Warranty on Shimano parts purchased on Ebay?
 

Has any one purchased Shimano parts from eBay that went bad? I purchased a pair of pedals in March. One developed a clicking sound. I contacted the seller and he suggested I contact Shimano.

Shimano tells me that they do not cover parts purchased from eBay. Any truth to that?

I would say call and ask Shimano, but you already did that.

If that what they said.

your claim is with ebay and the seller and misrepresentation ... lawyer up ..

What's the plan here? Are you going to call Shimano back and tell them that the internet said they are wrong?

I can't see how a large corporation such as Shimano could void the warranty on a product based upon where you bought it as long as it was brand new. I suggest you contact the consumer protection agency in your state and file a complaint against Shimano. Just google on "your state name consumer protection agency" Large corporations must have a legal council contact in every US state and the consumer protection agency will know how to contact that person.

Just about every company only warranties products purchased from authorized resellers. If you purchased it from an authorized reseller on ebay and still have the invoice, you should be able to get warranty service.

State law supersedes what ever the corporation decides. Try this in a state like California and I bet the state law will be far more restrictive about voiding a warranty. Since the company is based in California, I'd bet they will have to replace the part if it is defective and not just mis-adjusted.

Warranty

Many warranties are only valid if purchased from an authorized retailer. In those cases where a part is sold by an unauthorized seller, the warranty isn't voided, it was never there.

You can bet that Shimano's lawyers have been consulted about whether or not they can legally differentiate between authorized and unauthorized supply chains related to warranty coverage...

+1

The official Shimano warranty page has no limitation requiring the purchaser to buy the part from an "authorized retailer". It just says that the warranty is limited to either two or three years for parts. The other exclusions are for commercial use. Go read it for yourself.

That is the case for most manufacturers on items purchased from ebay. Most will however honor warranty on purchases through Amazon. That has been my experience anyway.

The OP has not stated anywhere that the eBay seller was in the US or offshore, or whether it was a proper shop or a lone operator who has purchased a parts batch from a third party supplier, or whether the seller was just an Average Joe selling something they'd bought and then found they didn't want.

Until some indication is make as to the source of the parts, it's pointless trying to discuss it.

Any purchase I make on eBay is on the assumption that the only recourse I have is with the seller and not the manufacturer, and that in effect I waive manufacturers' warranties, and that any dispute is with an item arriving in a damaged condition if it was promoted as not having that damage.

US Seller. I am from the US. He has a regular eBay store called planetcyclery. Looks like they have an established website so they might be a legit seller.

I did some work on the pedal. I removed the axle from the pedal. Added a bit of grease. When I removed the axle, it seemed awfully loose. I am hoping that is all it was. I need to ride it to be sure. Only makes a click under moderate pressure while pedaling. Will try it tomorrow.

Did you contact planetcyclery?

I would suggest that tightening the preload will make a lot of difference and solve the clicking sound.

Yes, the California law is tougher on manufacturers than most states (which allow restriction to purchase from an authorized dealer), but the protections it offers is limited to buyers who live or purchased it within California. Buyers in other states cannot apply it, even if the agent is in California.

One of the reasons guarantees are loimted to authorized channels, is because gray market goods do not pass through the USA agency for foreign makers. Companies build in an allowance for warranty service (parts and US agency staffing) for goods they sell into the USA. Parts destined for Singapore (randomly chosen), weren't priced for sale in the USA, so the US agency may say no dice. Also some goods sold through non-authorized outlets may include seconds, rejects and outright counterfeits. Lastly most makers, insist that warranties be handled through channels with the dealer being the first line, and the company backing them, so you'd need to go back to your seller.

Um, you get what you pay for.