Cycle Science in Broadacres Sells Fake Pinarello

[bassasdaindia]

Honesty is the best policy, always. However difficult it may be.

 

[Wyatt Earp]

Not living in Joburg, can someone please give some info.

From what I saw on Telly last night, the shop looked pretty ordinary with no big name brands (other than Inelli) on their shop sign. The bikes outside the shop looked cheap, the owners sounded like they ran a fish n chips shop. Why would you walk into Cycle Science and be willing to drop a chunk of cash there? Are they a known Pinarello dealer? Have they been around for a long time?

If I was in the market for a 90k bike, I'm sorry, but I would not chose CS as my preferred bike shop for a Pinarello. What made the guys that got taken buy from Cycle Science?

 

The OP AKA Andrew mentioned that he had been shopping there for a good few years.

So obviously he had built up a measure of trust with them.

Also it's not uncommon that once a client shows years of loyalty and he is in for a big purchase like this, they would give him a substantial discount.

The only thing the OP is really guilty of, is being gullible and too trusting.

 

If he now on the other hand buys in to names like NAD or whatever else when he builds his home theatre system, that will leave the door open to much abuse and speculation of his quality understanding and values.

Up until now, he has been nothing more than transparent and an absolute gentleman.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Wyatt Earp

[TooFatforEpic]

Ax

 

[nathrix]

I just can't get my head around why top end bicycles are the same price as a brand new superbike????

 

If you look at the RD, the carbon, the mechanical engineering, racing, tests, suspensions, electronics, etc. of a superbike compared to a bicycle = same price as a bicycle, iemand is besig om die hoender uit die poepol te ruk...

[Joe Low]

I just can't get my head around why top end bicycles are the same price as a brand new superbike????

 

If you look at the RD, the carbon, the mechanical engineering, racing, tests, suspensions, electronics, etc. of a superbike compared to a bicycle = same price as a bicycle, iemand is besig om die hoender uit die poepol te ruk...

 

Supply and demand

[GoLefty!!]

you can walk into any bike shop and order any cycling product. OP said he had been buying from them for 5 years so it was the relationship that drove the purchase.

 

Your question is irrelevant btw.

[Guest Omega Man]

I just can't get my head around why top end bicycles are the same price as a brand new superbike????

 

If you look at the RD, the carbon, the mechanical engineering, racing, tests, suspensions, electronics, etc. of a superbike compared to a bicycle = same price as a bicycle, iemand is besig om die hoender uit die poepol te ruk...

I'm 1000% with you.

 

My mate bought a 2014 Honda Fireblade off the showroom floor for 138k last week.

 

The short story is we're all suckers.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Omega Man

[JGR]

I just can't get my head around why top end bicycles are the same price as a brand new superbike????

 

If you look at the RD, the carbon, the mechanical engineering, racing, tests, suspensions, electronics, etc. of a superbike compared to a bicycle = same price as a bicycle, iemand is besig om die hoender uit die poepol te ruk...

Like cars that cost more than houses ... gotta keep up with the Jones'

 

Doubt most of us ride at a level that justifies those machines but its their money and I respect how they want to spend it if they have it. Like the car example I don't get why people would spend a quarter of their salaries on a car they spend a few hours a week in.

[GoLefty!!]

I just can't get my head around why top end bicycles are the same price as a brand new superbike????

 

If you look at the RD, the carbon, the mechanical engineering, racing, tests, suspensions, electronics, etc. of a superbike compared to a bicycle = same price as a bicycle, iemand is besig om die hoender uit die poepol te ruk...

 

More expensive than a Polo Vivo. You can mobilise 4 people with that kind of money for probably less energy consumption. bicycle is only green if its ridden a lot

[kandui]

this article was inspiring and glad it got sorted

 

In actual fact It was motivated me and my father in law to confront the guy who sold us 2 fake bikes.

An tips on how to approach him.

 

He sold my father in law a pinarello, which after watching carte blanche we can confirm is a fake. And after we asked him at least 3 times he confirmed it is a original pinarello.

