[Red Liner]

Get the warranty replacement, sell the bike, and buy something from Decathlon. With Decathlon its usually always 100% peace of mind when these things happen.

[surajram]

Bikes like the Scott are mass manufactured to high tolerances, but finally assembled (wheels, pedals etc) at the local bike shop. Between manufacturing & assembly - poor package handling is usually the culprit for a bent / broken spoke. Any mechanic should be able to spot issues like these while assembling and testing before the bike rolls out of the shop. While there is clearly a defect - I would be more worried about the poor workmanship for letting a bad wheel roll out of the shop here.

Since Scott is offering a replacement wheel, have it installed and inspected by a more reliable mechanic (at the same / different dealership).

Having broken my fair share of spokes / wheels - I can definitely assure this is fixable and beyond this bad customer experience - that is a beautiful bike to ride.

[jai_asnani98]

Originally Posted by graaja

After all, this is a machine and any machine can fail, how much ever premium the manufacturer is.

Much appreciate your valuable inputs sir and yes you are spot on in saying any machine can fail, undoubtedly. Brands like these have been working on bikes since years with cosmic amounts of time and money on R&D to better their products. I am sure this is an aberration from their usual products and more so if it has happened within 100kms with nought aggressive riding. The thought of taking a road bike on a rough patch makes my body go Ouch but what would speak volumes about a brand is the manner in which they would rectify their mistake. My disappointment apart from the product, stems from the recklessness with which they have handled the issue as pointed out by @GTO sir and so many others on this forum and their unwillingness to pull up the dealer. Malpractice by any dealer be it cars, cycles, etc., will reflect negatively on the brand and what we as consumers would wish to witness is how the brand ensures this does not happen.
Anyway, you guys are right and it seems like the brand and dealer are in a Lubby dubby and the customer is 'third' wheeling. Pun intended.

[silverado]

Cycling community is mostly tight knit one where people join clubs and usually know the dealer well, and vice versa - Atleast here in Pune.

I am not sure how things work in Mumbai though.

I am with you about how you feel after spending a lot for your dream bike.
Its the poor communication and way things are handled which has angered you the most rather than actual failure of the component.

Going ahead is there a chance you can approach another dealer to maintain your bike in mumbai? I hope you get one so that you can enjoy your bike again.

Finally thanks for posting your experience here, which is shocking to come from a reputed brand like Scott.

[ps_abhijith]

Congrats on the new bike, and sad to hear the ordeal which you had to go through. But what you had is the "common experience" of buying and owning a high end road bike in India. Irrespective of the brand, once you get the bike, you are left mostly on your own, unless you are buying the bike from a store known for its service. This is common and understood by most riders.

The common practice I have seen in Kochi, Trivandrum, Chennai and Bangalore is the same. So we book the bike and get the bike from the dealer, Take the bike directly to our known / trusted local mechanic / service centre (Trust me, there will be one god like mechanic in every city for cycles), redo a proper assembly on the bike, tighten everything up properly, tune the FD & RD properly, centre and adjust the brakes properly, true the wheel, and then start riding the bike. No one should be riding the bike as they get it out of the dealership.

When I got my Cannondale Synapse last year, the FD was rubbing on the chain, the RD timing was wrong, disc brake pad clearances were wrong (TRP Dual Piston calipers), headset was loose, handle bar was not properly aligned and both wheels were wobbly. I expected this, took the bike direct to the trusted cycling mech in kochi (He takes care of everything from local bikes to bikes used by national racers), have him strip down and reassemble everything. The bike never had an issue after that in the close to 10k km I have used the bike so far, other than normal wear and tear expected for the chain, brake pads and tyres. The wheels were trued once in every 2000 km, or whenever I saw them out of balance.

