So, a bike shop made a mess of my Cannondale F-Si

If anyone has been following the Cannondale thread you'll see that getting my Cannondale Lefty warranty repaired has been a saga of some proportion.

Well, it's now upgraded to a disaster. When I went to pick up the bike on the understand that the work requested was done, only to find out the work was not done, the bike was potentially unsafe and the shop that was handling the work and warranty repair has marred / damaged the composite frame.

I'm starting this thread to document my approach to getting this resolved, in the hope that it might help others who may find themselves in a similar situation in the future.

There will be no name-and-shame until there is a resolution of sorts.

Some context:

Bought a Cannondale F-Si Carbon 2 from thebikeshop.de.

Did 60 or so rad miles on it over two rides, Surrey Hills with Soho Bikes and some friends, and Epping Forest + ride out and back with some friends.

Post Epping ride the bike was cleaned and inspected at MiCycle.

Bike sat in my workshop for a bit, and then deposited the wiper seal oil on the floor the next time the Lefty suspension was cycled - the seal on the upper had failed.

I contact a shop who has a good relationship with CSG - the representative of Cannondale in the UK and owned by Dorel who own Cannondale - to arrange a warranty repair.

I know the guys in the shop. They know me. When I went to the shop, they let me know they weren't impressed that I had bought from Germany rather than a UK shop, but made it clear they would handle everything.

Sensing that they were a put back a bit, I offered them to do some work on it as the brake hoses needed adjusting and the brake levers switching round.

We agreed to replace the front brake hose, swap the levers over, re-attach the hoses then bleed the brakes (the rear had a whole load of free stroke from the factory).

We agreed that they would box up and post the lefty to TF Tuned for warranty repair. I asked them if they had the tools to safely remove the OPI stem to remove the Lefty. They said they did.

Before I left I pointed out that the bike 'did not have a scratch on it' - a clear opportunity for them to check that this was the case.

This was on the 19th of October.

I am still without bike.

TF Tuned is responsible for doing the warranty fix on the Lefty fork / strut / whatever. Their approach to warranty repair on a lefty is to basically to rebuild the it entirely. Everything. Only the Upper, Clamps and maybe the controls are original now. Lower leg, seals, bearings, damper - all new. Mental.

This took weeks, as Cannondale europe sent them the wrong leg to begin with.

The bike shop got the Lefty back on 22nd November.

On the 27th I called the shop to get an update. They told me that part of the stem had broken and they were waiting for Cannondale UK (CSG) to send them a replacement.

I called on Friday 4th for an update. They told me that the work was done and the bike was ready to collect.

Here's what I found when I picked up the bike:

There are two high level failings:

• Lack of care and skill, demonstrated by list of mistakes and failures detailed below.
  
• Damage as a result of lack of care and skill.
  
  

Mistakes:

The bike had obviously not been tested and this was confirmed verbally by shop owner. It was probably unsafe to ride given lack of care. Work was carried out on brakes and suspension - a test ride check would be absolutely essential. Evidence: unusable brake lever / shifter positions, flat rear tyre on collection

• brake levers position radically different to step up when bought in. Near vertical, and potentially dangerous
  
• front brake hose looped around outside of stantion - danger of snagging on trail features with potential to cause a crash resulting in a serious injury
  
• rear brake lever travel indicates air in system despite my request to bleed both brakes
  
• suspect new brake fittings not used when swapping hoses
  
• brake bleeds not done and indicated not done on work log
  
  

Damage:

• part of OPI stem broken and replaced with no explanation as to what part failed.
  
• new scratch on top of OPI stem
  
• gouge in head tube / down tube junction caused by lefty clamps contacting frame with enough force to damage paint / finish. Cannot be certain that the frame was not damaged.
  
• symptom of incorrectly placed or moved frame bumper. Checking the frame bumper is the recommended procedure in service manual when working on the Lefty.
  
