Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

WhingingPom
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 7:16 am

Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby WhingingPom » Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:42 pm

Has anyone had experience of how long it takes Advance Traders to pull their finger out and replace a frame under warranty? The LBS and local Advance Traders rep agree that it's a warranty replacement, but Advance Traders are insisting that everything has to "be approved by Taiwan" before they ship out a replacement frame that they have sitting in their warehouse. :evil:

Has been two weeks so far and getting annoying. If the local distributor isn't able to stand behind the products that they sell, looks like +1 and +2 won't be Merida/Norco/LaPierre.

User avatar
trailgumby
Posts: 15469
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
Contact:

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby trailgumby » Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:58 pm

You're in for an interesting ride. It took my ride buddy four months.

Details here.

http://nobmob.com/node/53454

WhingingPom
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 7:16 am

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby WhingingPom » Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:18 pm

trailgumby wrote:You're in for an interesting ride. It took my ride buddy four months.

Details here.

http://nobmob.com/node/53454
Awesome. And by "awesome" I mean really not awesome.

Fortunately, someone I ride with from the LBS has been kind enough to loan me an old roadie of his, so I'm not going completely insane!

Thanks for the info.

nezumi
Posts: 1062
Joined: Mon Jul 01, 2013 11:30 pm
Location: Bundoora, Melbourne

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby nezumi » Fri Apr 22, 2016 7:39 pm

WhingingPom wrote:Has anyone had experience of how long it takes Advance Traders to pull their finger out and replace a frame under warranty? The LBS and local Advance Traders rep agree that it's a warranty replacement, but Advance Traders are insisting that everything has to "be approved by Taiwan" before they ship out a replacement frame that they have sitting in their warehouse. :evil:

Has been two weeks so far and getting annoying. If the local distributor isn't able to stand behind the products that they sell, looks like +1 and +2 won't be Merida/Norco/LaPierre.
Two options are available to you.

1. Get the LBS you bought the bike from to replace it - it's their issue just as much as it is the distributors. They can't foist all responsibility off onto the distributor.
2. Contact the ACCC and get them involved.

See https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consu ... ace-refund
2014 Merida Cyclo Cross 4
2015 Merida Scultura 5000

WhingingPom
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 7:16 am

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby WhingingPom » Sat Apr 23, 2016 5:04 pm

nezumi wrote:
WhingingPom wrote:Has anyone had experience of how long it takes Advance Traders to pull their finger out and replace a frame under warranty? The LBS and local Advance Traders rep agree that it's a warranty replacement, but Advance Traders are insisting that everything has to "be approved by Taiwan" before they ship out a replacement frame that they have sitting in their warehouse. :evil:

Has been two weeks so far and getting annoying. If the local distributor isn't able to stand behind the products that they sell, looks like +1 and +2 won't be Merida/Norco/LaPierre.
Two options are available to you.

1. Get the LBS you bought the bike from to replace it - it's their issue just as much as it is the distributors. They can't foist all responsibility off onto the distributor.
2. Contact the ACCC and get them involved.

See https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consu ... ace-refund
The frame is being replaced. Unfortunately, the ACL doesn't specify that anyone in the process has to pull their finger out :evil:

lexel001
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 7:10 pm

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby lexel001 » Fri May 20, 2016 6:01 pm

Keep calling them and your bike shop!
I've gone through a Lapierre frame warranty with Boggo Boad Bicycle Centre with Advance Traders their distributor.
And finally today received the replacement! Starting from Jan 28 to May 20! 4 months and one day!
I made regular calls and throughout the entire process did not get a single apology from either parties. Absolutely abysmal, totally pathetic!
I'll be adding a Lapierre section to the forum warning potential buyers of anything associated with Advance Traders and Boggo Road Bicycle Centre.
Hope you don't have go through what I endured.

WhingingPom
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 7:16 am

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby WhingingPom » Sun May 22, 2016 7:52 pm

The LBS were pretty good throughout the whole process. Advance Traders were a waste of space. Didn't provide any assistance other than being a conduit for information to/from Merida.