Check around in cycling communities in your area, you will get suggestions for good mechanics. Have your wheels rebuilt properly, and have them check your headsets and FD/RD tuning. Go back to the dealership only if you have a failure of the hubs or have issues with the frame and fork. Most other components like the headset, bottom bracket and the shifters are not covered under warranty generally. Put the ordeal in the past and enjoy the ride and many more happy miles on the bike.

[nissar]

I agree with most other here that getting a replacement wheel is a good deal. Understand your frustrations but this is very common experience and not just with cycles here in India. If you think you can teach anyone a lesson more power to you. But if you want to maximize your enjoyment it's best to just try to get your issue resolved and move on.

Just for some perspective, I actually have replaced my entire stock wheelset with carbon one from china. Like you may imagine i have almost zero customer service but I enjoy the awesome experience of light wheels for a third the cost of branded ones. Yes I do know if something does go wrong it will be a pain to resolve but I would still say it absolutely worth the risk. In summary the most enjoyment at a given budget doesnt go hand in hand with best customer service. Hope this helps!

[snappysam]

Originally Posted by ps_abhijith

The common practice I have seen in Kochi, Trivandrum, Chennai and Bangalore is the same. So we book the bike and get the bike from the dealer, Take the bike directly to our known / trusted local mechanic / service centre (Trust me, there will be one god like mechanic in every city for cycles), redo a proper assembly on the bike, tighten everything up properly, tune the FD & RD properly, centre and adjust the brakes properly, true the wheel, and then start riding the bike. No one should be riding the bike as they get it out of the dealership.

Abhijith, I would be really thankful if you could give me the contact details of the "Expert in Cochin".

Mods: Sorry for going away from the original topic.

[docmoya2007]

Originally Posted by ps_abhijith

But what you had is the "common experience" of buying and owning a high end road bike in India. Irrespective of the brand, once you get the bike, you are left mostly on your own, unless you are buying the bike from a store known for its service. This is common and understood by most riders.

The common practice I have seen in Kochi, Trivandrum, Chennai and Bangalore is the same. So we book the bike and get the bike from the dealer, Take the bike directly to our known / trusted local mechanic / service centre (Trust me, there will be one god like mechanic in every city for cycles), redo a proper assembly on the bike, tighten everything up properly, tune the FD & RD properly, centre and adjust the brakes properly, true the wheel, and then start riding the bike. No one should be riding the bike as they get it out of the dealership.

Check around in cycling communities in your area, you will get suggestions for good mechanics.

I, too,echoed these thoughts. And I have had similar "common experience" when my right pedal fell off on my 2nd ride. And I had no wrench with me. I had to carry it back home on my jersey's back pocket. In an attempt to screw in the pedal by hand, I did permanantly damaged some threads in the right crank arm, which still feel 'not so smooth' as it should be. Get the bike fixed, and see you on the bicyle day trip pics thread soon

[pineapple_ameet]

Hi, almost 8-9 years back when i bought my riverside 500, i could observe that the front rim has deformed after going through a severe bump. Since this happened within the first week of purchase, i was promptly asked by the team to get it replaced under warranty, which was a hassle-free experience ( the person came home to replace it and 'serviced' the bike too, basically thoroughly inspecting and tightening any other lose threads).
Though btwin night not be as big in its appeal as Scott, one of the reasons for me to stick to that was the absolutely great customer-centric approach by decathlon for it's products, specially lil higher value purchases.
In your case, though the dealer response is totally atrocious, if you're being offered a replacement, go for it, and enjoy the ride from here on, Ava in Mumbai, there are a lot of great technicians to fall back upon, apart from cycling groups.
Happy riding!

[amol4184]

In retrospective may be it is for the better OP has not mentioned dealer's name despite multiple requests. Hope he doesn't reveal it in future too.

Negative threads like this quickly snowball thanks to might of t-bhp and mods had to step in in the past. Some times it is deserved too but in this particular case all we see is one sided account of all the happenings of how Scott and dealer wronged OP. Where is the other side of the argument?

