Koga no customer service

[mangonui]

Koga no customer service


20.02.2006
Dear Sir
             
I am writing this letter to express a total disappointment with my experience of Koga.

Prior to purchasing the Koga I owned the same bike for 25 years but thought it was time for an upgrade. As such, I looked about and decided I would like the Globetraveller. I asked the local dealer, Edinburgh Bikes, if you would supply one with a Rohloff Hub but was told this was not possible. They did not have any Koga in stock so I drove for 12 hrs to buy one from Herongate Cycles, Essex.

I have had nothing but problems with the bike since I bought it on the 1st of February 2006. On three occasions I have had to take the bike back to Edinburgh Bikes.

·   The first time the handle bar and rear wheel where not secure and I was informed how to fix the problem. This was on the 5th or 6th February. As I had not bought the bike off them they where not interested in checking the bike.
·   I then took the bike back to the shop on the 13th February as the chain had become jammed. I e-mailed you to confirm it would be repaired and checked for safety and to ensure it was covered (under warranty). Edinburgh bikes were not sure they would get paid for the work done.
·   I collected the bike on the 17th February and took it out for a ride today, 20th of February. I only got a few yards before I had a jammed chain once again. I rang Herongate and they told me it would be covered under warranty and Edinburgh Bikes would do the work under warranty. I took it back to the shop at Newcastle and they have said they would need to contact Koga to find out if you are going to pay them to fix the bike as they had problems with payment for the last work done.

Having read the above you will be able to understand the frustration and dissatisfaction I am feeling. The inconvenience caused by the need for repairs and the length of time these take means I have owned my Globetraveller for four weeks but it will have been in Edinburgh Bikes for two of these. I am not happy and would like a full refund. I intend to revert to my previous bike, which is far more reliable despite its age, as I only have 6 days left of my holidays which have been completely ruined by this experience. As a matter of interest I was told when I bought the bike that I could take it to any Koga dealer for warranty work. I would appreciate clarification on this point, as I have found different.

I anticipate your prompt response either via e-mail at xxxxxxxxx@Gmail.com or on my mobile number which is xxxxxxxxxx

Yours truly,
      Mr L. Lowther
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The above letter has not received a reply from customer service dept, the managing director or the UK rep.

I have had conversations with the uk rep but he was rude and unhelpful. He informed me that I bought the bike cheap and said now you are going on about it. The bike is not road worthy what does he expect me to do. He also informed me that the bike would have to be returned to Holland to be checked before we can talk about what we are going to do about the problem. I told him I was not happy about this and all he had to do was ring Edinburgh Bikes where I had been told the bike had chain suck. I have had nothing but problems so just give me my money back. I want a bike now not when you say I can have a road worthy bike. I mentioned taking the matter to court  and his reply to this was   Go for it.  That was the end of the conversation. I really dont care that much about the money now its the way I have been treated by this company.

I rang Dave at Herongate Cycles Essex who has been great about the whole thing. I told him what was said to me and the non response to my emails (which I was more or less told I was a liar and I had not sent any) he has told me to take the bike back to the shop and he will give me a full refund. I will be going from there to Thorn where you get 100day money back guarantee. I am not a bike buff I just want a bike which I can rely on and keep for another 25yrs. I have had to cancel flights to go back to work and my time off has been ruined by this situation. I have also had a travel to Essex and back once and am now going to Essex then Bridgewater and back to Newcastle. This will involve an over night stay and lost wages. I have not repeated some of the conversations I have had to protect certain people but we shall see where this goes. I have never been involved with any company with this Total lack of customer service please think twice.

I have just returned from the above mentioned 800 mile trip and I have ordered a Raven Tour with Rohloff hub


 

[DaveB]

I'm not familiaar with Koga bicycles but from your letter it seems to me your problems were primarily due to dealer incompetence.  The handlebar and rear wheel were not secure?  The chain jammed? These are dealer set up problems.  

The dealer is expected to go over the bike and adjust it. That's what they are there for and a reasonable level of competence and attention to detail are the least you should expect.  It sounds like you got neither.

Maybe Koga isn't a well made brand and you should replace it but the problems sound more dealer related at this point.  

[pazios2002]

I had always heard good things about Koga-Miyatta (sp)
They ride those bikes everywhere

Pazios,

Thankyou and Good Day

[TheDaltonBoys]

I also remember reading rather glowing things about Koga-Myata in Bicycling Magazines article on the Las Vegas Bike Show. Hopefully this is just an isolated (and very unfortunate) disconnect between the product and customer service....kind of like our cars and customer non-service.   Regards......Mark of the Dalton Boys (Car-Free since 2000)

[RussellSeaton]

I'd agree this is definitely a bike shop problem, not a bike company problem.  All bike brands from custom Richard Sachs to Huffy will have a loose handlebar and rear wheel if not installed correctly.  Chain suck is sort of a function of chainrings and riding style I believe.  I think Mr. Schubert in Adventure Cycling talked about chain suck on a Jamis bike he reviewed.  It had it when it used steel inner ring and did not have it when it used an aluminum inner ring on a later model.  I think it also occurs if you shift poorly in certain situations.

My recommendation to the original writer is to never, ever again use the two bike shops you mention.  Find one that has competent mechanics and seems to care a bit about you instead of just whether the factory will cover the warranty work.  Which is immaterial to adjust a chain, wheel, bars.

I'd also advise not ordering a mail order bike from St. John Street Cycles since you really need to be your own mechanic on mail order bikes and parts.  Otherwise its darn expensive having a shop mechanic do every little adjustment and setup on a bike.

[DaveB]

I'd also advise not ordering a mail order bike from St. John Street Cycles since you really need to be your own mechanic on mail order bikes and parts.  

This is excellent advice and should be taken to heart by all riders. If you aren't a sufficiently skilled mechanic, buy your parts and bikes from a good local dealer or expect to pay a high premium for dealer service on parts you bought elsewhere.  

I read a number of Bike Mechanics Forums and it's appaling how many questions are posed like: "I just bought XYZ from E-bay.  How do I install it and how do I use it?"

The time to learn is BEFORE you buy, not after.