Ahoj, tu je moja skusenost s Canyonom. Pisal som to v AJ, lebo som to zavesil na nejake zahranicne fora :
VERY NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE WITH CANYON BICYCLES
After long saving I decided to buy a new
bike in April 2014 for the new season – Canyon LUX CF 8.9 for 3 300 EUR. I paid for it and got the bike about after 2 weeks. Canyon sells bikes directly, i.e. there is no store with Canyons and they are sent from the factory in Germany to the new owner. In my case the bike was sent to Slovakia. I took it soon to Switzerland where I moved.
The bike was great, but it did not take long (2-3 weeks) until I started to hear terrible sounds coming from the bottom bracket (probably bearings).
I am a huge biking fan, so I used the bike a lot and tried the terrain that the bike was supposed to be built for – trails in the woods, rain etc., but on the other hand did no extremes as I am XC rider. I would not expect such a bike to have quality problems or at least not after such a short time.
It was surprising when I got the answer from the communication center in Czech republic that I should have the bottom bracket fixed in a local shop (based on an assumption of Canyon on the video I sent). Canyon did not cover the costs and stated in an e-mail that they will not take over the costs. I had the bike fixed in Switzerland and when the problem returned (less than 50km), I had it fixed again in Slovakia (as I travelled a lot). I had to pay again and the repair was again not very successful and the sound and cracking came back after about 100km. Then I decided to send the bike back to the maker in Germany.
I confirmed the address with Canyon and sent the bike to Germany from Switzerland. I sent the bike on June 30th as a used item and put a description on the package that I am claiming a dysfunctional bike for a repair. Canyon received a confirmation that I sent the bike.
There had been no sign of communication from Canyon for 2 weeks so I decided to call them the first time. I talked to a lady at the call center that did not know if they have the bike, which I found very strange. I had to call Canyon more times to find out that they do not have the bike. Then they did not tell me that the bike is at the German customs (btw in the same city where is the factory of Canyon). There were some uncertain emails and replies from Canyon that it could be at the customs. This was very unpleasant as had to spend almost half of my work day on the phone talking to the Swiss Post, German Post, DHL, Swiss customs and at last German customs. I found out that the bike is truly at the customs in Koblenz, Germany. I also found out that this must have been clear to Canyon from the beginning as it was communicated to the receiver. This was confirmed to me by a customs officer from the very customs’ warehouse where the bike was. I was told that the problem were probably the customs between Germany and Switzerland. I received quite an unpleasant call from Canyon that it was actually my fault (!) that I have sent the bike from Switzerland and not the country of purchase.
First of all, nowhere was written that you cannot do that. Secondly, the bike was sent back as a used item for repair (clearly stated on the package description). Canyon wrote me an email that they will not pay for the customs that will be 800 EUR. I asked for the calculation how they came to that number and have never received any… I also did not understand why should I pay customs for a used item sent to be repaired.
I called the customs and explained my situation and the officer told me that my case only requires a customs declaration to be filled and given to the customs. There would be neither customs nor other fees. I asked if I could do it, but the officer told me that only the receiving side could do that. I sent this information immediately to Canyon. I have not received any reply and after almost 2 weeks I decided to file for a claim by the postal services to try to get my bike back. Canyon did not communicate with me so I understood that they will not do the declaration and will not receive the bike. Since returns are handled as the last class, it took 2 weeks until I received the bike on Aug 13th.
The next day I loaded the package to my car and drove thru the boarder to Austria (EU) to send the bike from there and avoid any possibility of problems with sending the bike and the customs. I consulted this with Canyon again. Unfortunately, Austrian post refused to send such a large package (original package from Canyon – again no warning and no experience from such a large maker? Has no one ever tried to return a Canyon bike from Austria? Can’t believe that.). Luckily, I found a logistics company and sent the bike via this private firm on Aug. 14th. The next week, Aug. 18th, the bike was finally accepted and received by Canyon. It took a week and few of my emails until I found out that the bike will be only checked and hopefully repaired on Sept 15th (!), i.e. a month after they received the bike plus countless emails (over 30), phone calls etc.
I asked for compensation, as I could not use my bike the whole season and as it looks, altogether the process will have taken 3 months (!), maybe more, nothing can surprise me by Canyon anymore. Further, I paid more than 3 500 EUR for the bike and accessories which I could have really invested more efficiently…
I already told Canyon more times that I am considering to contact consumer protection centers or my lawyer. Canyon fully ignored this and never replied to such emails. I asked for a compensation, which was again fully ignored and Canyon sent me a link to their shop that I could purchase everything there (like I did not know, but that was not the point). After the news that the repair will come a month after receiving the bike, I decided to ask for compensation again. I also asked for a contact to the head of the department for claims. It was declined and I was told to send my complaints to the same email. I sent my request for compensation there. The total value is 48.95 EUR or 1,4% of the purchase price (I asked for a new tire and, some screws etc.). I am expecting a decline after my experience with Canyon.
The communication from the side of Canyon has been terrible for the 3 months that I have been in touch with them. Call center is almost impossible to reach if your language is other than German (more times I spent over 20 minutes waiting for an answer or the machine just disconnected me after a longer waiting time). When calling the German call center, the waiting times are shorter, but still long (often over 10 minutes). Email communication is a huge catastrophe and more times I have noticed chaos that they have in the company (one department said something else than the other etc. – I have all emails to prove this).
This way I would like to express my deepest disappointment with Canyon and do not recommend anyone to buy Canyon bike.
