Trek Bicycle Corporation

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Trek is clearly not interested in honoring their warranty or changing it to more accurately reflect what the company actually covers. Clearly nothing I say at this point will change their mind, and they are not even engaging in a real conversation about the issue. So it is up to the Revdex.com or other organizations to help change their deceptive business practices.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I...

have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I saw the message and on the 6th received a message from Trek asking that I contact them directly. Which I did. A few days passed and Trek sent another message telling me staff was out of the office and I would have a solution worked on by Monday the 10th of August. Since then I have sent two requw=ests for updates but have gotten nothing. It’s now a full week since the promised Aug 10th response and nothing from Trek. I would like to reject it based on the facts in this email thread. On the 6th a response was expected by the 10th, Today, the 17th and no follow up. I sent all the information, photos of the frame serial number and bicycle purchase information.Thanks again,

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The response received from Trek is only a statement of willingness to look into my complaint, however within the time given to me by the Revdex.com to accept or reject their response I have not received any indication from Trek that they have actually started looking into it nor have I received any other information or communication from Trek. I have written twice to the email address provided by Trek, once this week and once last week (see attached) but have not received any response. So effectively my complaint remains unresolved and unattended to, and Trek seems unresponsive.
Regards,
[redacted]

We talked with [redacted] on Friday July 17th and asked that he take the tube to his dealer to have the tube inspected, and informed him that based on the details this may have been an installation error while he was installing the tube into the tire. He took the tube into the dealer and they...

confirmed that the tube was pinched in the tire causing the tube to blow. As a goodwill gesture, they replaced the tube and we will replace their inventory.
Thanks
-[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Although I cannot say if it was or wasn't slipping on the guard rail that caused the chip in the frame, I am not even disputing the fact that something hit it. That Trek's response is so focused on proving that something hit the bike misses the crux of my complaint.My point is that the damage was something insignificant despite what Trek may claim. I know that, because the bike has been in my possession at all times. The warranty implies that the frame has a lifetime warranty (website: "Warrantied for life") and is fully covered other than in cases of accident, abuse or neglect. I argue that this does not meet those criteria, and if Trek feels that it does, they need to specifically define each term. Trek is being dishonest with its customers and needs to make the fragility of their bikes and exemptions of their warranty more clear to customers who are considering purchase. If Trek won't cover a small bump to the bike that causes the frame to fail, consumers should know this before buying a new Trek. Regarding the picture, I find it interesting that Trek's photo appears to show a level of depth that is not representative of the damage. Also, there is no evidence of red paint as the representative suggests, although interestingly, it appears that the local tech removed some of the chip because there are pieces missing that don't show up in the more accurate picture that I attached. To give you a sense of the "major impact" that caused the frame to fail, I also attached a picture to show the scale of the chip. As you will see, the damage is a fraction the size of a dime - this is what is causing a $2500 bike to be unrideable. There are no other scratches or evidence of a wreck anywhere else on the bike.Finally, it is extremely dishonest not to publish my review of the frame and customer service experience on their website. Obviously, Trek wants to hide anything that doesn't help them sell more bikes which hurts consumers.I strongly suggest that the Revdex.com continues a dialogue with Trek about the dishonest nature of their lifetime warranty.
[redacted] P.S. To clarify an issue to the Trek representative, the carbon expert did not evaluate my bike, so was not claiming Trek should replace it. He simply said that bike companies like Trek rarely replace anything if there is any impact to the bike at all - something which seems to be true based on your response.

We wanted to keep everyone in the loop. I have talked with the bike shop that has done the repairs on Chris' bike to find out about the repairs that were done. They are not an authorized Trek retailer, but are a very reputable shop in the area. The work that has been done appears to be routine maintenance or wear and tear. The brake pads, chain, and getting flat tires are wear items that will need to be replaced after time. This is not uncommon with a bicycle when used as a daily commuter and not covered under the warranty. We could not determine if the rear wheel breaking spokes is a manufacturing defect or not, once we can have the bike reviewed by the Trek retailer we can have a better idea. Regardless we hate to hear that Chris is having an issue and will be happy to replace the rear wheel as a goodwill gesture. The manager of the Trek store is out of town until Thursday, once they return we can have Chris take the bike in and make the final decision on any other options. Thank you.

