Buying in ROI or abroad - Warranty

Seweryn

Hi All,

I am looking for my first road bike and I think I found what I want. The problem is the price and the warranty issue. The same bike in Germany including shipping is €500-€750 cheaper than over here. If I buy in Germany, then I would have to send the bike back to Germany if there is a warranty claim (life time warranty on the carbon fibre frame). I would prefer to buy here in Ireland for many reasons, it is just the price difference, which is hard to justify...
What would you do?

Lumen

€500-€750 buys a lot of returns.

fat bloke

If it's a major manufacturer, surely you could pursue a warranty claim in Ireland for any product bought within the EU. Sony and Philips etc don't have Ireland-specific warranties for electronics, so why would bike manufacturers?

Your warranty is with the manufacturer after all, not the shop.

Seweryn

fat bloke wrote: »

Your warranty is with the manufacturer after all, not the shop.

I contacted the manufacturer Customer Service (Cannondale) and I got a reply as follows:

In answer to your query, your warranty is always held with the shop from which the product is purchased.
As such, if the bike is purchased from Other Country then that’s where it will need to be returned to in the event of a warranty claim.

According to the above, I would have to ship the bike to the shop of purchase in case of a claim...

ednwireland

fat bloke wrote: »

If it's a major manufacturer, surely you could pursue a warranty claim in Ireland for any product bought within the EU. Sony and Philips etc don't have Ireland-specific warranties for electronics, so why would bike manufacturers?

Your warranty is with the manufacturer after all, not the shop.

completely wrong your first port of call is always with the shop

from the consumer asssociation site

The retailer has full responsibility for resolving complaints – they cannot pass the responsibility for faulty goods on to the manufacturer. This is because a contract exists between the retailer and the consumer – not the manufacturer and the consumer. The consumer can choose to return the goods to the manufacturer directly if this is more convenient for them, if it could lead to a quicker solution, or the shop has gone out of business, but the retailer ultimately is responsible for resolving complaints.

fat bloke

Seweryn wrote: »

I contacted the manufacturer Customer Service (Cannondale) and I got a reply as follows:

In answer to your query, your warranty is always held with the shop from which the product is purchased.
As such, if the bike is purchased from Other Country then that’s where it will need to be returned to in the event of a warranty claim.

According to the above, I would have to ship the bike to the shop of purchase in case of a claim...

That's mental.

What if I live in Germany and I buy my bike in Hamburg and then shortly after relocate to Munich??? I have to drive the length of the country to the exact shop I bought it in??

What if I then decide to move to Ireland and bring my bmw with me and have a warranty issue with that - I have to go back Hamburger Motors Inc?

-I'd check an EU consumer group on that - try the consumer association of Ireland or something, they'll set you straight. Worth it for a 500 quid saving I reckon.

fat bloke

ednwireland wrote: »

completely wrong your first port of call is always with the shop

from the consumer asssociation site

Ah.....

"The consumer can choose to return the goods to the manufacturer directly if this is more convenient for them, if it could lead to a quicker solution"

Lumen

...but where is the manufacturer?

fat bloke

Lumen wrote: »

...but where is the manufacturer?

touché

C3PO

Whatever about the legalities, I wouldn't fancy arriving into Cycleways with my Cannondale (which I imported from Germany) and expect to get a warranty claim expedited in a timely fashion!!!

Seweryn

Lumen wrote: »

...but where is the manufacturer?

Manufacturer is in "US and A" (Cannondale).

Seweryn

RPL1 wrote: »

Whatever about the legalities, I wouldn't fancy arriving into Cycleways with my Cannondale (which I imported from Germany) and expect to get a warranty claim expedited in a timely fashion!!!

Exactly, and that is one of the main reasons I really would like to buy localy...

DirkVoodoo

If you are that worried about a warranty issue then clearly the only option is to suck it up, take the hit and buy it locally, or else downgrade to a cheaper model.

Lumen

Seweryn wrote: »

Exactly, and that is one of the main reasons I really would like to buy localy...

Well, you would think so.

Personally I'd go for maximum value. I bought a Scott Addict frameset from the UK and have no regrets.

Possedion

bought a bike from Wiggle, which was made in Germany (FOCUS), had a problem with left shifter, they had the part replaced with no issue.
Just had a 2-3 week downtime, with postage and getting part installed.
they also offered to pay for local bike shop to fix part.
So I found it ok.