5.5 weeks and I had a new frame. Bike was reassembled, same problem. Turns out the free hub was corroded as anything. Now waiting another week for DT Swiss to send out a new free hub.

On the plus side, I've just got a new frame, forks, seat post and bottom bracket. Fortunately, a mate has loaned me a spare bike of his for the duration otherwise, I'd be ropable.

Despite getting the new frame for what turns out to be no reason, the experience has turned me off buying anything distributed by Advance Traders in the future.

User avatar
trailgumby
Posts: 15469
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
Contact:

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby trailgumby » Sun May 22, 2016 9:34 pm

Thanks for sharing. Useful to know that my riding buddy's experience is not a once-off.

WhingingPom
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 7:16 am

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby WhingingPom » Thu May 26, 2016 10:13 pm

trailgumby wrote:Thanks for sharing. Useful to know that my riding buddy's experience is not a once-off.
I wouldn't mind, but I actually quite like the bike - it rides well, looks good and gets a lot of compliments. Just a shame that the local distributor couldn't care less about either the product that makes them money or the end customer that provides it.

User avatar
redcorpsjames
Posts: 789
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 6:45 pm
Location: sydney

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby redcorpsjames » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:22 pm

I recently found a crack in my Scultura 905, they had sent a replacement Scultura 5000 frame and set it all up for me within 1 week.
Merida Scultura 905 2013
cell messenger fixie 2013

nezumi
Posts: 1062
Joined: Mon Jul 01, 2013 11:30 pm
Location: Bundoora, Melbourne

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby nezumi » Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:32 pm

I'm now a proud member of the "Advance Traders screwed me over on warranty" club.

I was riding home last week, stopped beside/behind a tram for passengers to disembark, doors closed, I stood on the pedals and took off, heard/felt a crunch, then rubbing of the tyre on the frame. I looked down and saw a broken chainstay, and the wheel out of the dropouts - but hanger and rear mech intact!
Got a ride home with broken bike, got in touch with 99 bikes, took it in to the shop and, once there, noticed that the seat stay had fractured too. I'm not sure if this was present when the original break happened, but it is now.
The shop held onto the bike, sent photos off to Advance etc. Got a call today that Advance have denied warrant, saying that the break is the result of an impact - except the crankset/front mech is intact and fine? "Oh, it probably occured when transporting the bike".
The best they would offer is a crash replacement frame for $800.

So now I am debating whether to try and take it further (I can't exaclty prove there was no impact, because how can you prove a negative?), wear the cost of the new frame, or take the components and toss the frame.

Might be a good reason to move my stable on to thru-axle/disc brakes?
2014 Merida Cyclo Cross 4
2015 Merida Scultura 5000

User avatar
MichaelB
Posts: 14775
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:29 am
Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby MichaelB » Wed Feb 21, 2018 4:48 pm

I'd keep fighting (politely of course) and get advice from ACCC.

Sounds like typical response. Never had that issue thankfully


Fixed it for you ....

nezumi wrote: ....

Might be a good reason to move my stable on to another brand not distributed by Advance Traders?

User avatar
biker jk
Posts: 7001
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby biker jk » Wed Feb 21, 2018 5:27 pm

I only recently discovered that BMC is distributed by Advanced Traders which strikes that brand off the list.

Halfamillion
Posts: 77
Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2014 7:19 pm
Location: Penrith NSW

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby Halfamillion » Fri Sep 18, 2020 5:20 pm

Here are some replacement Merida Carbon Frames on Aliexpress! Merida Big Nine Carbon Team hardtail MTB frame teases Podium Carbon XC racer carbon mountain frame 29 AU$470.16. Even cheaper than Advance Traders warranty offer.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3302344 ... hweb201603_
Peugeot PBN10, Cell Victor 2, Graycross Special 27", Merida Mission 2000, Trek 4900, Cell Stinger.

User avatar
Tim
Posts: 2944
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:02 pm
Location: Gippsland Lakes

Re: Advance Traders / Merida Warranty Experience

Postby Tim » Fri Sep 18, 2020 7:47 pm

^^^
I wish you'd stop posting these links to garbage Aliexpress fakes.
I get the feeling this and previous posts are spam.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: antigee, jasonc