Thank you for letting us know about your issue with your Speed Concept, we will be happy to review this further, and I will look to see what information we have received regarding your case. This does sound like an isolated case that I am sure we can get resolved once we have more information....

please feel free to contact me directly [redacted] if you have any questions whole we look into this. Thanks!

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.I did receive a response from [redacted] immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday that a replacement frame will be included in the next shipment to the distributor here. The supposition then is that the problems are related to the frame (one way or other). I concur with this and I anticipate that the solution offered by Trek will solve the problems.Regards,
[redacted]

Unfortunately we do not handle warranty situations for the maker of the brakes that came on this bicycle, those claims would go through that vender.
As a goodwill gesture we will be happy to replace the brakes, please let us know what Trek retailer you would like to take your bike to for...

the work. Thanks!

[redacted], My name is [redacted]; I am the Technical and Customer Services Manger here at Trek.I reviewed your situation and agree the 20% Loyalty Discount offered by the Trek and the shop is a reasonable, fair option and understand that you have declined that offer. We work very hard to find solutions for everyone and are successful almost every time. I am very sorry that this option is not meeting your expectations.  I am happy to discuss this situation with the Revdex.com or anyone else that has further questions. Thank you, -[redacted]

We are very sorry to hear that you have had some issues with your Trek bike and would be happy to review these concerns further. To do that we will need to have the bike taken to an authorized Trek retailer to have a warranty claim entered, we can review the issues and make a decision on the next...

steps at that point. Please let us know the retailer you have been working with and we will be happy to contact them to let them know you will be bringing the bike in. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions, Thank you, -Jason Schumacher 800.313.8735 x12229 [email protected]

We reached out to the retailer when this case came in, they in turn reached out to the consumer and offered them the difference of the price with an in store credit that the customer excepted.I has really bad internet where I was at and could not update before today.Please let me know if you need...

more info. Thanks, have a great weekend.

Yes, there was a delay due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, we were able to give Kenneth an update and a resolution on his case. Thank you, [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I appreciate the contact information provided and have sent a follow up email. I would like to keep this complaint open. I will bring my bike, as requested, for inspection from a certified Trek retailer (The Bike Factory). My concern is that I have already paid for the repairs, so the Bike Factory will not find any issues with the bicycle.Either way; I would like to keep this complaint open until results and offer is provided by Trek. Thank you.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: I purchased a trek bike with a defective part. While riding on a flat surface the smallest cog broke causing the chain to slip into the then splayed cassette and the pedal to whip around then cutting and bruising my leg through layers of clothing. The cogs of a cassette should never break, it is very dangerous if they do. The cogs should safely wear, to note this bike was rarely ridden, the chain never slips and the cassette did not need to be replaced. I emailed trek and was met with a terrible amount of resistance and disrespect. After near a dozen emails and asking repeatedly they would not send a replacement part or in the very least tell me the information about the part so I could replace it. I asked to talk to a supervisor and was then ignored receiving no reply from the representative. I then found a supervisor's email and told them of the situation. Yet again I wasn't sent a replacement part and the question of the details about the part information ignored, this was with repeated emails to a supervisor at trek. He only said take it to the shop where I purchased it with no part information, not even the part manufacturer whom he said covers it, but he asked for pictures implying a replacement on the terms of seeing the damaged part, I sent them and received no reply. To emphasize the importance here, the part was defective and caused me injury and trek would not have the slightest decency to tell me what the part was let alone send a replacement. The repair is a simple one I could do in minutes, I can attain tools necessary, taking it to the shop leaves me without a bike for days, a repair fee and an overpriced part. This is going on over two weeks now and I'm missing out on the most beautiful riding season with autumn blooming because of a defective part and ridiculously disrespectful service from trek's customer service and supervisor.Desired Settlement: A replacement cassette for the defective part being trek said they only have cassette's and not individual cogs, also because there may be more than one defect on the cassette that was used by trek to make my bike, and a sincere apologetic gesture for ruining weeks of the most beautiful riding season with terribly disrespectful service and for hurting me by using a defective part to make the bike.

