Warranty labour charges ?

[Rickster]

My Giant dealer wants to charge me for installing warranty parts within the first six months, is this normal ? They aren’t charging for the part but for the labour to install the faulty in warranty part. This somehow doesn’t seem right. Why should the customer have to pay anything for something that isn’t their fault ? I don’t get it ?!

 

[The Hodge]

Did you buy the bike there?

 

[Rickster]

Did you buy the bike there?

No they couldn’t get stock, so it’s not like I didn’t want to give them the business. I had to drive 7 hrs to to actually find one. But regardless I don’t think that should be an issue.

 

[The Hodge]

I think you will find that although the manufacturer will supply the parts f.o.c ..they won't reimburse the shop for labour ..
As a gesture of goodwill the outlet from where you bought the bike will sometimes suck up the labour costs ..but they aren't obliged to ..
I'm in a similar situation to yourself at the moment ..just grin & bear it ..

 

[Rickster]

I think you will find that although the manufacturer will supply the parts f.o.c ..they won't reimburse the shop for labour ..
As a gesture of goodwill the outlet from where you bought the bike will sometimes suck up the labour costs ..but they aren't obliged to ..
I'm in a similar situation to yourself at the moment ..just grin & bear it ..

Your right, I just looked at the Giant warranty, last line under exclusions…

 

[Jeff H]

I thought this was ridiculous the first time I encountered it. Imagine the uproar if the alternator died in your new car and the car company said the alternator mfg. covers the part but you’ll need to pay for install.

 

[jbrown15]

At the shop I work at, if you buy the bike from us we perform the warranty work for free. If you bring us a bike that we're a dealer for but bought from a different shop we'll usually charge something for labor.

 

[Planemo]

I appreciate it is what it is, but I think thats a bit of a pisstake if I'm honest.

If I were to spend 5k on a brand new motorbike and it shits a crank bearing I wouldn't expect to pay the labour costs to replace the motor.

I presume Giant aren't doing anything that the other bike manufacturers aren't though.

 

[JP-NZ]

At the shop I work at, if you buy the bike from us we perform the warranty work for free. If you bring us a bike that we're a dealer for but bought from a different shop we'll usually charge something for labor.

This is fair IMO

 

[jbrown15]

I appreciate it is what it is, but I think thats a bit of a pisstake if I'm honest.

If I were to spend 5k on a brand new motorbike and it shits a crank bearing I wouldn't expect to pay the labour costs to replace the motor.

I presume Giant aren't doing anything that the other bike manufacturers aren't though.

Pretty much every bike manufacture does not cover labor for warranty work and even state that on their websites. It's really going to depend on the shop, which is why I said at our shop if you buy the bike from us we eat the labor to help out a customer and provide great service to get repeat business.

 

[Planemo]

I only saw your initial reply after I posted as we crossed over. And yes it makes total business sense to do the free labour as a gesture, I would do the same. Whilst gallant though, I don't think it should be down to LBS's to swallow it.

I can't think of any other vehicle where this labour issue arises which is why I don't think the bicycle game should be any different, especially when we are essentially paying motorbike prices. I guess one bonus is that most bicycle parts can be swopped out by 99% of riders if the LBS wasn't as benevolent as yourselves, but still.

 

[#lazy]

Pretty much every bike manufacture does not cover labor for warranty work and even state that on their websites. It's really going to depend on the shop, which is why I said at our shop if you buy the bike from us we eat the labor to help out a customer and provide great service to get repeat business.

Spesh will , me motor died , took it in to a dealer (not the shop I purchased from) and within 30 mins I had a new motor fitted . All it cost me was a couple of coffees from Costa‘s
I’m sure these shops can claim labour costs !

 

[jbrown15]

Spesh will , me motor died , took it in to a dealer (not the shop I purchased from) and within 30 mins I had a new motor fitted . All it cost me was a couple of coffees from Costa‘s
I’m sure these shops can claim labour costs !

