|
|
Merlin Cycles Ltd, beware!
Last Post 05/15/2020 12:30 PM by 79 pmooney. 14 Replies.
|
Sort:
|
|
 Prev Next |
You are not authorized to post a reply. |
|
eurochien
Posts:163
 |
| 04/28/2020 12:51 PM |
|
This is a c&p from my review of this UK-based online retailer:
I need to spread the word about these scammers.
I think their frames are grey market, mine was defective and they're AWOL now that I've shipped it back to them (cost me $600+) and asked for a refund. You've been warned.
What a miserable experience. The purchase went great, delivery went great and fast but when I realized that the frame (Argon 18 Gallium) had a defect (the bottom bracket cups would not press in straight, which ended up cracking the frame), I was completely on my own to ship the frame back to Merlin for warranty inspection at my expense after having the most inane email exchanges with their "customer service" ("can you fit the frame in a smaller box"?, "Can you use another carrier, like USPS or US Postal?" - USPS and US Postal are the same!!!). It cost me more than $600.00 to ship the frame back UPS from the US on top of the $1,200 price for the frame (+ $40.00 in initial shipping and $50.00) in customs fees for a total of almost $2,000 and I don't have anything. They supposedly sent the frame over to the UK distributor, but that was weeks ago. No updates, nothing. Contacted them again for an update or a refund, got zero response. Got Argon 18 involved, nothing there either. Working with my bank to get my money back. Stay away from this merchant. |
|
|
|
|
Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
|
| 04/28/2020 01:00 PM |
|
| That sucks....hopefully your bank helps you out. |
|
| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
|
|
|
zootracer
Posts:833
|
| 04/29/2020 08:26 AM |
|
| thanks for the info...I was contemplating purchasing a ti bike and eyed Merlins. Narrowed it down to a Lynskey, In the end decided not to go with ti... |
|
|
|
|
79pmooney
Posts:3180
|
| 04/29/2020 11:35 AM |
|
euro, is there a chance that Merlin has been affected by COVID? That perhaps they are running on a skeleton staff and are overwhelmed?
I really have no idea. They may be incompetent or dishonest. But these are not usual times and England has been hit pretty hard. |
|
|
|
|
6ix
Posts:485
|
| 04/29/2020 11:49 AM |
|
| Hold up, I must be confused. Did this mail-order site buy the Merlin brand from Competitive Cyclist? I don't see them offering any titanium Merlin frames. Just basic carbon and aluminum frames, so have to wonder if we are actually talking about the legacy brand (same that brought out the amazing Extralight years ago) or something akin to Walmart's Viathon? |
|
|
|
|
79pmooney
Posts:3180
|
| 04/29/2020 12:35 PM |
|
6ix, aren't there two separate Merlins, the bike, first a standalone company then a brand made by LIghtspeed (and maybe others) and an on-line retail outfit in England? I believe eurochien is talking about the on-line one.
And Merlin certainly has English roots around 1500 years ago (if indeed he existed). |
|
|
|
|
Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
|
| 04/29/2020 09:06 PM |
|
Yes, two different companies / brands entirely. The U.K. mail order company has no relation to the bike brand.
I’m not certain who currently owns the bike brand currently..... |
|
| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
|
|
|
Orange Crush
Posts:4499
|
| 04/29/2020 09:17 PM |
|
How is it possible to have to (near) identical brand names in more or less same line of business? Someone didn’t do their job shutting the online brand down. I could certainly see confusion here and potential for negative impact.
maybe the online store even chose that name intentionally to have pretence of quality? |
|
|
|
|
eurochien
Posts:163
|
|
eurochien
Posts:163
|
| 04/30/2020 01:52 PM |
|
Posted By 79 pmooney on 04/29/2020 11:35 AM
euro, is there a chance that Merlin has been affected by COVID? That perhaps they are running on a skeleton staff and are overwhelmed?
I really have no idea. They may be incompetent or dishonest. But these are not usual times and England has been hit pretty hard.
