On Park Tools and “Limited Lifetime Warranties”

[johnnylarue]

Originally Posted by ariw

I had a Park bearing puller that was a few years old break, filled out the web form, snapped a few pics, and submitted. Had an email a day or two later with tracking info on the replacement. It does seem like the design changed, but the process was simple. From a customer service perspective, they should have helped you solve it or offered a coupon. Either of those things a easy ways to keep a customer.

My experience in the bike industry is that asking nicely usually gets you help, even if you don’t get a brand new replacement.

Ari

It seems like your experience with Park is the norm rather than the exception. I’ve got a pretty friendly and undemanding email tone (I think?) but I got the impression they just didn’t deem it appropriate to throw me a bone in this case... I think the age of the stand in question probably had something to do with it.

Water under the bridge, I suppose.

[beech333]

I think I would side with Park, against the OP.

On the other hand, I broke a wrench a few years ago on a stuck BB. They complained about the way I was using it, but did end up replacing it. I was skeptical when I emailed them, but it was also a fairly cheap tool, which was likely worth keeping a happy customer coming back.

I don't think they would have done it for a higher priced item.

[johnnylarue]

Originally Posted by beech333

I think I would side with Park, against the OP.

On the other hand, I broke a wrench a few years ago on a stuck BB. They complained about the way I was using it, but did end up replacing it. I was skeptical when I emailed them, but it was also a fairly cheap tool, which was likely worth keeping a happy customer coming back.

I don't think they would have done it for a higher priced item.

I’ve been squirting PB Blaster into my stand daily for the better part of a week. It’s recently started to leak out of the other end of the sleeve so there’s hope for me yet...

[wildboar]

Originally Posted by johnnylarue

Thanks—I’m hopeful I’ll get it unstuck with a bit of patience and penetrating oil...

As for the rest, a manufacturing defect? No.

Design defect? Possibly.

Failure to adequately caution users about a critical component’s vulnerability to water? I would say yes. Greasing that tube is common sense in hindsight, but it sure looked painted and rust-protected to me until I found out it wasn’t.


Is it possible there were two versions of this stand? Mine feels too heavy to be aluminum. Regardless, Al can fuse itself to steel as well. (Ask the seat post in my dear departed hot pink Zunow frame...)


Good question. Would you expect a drinking glass manufacturer to offer a lifetime warranty on glasses made from untreated iron? “Sorry, sir, but you weren’t supposed to put water in that glass. That’s why it rusted.”

Bike stands typically see a lot of water. Generally, you would think this fact would be incorporated into a stand’s design, and if not, that the manufacturer would clearly inform consumers of the proper way to care for the stand if it’s being used to wash bikes. It’s such an easy thing to incorporate into a one-page user manual, and would have saved a great number of headaches.

For the record, they ran out of replacement parts. Why? Because this happened to a bazillion other people who bought this stand. They sold us a flawed product and honoured their “lifetime warranty” while supplies lasted. Which just makes me wish my bike stand had rusted six years ago.

In any case, the takeaway for me is that lifetime warranties are meaningless without a manufacturer’s willingness to honour them in good faith “for a lifetime”.

How did that happen?

[johnnylarue]

Originally Posted by wildboar

How did that happen?

I believe it’s a chemical process called “galvanic corrosion”. If an aluminum seatpost sits in a steel seat tube long enough (in the case of the Zunow I acquired, it had been the better part of two decades), a reaction causes the aluminum to expand and fuse itself to the steel. Tried every trick in the book (ammonia, drastic heat fluctuations, etc.) to break the seal and eventually donated the frame to a builder friend who had to butcher it to get the post free.

(That poor Zunow’s eye-popping paint job was the real victim here.)

[berserk87]

Originally Posted by pncguy

I completely understand the disappointment, but my response would be "oh well."

OTOH, I recently decided an old Blackburn pump of mine needed a new o-ring, so I called to inquire. They said "oh, we don't make that part or support that pump anymore. What is your address?"

And they sent me a brand new pump.

I like Blackburn even more than I did before.

This is why I am not shy about promoting Blackburn as a company. One of the best warranties of any product of any manufacture. I've had the same good experiences.

[coffeecherrypie]

Originally Posted by pncguy

I completely understand the disappointment, but my response would be "oh well."

OTOH, I recently decided an old Blackburn pump of mine needed a new o-ring, so I called to inquire. They said "oh, we don't make that part or support that pump anymore. What is your address?"

And they sent me a brand new pump.

I like Blackburn even more than I did before.

I've had the exact same experience with Blackburn

[johnnylarue]

Originally Posted by coffeecherrypie

I've had the exact same experience with Blackburn

I still say offering me a 5% off coupon code on a new stand would have been a relatively painless way for Park to alleviate my insufferable whining. With the Covid bike boom in full swing, I strongly doubt their bottom line is suffering much. But hey, it is what it is.

At the very least, this will be a great thread for dirt-diggers to unearth when I decide to run for office on a platform promoting blatantly consumer-hostile corporate welfare policies...

[chicagorider]

On a slightly related note.

My Bontrager RT rear light died after riding in the wet. I called up Bontrager customer service who told me that they can send me a new one that afternoon. They didn't want the old unit back (or serial number etc.). I got the new light the next day by UPS! (Admittedly I lived in Chicago and it was getting shipped from WI). This makes me feel better and more likely buy from them...!

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[ltwtsculler91]

Originally Posted by chicagorider

On a slightly related note.

My Bontrager RT rear light died after riding in the wet. I called up Bontrager customer service who told me that they can send me a new one that afternoon. They didn't want the old unit back (or serial number etc.). I got the new light the next day by UPS! (Admittedly I lived in Chicago and it was getting shipped from WI). This makes me feel better and more likely buy from them...!

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Bontrager has been great about replacing Flare lights for years. I did a bunch of them in the shop. The cover doesn’t always seal perfectly and anything wet will kill them easily. I know they updated the cover at least once but I’ve killed two myself. The latest small square black one has been better though.