 

And he sold me a rebranded cervelo s5, also multiple times I asked is it a geniune Cervelo and it was confirmed multiple times. and my lbs confirmed its a fake.

 

Only dif is we didn't pay 90k, we payed just over 35k each. So you might argue we got what we payd for. But he explicitly said its the genuine thing on multiple occasions and in front f multiple witnesses, and he is planning opening his own shop in randburg, so this might happen to more people soon, so if we can stop it now, we can also prevent future people from being scamed.

I bet you compared the prices on the internet before you bought from this guy and the huge discount sealed it for you. I bet that in the back of your mind you knew there was a good chance you were buying a fake bike. That's probably why you asked him 3 times whether the bike was an original. To make that little voice of doubt go away.

There is no way in hell, even buying overseas,that you will save 55k on an original brand bike. You made a rational decision to buy fake, you can't cry about it now.

You also buy your Louis Vuitton bags at the robots and ask the trader 3 times whether it's real and when he says Yes 3 times it's all good.?!

 

[patches]

I just can't get my head around why top end bicycles are the same price as a brand new superbike????

 

If you look at the RD, the carbon, the mechanical engineering, racing, tests, suspensions, electronics, etc. of a superbike compared to a bicycle = same price as a bicycle, iemand is besig om die hoender uit die poepol te ruk...

 

Yup!

 

had this discussion many a time with friends.

 

Top end S-Weks Epic is quite a few penies more than a KTM 300 Six-Days.

 

And there is FAR more that goes into the Six-Days.

 

But yes, I guess it's because dirt biking might not be everyone's cup of tea, but nearly every other boardroom exec with more money than sense can blindly go buy a 100k+ MTB so he can do Nissan races with his friends... so these 'prestigious' brands charge whatever they want for the image.

 

*flame proof suit. hat. door*

[GLuvsMtb]

I spoke to Robbie and here are the facts: they were all fully aware and totally informed that the pinarellos we're not genuine prior to the purchase. Despite being wealthy they wanted to save money but still have the designer label. After being humiliated in Australia and forced(?) to buy a new bike he develops a sense of indignation and self righteousness and exacts revenge by going the cowardly route and contacting carte Blanche, regardless of the fact that he is jeopardizing someone's livelihood. He only has himself to blame. No one put a gun to his head. Take responsibility!

OK so lets get this straight.

Client walks into shop and asks for a R100K bike

CS quotes on a R100K bike and it comes to R110K

Client asks if that is their best price. R110K is a lot of money... and what if his wife finds out!

CS opens the preverbial trench coat and whispers to the client that he can get a frame through the back door.

Now here is where things gets interesting:

One of 2 things happen:

a) CS tells the buyer that he can get a Grey Import that did not come through the recognized distributors in SA. Warrantee to be covered by the shop etc. Not illigal as far as I know, but frowned upon.

b) CS tells the buyer that he can get a Fake from China. This would be illegal and the client is not to disclose this to anyone as dealing in counterfeit goods is against the law. CS makes out the invoice as a Pinarello for the buyers insurance etc (possible insurance fraud on top of it all as well).

 

On either scenarios CS committed fraud as the frame was not Grey, but fake. No person in his right mind would admit to being party to scenario B as that would implicate them and I suspect that the shop would not have covered their backs by having clients sign any type of disclaimer as this would have put of any straight thinking buyer from the deal.

 

All indications are that CS made a much better profit on the fake goods vs the real goods. They would have to as there is huge risk involved and potential jail time if found out.

 

The prudent thing to do for the authorities would be to access the CS client base and investigate each higher end bike purchase to establish whether the clients were party to the purchase of fake Bikes or not and whether CS at any time offered this to their non-fake-buying clients or not.

 

Then you would have to take this higher up to the agent / middle man that was facilitating this with the Chinese to see whether this was being done for other shops too. I suspect that it would not be lucrative enough for an agent to work with only one shop on this side.

 

Lastly the local agents will have to try and get the buying public aware of the possibility that their high end bikes are perhaps counterfeit and that they need to take the necessary steps against the retailers that sold them the goods if it is found to be the case.

