Cycle Science in Broadacres Sells Fake Pinarello

[dogma 60.1]

Macarbi Racing at Wemmer Pan, JHB South www.macarbi.com

Thanks david will pay them a visit

[Ride it]

I have had similar issues with certain goods I brough tback from Europe when I returned to SA some years ago. A case in point being a Compex Energy EMS which I bought at Perry Sports in Den Haag. I recently needed to have the units battery replaced and the on board memory battery. I called up the SA distributor and they refused to take it despite it being a genuine unit. I emailed Compex and they sated that the distributor is their representative and that I should talk to a decision maker. I did call back and spoke to the branch manager who apologised and we made arrangements for my unit to be serviced. The problem arose because she said there are people who buy these units abroad, thinking its cheaper, but end up with units that are marked not suitable for our market and htey are unable to work on them due to language settings, or programming differences. They consider these units grey imports.

 

So back you to your PInarello, as a distributor ASG should be linked into the Pinarello factory serial nuber database and they can check whether it is a grey or a genuine fake. If the serial number is not on their listed on imported frames but is on the factories, then its grey. If its on neither databases then its fake an dyou were sold a lemon.

 

Agree. Perhaps, as in your case, the person should talk to a decison maker there. He will probably check the international database and (hopefully) discover that it is indeed a grey imports and not a fake.

[bassasdaindia]

grey vs fake :

 

the way I understand it is that grey import is made by the correct manufacturer, however it has not been imported via the local agent.The local agent is therefore not oblidged to warranty the product however in most cases does because of pressure from the manufacturer.

 

fake is a copy of a product that is not made by the branded manufacturer.

Edited April 2, 2014 by bassasdaindia

[bassasdaindia]

there are also many "grey" products (one product being a bike ) in SA

 

a cyclist could of gone abroad and bought a bike that he brought back into SA and has on sold it. Or a shop has imported there own products from a middleman abroad as they could get better deal and be able to retail them for cheaper.

 

many people purchase an ipad abroad as it is cheaper,it has therefore not been imported to SA via the local agents.

Edited April 2, 2014 by bassasdaindia

[kjind]

This tread made me wonder and I checked all my bikes last night. Luckily thay are all legit.

[Caerus]

Good Morning Hubbers,

 

It's funny that this thread has popped up because last week i sent my second hand Pinarello Dogma 60.1 in to my LBS to have the gromit in the frame that the bottle cage is screwed into replaced because the previous owner made it so tight that the actual gromit popped out when i was changing the cage.

 

So in it went and later they rang me saying they have to send it off to Pinarello South Africa to have it done because they are scared that they would crack the frame. Understandingly i said that's fine. Yesterday i got a call from the LBS saying that Pinarello have turned the bike away saying that the serial number is not registering on their system making it a fake.

 

Now reading this whole thread I have come to understand more about the Grey import/ Fake situation, but being in the freight forwarding industry I already understood quite a bit.

 

What i wanted to ask the members is this: If a bike is a Grey import it should therefore not be on the Brands serial numbering system in that country because it was not brought through the official channel ? Or am i wrong here. All i want to know is is the Bike a grey import or a FAKE. I have had a friend look at my bike who also owns a Pinarello but a newer one and he says it's not FAKE.

 

Today i am going to email the chap i bought the bike from and ask politely as I know with these second hand sales deals that go on people can generally get quite itchy about queries coming back after the purchase has been made.

 

Any advice here will be much appreciated. All i want in the end of the day is to have this issue resolved. I am not a serious racer and if the bike is a fake then so be it i can live with it because it is still a full carbon frame etc etc and Bottom line it works perfectly for me. But if it is so does anyone know of a good Carbon repair man in JHB ( northern suburbs) that i would be able to take it to and have it done seeing as Pinarello wont help.

 

 

Apologies in advance for changing the topic somewhat but i thought it was quite fitting to this thread.

Cheers

Where did you get your bike from?

[GoLefty!!]

I have not read the article from the beginning. However I am surprised that ASG is not "driving" this issue of fakes , let alone grey imports

 

 

Its a very difficult case to win, thats why very few companies actually try to take it on. Look at Rolex or TAG Heuer, very copied watches that you can buy in Thailand for cheap cheap on the street. But there is enough subtle difference between the genuine article and the copy that the vendor can easily claim buyers ignorance lead to the problem. also the price is much much lower so anyone who buys the fake is actually party to the crime but who does the brand owner go after? the manufacturer of said fake, the distributor, the retailer or the purchaser?

 

Now I hear hubbers cry kill them all kill them all, which would be typical. But any brand owners knows that even bad publicity is better than no publicity and the fakes actually add to the desirability of the product because once sonmeone has a fake, they get used to be associated with the brand and will typically, later aspire to owning the real thing.

Challenges for the brand owner are that they need to maintain their brand equity and value adn this is done usually through increasing exclusivity; fewer approved distributors and retailers, elaborate warranty registration and generally better service.

 

going the legal route it difficutl because there are so many fakes out there including, presidents, interpreters, cars, clothing, sunglasses,, appliances the lines between grey fake and real are completely blurred. To prove something is a genuine fake is really very hard. Best you cna prove is that is just not an approved por official factory release since often manufacture of goods is not conducted by one factory but at least two or three and often those factories will sell of rejects, especially if that factory is in China

[rouxtjie]

This tread made me wonder and I checked all my bikes last night. Luckily thay are all legit.

