Need some advice (No warranty ZIPP Wheel). Buycyle selling old stock and do not guarantee their work

[Flange]

 Do I have a case or is it just a risk one takes when building a Brand Wheel with a power meter.

I purchased a Zipp Wheel from Buycycle online store just over a year ago and had a Powertap built in. The build was completed by buycycle. The wheel has less that a 1000 km’s (potentially a lot less) of riding as I only use it for racing.
During a ride the wheel became so buckled that I had to disconnect the brake system to make it home. After some investigation it was discovered that the wheel had “cracks” in four places.
Buycycle collected the wheel and sent it to Cape cycles (suppliers of Zipp wheels in SA?) who advised the following after investigation :

“The reply I have received from Cape Cycles is that they do not deal with the public and that the zipp wheel will not be covered by warranty as it does not meet the full warranty requirements.

The following reasons have been supplied to me :
•    The wheel is more than two years old.
•    The spoke tension tool ( PARKTOOL TM-1) gave a reading  of 18, the spokes should be 13. (INCORRECT TENSION / OVERTENSIONED)
They have also highlighted in red why the wheel set will not pass warranty below

This warranty does not apply to damage to the product caused by a crash, impact damage, abuse of the product, non-compliance with manufacturers specifications of usage or any other circumstances in which the product has been subjected to forces or loads beyond its design.
This warranty does not apply when the product has been modified”.

So my questions are as follows so as to not make the same mistake again.
1)    How is the wheel already two years old. Are bicycle store’s selling “old” stock and does warranty begin from date of purchase or date of manufacture.
2)    Should we avoid buying from online store… better to see the product?
3)    Should companies not warranty their workmanship? An almost 30 % deviation from “spec” is just poor workman ship. How many other customers have experienced the same thing?
4)    Are there reputable wheel builders that will warranty their workmanship as I need to rebuild the power tap into another wheel?
5)    From the Zipp warranty T&C’s, wheels are not warrantied when modified (and I am sure this is the same for all other wheel manufactures). Does it then make sense to build a power tap into a wheel and accept the risk of being out of pocket (as I am) when neither the wheel manufacturer nor the wheel builder (in this case buycycle) will warranty their work. May make sense to use other power meter devices.  

Buycyle Response here:
Buycycle were provided more than two weeks to respond. To-date I have received no formal response.
The only feedback I received when going to collect my wheel was that “Buycyle do not warrantey their workmanship”… was absolute gob-smacked.

I did however receive professional and timely feedback from Kristie at Bucycle.
 

[FCH]

Can you spot the contradiction here.... let me underline for easy spotting.

Anyhoo, tomorrow is Friday after all, so I will just sit back and watch this unfold.

 

"Buycycle were provided more than two weeks to respond. To-date I have received no formal response.
The only feedback I received when going to collect my wheel was that “Buycyle do not warrantey their workmanship”… was absolute gob-smacked.

I did however receive professional and timely feedback from Kristie at Bucycle.

[Flange]

tks noted and agreed. let me try clarify.

 

This run around has been ongoing for some time and the attached is really a condensed version. The verbiage under the  "Buycyle's comment here" was only inserted this evening.

 

I sent Buycyle a message on the 30/05 stating my side / view of what had happened (based on the carry-on of the past / previous couple of weeks) on the 08/05 I received a mail advising that the Manger would respond.  As of today I have not heard from the manager.

 

I arranged to collected my wheel on wed 15th. While collecting the wheel I was advised that Buycycle do not warranty their workmanship. I was also once again advised that the manager would call me. I have still not heard from the manager.

 

The comment "I did however receive professional and timely feedback from Kristie at Bucycle" also needs a little context and probably in the wrong place.

Kirstie has been trying to assist me and her communication and effort has been great over the past months.

 

hope this clarifies. tks Charles

[Tumbleweed]

Zipp nor the agent are under any obligation to honour any warranty because of the mods done.

 

The CPA entitles you to a six-month warranty from time of purchase from the vendor who sold it you. It would also come into play with regards repairs, etc done under warranty. The timeframe you have posted suggests you aren't covered at all, however.    

