BH Warranty and US Market

[ruffruff]

I need warranty work on my new BH Rebel bike. Here is the response directly from BH Spain

I am afraid BH BIKES does not assist end users directly, as any action must be done through BH brand stores / distributors.

BH EUROPE is not obliged to cover a manufacturer's warranty. This guarantee must be resolved by the dealer, in this case by BH USA, which is a completely independent company from BH EUROPE.

With the cessation of the activity of BH USA, we also have no obligation to attend to warranties on bikes sold by third parties.



The actual situation in the USA about BH BIKES is that the country distributor in St Charles has closed the business, and we are in the way of activating a direct business market through bikes stores directly.

However, we are building a new network in USA in order to approach the sales and aftersales market in order to support our clients worldwide.



Below you will find a list of our dealers in USA.

If none of them is close to your localization, please get in touch with the shop where you purchased your bicycle and ask them to get in touch with us.



In Europe, BH covers only two years of warranties for some parts. Parts that are worn out through the normal use of the bicycle are not consider as a warranty.



In order to proceed with the replacement, I would need a:

- Valid invoice of the bicycle

- Bicycle photo.



In order to proceed with the warranty claim, please get in touch with dealer.



Regards

 

[ruffruff]

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

@Angela M. and @mitchhackleman ,

Can we please move this to the BH sub-forum?

Many thanks

 

[ruffruff]

Or we can widen the conservation to what happens when you don't buy a bike locally?

As it stands, I have to drive my bike 4 hours one way to get service on a bike with 300 miles on it.

Sure everyone is going to say, you knew what you were getting into buying online. BUT...

I had no problems doing the work myself, buying a tool here and there.
But when the seller won't even talk to you about parts ,how to get them, etc UNLESS you bring the bike in.

The buyer is on the hook for parts, labor, everything,,,in other words there is NO WARRANTY!

Learned my lesson the hard way! I'm buying my next bike local! Summer is to short!

 

[PineNut]

Just so I'm clear, are you saying that even an authorized BH dealer will not do warranty work on a BH ebike purchased online from another BH dealer? And specifically, if the BH ebike was purchased from Crazy Lenny's (an authorized BH dealer) that they will not do warranty work (at no charge) even if you bring the bike in to Crazy Lenny's? The letter you got from BH seems to suggest we can get warranty coverage if the bike was purchased from an authorized BH dealer but it's not worded as clearly as I'd like.

I'm in Colorado and there are no authorized BH dealers on the above list anywhere close to me. Crazy Lenny's would be a 15 hour drive and even the place in Washington state would be 19 hours.

If this is true then it seems we were misled to think that BH Spain would honor the warranty. I don't think a car company could do this, but maybe a bicycle company can?

If the bike is not covered, I wonder if Yamaha would at least cover the motor, battery, or speedometer on my BH Rebel since those are very expensive? At least I'm glad that the Yamaha electronics are reported to be very reliable. I know BH uses other motor brands as well in their ebikes.

I do at least have a Velofix near here which hopefully could do BH ebike repairs for a fee.

The only positive thing I can think of is at least we could now modify the bike (like "tune" the motor to over 20 MPH) without worrying about losing warranty coverage.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

When you figure out the best way to delimit the Brose, please report back.

I think they have made a miscalculation in pulling out of the US market just now. According to the Wall Street Journal's weekend edition, sales of ebikes are up nearly 300%, thanks to people wanting a safer commute. What a shame. I love my BH Atom Diamond Wave Pro. (Hate the name though...)

 

[J.R.]

I don't think a car company could do this, but maybe a bicycle company can?

A car company can't because it is regulated under the federal government DOT. Car companies from anywhere, as long as the parent company remains in business, have to supply parts for 10 years. Or they have to source them. Ebikes, like all bikes in the US are consumer products, no different than a toaster and the regulations for after sales support aren't very stringent. Still I can't see how a parent company still licensed to sell products in the US can legally stop support while under warranty. There must be some fine print in the warranty that gives BH an out. Either that or they figure no one will pursue it in the courts. It's really a sad state of affairs.

From that email it looks like they intend to possibly reenter the NA market some day. They are flushing their reputation.

 

[FlatSix911]

I need warranty work on my new BH Rebel bike. Here is the response directly from BH Spain
I am afraid BH BIKES does not assist end users directly, as any action must be done through BH brand stores / distributors.
BH EUROPE is not obliged to cover a manufacturer's warranty. This guarantee must be resolved by the dealer, in this case by BH USA, which is a completely independent company from BH EUROPE. With the cessation of the activity of BH USA, we also have no obligation to attend to warranties on bikes sold by third parties. The actual situation in the USA about BH BIKES is that the country distributor in St Charles has closed the business, and we are in the way of activating a direct business market through bikes stores directly. However, we are building a new network in USA in order to approach the sales and aftersales market in order to support our clients worldwide.
Below you will find a list of our dealers in USA.
If none of them is close to your localization, please get in touch with the shop where you purchased your bicycle and ask them to get in touch with us.
In Europe, BH covers only two years of warranties for some parts. Parts that are worn out through the normal use of the bicycle are not considered as a warranty.
In order to proceed with the replacement, I would need a: - Valid invoice of the bicycle- Bicycle photo.
In order to proceed with the warranty claim, please get in touch with dealer. Regards

Was this image the complete list of US dealers from BH? Do they have dealers on the West Coast?