  

Process failures:

• no phone calls to explain or update beyond call handling with TF on 6th November - every update since was initiated by me
  
• no apology for not doing the work as requested
  
• no phone call to explain why work has not been done if your mechanic did not deem it appropriate
  
• no apology for, or recognition of, wasted journeys and time
  

What now?

When I went to collect the bike, it was clear that all was not good and a heated conversation kicked off between me and one of the members of staff, who didn't seem sympathetic to my frustration at having been told the work was done, only to come to the shop to find that the work has not been done.

I then inspected the bike, and found the damage.

I was told the owner of the shop would call me to put things right, but he did not, so I chased him up, and told him I was coming to the shop to discuss.

Another heated conversation ensued. I made it clear that I do not intend to take the bike out of the door with the damage that the shop has put in to it.

The owner suggested that, should he raise this with CSG, they might think I'm being 'a twat' because the damage, in the shop owners' opinion, is cosmetic. I assume he has an x-ray machine to prove it. I said the truth of it is that neither of us can say for certain as to what the damage really is, but that's irrelevant - I bought in a cosmetically perfect bike and I'm not leaving the shop with one that is not. How that is put right is up to him.

He didn't seem to understand that my contract is with him, and CSG has nothing to do with it. They might offer a frame amnesty, but someone will need to bear the cost of that.

I suggested that in the context of the clear lack of care, failure to do the requested works and lack of safety checks the owner should have a couple of days to think about what his response is.

I'll update this thread when I get the response.

That all sounds incredibly frustrating. Hope it doesn't drag on for too long :-/

That an utter bummer and really hope they sort their shit out pronto. Work not done is embarrassing enough; damage to the bike cosmetic or otherwise is a shamble.

I'm glad you think so. I was wondering if it was just me.

I know some people who would just smile and say that's all fine, new and exciting scratches are fine too, just give me a call when it's done...

I am not one of those people

new and exciting scratches are fine

From riding, yes. Not from somebody else not giving a toss about how they treat your bike.

As pointed out elsewhere, its definitely not just you.

I'd be almost as worried by the complete lack of communication on the stem too, tbh. Looking at the OPI stem it seems like there is more chance for catastrophic failure there than with a normal stem, and you have no idea what was broken, and what they have done to fix it. (also no idea if this affects you, but first hit in google http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/recalls/cannondale-recalls-23000-opi-stems )

Its a really shit service, any way you look at it, and you're absolutley right not to accept it

Fucking hell, what a mess. Good luck sorting this. Thread followed.

Nor should you have to be. Make your own scratches to your own bike.

I don't have the heart to let a bike leave the workshop no matter the price without it being 1. safe, and 2. better condition than when it came in if I can't do the work, or way better then it did if I can. 3. If I don't know how to work on that bike/tech, I say so from the beginning. i.e the stem. How and why was it broken/replaced?

Not sure what CSG have to do with it or why they'd be annoyed you bought it from Germany. It's a bike, not a British farmed meat.
Work done without informing you is crap etiquette to begin with. Work done with damage and then denial takes the piss.

Best of luck with this and really hope it doesn't turn into a saga.

Best of luck with this and really hope it doesn't turn into a saga.

It's a saga already fella. I would be interested to know if any fellow wrenches could probe their managers for solutions for dealing with this. Help, basically.

So far the owner of the shop is adamant that this is not their fault.

So, I popped in to the shop just now because some of my photos of the issues weren't great and I wanted to take more.

I found that they have tried to correct the brake issues, which is fine, it was a case of re-routing the front hose and re-positioning the levers. Wonder if they used a torque wrench on the bolts on my carbon bars?

On closer inspection I found additional problems.

1 - the tool interface on the steerer seems chewed up. Like a bottom bracket cup that's been in and out too many times. This might be fair, given that the interface is actually a HT2 spline. But it's a mess.

2 - there's an o-ring half trapped between the tool interface and the head tube

3- the OPI spacers are rattling around, loose. Not sure how this is possible as the stem should clamp down on them and set the bearing pre-load.

but first hit in google bicycling.com/bikes-gear/reca­lls/cannondale-recalls-23000-opi-stems

It had the remedial work done on it before it arrived here in the UK.