Me too...

 

Vassago....check...easy one, since I dealt with the owner of the company

Spez....check, thanks goodness

Fongkong....nuff said

[bassasdaindia]

I feel for the OP

[rouxtjie]

Its a very difficult case to win, thats why very few companies actually try to take it on. Look at Rolex or TAG Heuer, very copied watches that you can buy in Thailand for cheap cheap on the street. But there is enough subtle difference between the genuine article and the copy that the vendor can easily claim buyers ignorance lead to the problem. also the price is much much lower so anyone who buys the fake is actually party to the crime but who does the brand owner go after? the manufacturer of said fake, the distributor, the retailer or the purchaser?

 

Now I hear hubbers cry kill them all kill them all, which would be typical. But any brand owners knows that even bad publicity is better than no publicity and the fakes actually add to the desirability of the product because once sonmeone has a fake, they get used to be associated with the brand and will typically, later aspire to owning the real thing.

Challenges for the brand owner are that they need to maintain their brand equity and value adn this is done usually through increasing exclusivity; fewer approved distributors and retailers, elaborate warranty registration and generally better service.

 

going the legal route it difficutl because there are so many fakes out there including, presidents, interpreters, cars, clothing, sunglasses,, appliances the lines between grey fake and real are completely blurred. To prove something is a genuine fake is really very hard. Best you cna prove is that is just not an approved por official factory release since often manufacture of goods is not conducted by one factory but at least two or three and often those factories will sell of rejects, especially if that factory is in China

Disagree, would a pinarello be desirable if everyone has one....this can and will hurt their brand.

[dogma 60.1]

Where did you get your bike from?

 

I bought it from a Chap down in the eastern cape. he sent me a full description of the bike along with some good up close pictures etc.

[Ride it]

Good Morning Hubbers,

 

It's funny that this thread has popped up because last week i sent my second hand Pinarello Dogma 60.1 in to my LBS to have the gromit in the frame that the bottle cage is screwed into replaced because the previous owner made it so tight that the actual gromit popped out when i was changing the cage.

 

So in it went and later they rang me saying they have to send it off to Pinarello South Africa to have it done because they are scared that they would crack the frame. Understandingly i said that's fine. Yesterday i got a call from the LBS saying that Pinarello have turned the bike away saying that the serial number is not registering on their system making it a fake.

 

Now reading this whole thread I have come to understand more about the Grey import/ Fake situation, but being in the freight forwarding industry I already understood quite a bit.

 

What i wanted to ask the members is this: If a bike is a Grey import it should therefore not be on the Brands serial numbering system in that country because it was not brought through the official channel ? Or am i wrong here. All i want to know is is the Bike a grey import or a FAKE. I have had a friend look at my bike who also owns a Pinarello but a newer one and he says it's not FAKE.

 

Today i am going to email the chap i bought the bike from and ask politely as I know with these second hand sales deals that go on people can generally get quite itchy about queries coming back after the purchase has been made.

 

Any advice here will be much appreciated. All i want in the end of the day is to have this issue resolved. I am not a serious racer and if the bike is a fake then so be it i can live with it because it is still a full carbon frame etc etc and Bottom line it works perfectly for me. But if it is so does anyone know of a good Carbon repair man in JHB ( northern suburbs) that i would be able to take it to and have it done seeing as Pinarello wont help.

 

 

Apologies in advance for changing the topic somewhat but i thought it was quite fitting to this thread.

Cheers

 

Called my LBS (Eagle Canyon Cycles) they suggest you contact Cobus 082 880 9600 who is probably the best carbon man they know.

[Caerus]

I bought it from a Chap down in the eastern cape. he sent me a full description of the bike along with some good up close pictures etc.

So there could potentially be a lot of fake bike out there, which is scary

[gummibear]

I feel for the OP

 

Have an idea this is only the tip of the iceberg and this thread may scratch open many other cases.

[GoLefty!!]

Grey import=Product made in the Pinarello Factory or authorised manufacturer but brought into the country by a 3rd party and not the official agents.

The importer carries the risk with warranty issues.....as with the Online shop mentioned earlier.

 

Fake=Product made in China with no Pina quality control or testing.Almost no warranty cover and sells for 1/10th of the price of the original.

 

Am i wrong in thinking this?

 

 

Not really, the CPA does protect an individual in this regard. If someone moves to SA from England and brings their Pinarello with them. Is it in ASG's or Pinarello's interest to tell him/her to fob off if there is an issue with the bike while in SA? No and the CPA says that the consumer has rights and that means that the official distributor must hear out the case.

In this case the owner calls up ASG and explains the issue. ASG can supply a new frame as per Pinarello warranty policy but they are entilted to compensation if the replacement frame has to be imported due to it not being in stock, so they can charge you shipping for the frame. The ultimate burdon of responsibility lies with teh manufacturers. The issue of fakes in this case has to be taken up by Pinarello and in each country where this problem is experieinced. Way too expensive to go the legal route

[Wyatt Earp]

Not really, the CPA does protect an individual in this regard. If someone moves to SA from England and brings their Pinarello with them.

 

Wake up man, that is not a grey import.