 

[FlatSix911]

Or we can widen the conservation to what happens when you don't buy a bike locally?
As it stands, I have to drive my bike 4 hours one way to get service on a bike with 300 miles on it.
Sure everyone is going to say, you knew what you were getting into buying online. BUT...
I had no problems doing the work myself, buying a tool here and there.
But when the seller won't even talk to you about parts, how to get them, etc UNLESS you bring the bike in.
The buyer is on the hook for parts, labor, everything, in other words, there is NO WARRANTY!

Learned my lesson the hard way! I'm buying my next bike local! Summer is to short!

Sorry to hear about your warranty issues. What specific model BH Rebel bike do you have?

Depending on the drive system, you could get service from an LBS that caries Brose or Yamaha.

 

[ruffruff]

Was this image the complete list of US dealers from BH? Do they have dealers on the West Coast?

View attachment 57067

That was the complete JPEG sent to me.

 

[ruffruff]

Sorry to hear about your warranty issues. What specific model BH Rebel bike do you have?

Depending on the drive system, you could get service from an LBS that caries Brose or Yamaha.

Just to be clear, Crazy Lenny didn't say they wouldn't do the warranty work per se. They said they had to have the bike in hand to look at. That would mean a 4 hour one way drive for me. But I get it. I'm going to call them on Monday and ask if I can ship just the wheel for warranty repair.

We will see how that goes. I'm sure they will charge me return shipping.

On another note, I called a LBS that actually sells BH bikes and asked if they would service it.

He asked where the bike originated from and I said Madison Wi.

He instantly replied, " We won't work on a CrazyLenny bike!" He got real snooty real quick! LOL..
Hilarious how he instantly assumed CrazyLenny! Apparently he's cutting into the local sales!

 

[fooferdoggie]

He asked where the bike originated from and I said Madison Wi.

He instantly replied, " We won't work on a CrazyLenny bike!" He got real snooty real quick! LOL..
Hilarious how he instantly assumed CrazyLenny! Apparently he's cutting into the local sales!

well thats the price you pay for not buying local.

 

[ruffruff]

well thats the price you pay for not buying local.

Sort of, I have another ebike, direct to consumer. They will send me any parts I need under warranty.

 

[BlackHand]

On another note, I called a LBS that actually sells BH bikes and asked if they would service it.

He asked where the bike originated from and I said Madison Wi.

He instantly replied, " We won't work on a CrazyLenny bike!" He got real snooty real quick! LOL..
Hilarious how he instantly assumed CrazyLenny! Apparently he's cutting into the local sales!

So first the LBS loses out on your sale. Then instead of taking your business and winning you as a customer they refuse your business and guarantee that they'll never get any money from you. Seems like a winning long term strategy....

 

[ruffruff]

Well got the bike back from the LBS.
They gave me all the broken parts and I'd figure I'd make a warranty claim so I could have a spare wheel.
Let's just say I found out where Crazy Lenny's gets it's name!

I contacted them and asked if I could send in the wheel for repair.
"Sure, but you pay shipping."
I said no problem, will Lenny's pay return shipping?
"No."
I said OK, I'll pay return shipping will they bill me?
"No"
I asked how will I pay for the shipping?
"You will have to call UPS and make all the arrangements."

WTH! Seriously, they can't even bill a customer willing to pay shipping for warranty work!

AGAIN, your gonna say, you knew what you were getting into buying online...but seriously, they won't even send me a bill! This is a new low for me!

On the bright side!!! It has sealed the deal for me, I'm only buying at a reputable LBS for future bikes. I'm pretty good at wrenching but it's more than that. It's the cost of tools, getting parts, and especially warranty work.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

When you buy from a local bike shop, your money stays in your community. You keep people in your town or county employed. They buy food, goods and services in your community. That keeps other people in your local area employed and paying their rent/mortgage. They pay your local taxes which pay for your schools to give you an educated populace, and for roads and parks. And when you have a problem with your bike, you have someone to actually talk to. Even if you don't get no satisfaction (I'm not saying there aren't bad businesspeople out there), at least you get the satisfaction of giving them a tongue-lashing and a hefty dose of umbrage. Certainly some satisfaction in that!

 

[bikeman242]

What model BH Rebel do you have, and what is the problem with it? I also have a BH rebel, and am curious. Thank you.

 

[ruffruff]

I have the Rebel Lynx 27.5 Lite

Two problems,
the free hub went to sh** Cost me $250 out of pocket to get back up and running from the LBS.
My motor mount bolts keep coming loose and making a terrible noise in the bottom bracket.
I've tried everything and I have to tighten them about every other ride.

 

[FlatSix911]

I'll post the torque specs for the motor mounts this evening for reference.

I also recommend using Loc-tite to prevent loose bolts/nuts

 

[ruffruff]

I'll post the torque specs for the motor mounts this evening.

I also recommend using Loc-tite to prevent loose bolts/nuts

been there done it all. All the bolts have the torque spec on them.
Two of the three bolts also have lock washers and nylock nuts on them.