Yeah that's what they're saying now. I also checked a few of their negative reviews (after all this went down - I should have done that before doing business with them) and, Covid or not, they don't have the best track record when it comes to refunds or responsiveness when the $4it hits the fan. I think if you order from them and the product is not defective, you'll be delighted at the price and quick delivery, but if anything goes wrong you'll be SOL. |
|
|
|
|
eurochien
Posts:163
|
| 05/14/2020 05:45 PM |
|
Update: Argon rejected the warranty claim, they said excessive pressure while pressing bottom bracket cups caused the crack. They did not look at whether the bb sleeves were misaligned or not. Merlin said, sorry, we're sending the frame back to you. I said I don't not want it, it's cracked and would be unsafe to ride, started proceedings with credit card company to get (some of) my money back, to which Merlin said "in this case we'll keep the frame and contest the claim" (for a refund). This is an absolutely nasty $4itty company to do business with. And Argon makes not-so-great bikes (I do have an e-114 that was great when I was doing tri's I must admit, but it's an '07). So now unless I get something back from my credit card stepping in, I'm $ 2,000 out.
|
|
|
|
|
longslowdistance
Posts:2881
|
| 05/14/2020 10:27 PM |
|
I hope this comes across as intended:
Spend your time and endure stress in a way that is good for you. Some Oh yeah? FU back warriors love these battles, but others come out worse for the wear.
You may have a bully pulpit to spread the word on more widely read forums. If they have a FB page, and you want some friends to amplify, let us know |
|
|
|
|
6ix
Posts:485
|
| 05/15/2020 08:13 AM |
|
First off, sorry to hear about all of this, Eurochien. So Argon is blaming the customer (i.e., you) for cracking the frame by pressing in the BB cups too tight, correct? Your answer to that is that the sleeves weren't correctly aligned. The frame is toast regardless.
My guess is that ultimately your credit-card will step in here. They'll just throw it under the cost-of-doing-business column as it's really not that awful much to them.
The other option would be to offer up an olive branch to both Merlin and Argon by saying you'd purchase a replacement frame with a hefty discount. Maybe 50% or even 60% off. While it's not a perfect result, this would help to reduce tension and show that you're willing to deal with them in order to deescalate the situation. |
|
|
|
|
Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
|
| 05/15/2020 08:19 AM |
|
| That sucks, eurochien....hopefully the CC guys step in. |
|
| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
|
|
|
79pmooney
Posts:3180
|
| 05/15/2020 12:30 PM |
|
Is it just me? It seems to me that press fit into a carbon fiber anything is a bad idea unless - it is the only way to get there or by lot the best (lightest/fastest/stiffest) approach and the carbon fiber part is disposable; in other words, damaging it on assembly isn't a big issue - deep pockets, no worry about reputation, etc.
I think that the press should be done at the factory so the problem frames never leave. (Yeah, I know, everyone wants their choice of crankset.) To me, that adds up to the press fit BB being a really bad idea for anything but pro racing and even there, we all know that racing bikes see use by the public - by intention in the format of pro road racing.
And the guilt here? I see it all through. Those who developed the press fit - thanks for a really bad idea. Frame and bike manufacturers who went along for the ride. Distributers and shops who carried them. Buyers who bought them. Everybody got on board for "lightest/fastest/stiffest". The one word left out - "best" (or even "good").
Press fit works really well for machined steel. Headsets have been pressed for a century. Knocked out and new ones pressed in, sometimes many times over. Yes, problems show. But they are far from common. In general, headsets can be done by anyone with a modicum of care and a little elbow grease. Some tools make it a lot easier (and most of those tools can be made with parts from Home Depot). A large beat up screwdriver, block of wood and a hammer was all I used for decades. A little chipped paint but no ruined frames. Any mechanical engineer or machinst will be exposed to text books, reference books, professors, mentors, ... that spell out exactly the requirements for a proper press fit. The dimensions needed, the allowable tolerance. The knowledge is 100 years old. (Pulling that out of my hat and I am guessing I am being very conservative. Wouldn't surprise me if the trains that made this country great had press fit parts. Clocks ancd watches perhaps.)
Now headsets are (on all but very small frames) much longer and narrower than BBs so aligning the cups/cones with even a crude guide is a lot easier. To me, one more strike against the BB as a good press fit candidate.
Another of Ben's rants. The dino. (My one venture beyond square taper has ended. Not because I couldn't deal with the splined BB but because the cranks that attached to it had a q-factor with a capital "Q".) |
|
|
|
|
| You are not authorized to post a reply. |
|
Active Forums 4.1
|
|
No articles match criteria.
|