I'm willing to bet you one of those coffee's they didn't get any money back from Specialized for the labor....lol

thats just the shop being good to you, which is nice to see.

when we have a situation like that a case of beer usually covers the labor bill....lol

 

[Pdoz]

I'm willing to bet you one of those coffee's they didn't get any money back from Specialized for the labor....lol

thats just the shop being good to you, which is nice to see.

when we have a situation like that a case of beer usually covers the labor bill....lol

Do you work at a spec dealier?,

I'm asking because I'm in a similar situation - bought my spec second hand because the lbs couldn't get me one. The lbs refused to accept a thankyou gift on warranty work and they stated spec covered the labour

It'd be really nice to have an accurate summary of each brands warranty as a sticky - as well as labour costs we could have things like is it transferable, a rolling warranty when parts are replaced, and the subjective time / hassle factor. Perhaps even a measure of support for " wear and tear" items

eg giant don't cover labor, are NOT transferable , NOT rolling.....and if those dry wheel bearings fail at week 3 that's fair wear and tear! ( at least all that was true on my 2018 giant)

Spec - mostly transferable ( except lifetime items drop back to 2 years) , the warranty starts fresh with each new motor, and my lbs was reasonably confident that a motor failing a few months beyond warranty would be covered ( they laughed at me and said " this is specialized" - they are multi franchise )

Trek - I believe they even cover bearings / suspension bushes et al ?

 

[flash]

My LBS has done two motor changes on a ike I didn’t buy from them. They got nothing in labour costs from Specialized so I insisted they charge me a small fee for the work they did. I have spent many dollars with them and they were going to do it for free but I want my LBS to be there in a few more years and doing stuff like that isn’t good for business.

If anything happens to the bikes I did buy from them then they cover the labour as part of the warranty because they made money from the sale.

Unfortunately the bike industry is like this. If my Landrover breaks down the dealer invoices Landrover at agreed rates. Bike shops don’t get to do this.

Gordon

 

[MOTO13]

Boy, it's good car companies don't pull this shit...gee, sorry sir, you bought your car from another dealer. The $12 part is covered under warranty, but we're going to charge you $200 labor. If you are a Giant, Trek, or whatever dealer, you should uphold the warranty on those bikes regardless of where it was purchased. What happens if you move to another area? Is your warranty no good?

 

[Pdoz]

My LBS has done two motor changes on a ike I didn’t buy from them. They got nothing in labour costs from Specialized so I insisted they charge me a small fee for the work they did. I have spent many dollars with them and they were going to do it for free but I want my LBS to be there in a few more years and doing stuff like that isn’t good for business.

If anything happens to the bikes I did buy from them then they cover the labour as part of the warranty because they made money from the sale.

Unfortunately the bike industry is like this. If my Landrover breaks down the dealer invoices Landrover at agreed rates. Bike shops don’t get to do this.

Gordon

Now I feel upset that my lbs wouldn't accept payment ! The passive aggressive lbs? Now I HAVE to buy the next bike from them....

 

[Pdoz]

Boy, it's good car companies don't pull this shit...gee, sorry sir, you bought your car from another dealer. The $12 part is covered under warranty, but we're going to charge you $200 labor. If you are a Giant, Trek, or whatever dealer, you should uphold the warranty on those bikes regardless of where it was purchased. What happens if you move to another area? Is your warranty no good?

Car companies DO short change dealers for warranty labour charges , as well as fixed price servicing - everything has a defined price .

Even your doctor reaches a point in some countries where you really should be bringing them coffee / handing over chocolates to reception....

 

[jbrown15]

Boy, it's good car companies don't pull this shit...gee, sorry sir, you bought your car from another dealer. The $12 part is covered under warranty, but we're going to charge you $200 labor. If you are a Giant, Trek, or whatever dealer, you should uphold the warranty on those bikes regardless of where it was purchased. What happens if you move to another area? Is your warranty no good?

Sorry but how is it the responsibility of your LBS to cover the cost of labour for repairs that they will see zero dollars back from the brand?

The bike industry doesn’t generate the kind of revenue a car dealership does.

I know the local Trek and Giant shops in our area won’t even work on a bike unless it’s one of theirs and there’s a good chance they won’t work on it if you didn’t buy it from them.