Review: I purchased a Trek Pure DLX 3 spd in 2013. Subsequently there was some damage to the bike by a poorly trained bicycle repair person. I have written numerous times requesting a replacement part for the chain guard. I need the bracket that fits to the bottom bracket and supports the chain guard. Trek insists this part is not available and I should purchase an aftermarket chain guard. Coincidentally I did purchase the guard they recommended before the recommendation. That guard does not fit the bike properly and esthetically it ruins to look.

This bike is still in production and the same part is still made for this bike. Yet Trek will not source the part. Simply responding it is not available. Yet it is available to manufacture new Trek Pure Bikes still being sold.

I have also asked repeatedly for the chain link and chain specifications for this bike. The only answer is "take it to a dealer, it is not in our database". And yet the bike is still produced. How can Trek manufacture a bicycle and not know the chain specifications.

4 Trek bikes in 6 years and this one is a huge disappointment. All I want is to restore my great bike back to original with parts still made and specifications still used to manufacture.Desired Settlement: I would like to purchase the replacement part and have the chain specifications.

Business

Response:

Sorry to hear that you are having an issue, I will be happy to assist.

You can contact me directly [email protected] and we can arrange to have your bike taken to a Trek Dealer in your area to make the appropriate repairs.

Lets get you back riding again,

-[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I saw the message and on the 6th received a message from Trek asking that I contact them directly. Which I did. A few days passed and Trek sent another message telling me staff was out of the office and I would have a solution worked on by Monday the 10th of August. Since then I have sent two requw=ests for updates but have gotten nothing. It’s now a full week since the promised Aug 10th response and nothing from Trek. I would like to reject it based on the facts in this email thread. On the 6th a response was expected by the 10th, Today, the 17th and no follow up.

Review: This is the letter I wrote to Bontrager on June 15th, 2015:Dear Bontrager,I've experienced an unfortunate accident with your SS self-sealing tube on June 14th, 2015 at approximately 9.30PM. I was fixing my mom's bike in the garage which has standard 26x1.95 tires and the SS Bontrager tube specifies fitting from 26x1.75-2.125. I properly installed the tire tube inside a brand new Bell Kevlar tire. I checked that the tube was not sticking out anywhere and that the tire wasn't off the rim or the tube wasn't bubbling out between the rim and tire. I pumped about 20psi and checked the Bell tire embedded information on how much air I could pump for a safe and rigid ride. I got to 40psi and everything was fine. The Bell tire specified that between 40-65psi is recommended. I decided I will pump the tire tube to 50psi. Before I could get to 50psi, the Bontrager tire tube blew from the rim with rather really loud and deafening impact. Yellow goo shot out from the tube. My right ear went deaf for about 10 minutes, slight vertigo was present and a high-pitched sound resonated in my ear. My mom came into the garage to asked what happened. I was staring at her without really hearing what she said until she repeated and I moved closer to hear what was said. I explained the situation to my mom. After 10 minutes from the impact of the blown tire tube, my hearing came back. I thought I was fine until around 1.45AM on Monday, June 15th, my right part of the brain started to hurt for about 2-3 minutes and so I had to lay down. It was quite painful but manageable. As I was laying down, I could hear a high pitched sound, that was continuous. It seems the high pitched sound was a result of the blown tire. It is the same noise that was louder after the tire tube has blown and has attenuated a bit. Now I am starting to worry if the noise is permanent and has damaged my ear. Periodic short throbs in my right ear also occurred while laying down. I am writing this incident to you because I feel your tire tube was defective. I would like to hear from you about how we can resolve this issue now that my life has been affected deep within my brain. My hearing has been affected and I don't know for how long, but it is interrupting my work and sleep pattern as the noise is constant. The constant noise is very unpleasant when it is quiet and all I can hear is the noise in my ear. It sounds like both ears are affected, but I am not a doctor, so a hearing test is in order to find out if my ear or ears have been seriously damaged. You can contact me directly by email or phone to discuss my situation.Tire tube information which is labelled on the box of the defective tire tube.Western Cycle Source for SportsTUB BNT SS 26x1.75-2.125 SV417037 - $8.99: Sincerely[redacted]Tel: +1.306.988.0502Desired Settlement: I would like the business responsible for their defective product to contact me regarding this matter.

