teamtrinity

I was just denied a warranty by SRAM/Zipp on my Zipp SLC2 carbon handlebars.

What happened was that while unwrapping old cinelli cork bartape from them, the outside layer of carbon finish ripped right off with the bartape! Never, ever crashed or dropped or hit these bars on anything. So I wasn't sure if it was just cosmetic or if it was structural, but looked like delamination pictures. And tapping it with a penny produced that dull sound which I read is supposed to indicate structurally unsafe carbon.

I bought the bars from a authorized Zipp dealer in Wisconsin through the internet (the shop was and still is listed on Zipp's site as a authorized dealer). But since the shop is in a far away state, I decided to do the warranty through a local dealer. My LBS sent the bars to Zipp. Zipp responded by saying I needed to provide a proof of purchase. I supplied a screen pic of the Paypal receipt. And I was then initially told by the LBS that Zipp said they would warranty the bars as soon as they have one to send. After a week or two and no bars, I asked my LBS to find out what the hold up was.

Turns out, Zipp decided to suspend the warranty work order and just sent the delaminated bars back to my LBS. The accompanying fax basically said that based on the price paid ($104.50) that the bars must be grey market and said grey market items are not covered under warranty.

My feeling is that the bars left their warehouse as a Zipp part free of defect. They were sent to one of their authorized dealers. And I purchased them. Why am I being punished because I bought them for a cheap price? Maybe they were mispriced...maybe the store was liquidating...maybe it was a sale...or maybe the shop was just going against Zipp's dealer pricing structure. I honestly have no clue. But I still feel like they should honor their warranty if they care about their customers and believe in their product. I mean...it's not like their warranty has a stipulation that if a Zipp product is sold below a certain price that it is not eligible for warranty even if it's purchased as new from a authorized dealer with proof of purchase.

Just venting. I sent SRAM an email asking them to reconsider their warranty denial. We'll see what happens.

MegaTom

As much as a pain in the ass it may be, going through the original retailer is always your best bet. Of course I don't know what kind of price protection rules Sram/Zipp have in place for their authorized dealers, so that shop might be less than willing to cooperate if they violated their agreement by selling for such a cheap price... Can't hurt to contact them and ask though.

Breitling

that's why I go for shimano -- just kidding

Hope everything works out for you.

NWS Alpine

Something doesn't add up. Contact your original dealer and let them interface with their rep. They will get it fixed asap. That is the reason you buy from the LBS.

teamtrinity

Thanks! Contacting the original dealer now. Hope they can get Zipp to be reasonable!

MetalPedaler

This is why I don't buy carbon ANYTHING!

MegaTom

lolok

jrobe

Dumbest comment of the day award.

I couldn't do any of my hobbies with modern equipment without buying carbon (cycling, fishing, hunting, photography, golf, etc. etc.). Good luck finding completely indestructible gear.

gregf83 

Zipp's position seems reasonable. It appears you paid about 1/3 of MSRP. I wouldn't expect a full warranty at that price.

Perhaps you bought some of these:

Warning: FAKE Zipp Handlebars on Ebay

teamtrinity

From a customer perspective, there's no clause or stipulation in the warranty that says the warranty is only valid if the item purchased at or above a certain price. And what's a consumer to do? If a consumer is price shopping, is it expected that the consumer check with the manufacturer whether or not it will be covered under warranty even though it is being purchased through their dealer network?

teamtrinity

Again, these bars were purchased through a authorized Zipp dealer listed on Zipp's site.

teamtrinity

Also, the bars were received by Zipp, examined by Zipp, and they initially authorized a warranty replacement. It was only after they examined the price that was paid that they stopped the warranty work order. But the consumer shouldn't be punished for the price some thing is sold for. That should be a dispute between the manufacturer and it's dealers.

gregf83 

If they're authorized, this will be a trivial problem to fix. I would question, however, why they would be selling new bars at 1/3 of MSRP. Something doesn't pass the smell test there.

teamtrinity

Zipp has the PayPal transaction ID, amount, date, name of the bike store, contact email for them, phone number for them, everything. They can argue with their dealer all they want. But it shouldn't affect me at all...at least not if they were practicing good customer service.