 

By the way. Checked my Specialized Stumpy over the weekend. Its the real deal <phew!>

[eddy]

I don't agree,i think that if this was settled properly it would never of gone this far or taken this route.

 

You miss my point. EVEN if it was "settled properly" between CS and AA, it SHOULD have gone this far and taken this route.

 

Just because they made the OP good, does not mean that they are not crooks that should be exposed in exactly this way.

[Andrew Armstrong]

Dear Mr. Corleoni

Of all the

noms de plume

to choose from you decide that being known, as a gangster is most apt for you. So tell me how is this

nom de plume

working for you?

 

I am not sure how the LBS shop in Australia, ‘forced me to buy a new bike’ especially as you suggest I knew my bike was fake before going into the shop in the first place? After being presented with the fact that the bike that was sold to me was fake; this is how Cycle Science proposed to remedy the matter as received from their attorney Vaughan Hattingh.

“However, entirely without prejudice to our client’s rights (which are reserved) we are instructed to propose, as we hereby do, that our client forthwith market and sell the bicycle (excluding the group set) for and on your clients behalf. Once the bicycle is sold our client shall pay to your client the entire proceeds of the sale which our client estimates should, given the prevailing market conditions and taking into account your client’s substantial use of the bicycle, fetch between R 25 000.00 and R 28 000.00.

 

So presumably they see nothing wrong in the selling of counterfeit goods. When it comes to ‘jeopardising someone’s livelihood’ your ignorance of law is superseded by your ignorance of economics. It is Cycle Science that is threatening the livelihood of every honest bike shop. What of the bike shops that have closed or downscaled owing to fraudulent competition?

 

Why aren't you upset for them?

 

I have taken responsibility for getting my money back, Cycle Science have until tomorrow to refund me, failing which I will issue a summons. Sadly, as I mentioned in an earlier post, ‘when all options are bad, people are prepared to take a gamble’. Might I suggest that up until this point this strategy hasn’t been working too well for Cycle Science?

 

But you are right on one point, I only have myself to blame, let the buyer beware is as true today as it was a hundred years ago.

[GoLefty!!]

Holy carp their lawyer suggests reselling a fake at an even higher market value that the goods is worth. Is he a real estate agent on the side?

[JGR]

Dear Mr. Corleoni

 

Of all the

noms de plume

to choose from you decide that being known, as a gangster is most apt for you. So tell me how is this

nom de plume

working for you?

 

I am not sure how the LBS shop in Australia, ‘forced me to buy a new bike’ especially as you suggest I knew my bike was fake before going into the shop in the first place? After being presented with the fact that the bike that was sold to me was fake; this is how Cycle Science proposed to remedy the matter as received from their attorney Vaughan Hattingh.

8]“However, entirely without prejudice to our client’s rights (which are reserved) we are instructed to propose, as we hereby do, that our client forthwith market and sell the bicycle (excluding the group set) for and on your clients behalf. Once the bicycle is sold our client shall pay to your client the entire proceeds of the sale which our client estimates should, given the prevailing market conditions and taking into account your client’s substantial use of the bicycle, fetch between R 25 000.00 and R 28 000.00.

 

So presumably they see nothing wrong in the selling of counterfeit goods. When it comes to ‘jeopardising someone’s livelihood’ your ignorance of law is superseded by your ignorance of economics. It is Cycle Science that is threatening the livelihood of every honest bike shop. What of the bike shops that have closed or downscaled owing to fraudulent competition?

 

Why aren't you upset for them?

 

I have taken responsibility for getting my money back, Cycle Science have until tomorrow to refund me, failing which I will issue a summons. Sadly, as I mentioned in an earlier post, ‘when all options are bad, people are prepared to take a gamble’. Might I suggest that up until this point this strategy hasn’t been working too well for Cycle Science?

 

But you are right on one point, I only have myself to blame, let the buyer beware is as true today as it was a hundred years ago.

 

Andrew by your calm and well written responses these guys never stood a chance ... you make a number of good points and I hope this is the catalyst for sorting them and others who try similar scams out. Best of luck!