Fair play for not allowing your pants to be pulled down.....

Any conversation/excuses given are irrelevant. You took your immaculate, NEW bike to a reputable shop, to have them rectify faults.
You have an absolute right, to expect to retrieve your property, in the same cosmetic condition that it entered the premises in, in a reasonable timeframe.
The shop could have declined to do the work, but they didn't.
If it was me, I'd go back down there with a picnic hamper, sleeping bag and a nice comfy chair. I'd then plant myself right in the fucking middle of the shop, and refuse to leave until I had a solution that I was completely happy with, and not a compromise of any sort!
I reckon a forum bikepacking trip to the shop in question, if they start dicking you around!

Now you have the condition documented in-situ, I'd be inclined to get it out of the and over to another bike shop (for an independent report).

Bearing in mind the mess they've made of it so far, I'd be concerned that they are continuing to tinker with it.

I worry that if I take it away - without paying for the 'work' - they will construe that as some kind of acceptance that the matter is resolved.

Ideally I'd like to get an expert from CSG to come down there and do an assessment.

I'd write to whoever owns "Customer experience" at Cannondale in the US, detailing the whole saga.

If they then tell CSG to sort it out it's significantly more likely to happen, rather than you asking CSG.

I'd go in heavy on the "authorised service agent performing warranty work ruined my brand new fork and frame, then called me a twat when I pointed this out" angle.

This is, effectively, a brand new bike? It seems mind blowing that they've made such a mess of it. Can you get in touch with CSG yourself?

This is, effectively, a brand new bike?

Yes.

CSG can be contacted, but as @Slack will attest to, they aren't in the customer service business as their history is in being a distributor and keeping punters at a safe distance.

I think, if the shit really does start to go down, my strategy will involve a combination of:

• I will name and shame - see the Foffa thread here as an example and the effect on Google search
  
• I will go directly to Cannondale US
  
• I will go to CSG but rather than complaining, spell out the facts, and make it clear that the bike shop should not be dealing in or selling their high end bikes
  
• I will involve trading standards then small claims court
  

I'd try this chap:

Jonathan Geran
Global Director Sports Marketing at Cannondale
Springfield, Massachusetts AreaSports
Summary
o Global Brand Management
o Marketing stategy development and implementation
o Outbound Marketing Program implementation
o In-bound Marketing Program development, analysis and utilization
o Sports Marketing Property management
o Project Management
o Technical Product Knowledge
o Product Life Cycle Management
o Go To Market Strategy
o Trend Identification and Analysis
o Social Media Marketing Implementation
o B2B Sales Program development and execution
o Team Management
o Military Leadership

Highlights are mine - if he owns brand, globally, and their social media program he'd be the chap who would want to head off the bad press.

Not ideal. Like @Scilly.Suffolk says get it out of there and cut your losses.

I found that they have tried to correct the brake issues, which is fine, it was a case of re-routing the front hose and re-positioning the levers. Wonder if they used a torque wrench on the bolts on my carbon bars?

Picking on this, if the owner is adamant that it's not their fault, why has he allowed the bike to continue being worked on despite your dissatisfaction with everything they've done. I might be entirely wrong and presumptuous here, but for me that's a sort of admission of guilt and wanting to correct a problem, rather than some sort of goodwill gesture.

As for Manager solutions, depends on severity really. It comes down to direct replacement of any damaged parts appropriately. If they can't be sourced, then compensation for said damage is next in the pipeline, which generally works out as no labour charge and free servicing in the future, or some sort of store credit.

It's a brand new bike, not sure how they can expect to get away with it.

So...hit their twitter feed with requests for a conversation with him about what has gone on?

I would leave the bike there, that way if the CSG rep can be summoned/despatched then the goons in the shop have to explain what they did, and the CSG rep can rapidly decide that they are going under the bus with regards to blame and payment.

Take the bike out and the shop can say "he did that himself after the bike left us"