If you want your LBS to be around I guess try to buy a bike or brand they sell.

Also I highly doubt there’s much labor for a $12 part. And I would think most shops will fix something simple for free. But if a shop has to do a large job and swap a motor or trouble shoot something and pay their mechanic $25/hr or more and get nothing in return and you didn’t buy the bike from them I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect to at least pay something.

 

[HarryJune]

I ordered a bike from E-bikeshop in Farnham, I had nothing but trouble from them, would strongly recommend NOT to use them.

 

[MOTO13]

So...the bike you want is not available anywhere locally. You are forced to order online and have it shipped to you. I guess there is no warranty. I have ordered 2 bikes online...One from a Husky dealer out east and one from Jenson. Both said all warranty, parts and labor would, could be handled by the local dealer. They told be to register the bike with the manuf and after that, you're golden for warranty. For ex...if you have a shimano or Bosch system, anyone who is a bike dealer selling these ebikes equipped with these systems sb able to warranty or work on the bike during the warranty period. I guess that is parts only. So...beware when buying online or not from your local dealer. I understand a LBS would not want to work on a bike they didn't sell for warranty purposes.

 

[jbrown15]

So...the bike you want is not available anywhere locally. You are forced to order online and have it shipped to you. I guess there is no warranty. I have ordered 2 bikes online...One from a Husky dealer out east and one from Jenson. Both said all warranty, parts and labor would, could be handled by the local dealer. They told be to register the bike with the manuf and after that, you're golden for warranty. For ex...if you have a shimano or Bosch system, anyone who is a bike dealer selling these ebikes equipped with these systems sb able to warranty or work on the bike during the warranty period. I guess that is parts only. So...beware when buying online or not from your local dealer. I understand a LBS would not want to work on a bike they didn't sell for warranty purposes.

I think it'll vary from shop to shop, I mean our shop will pretty much work on anything. But a few shops around us refuse to work on bikes from brands they don't sell or refuse if it's not a bike they directly sold (which is crazy to me)

 

[Another One]

My Giant dealer wants to charge me for installing warranty parts within the first six months, is this normal ? They aren’t charging for the part but for the labour to install the faulty in warranty part. This somehow doesn’t seem right. Why should the customer have to pay anything for something that isn’t their fault ? I don’t get it ?!

I have never had this before seems a bit short sighted from dealer, I would of thought they had a high chance of gaining a customer by providing a good service with very little cost to them.

 

[JP-NZ]

I have never had this before seems a bit short sighted from dealer, I would of thought they had a high chance of gaining a customer by providing a good service with very little cost to them.

I could agree with that if its the store you purchased the bike from. If not then its a whole different kettle of fish. You have to remember that if the bike was purchased from the store then they would have made the margin on the bike sale. If your going to any other LBS for warranty issues most would charge for labour as they can't afford to fit warranty parts for free.

 

[Woodyc]

I bought my 2020 Trek Rail from my LBS and at the time of purchase they offered me a 3 year Velocare plan for $270. It has paid for itself on more than one occasion! After one year they serviced my suspension, installed a new chain and cables. This year they again replaced my cables, also brake rotors, cassette, free hub, and chain, all at no cost to me. The Velocare plans have increased in cost since then but I will definitely buy another plan when I get my next bike! I live in So Cal and my LBS is Trek in San Marcos, CA

 

[kombos]

I bought my 2020 Trek Rail from my LBS and at the time of purchase they offered me a 3 year Velocare plan for $270. It has paid for itself on more than one occasion! After one year they serviced my suspension, installed a new chain and cables. This year they again replaced my cables, also brake rotors, cassette, free hub, and chain, all at no cost to me. The Velocare plans have increased in cost since then but I will definitely buy another plan when I get my next bike! I live in So Cal and my LBS is Trek in San Marcos, CA

This sounds a bit more like a tune/maintenance/wear package as opposed to warranty service for defective components, correct?

 

[Woodyc]

Yes, it's additional warranty for any parts that wear or fail from normal use during the period of the contract. It did not cover my derailleur when I got a branch stuck in it and destroyed it.