Specialized Customer Service
08-13-10, 08:44 PM
#227
well hello there
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cfblakeman, I didn't pay close attention to all of the posts, or even if your issues have all been successfully resolved, but it seems like you conceded that the specialized warranty had expired. I'm not sure that's true. I believe that if you make a claim WITHIN the warranty period, and that claim is not satisfactorily resolved, then the warranty period is extended.
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08-13-10, 09:14 PM
#228
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I talked exclusively with the LBS regarding the seat post bracket for a number of months. They simply kept saying I wasn't torquing the bracket enough. The one time I talked with Specialized on this was near the end of this 8-10 month problem - they said the same thing. But once it got to adjusting it very regularly I demanded that the LBS torque it themselves. They only had to try it once to see that it was not able to close around the seat post tight enough to hold the post. They threw a generic one on and sent the bad one in. Specialized sent me a new one but since the the generic one is holding, I'm leaving well enough alone.
08-13-10, 09:19 PM
#229
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cfblakeman, I didn't pay close attention to all of the posts, or even if your issues have all been successfully resolved, but it seems like you conceded that the specialized warranty had expired. I'm not sure that's true. I believe that if you make a claim WITHIN the warranty period, and that claim is not satisfactorily resolved, then the warranty period is extended.
08-13-10, 09:20 PM
#230
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I talked exclusively with the LBS regarding the seat post bracket for a number of months. They simply kept saying I wasn't torquing the bracket enough. The one time I talked with Specialized on this was near the end of this 8-10 month problem - they said the same thing. But once it got to adjusting it very regularly I demanded that the LBS torque it themselves. They only had to try it once to see that it was not able to close around the seat post tight enough to hold the post. They threw a generic one on and sent the bad one in. Specialized sent me a new one but since the the generic one is holding, I'm leaving well enough alone.
08-13-10, 09:25 PM
#231
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On to the bottom bracket issue, both of my bikes came with the same instructions, dated July 2007. I found online instructions for the 2010 crank, which are similar but recommend loctite on many of the surfaces that had grease before. I suspect that is the change. Without having more information, it would be hard to say exactly what happened, but this seems extremely likely to me. If that is the case, it's not so much that it was the wrong instructions, but that the instructions were not optimal.
08-13-10, 09:39 PM
#232
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Good advice, thanks. I certainly haven't dealt with this perfectly or anything close to perfectly. The whole thing has been a bad plan carried out as well as possible, with a lot of learning along the way.
Would love to have Specialized refer me to a shop that could resolve it, but there are only two things left to resolve and neither of them reside with an LBS: 1) all the money I wasted on treating symptoms per Specialized's recommendations and the costs incurred to change out the defects, and 2) the chipped up frame (not asking for a new frame, but definitely want Specialized to pay for a non-bias third party (not a Specialized shop - they have a dog in the hunt) to tell me the frame is safe).
Would love to have Specialized refer me to a shop that could resolve it, but there are only two things left to resolve and neither of them reside with an LBS: 1) all the money I wasted on treating symptoms per Specialized's recommendations and the costs incurred to change out the defects, and 2) the chipped up frame (not asking for a new frame, but definitely want Specialized to pay for a non-bias third party (not a Specialized shop - they have a dog in the hunt) to tell me the frame is safe).
08-13-10, 09:39 PM
#233
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I think not reimbursing the shop for labor (on the seatpost, chainrings or whatever else) and not replacing the OP's frame when defective parts failed and caused damage to the frame reflects poorly on Specialized. I also think making the OP deal with Shimano instead of taking care of it themselves reflects poorly on Specialized, I thought Specialized offered a 1 year warrantly on components?
08-13-10, 09:42 PM
#234
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On to the bottom bracket issue, both of my bikes came with the same instructions, dated July 2007. I found online instructions for the 2010 crank, which are similar but recommend loctite on many of the surfaces that had grease before. I suspect that is the change. Without having more information, it would be hard to say exactly what happened, but this seems extremely likely to me. If that is the case, it's not so much that it was the wrong instructions, but that the instructions were not optimal.
So whatever language you want to use, when the "non-optimal" original written/specific instructions were followed the bike had an ongoing problem, and when the revised, re-written, newly issued "optimal" revamped written instructions were followed the ongoing problem went away. Saying the originals weren't wrong but just non-optimal seems a bit lawerly, parsed and tortured.
08-13-10, 09:51 PM
#235
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Call it whatever you want, I'm just stating the facts, now that I have them in front of me. The instructions that came with my '08 and '09 bikes both said grease on the bearings. The instructions that come with the '10 bikes say loctite instead. So in between, they discovered that they needed loctite. That doesn't make the original instructins wrong. It's not like they put the wrong sheet of instructions in the box, they just discovered a better way of doing it in the later years.
Like I said, creaking is a not uncommon issue with BB30 bottom brackets. Some people don't have any problems, some people do. As the relatively new standard spends more time "in the wild" people learn more about it and how to better deal with it's issues. It's a work in progress.
Like I said, creaking is a not uncommon issue with BB30 bottom brackets. Some people don't have any problems, some people do. As the relatively new standard spends more time "in the wild" people learn more about it and how to better deal with it's issues. It's a work in progress.
