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forum
Giant cycles - a salutary lesson
Hi All
I bought a new Giant Defy Advanced 1 this summer. I bought it mail order as no local dealers had my size in stock. It came badly adjusted with the rear derailleur not indexing, brake callipers not central so pad rub and a couple of other issues that an hour in my workshop sorted out. I took the bike out for a run and came back with a sore right thigh. I then noticed the seat was pointing slightly to the left. Because it has a D fuse seat post I could not adjust this. I tried another saddle and it was the same.
I contacted Giant and they requested photos which I supplied. After about a week I contacted them and they told me to contact the dealer. As they were 160 miles away it was suggested I go to a local Giant dealer and get them to raise a warranty claim.
7 weeks later still no seat post. The last communication from Giant informed me it had been made and was on route the the European depot where it will be sent to the dealer and could be another 3 weeks or more depending on customs.
I did ask for a goodwill gesture from Giant as I cannot use the bike. They would not consider one and basically washed their hands from the problem.
Lessons learnt- 1. Buy from a local shop if possible so it can be returned or rejected if necessary. 2. Pay with a credit card so can claim from them ( I foolishly used a debit card). 3. Giant has no concern over what they sell especially with a component unique to them t. 4. Don't buy a Giant product if there is a suitable alternative.
I would like to enjoy riding my bike - I'm still waiting...............
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16 comments
Sorry to hear you're having issues. I would however suggest that paying on credit card would have made no difference:
Although credit cards are legall required to provide additional protection under S75, most debit cards offer "chargeback" which is a contractual obligation to offer a very similar level of protection.
If you've agreed to a repair or replacement as a satisfactory remedy, how you've paid won't magically make that happen faster.
If you wished to reject the goods for a refund (which would have been within your rights), then again neither the location of the retailer nor the payment method would have affected those rights (I appreciate the logistics of returing a bike are less complicated with a local retailer - although with faulty goods, the retailer is liable to cover the returning shipping costs too).
Legally it's on the dealer you bought it from to sort. However, it is often the case that they are dependent on the manufacturer to sort things.
In this case it is an easy unfit for purpose claim and if they cannot sort, it should be full refund. Contact them again and give them 7 days to respond to your long outstanding claim with either a fix or a full refund or else say you will raise a money claim online. As mentioned below, unless you know it is the seat post, it does raise the spectre of the frame being out of whack, but the most obvious fault is likely to be a poorly bonded seat clamp.
Giant are good bikes, normally well made. They have a good bunch of dealers, having dealt with 3 in my time. All brands have problems. I reckon if I had a problem when I bought my Defy, the Leamington Giant guys would have just whipped a post out of another bike there and then with heartfelt apologies.
It is the seat post. Another saddle was tried with the same results.
I do want the bike, it's a new seat post I need! I was hoping the dealer would have just taken one from another bike and that would have solved the problem but they wouldn't do that. Hind sight is a wonderful thing - if I had known the problems in getting a new seat post then I would have rejected the bike immediately.. I am hoping that the new post will arrive in the next couple of weeks.
It is the seat post. Another saddle was tried with the same results
This does not, of course, follow without further information. The latter could include, for instance, "by eye, the seat tube looks correct with the wedge (or whatever it is) flat section accurately perpendicular the bike fore-aft axis'. It ought to be possible the demonstrate seat tube 'rotation' with the flat section up against a flat, using the saddle as a pointer
I'd also be wondering whether the frame seat tube is true.
It is the seatpost. I've been given one to try with a saddle fitted. It was fine.
The top of the composite seat tube has an alloy seat clamp bonded to it. That is miss aligned on the one supplied with the bike.
Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience Adrians.
Just to add some balance to this, I've had three Giant bikes and am lucky enough to have a local Giant dealer near me. The service and support they have provided me has, many times, far exceeded my expectations. Honestly they have gone far out of their way to make my bike right or me happy on a number of occasions, including replacement parts and servicing.
Things won't always be perfect when buying a new bike but I'd recommend a Giant bike to anyone.
I agree I've just had or having a bad experience.
No complaints from the local dealer - just Giant themselves being not helpful. I'm sure if it was a generic part that was faulty it would be sorted immediately, so just a warning to anyone buying a bike with unique components that are unavailable when faulty. I do also feel that Giant should have offered a Goodwill gesture of some kind if I have lost a couple of months cycling through no fault if my own if they cannot supply a replacement part in a reasonable time.
So lessons learnt as said, pay with a credit card so the card company would refund and take up with the dealer, be careful if you buy a bike with unique fittings, and learnt that Giant ( not the bike shops) don't appear to give a damn if a problem arises.
Are you sure the problem is the seat post. I hope for your sake it is, but presumably the seat post could be true and square, with the seat tube itself being out of whack?
Oh god, you've just reminded me that I've broken my own golden rule and ordered a bike with a proprietary D-shaped seatpost 😭
It's not an issue - Giant posts are cheap and good quality. Replacement aluminium posts are around £30, carbon an absolute bargain at £60 (Google Giant Bike Spares)
Just be careful with the seat clamp bolt if it's the single bolt design, it's made of cheese and needs a good hex key - definitely don't use a ball head.
Also, the D-Fuse stuff really does work, I've switched from my Defy Advanced to my winter bike (ally Domane) and getting a lot more beaten up on rides, even with wider tyres on the Domane.
Does that mean that the seat tube and seat post and saddle are all one fixed unit?
The seat post has a D cross section so cannot be rotated.
The saddle clamp is bonded to the post but allows tilting and fore and aft movement but no rotation.
Oh, I see
There is a tiny amount of rotation possible with those auto-align seatposts, are you sure the wedge is aligned properly in the frame? Assume the LBS has taken the post and wedge out and given everything a good clean?
Find it very odd they've not been able to supply a post as I've bought one recently due to a stripped seat clamp bolt on mine. Arrived next day from Giant Bike Spares which I think is the semi-official supplier for the UK. They also come up used on eBay a lot so I think for the sake of £30 or so I'd get one and get riding the bike before it goes in the shed for winter.
The amount of rotation is tiny. I cleaned everything out, checked the wedges but couldn't get the seat aligned any better.
I did notice I could get a new composite post for 50-60 pounds from some Giant spares place in the UK.
I wondered why Giant wouldn't source one for me from them.
Ebay looks like the best option. The wait goes on......