 

When buying something, ask for a warranty in writing up front. 

Edited June 17, 2016 by Tumbleweed

[Tjokkits]

Not cool,on buycycle

['Dale]

Why not warranty their workmanship?

 

That's the gap in service there.

 

The Zippy distributors are not obliged at all.

They sold a good wheelset to BuyCycle and the buyer.

[Thomo]

Apologies if it was mentioned - what is the standard warranty on Zipp/Powertap.? (ignoring the modifications)

1yr.?

[Tumbleweed]

Apologies if it was mentioned - what is the standard warranty on Zipp/Powertap.? (ignoring the modifications)

1yr.?

 

Two years...

 

http://www.zipp.com/support/warranty/warranty.php

Edited June 17, 2016 by Tumbleweed

[Paul Ruinaard]

Some advice on all of these posts where someone has done something wrong or wronged a consumer or they believe they have been wronged:

 

If you make enough noise and ensure that the cost of not fixing your problem is higher than the cost of fixing it, you will get their attention.

 

Irrespective of how legitimate your claim is.

[FCH]

A bit of editing in the spirit of Friday

 

Some advice on all of these posts where someone has done something wrong or wronged a consumer or they believe they have been wronged:

 

If you make enough noise and ensure that the cost of not fixing your problem is higher than the price of fixing it, you will get their attention.

 

Irrespective of how legitimate your claim is.

[Long Wheel Base]

I think the fact that ZIPP(or the dealers) even responded was good on them, The wheel was modified after it left their hands and I am pretty sure it would have left them in a good condition as those are some of the best wheels around. 

I don't think buycycle sold you "old" stock, They probably got a few of the wheels sets at a good price and as we all know ZIPP isn't exactly cheap and you don't see them on every second bike so for them to sit with a wheel set like that for a good few months probably isn't uncommon.

BUT buycycle not willing to warranty their work is a box move, They should have warned you upfront and said Yes sure we can build the hub across for you BUT we wont warranty it and your OEM warranty is then void. I am sure you would have re considered had you know that beforehand.

 

O and The parktool TM1 is a good tension meter and you play some good guitar tunes with a tension of 18, Clearly who ever built that wheel just used brute force and ignorance.

[stringbean]

Are we expecting buy cycle or any cycle shop to warranty their wheel build for more than a year?

If buycycle did a crap build would cracks not have shown up sooner.

I'm sorry but I'm a bit skeptical about the part he rode the wheel for more than a year and then one day"I was just riding along"and cracks appeared.

[Spoke101]

Are we expecting buy cycle or any cycle shop to warranty their wheel build for more than a year?

If buycycle did a crap build would cracks not have shown up sooner.

I'm sorry but I'm a bit skeptical about the part he rode the wheel for more than a year and then one day"I was just riding along"and cracks appeared.

 

As a race wheel less than 1000km's that's 2 weeks base training if he rode it all the time.

[V12man]

Are we expecting buy cycle or any cycle shop to warranty their wheel build for more than a year?

If buycycle did a crap build would cracks not have shown up sooner.

I'm sorry but I'm a bit skeptical about the part he rode the wheel for more than a year and then one day"I was just riding along"and cracks appeared.

They should warrantee their build does not exceed maximum manufacturer specified spoke tensions....

[Spoke101]

Oh and if you wanting another race wheel with power Bicycle Power Trading used to do an Enve/Powertap wheelset which I'm sure they will warranty.

[eddy]

O and The parktool TM1 is a good tension meter and you play some good guitar tunes with a tension of 18, Clearly who ever built that wheel just used brute force and ignorance.

Count your blessings.

 

I had a Powertap wheel built by someone on the hub who was a legendary wheelbuilder in his own mind who worked ( and taught his appy to work) on sound and dismissed a tension meter and then pulled a spoke through the rim, blamed Enve for their poor design and wanted me to pay him for his workmanship and the spokes he supplied.

 

I subsequently found the wheel was almost oval and some spokes were at twice specified tension.

Edited June 17, 2016 by eddy