Isen workshop: adventures in batch production (or not...)

I have found out I am having a baby

Just wanted to offer my congratulations on this. Should put all the bullshit into perspective.

Good luck.

Also don't stray away from going with a well oiled machine like Seven Cycles or someone of that ilk. Sure, its not a one or two person show, but you'll get exactly what you ask for (or they'll tell you what you need based on your desires if you're unsure of specifics) and you're basically guaranteed to get warranty support because they're not going to up and disappear overnight like any lone frame builder might do.

or go a little bigger operation than that and get a Trek

I was waiting for someone to speak sense

hahaha yeah, that too

go a little bigger operation than that and get a Trek

or just lease a Hyundai

Saw an Isen rider down on Chelsea embankment on my way home.
Hope you're ok big fella

From my experience, Winston vaz is really friendly, professional and affordable. Mr. Richard hallett is also very good and friendly. Lee cooper in coventry is also very good, but may not do custom builds as of now. Limit bmx in norwich is very good. Geoff roberts in sussex is great. Mr kevin winter is also amazing. Six four frameworks in london, adrian is very friendly. There are others but these are the ones I can vouch for.

Well, it's official. Got this email:

We hope this letter finds you well. It is with deep sadness that we
must inform you of some unfortunate news regarding Isen Workshop. Due
to unforeseen personal circumstances and insurmountable financial
difficulties caused by the current economic climate, we have been
forced to cease trading and subsequently declare insolvency. We
understand the impact this will have on you as a valued customer, and
it is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that we will not be
able to provide a refund for the money you have so far paid, or build
the frame you have ordered.

We want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly, and we
have personally exhausted all possible options to try to sustain the
business. Unfortunately, the combined challenges we faced were
insurmountable, and despite our best efforts, we were unable to secure
the necessary funds to continue our operations and meet our financial
obligations.

Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience or
disappointment this may cause you. We understand that you have placed
your trust in our company and we deeply regret that we are unable to
fulfil our commitment to you.

We understand that you may have questions or concerns regarding this
matter, and we are in the process of appointing an official receiver
through the insolvency service, who may be able to advise further what
this means for you and your order.

Once again, we deeply apologise for any distress caused by this
situation. We tried everything we could to get your frame built, but
it was sadly impossible.

Ouch. Rough for all concerned, especially those who've lost a chunk of cash.

oh. not good.

especially a shame they could not raise funds to reimburse deposits.

i guess these will now become unsecured creditors with minimal chance of receiving anything out of insolvent winding up.

on another subject - i'm thinking of selling my Isen.

If the monies were paid by credit card would there be a chance to get reimbursed?

Yes...ish. If the prospective Isen owner paid between £100 and £30,000 directly from a consumer credit card account to the Isen merchant account, the credit card provider is liable under the relevant legislation to reimburse upon failure of Isen to supply the goods or provide a refund. It gets a bit questionable if there was an intermediary such as PayPal

Really sad to hear this. Hope all are doing ok.

Really sad to see the demise of Isen and hope you're doing ok Matt and Caren.
A tough game to be in but you've ultimately been out there creating some wonderful bikes doing and creating things. Something to be proud of.
May you both rise again like a phoenix from the ashes.

Well that explains why @user58704 was flogging-off the assets.

And while I'm here, it's a bit fucking rich of her to pull the "ally of women" card, considering the "nah luv it's supposed to be like that" BS you fed the (female) customer I recommended to you.

Although to be fair Matt was equally full of shit, so at least Isen were equal opportunities cunts.

get fucked

Would you be saying get fucked if you'd lost between 2 and 4 grand to this situation? Genuine question, not trying to stir shit.

Would you be saying get fucked if you'd lost between 2 and 4 grand to this situation?

No, he'd be saying "got fucked" 😁

Eek

lololol

I wish.

FYI:
1) Frame arrives: BB shell has two LH (or RH, I don't remember) threads. Supplier fault, but clearly Isen's rigorous QC (upon which they will repeatedly rely on as proof that the faults described can't possibly be down to them) doesn't include "frame accepts BB: Y/N". Frame returned.

2) Substitute frame arrives: it has been bubblewrapped while the paint is wet. Matt tells me that "Caren is anal about paint." and all will be good next time around. Frame returned.

3) Frame arrives: the paint is far from anal in half a dozen places, most notably a 30/40mm scratch on the underside of the BB shell, which is through to the metal and under the lacquer. Customer speaks to Caren and is told that's perfectly normal (ie "nah luv it's supposed to be like that"). Frame returned.

4) Frame arrives: the paint isn't shit. I screw-in (by hand) the DS BB cup, which is received at an angle. After confirming that I'm sober, I try again: same result. Inspection of the shell reveals that there are not one, but two threads. I speak to Caren, who tells me that I am at fault and must have chased the second thread into the shell... because QC.

Bearing in mind 1) above, clearly the substitute frame also received a faulty BB shell. And clearly it also somehow slipped through their infallible QC ("frame accepts BB: Y/N/looks alright to me").

By now Matt is bleating about how much it's costing them to ship the frame back and forth, so my LBS chased (with some difficulty) a correct thread.

5) I attempt to fit the rear wheel. Never mind fitting a disc-braked freewheel, I couldn't get a track wheel in there. Obviously with such rigorous QC in place it was nothing to do with poor work-holding or ignorance of welding distortion: the only rational explanation Matt could offer was that the stays had been crushed together in transit.

I never received a damaged box and always returned/received it with a spacer and surely if Isen had received a damaged box, they'd have checked the frame over? Curiously, aside from the undamaged box, neither the frame spacer, nor the paint, nor any part of the frameset (carbon forks included) was damaged...

I watched the manager of the LBS reset the stays: he used a piece of 4x2 that was something like three meters long to lever them apart and had to go well beyond the width of a pair of handlebars, on account of how far the stays would spring back. For them to close-up, one stay would need to physically pass through the other; either that or they'd both have to be skewed to one side or the other.

6) The frame only accepts 20/30mm of seat post. Welding the seat stays distorted the seat-tube: it was still round, but there were "blisters" in the tube where the stays attached.

I speak to Matt, who by now can't be bothered to keep up the pretence and simply limply tells me to get it reamed: "frame accepts seat post: Y/N/trust me bro".

7) Unsurprisingly Isen's customer has had enough and wants her money back: she's bought groupset, wheelset & finishing kit and we're well into Summer. Matt says there is no money (ie tough shit).

Indeed there was so little money, that Isen only manage to continue trading for... I'm sorry, how many years? How many fucking YEARS?

In order to remedy the situation though, he did have the gall to send a load of Isen tat (t-shirts, badges etc): "Frame's shit, you're shit out of luck, but here's some promotional shit."

8) If you look back through this thread, you'll find that I didn't call them out in public, but tried to resolve everything privately. What you will find though, is Matt taking deposits (and expensive parts) for frames he never delivered and Caren selling-off business assets six weeks before declaring insolvency.

TL/DR
Fuck you, you polydactyly Norfolk cunt: fuck you in the ear; fuck you in the eye and fuck the donkey you rode in on.

Funny I had the same fucking kinds of shit customer service, shit qc issues including a frame so out of shape it couldn’t fit a wheel, rear spacing fucked up etc etc, being repeatedly lied to and bullshit excuses about frames springing back.

Thank fuck no one else is going to suffer their shit customer service. I don’t feel sorry for Isen but do for all the people who got ripped off and lied to by Matt and Caren.

Oh man! :(

It appears they made frame shaped objects!