downfader
extimus uero philosophus
- Location
- 'ampsheeeer
This is something that has come to me as a result of breaking the frame on my Kona Jake. I bought the bike at the end of 2008 and this was the '09 model. Having had a frame snap before and having good service from the LBS who arranged a new frame free of charge from Marin (who made my previous bike) I thought that the same shop should have little problem going back to Kona for me since they were the ones who sold me it.
That was in July. Its now nearing the end of August. For weeks the LBS contacted Kona - email mostly but also attempting to phone their US branch... there is no UK warranty and repairs center it turned out. They got no reply. Not a jot. No-one answered the phone or phoned them back from the messages they left.
And I know this shop well and the boys there so trust their word.
I did a bit of trawling about 3 weeks back and finally found a contact in Europe. The guy said he would need proof of purchase - the bike is 5 years old and I wasn't sure where the receipt was and if I would still have it. I did attempt to say to him that I had registered the bike through the US site - this apparently is not good enough.
This was echoed by the bike shop today who said they'd done all they could to persuade Kona.
I got home today and pulled my room apart. I finally found a receipt from 2008 with "Kona Jake" on it. According to the LBS they only keep sales and tax records for 3 years. It used to be 7 iirc so perhaps all riders, even any customer in any shop come to think of it, needs to bare that in mind. I'll take it down to the LBS tomorrow along with a photocopy (so they can see I haven't just made one on the printer, LOL).
TBH the whole thing has put me off buying Kona again. If registration isn't on the "Lifetime warranty" contract then what is the point of companies like Kona asking for customers to register? To send us spam?
That was in July. Its now nearing the end of August. For weeks the LBS contacted Kona - email mostly but also attempting to phone their US branch... there is no UK warranty and repairs center it turned out. They got no reply. Not a jot. No-one answered the phone or phoned them back from the messages they left.
And I know this shop well and the boys there so trust their word.
I did a bit of trawling about 3 weeks back and finally found a contact in Europe. The guy said he would need proof of purchase - the bike is 5 years old and I wasn't sure where the receipt was and if I would still have it. I did attempt to say to him that I had registered the bike through the US site - this apparently is not good enough.
This was echoed by the bike shop today who said they'd done all they could to persuade Kona.
I got home today and pulled my room apart. I finally found a receipt from 2008 with "Kona Jake" on it. According to the LBS they only keep sales and tax records for 3 years. It used to be 7 iirc so perhaps all riders, even any customer in any shop come to think of it, needs to bare that in mind. I'll take it down to the LBS tomorrow along with a photocopy (so they can see I haven't just made one on the printer, LOL).
TBH the whole thing has put me off buying Kona again. If registration isn't on the "Lifetime warranty" contract then what is the point of companies like Kona asking for customers to register? To send us spam?
