dahon from their website get farmed out to you. They don't even fill their own orders.

John

lz4005

Dahon really does seem to be shooting themselves in the foot. I know of two different shops in my city that have dropped Dahon because of lousy warranty and replacement parts fulfillment.

vmaniqui

that's not good. is the customer service in US or somewhere else ? i just hope dahon is reading this thread ....

jur

Interesting post. A chap named Wild Bird over in Dahon forums also raised this issue and Dahon were very interested in contacting that shop.

I don't think Dahon people read much here though. It would be good if you could post this in the relevant Dahon thread as well (which has been dead for a month now).

lz4005

Unless Dahon has significantly improved their US parts fulfillment operation, I doubt the owners of either shop would want to hear from them. One shop stopped selling folders entirely, the other took on another line that has much better dealer service.

Kaito

I have a MuP8 that I needed the forks replaced after an accident. I was told by the shop that it would be a month, so thought I'd try go direct to Dahon the manufacturer, but that was kinda a run around....and the message I got from tech support was over worded, and didn't provide much help....Brakemeister seemed to be the only one to give a sensible, to the point answer at the time.

To my surprise, and delight, the LBS did pull through & had a replacement fork for me in 2weeks.

Still, considering that experience, and another w/the hinge, and also with upgrades, the Mu was that last Dahon I'll buy...

As for sales strategy, it's probably more volume than quality..(w/the exception of Thor)
I almost bought a '09SpeedProTT from an online shop here in Japan, but didn't get a reply from my inqury till this week...My initial inquiry to the shop was in Feb! JMHO, But I think Dahon needs to be more selective on who/what shop they partner with..

Happily upgrading & riding the Swift..

makeinu

Yeah, but then again I don't know any other brand of folder that can be test ridden almost anywhere in the world and, perhaps consequently, I don't know any other brand that sells more bikes either.

I always think that manufacturer's of unconventional cycles need to find better ways to get their bikes available for test rides. Looks like maybe Dahon has found a way and despite the drawbacks I bet the whole folder industry has benefit from the exposure.

As they say, "there's no such thing as bad publicity."

Swift is a great bike, but it's not really a substitute for the Mu SL in terms of fold.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't buy a Dahon from any of the B&M shops I've tried them at because I know the shop employees are boneheads (and I've seen them muck up other brands too...even Bike Fridays) nor have I ever owned a Dahon, but I've yet to see a complaint from one of Thor's customers which all makes me believe that the Dahon name isn't the problem as much as the name on the bill of sale.

Just my 2c.

brakemeister

Now you guys make me raise my prices ..... besides running around with a big head full of hot air...
lol

There are problems .... poblems like any other bike manufacturer has..... with the scale of things it is understandable that there are 2000 more Dahon complaints than brand X .... Plus lets not forget that many Dahons are a first bike purchase from folks who are just starting to ride bikes again.... compared to Brand X or Y or T where they dealing mostly with seasoned bike riders.....
There is nothing wrong with that I like " Noobies" and feel great when somebody buys a bike just to have fun without any prior knowledge ...

but you see the problem....where you and I break out the allen key and tighten this or that ( like we are used on any bike ) some folks dont know and keep riding until the wheel collapses due to spoke breakage ( just as an example )

Now one complaint which meanders through this whole thread ..... Dahons answers are slow and action is slower yet ..... This is maybe a problem which wouldnt arise if the Dahon brass wouldnt be as easily contacted the first place .... Lets see they have a handfull of employees in their CA office and they have to answer to consumers emails ? No wonder they get nothing done ..( lol ) Who has send a email to Mr Burke ( Trek) or Michael Sinyard ( Specialized) and received an answer about the lousy bell on the bike ?

or the Dahon bulletin board, where its not regulated at all. people come up with all kinds of things and expect Dahon to respond... The Dahon folks read that forum, but they do not interfere with it.... also they usually do not take any action, Thats up to the dealer and the importer etc etc But to the consumer it leaves a bad taste, : I written my problem down and nothing happens !!! There are very few Dahon dealers on that forum and they usually jump in and try to help if otherwise no help can be found, but this is not an overnight kinda thing ..

Dahon wants to get more peole on bikes. they plan to do that with having lots of dealers with bikes on the showroom floor to testride and so forth. The dealers make good margins and with that comes a little work, like getting warranty solved, getting the customers spare parts and accessories especially for commuting and especially for folders.... Dealers at this time barely know about folding bikes as an alternatives to "real" bikes. They put one bike on their showroom but no accessories and certainly no spares.
Than the dealer can barely pay a 16 year old full of andrenaline who is all gang ho on the latest Sram red head and Shimano XXXR and rides a 15 inch suspension downhill gnarrly moster with a full helmet and all the gear.... he is working there because he loves MTB s or 4000 road bikes ..but he is not real ..... ( 16 year olds please forgive me, but you are still wet behind the ears)
That kid has no clue to sell a folding bike .. so it lingers around the shop .....

can you imagine how difficult it is for Dahon to find crazy folks like me , who simply love all small wheel bikes and folders in particular.. and I am not so much interested in a 6000 dlr Downhill monster ...

Now Dahon interferes in the regular chain of command ( answering emails and sending out stuff directly.....) versus going through the dealer ( as everytbody else is doing ) guess what ?,

some dealers get all upset, that they dont see the customer in their shop and that they cannot help their customer.... and Dahon gets a boot because they dont like the manufacturer to do their business.. !! ( or to tell them how to run their shop )

OOPS
Of course I am not naive and I know of many shops who are not following through and sometimes going direct is the last option.... but they are always all kinds of sides of a medal ....

enough rant
its Friday

tomorrow i go sailing ...unless the weather changes to real bad

Thor

KitN

OMG, Vic! You bought a Dahon? Which model? How do you like it so far? How does it compare to the Citizen?

vmaniqui

kitn,

i sure did. it's a dahon boardwalk 6 speed in british green. here's a picture when i just got it (sorry i don't have a picture of it unfolded). i am liking it so far. the ride is so much nicer, smoother and different. for some reason it feels a lot faster than my old tokyo. maybe because of it's 20" wheel. since the frame is slightly bigger, it is more stable. and the handle post feels solid than my tokyo. now i know what they are saying regarding the ride between the entry level and the name brand folder. did you get a brompton yet ???

thanks,
vic

operator

Rofl.

It's really good to know we're not the only problems getting spare parts from Dahon, or in fact even any sort of warranty anything from them. I've been trying to order one derailleur for literally, the last 4 months for a Dahon mu. Great