Summarized three events from title post in the order they happened, third being the pivotal point where things nose dive:

1. Spokes loosen themselves, customer care accepts the fault. OP records the call.
2. Customer care asks if problem persists by riding the bike, OP refuses and asks for inspecting bike for manufacturing defects.
3. Scott (or dealer?) says they will take legal action against OP.

Wait. That's it? So nothing drastic happened between event 2 and 3? Instead of hundred other amicable, less violent options for solving a case of badly built wheel on a mid-spec bike Scott goes for legal route? Without any provocation. Why?! My mind boggles.

It would have been great if there were email chains, Whatsapp messages, SMS exchange or more recorded calls. Without that I don't know what to make of this thread.

[jai_asnani98]

Holla BHPians,

So, Scott has already dispatched the new wheel to the same dealer and have had it assembled from him only.

As many of you'll have pointed out that apart from pathetic customer service, another major concern from BHPians like surajram was the poor worksmanship by allowing a bad wheel to roll out of the shop.

Unfortunately, history repeats itself and the new wheel is in the hands of the same dealer. I fail to understand why Scott has done this when they too have blamed the dealer for the shortcomings.

[Kartman]

Originally Posted by jai_asnani98

Hey everybody. They say, "Better late than never". So, let me share my nightmare with Scott India team and one of their dealers from whom I purchased my first road bike.

I feel your pain. You must have waited for a while to get your hands on this bike and must have shed your hard earned money on it. Scott deals directly with dealers and claims are to be filed by the dealer itself as they are considered the competent authority for the same.

That being said, it looks like your dealer is taking the easy way out as it’s a pain to claim warranty on cycles in India. My honest opinion is to take back the bike from your dealer and go to another, more competent dealer. If you are interested, please DM me and I can share the details of my dealer who is a Scott dealer and avid cyclist. I am sure he will sort out your issue and be transparent with you on the solution of the same.

Mod Note : Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.
Thanks!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Kartman

If you are interested, please DM me and I can share the details of my dealer who is a Scott dealer and avid cyclist. I am sure he will sort out your issue and be transparent with you on the solution of the same.

Originally Posted by ps_abhijith

I expected this, took the bike direct to the trusted cycling mech in kochi (He takes care of everything from local bikes to bikes used by national racers), have him strip down n reassemble everything.

Guys,
A suggestion/request in line with a principle we have been pushing for ages on this forum. Share the information on good dealers/mechanics/contacts publically on the posts (than on PMs) so that multiple readers get the benefits of these guys. You'll be doing a service to those contacts too as word-of-mouth is the best customer feedback.

[Kartman]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Guys,
A suggestion/request in line with a principle we have been pushing for ages on this forum. Share the information on good dealers/mechanics/contacts publically on the posts (than on PMs) so that multiple readers get the benefits of these guys. You'll be doing a service to those contacts too as word-of-mouth is the best customer feedback.

I am sorry. I didn’t want it to feel like I was pushing a certain dealer. But since you have mentioned it and if you are around Thane, even Mumbai make a trip to Haybren Enterprises (Hiranandani Meadows, Thane) and meet Mr. Jose George. He is one of the most competent dealers I know who doesn’t believe in selling a bike just to make money. I have got my bike fit done from him and my performance has drastically taken a turn for the better.

He normally does not service bikes that are purchased elsewhere, since he is a small outfit and believes in giving the best after sales service to his customers but if you can speak with him and tell him about the experience you have had with Scott, he might make an exception and help you out

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Kartman

make a trip to Haybren Enterprises (Hiranandani Meadows, Thane) and meet Mr. Jose George. He is one of the most competent dealers I know who doesn’t believe in selling a bike just to make money. I have got my bike fit done from him and my performance has drastically taken a turn for the better.

Thank you and excellent suggestion. I haven't used his services but have ridden with him ages ago (I think he stopped riding a few years ago). Heard only good things about him and his store

IIRC that's him 2nd from right