08-13-10, 11:03 PM
#236
Warrior Cyclist
cfblakeman... After reading this thread tonight, I find it interesting that Specialized has in some ways treated a high end bike customer much like Trek recently treated me. I even emailed a nice letter to Trek's president (he pawned me off on customer service who admitted a known issue), but offered no suggestions on what might make me happy as a longtime customer and owner of many Trek bikes. My bike wasn't quite as expensive as yours, but pretty close.
I posted my experience in a thread for one purpose only: because I wanted anyone else who might be considering a purchase like mine to know how the company would respond if a longtime customer and fan of their bikes had problems or was unhappy. I was a "Fanboy" if you will for 15 years. Not anymore. Whatever my next bike purchase ends up being, it won't be a Trek. I hope Specialized resolves your situation better than Trek handled mine. Good Luck
I posted my experience in a thread for one purpose only: because I wanted anyone else who might be considering a purchase like mine to know how the company would respond if a longtime customer and fan of their bikes had problems or was unhappy. I was a "Fanboy" if you will for 15 years. Not anymore. Whatever my next bike purchase ends up being, it won't be a Trek. I hope Specialized resolves your situation better than Trek handled mine. Good Luck
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08-13-10, 11:15 PM
#237
Warrior Cyclist
I have read the ENTIRE thread. Having been riding/racing bicycles for the better part of 20 years I have tossed my chain off the chainrings a few times, mostly due to poor FD adjustment. Having said that, none of my frames suffered any damage. I understand the CR are flexy and that would cause you to dump your chain, but to cause damage to the frame?
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08-14-10, 02:24 AM
#238
It's ALL base...
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The OP has a right to ask Specialized to make him whole. He's put alot of good faith effort into get his bike working like it's supposed to, and they've come part way. I would be impressed if they step up further and fix the incidental damage. I want to be impressed by how Specialized handles these last two issues, not discouraged by how cleverly or stubbornly they refuse to resolve these problems.
08-14-10, 03:29 AM
#239
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Seems like a lot of wacky perspective going on in this thread:
1. Bad BB, original LBS's problem they built it wrong maybe Specialized has some part in this if they sent wrong instructions
2. Bad Rings seems clearly to be a Specialized issue
3. Seat post is probably bad assembly not using carbon paste, possibly a bad clamp no big deal
4. DA Shifter either poor maintenance or bad cable certainly not a Shimano or Specialized issue and I've never heard of any Shimano shifter being defective and eating cables
Now in regards to the LBS why should they eat the labor? They have to do the work, they didn't do the original work and if Specialized isn't picking up the tab they have to make money and stay in business. Now it does sound like you are paying them for maintenance so it is probably in their best interest to help out to keep you coming back but maybe you have an attitude with them and they don't really care, who knows.
In any event like you say you got a lemon it happens with all products, hopefully Specialized and the LBS will make it work for you.
1. Bad BB, original LBS's problem they built it wrong maybe Specialized has some part in this if they sent wrong instructions
2. Bad Rings seems clearly to be a Specialized issue
3. Seat post is probably bad assembly not using carbon paste, possibly a bad clamp no big deal
4. DA Shifter either poor maintenance or bad cable certainly not a Shimano or Specialized issue and I've never heard of any Shimano shifter being defective and eating cables
Now in regards to the LBS why should they eat the labor? They have to do the work, they didn't do the original work and if Specialized isn't picking up the tab they have to make money and stay in business. Now it does sound like you are paying them for maintenance so it is probably in their best interest to help out to keep you coming back but maybe you have an attitude with them and they don't really care, who knows.
In any event like you say you got a lemon it happens with all products, hopefully Specialized and the LBS will make it work for you.
08-14-10, 03:32 AM
#240
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I think not reimbursing the shop for labor (on the seatpost, chainrings or whatever else) and not replacing the OP's frame when defective parts failed and caused damage to the frame reflects poorly on Specialized. I also think making the OP deal with Shimano instead of taking care of it themselves reflects poorly on Specialized, I thought Specialized offered a 1 year warrantly on components?
08-14-10, 04:43 AM
#241
Senior Member
Reported.
The OP has a right to ask Specialized to make him whole. He's put alot of good faith effort into get his bike working like it's supposed to, and they've come part way. I would be impressed if they step up further and fix the incidental damage. I want to be impressed by how Specialized handles these last two issues, not discouraged by how cleverly or stubbornly they refuse to resolve these problems.
The OP has a right to ask Specialized to make him whole. He's put alot of good faith effort into get his bike working like it's supposed to, and they've come part way. I would be impressed if they step up further and fix the incidental damage. I want to be impressed by how Specialized handles these last two issues, not discouraged by how cleverly or stubbornly they refuse to resolve these problems.
Specialized should probably have done better. I just think the OP needs to realize that the fact that it was his shops fault for not knowing the rings were bad and not Specialized's fault. Flexy rings are not a "lemon" they are a bad product, all companies make bad products here and there. Which is why Specialized addressed and fixed the problem in mass.
And the seatpost and creaking BB are non issues as far as I'm concerned.
Last edited by mike868y; 08-14-10 at 05:14 AM.
08-14-10, 05:45 AM
#242
Throw the stick!!!!
It seems like everything that can be said about this issue has been said in this thread. cfblakeman, if you hear anything back from Specialized about this please let me know and I will open the thread back up or feel free to start a new thread. To keep this one open just seems like beating a dead horse.
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