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#1
05-25-2017, 10:44 PM
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Want a rack or cargo bike? Don't buy a Cetma.
Long story short(er): purchased a Cetma front rack in February with a guaranteed date of 6 weeks or less. Then, 3 months later in May, no tracking number, no communication, nothing. No communication regarding any delays, absolute silence. I contact the guy at Cetma and he sees my message (Facebook), and don't respond until I tell him I can see that he has seen my message.
Then he responds and says it will deliver next week and he will send tracking info asap. No tracking number. No delivery. I contact him another 10 days later and says he is packing it now - then sends me a tracking number. I think all is well, but as you can imagine, it's just a tracking number and he hasn't even dropped it off at the post office. Now that it's almost June (remember this started in February), I still have no product. Or active tracking number. Filing a claim on PayPal to hopefully get my money back, and alas, I will never recommend a Cetma product to anybody. I just wish I had not given him 3-4 months' worth of chances. 
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#2
05-26-2017, 01:07 AM
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Yeah dude f that, file a claim and get your money back. That’s not how a business should operate, unless your companie’s core values revolve around shady business practices. If you want something really nice, check out Pass and Stow in Oakland. Don’t recall the owners name, but he and I hit it off pretty well at NAHBS a couple of years ago and really want to help support his business. Great guy who makes great racks as well.
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#3
05-28-2017, 07:25 PM
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I bought a CETMA "Half Rack" about 5 years ago and it was an all-round terrible experience. The wait/timeline setbacks were awful and the workmanship was horrendous. I would have sent it back but at that point I just needed something to carry my stuff.
I guess not much has changed, ugh! KJ
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#4
05-28-2017, 07:32 PM
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Like 20 months just for a rack??? w t t??? f'em man....
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#6
05-28-2017, 08:46 PM
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Never heard of them before, and I'm not their target customer but was curious so just looked at their website. After reading a bit they just don't project any professional demeanor. I guess he is trying to be sarcastically witty, but comes off as an I don't care attitude... no matter how nice their product may or may not be.
Last edited by cmbicycles; 05-28-2017 at 08:49 PM.
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#8
05-29-2017, 02:57 AM
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So, he kind;a wait to have like 100 of those to send to PC per time??? thats explain why takes months then
 Even if thats the case, let your costumers know and probably more than a few will be willing to wait months and do not make a problem about the delays. It is so simple to send an email.
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#9
05-29-2017, 09:49 AM
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He also posted about moving from Cali to Oregon. And that was in February. So it would take time to do that and get set up again for production.
Not slamming the OP or anything. Cause communication is the absolute end all of a company. And if they aren't talking to you, that's total BS. I feel bad if I don't reply in an hour to someone. I will literally answer emails at 2 am from the UK or Italy when I was working for Italians. I make calls at 3 or 4 am. Just the way I do it tho.
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#10
06-01-2017, 07:57 PM
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So . . .
I have a CETMA, and am very happy with the bike. There had been rumors of long delays, so I decided to place the order with an LBS that is (was?) one of his dealers. The LBS owner straight-out told me, "don't do it, the guy is flaky and already owes me a shipment of racks." So, I took a deep breath, and placed the order anyway. For one, through social media, I knew that there were customers getting bikes, no matter how late. Second, if you want a Bakfiets, there are not a lot of other choices, and CETMA offers some features (e.g. coupled frame) that are unique. Finally, builders who overpromise and under-deliver, in terms of schedule, are shockingly common and I had dealt with one before. The key, really, is lowering your expectations. In this case, having the LBS in the loop helped, I think, because he was an extra person that Lane was accountable to. Just a little bit of additional psychological pressure. I got the bike, eventually, and the experience was frustrating, but I mostly knew what I was getting into, and I'm actually very happy with the product. None of this is to excuse poor communication and chronic lateness, but I see this more as a common human frailty than "FRAUD!" I'm simply pointing out a regrettable reality. Bottom line: when ordering a custom bike, expect delivery time triple what you are first told. Double will be par for course. The builder who delivers on time, or two weeks late, is a hero, paragon of integrity and hard work. Send him a bonus. But hey, if you know of a place that can deliver a customizable bakfiets on schedule for a competitive price, do let us know! edit: Bottom Line #2: CETMA does not deserve to be demonized or boycotted, but this information, i.e. "he will be really late", should be out there to realign customer expectation.
__________________
Jeder geschlossene Raum ist ein Sarg. Last edited by goonster; 06-01-2017 at 08:18 PM.
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#11
12-17-2018, 02:23 PM
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Quote:
Someone has also put together this web site cataloging customer complaints: http://cetmarackreview.com I'm still waiting on a bike I paid for 18 months ago that he said it would take 8-10 weeks. (10 weeks vs 72 weeks is a big gap). I can't understand why anyone would defend this guy - he's a scammer.
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#12
12-17-2018, 04:27 PM
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At some point, failing to recognize and account for your own human frailty becomes fraud. The guy knows he doesn't deliver on time and gives people unrealistic delivery dates. That goes beyond human frailty.
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#13
12-17-2018, 04:35 PM
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oh yea, dude has been a cluster for years. i accidentally ordered from him last March before checking the web reviews. i cancelled and bailed early enough (May) to get paypal to refund me due to his inaction, and he failed to even challenge the refund.
screen-capped these lies as evidence of his failure to deliver. there's also this reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/bikemesseng...lane_or_cetma/ and this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/bikemesseng...e_posts_about/ 
Last edited by seanile; 12-17-2018 at 04:44 PM.
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#14
12-17-2018, 09:00 PM
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i ordered a new rack a few years back and remember that it took a while, but nothing outrageous.
i don't actually see the necessity in going with a cetma rack at this point. so many other companies are offering innovative, inexpensive, and available options. also, i had much more success with any wald product than cetma.
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#15
12-17-2018, 10:43 PM
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Quote:
Too bad because they are really really nice bikes. As far as I know he is out of business. Shame.
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