Finally: A Replacement Frame

[Winstonian1984]

Im not quite sure if this is a rant or rave but ill post the entire story.

 

In July this year I purchased a New Merida  Scultura 4000 Frame from Cycle Factory in Cape Town. After completing the one tonner I washed my bike and noticed a "crack" of about 8cm on the seat tube, just above the bottom bracket. This was 2 weeks prior to me leaving the country.

 

The day after the one tonner, I returned the frame to Cycle Factory who had a Merida Rep have a look at it, stating it is only a scratch. I wasnt happy with this and I insisted that Merida provide a written guarantee that it is a scratch and not a crack. I went to CWCycles to have a look at it, and they said it is almost certainly a crack, and I had yet to receive the written guarantee from Merida.

 

I then got my insurance involved as I had 4 days to sort it out before my departure date. about 2 weeks after I left the country, Derek Edwards from Merida arranged the frame be collected at crown cycles. When my friend took the frame to crown cycles, they did an inspection and said it is definitely a crack.

 

Derek has now sent a replacement frame which I am grateful for. Im not a fussy person, but I dont think anyone involved in the replacement of the frame understood the urgency that I was leaving the country. I had planned to take my bike with, but eventually had to split the bike and sell the components and now i have a frame in SA(which will probably be seen in the classified soon)

 

The other though that crossed my mind was that when recreational cyclist like most hubbers, who pay for their product get given the run around, but what would the scenario have been if it was a sponsored athlete who had raised the concern about the scratch. Would they have also have been told "its just a crack", and would the turn around time have been as long.

 

Keep an eye out for the classified   

[Tumbleweed]

Keep an eye out for the classified   

 

For the cracked frame?