Business

Response:

We talked with [redacted] on Friday July 17th and asked that he take the tube to his dealer to have the tube inspected, and informed him that based on the details this may have been an installation error while he was installing the tube into the tire. He took the tube into the dealer and they confirmed that the tube was pinched in the tire causing the tube to blow. As a goodwill gesture, they replaced the tube and we will replace their inventory.

Thanks

-[redacted]

Bought a brand new Trek this month, LOVED the bike at first but had a mechanical problem and have been trying for over a week to get a service manual and owner's manual. 3 emails, no response, more phone calls than I can remember and only got through once, and the guy was rude and useless, said he couldn't help. I JUST NEED A SERVICE MANUAL WHY IS THIS SO IMPOSSIBLE. I was so stoked on my Trek bike but after this horrendous, inexcusable customer service I will not purchase another one. Shame too, the bike really is great for the price. But there is no no no no no no excuse for having this much trouble to get a simple [redacted] service manual. No excuse at all.

Review: Last year (2014) in August I bought a new Trek Speed Concept from the local Trek reseller in Lima, Peru where I’m currently stationed for work. Initially I was happy with the bike and invested in various upgrades such as drivetrain and wheels. I generally only used the bike for my long Saturday sessions and bricks, and I ran a couple of half-IM races with towards the end of the season. The bike has always been returned to the Trek shop for cleaning and general maintenance after each use. In February this year I started getting a sensation like something was “giving in” in the crank, especially when pedaling very hard such as when climbing uphill, and there is a distinct sensation of power from the pedal stroke being lost in the “giving in” movement and not being transferred to the drive train. The sensation was barely noticeable at first but became more and more pronounced over the next couple of training sessions. The Trek shop didn’t have an explanation and we agreed that it probably was my imagination from lack of training after the offseason. However, within a month the bike started producing crackling noises from the crank or bottom bracket. The people at the local Trek shop documented the issue with video and audio recordings and sent those to their distributor in Chile, who advised to replace the crankset bearings with oversized bearings. The oversized bearings appeared at first to have solved the problem with the crackling noise, however the sensation of “giving in” and loss of power remained and already on the second ride with the oversized bearings the noise returned. At this time the issue was again documented by the Trek shop and sent to the distributor in Chile, who advised to clean inside the frame. I understand from talking to the local shop and from emails that have been forwarded to me from the distributor, that the distributor is advised by Trek.

In the months from March to September this year I’ve been getting up most Saturday mornings at 3:45 AM (it’s a 60-mile car drive to get to a decent road cycling place), usually with one or two people from the Trek shop to see if the problems with the bike had been solved, just to return the bike to the shop, wait for advise during the week, have the shop make the suggested corrective measure, and then getting out again the next Saturday. So far the shop has tried changing wheels, chain and chain drive, crankset (4 different models have been tried), aerobars, brakes, and 4 different types of crankset bearings have been tried:

1) The stock bearings that came with the bike,

2) Oversized bearings,

3) A set of bearings that were taken off a new 2015 Speed Concept in the shop,

4) High-precision angular contact ceramic bearings.