TrojanHorse

Dang, that is an unusually low price.... just paid more than that for aluminum zipp bars!

Good luck and +43 to "contact your original dealer"

Maybe your original dealer is sourcing non-zipp bars and calling them zipp though, hard to say.

gregf83 

Well, I would be suspicious buying any branded products at 1/3 of retail, particularly when there appears to be some history of counterfit products being sold.

Do you mind identifying the store you purchased them from?

edit: It appears Zipp is simply following their warranty policy:

Zipp warrants its products to be free from defects in materials or workmanship for a period of two years after original purchase. This warranty only applies to the original owner and is not transferable. Claims under this warranty must be made through the retailer where the bicycle or the Zipp component was purchased. Original proof of purchase is required

teamtrinity

But again...Zipp received the bars, examined the bars, and initially authorized warranty replacement. I'm sure they would have recognized a fake. And the only reason given for stopping the warranty work order was due to the price, which was the only reason given to having them labeled "gray market". Labeling it "gray market" is by definition an admittance that the product is legit but was sold in some unauthorized fashion. My LBS and a friend that works at another local bike shop think that for whatever reason the shop in Wisconsin broke their dealer contract. But I believe (and so does my buddy) that the dispute then should be between Zipp and their dealer...that Zipp should honor the warranty...and charge back the cost to the original dealer.

teamtrinity

I have contacted the original dealer at the suggestion of someone in this thread. However, I have been told by my LBS and a friend at another local shop that the original dealer may not cooperate if they did indeed break their dealer contract. LBS told me Zipp has VERY strict selling and advertising guidelines. But how was I supposed to know that? My first ever real road bike was a Specialized Roubaix bought at my LBS at 66% of retail. No issues. My Cervelo P2 was bought online from a shop in New York at year end close out at 50% of retail but warrantied by a shop in Michigan without receipt. Profile Designs and Look have sent me warrantied items without receipt and without going through the original dealer. All their warranties say you need receipt, blah blah blah...but in the end they simply chose to do what was best from a customer service point of view. Zipp appears to be going about this not from a customer service point of view, but rather a accountant point of view. Not shocking...just disappointing. Makes me appreciate Look, Cervelo, Specialized, and Profile Designs a lot more than I did. I'll withhold from identifying the original dealer at this time since I'm alluded to the possibility that they broke their dealer contract with Zipp for which I have no proof at all.

teamtrinity

Oh and the reason I didn't go through the original dealer was because my LBS said that shouldn't be an issue at all based on their experience. But now I have contacted the original dealer since Zipp denied the warranty.

gregf83 

In future if you are buying from ebay just ask the seller if the part comes with a factory warranty.

I really don't see how you could hold Zipp at fault for this. You can be certain that Zipp didn't sell the bars to the dealer at 1/3 of MSRP. So they are either fake, used or the dealer or is taking a loss on the bars for some strange reason.

As a buyer you do bear some responsibility for ensuring that the product you purchase comes with a warranty. Stolen and used parts don't come with a warranty and it is up to the buyer to determine if the parts are authentic.

Hopefully the dealer will come through for you in some way.

gregf83 

In general, I suspect that is the case unless there is something fishy going on.

Nachoman

My prediction is that the dealer will end up refunding you your $104.50 and Zipp won't reimburse dealer.

James1:17

I clicked on the first link in that slowtwitch thread and got a 404 not found message....I laughed.

But in answer to your question teamtrinity, No I do not think you are being unreasonable in your expectations to be made whole. Ultimately even if Zipp/Sram doesn't do a thing about it, the retailer should. Hope it works out for you.

Bah Humbug

What's your fork made out of?

StanSeven

This. Someone can't buy at 1/3rd price and expect goods (especially bicycle stuff where everyone know many products are MSRP or are discounted only at years or similar events) to have the same coverage as full price.

All you have to do is search online for discounts on Trek, Specialized, Giro, Assos, PI, Look, etc. and see what comes up - practically nothing