Every time the bearings are replaced the noise initially disappears and then gradually reappears after a while. The longer I leave the bearings in, the worse the sound becomes. Nothing so far has solved the problems.

Some two months ago in September the local Trek shop concluded that the problems were caused by the frame, and told me that they would document the noise once again and issue a warranty claim. After a month of having heard nothing back I followed up with the shop, and was told that they had received the response that they should try to replace the crankset bearings - for a 5th time! At this point I lost faith in the good intentions of the shop and decided to contact Trek directly, which so far has been exceptionally disappointing, to put it mildly. At first it turned out that the shop had not filed a warranty claim as I had been informed they would, as it turned out that Trek themselves had instructed the shop to not file the warranty claim but instead replace the bearings. Confronting Trek with has been completely unproductive as they show no interest in understanding the problem and the history of troubleshooting, as they show all signs that they don’t read my emails at all as they continue telling me to install “[quote] different bearing that what originally came with the bike”, disregarding that this has already done numerous times.

At this point I have completely lost count with how many hours and days I’ve spent on this issue, how many hundreds of miles I’ve been driving my car to try on the bike, and how many thousands of dollars I’ve spent on buying upgraded components to solve the problems with the bike. All to no avail. Obviously the money I’ve spent on the upgraded components is not lost. I still have the new components that I have bought. But the whole year is gone for me without even one single quality training session and without being able to participate in races, and I’ve lost $800 in prepaid race entries that I’ve had to forfeit. And I still do not have a solution, and the only indication I have is that Trek is determined to go around in endless circles. I have been a competitive athlete for over 25 years since my early teens, and I’ve been doing triathlons for more than 15 years now. Never before in this sport have I felt so frustrated or disappointed with a product or a brand.Desired Settlement: I want a solution that is working and not considerably impaired from what I have purchased. Whether that entails replacing a product part or repairing a product part I do not know and I do not care, as long as I can get back to training and racing.

Ideally I would also like Trek to comment on the communication that I've had with their customer service, as I don't feel this has been anywhere close to Trek's alleged commitment to the sport and its athletes. I can forward the complete email communication thread if needed.

Business

Response:

Thank you for letting us know about your issue with your Speed Concept, we will be happy to review this further, and I will look to see what information we have received regarding your case. This does sound like an isolated case that I am sure we can get resolved once we have more information. please feel free to contact me directly [redacted] if you have any questions whole we look into this. Thanks!

Consumer

Response:

I contacted Trek on three different occasions to try and work for them. I have a degree in a relevant field, strong work history, and desire to help the company in any way that I could. Even though I had a degree, I stated that I wanted to work for the company so eagerly that I was happy and willing to work my way up.
All e-mails were ignored. Upon going into the warehouse in Whitewater to inquire (resume in hand and dressed respectably) on a work day I found the doors locked and lights out in entry way. I knocked numerous times before a passing employee let me in and phone the manager. The manager quickly told him that he would not shake my hand and had no interest in me. The employee apologized and told me to call the Waterloo location.
I called waterloo and submitted a resume yet again, curtailing it to those job postings. Again the attempts were ignored and all phone numbers listed online were/are disconnected. Still, hoping this was just bad luck and one bad manager, I wrote to the president and son of the founder telling him about my struggles so other people that are eager to help his company grow would not go through the same tribulations. Six months has now passed and no contact. It is embarrassing.
Still... I went the Trek store on the east side of Madison after all this transpired and was shocked at how uninterested the employees were in my presence as a customer. I counted 6 guys, four at the register, two in service chatting with each other. I walked around the store with no acknowledgement and left.
I now happily work for Trek's competition in town and will do everything in my power to make people aware of the putrid standards Trek has for service and the pursuit of those that want to work for them, not just out of financial obligation.