Nitron

[CarloL]

I purchased an R1 shock for my M900 Ducati with the Subject: Ducati M900 R1 shock , took 5 weeks to make and a few $$$

http://www.nitron.co.uk/catalogue_main.php?brandpage=yes&categorygroup=Motorcycles&brandgroup=Ducati

Mechanic has just stripped the bike and informed me the shock is 25mm too short

I rang Nitron , got through to their sales who passed me onto their technician , as the s2r and 900 specs are beside each other he may think 305 and 330mm was mixed up

I was not aware nor did the sales department make me aware there are too different models based on year ( I have to hide behind some ignorance here as I am not a mechanic and it is my first bike) , as the bike is a M900 and is the same as the pic on their website , I assumed it was the correct shock and through conversing with the Sales team via email / phone , nobody pointed out to me their are two separate versions for the same model of bike

Yes I made a mistake but the Sales department also has to have some accountability

Short of it , they want me to post the shock back and pay an additional 180 ex vat sterling to rectify the shock (new parts and labor) or my second option put forward was to try my luck on ebay

I think this is completely unacceptable, trying to figure out my options , any advice

I am thinking of a strong worded letter to the MD , at least show some good will and waiver the labor

[bobbertandsammy]

If it's within 14 days of delivery surely you are covered by distance selling regulations?

[Darren69]

I think the S2R wasn't made until 2005 and you ordered the '94-01 model? Maybe they sent you the S4 '01-03

[Darkness]

The length of shock on Monsters is dependent on whether you have the hoop rear suspension [330mm shock], or the single tie rod suspension [305mm shock].
Ohlins use different model numbers for these to distinguish.
The change to the suspension was around 2002, but not all models changed simultaneously as far as I recall?
Can you return the order, or are you time barred?
If stuck with it, you could try selling it at a discount to avoid the cost of having it altered.

[CarloL]

I ordered the shock based on thier website , on closer inspection it illustrates a 94-00 model within the Ducati Shocks section and no year , the link sends me to (03-06) ,
I assumed a Ducati Monster 900 R1 shock was the same for all models , I was not aware of two different model Shocks based on year.

I had at least 2 calls with the sales department and numerous emails , I was not made aware of two part numbers , I have to hide behind some ignorance here as I am not a mechanic and it is my first bike, as far as I was aware only differences are one model is fuel injected and my model is not.

http://www.nitron.co.uk/catalogue_main.php?brandpage=yes&categorygroup=Motorcycles&brandgroup=Ducati

[CarloL]

That's their reponse , at least it is better than 180 GBP ex vat

Yes it was. I Just want to say I understand you are upset, I would be too. However I am sure you understand we cannot do this conversion for free as we are in no way at fault. The link you sent me below, or here - http://www.nitron.co.uk/catalogue_item.php?catID=12399&prodID=73975 takes you to a page for a 2003-2006 Ducati Monster, I had no reason to doubt your link as you haven’t mentioned anywhere that you own a 1997 bike.

However, I have had a discussion with the technicians and we have decided that if the shock is in pristine condition we will be able to accept the shock back for a 90% refund, which will then be put towards the correct Nitron shock for your bike. we need to charge a 10% restocking fee because as you know everything is built to order and is custom to the rider so we will likely need to make modifications before we can sell it again. You will also need to cover shipping costs both ways.

I hope you appreciate this goodwill gesture on our behalf. If you have any questions I am happy to speak with you on the phone again if you prefer.

[CarloL]

If it's within 14 days of delivery surely you are covered by distance selling regulations?

It took 4-5 weeks to make , not too sure how that works

But telling a customer to flog it on ebay , is not the type of customer service I expected

[Darkness]

It took 4-5 weeks to make , not too sure how that works

But telling a customer to flog it on ebay , is not the type of customer service I expected

For mail order contracts in the UK you can cancel the order up to 14 days after receiving the goods. Eire law may differ in detail, but as it's enacting a EU Directive it shouldn't be very different?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Protection_(Distance_Selling)_Regulations _2000

[Wildfire]

I would look at the distance selling laws in Eire and see if you can return it, but also look at the T&C's on the website.

There is two distinct categories on the website for Monsters, 94-01 and 03-06.

They do state that everything is made to order and if you technically ordered the wrong shock I think their offer of 10% to re-stock is pretty fair.

[Luddite]

Darkness and Wildfire both make good points; as Eire is an EU member, its domestic legislation should mirror the EU directive.

This directive contains exclusions, one of which is:

'the supply of goods that are made to the consumer’s specifications or are clearly personalised'

As Wildfire points out, the shock was made to order, i.e. '...made to the consumer’s specifications...' so that might exclude it from the regulations.

I think in the circumstances the 10% deduction may be the best you can hope for.

[Darkness]

Duplicate post.

[CarloL]

They do state that everything is made to order and if you technically ordered the wrong shock I think their offer of 10% to re-stock is pretty fair.

I think the 10% to re-stock is pretty fair too

Just to have my rant :)


For a Ducati M900 their website shop illustrates a picture of a 94-00 with the rear buttress, but yet links you to the 305 shock not the 330mm shock , I presumed all years are the same , hey who can tell 25mm difference by looking at it
The sales team should highlight their are two models of shock
To tell a customer its 180gbp ex vat and ex cost of shipping (over 50% of the cost) to sort or you can flog it on ebay is disgusting customer service


To be honest at this stage I would rather take the 10% hit and shipping cost , just get a refund of the remainder

[Darren69]

You should point out that their website is wrong and misleading. I noticed that some of the bikes pictured were actually wrong. The S4 shows an S4R for example. They should really confirm the year with the buyer first, if the only order code (R1) is actually for different items for different model years.

[utopia]

Sorry to hear that this has happened.
They do state that "you haven't mentioned anywhere that you own a '97 bike".
For future reference, when ordering parts its best to just give basic info that identifies the precise bike in question (not just year, but frame number too, so there's no scope for error).
Even the year of registration can be misleading as often bikes are not sold or registered in their year of manufacture .. eg my 750 is a 2000 model, first registered in 2001.
Beyond that, its best to do nothing .. ie avoid trying to determine which part is correct for your bike yourself .. leave that to them and then there is no possibility of you making an error.
Its an easy trap to fall into (particularly when this is your first bike) and I sympathise with your situation, but I think that Nitron's response has been reasonable under the circumstances.
Maybe if they were being really nice they could waive the 10%, but that isn't going to amount to all that much anyway.
I guess you could argue that, in the absence of any model/year info provided by yourself, they should/could have asked for this information .. it might be worth pursuing this angle and seeing what response they give .......?

[CarloL]

Yes their response was eventually reasonable , when I rang to inquire was there a means to adjusting the item to accommodate the 25mm difference , talking to techs .... eventually they discovered I had the incorrect item, their attitude was tough **** mate , 180gbp ex vat or jog on , sure try ebay

This is what riled me up , what company tells a customer to sell it on ebay!! I am a reasonable person, I am not one for shouting at people trying to do their job (nor did I) they could and should of approached the situation differently , extremely disappointed at their initial response to resolve this

Their website , does illustrate a 94-97 Monster but links you to 03-06 shock , I have since highlight this to them but no response in relation to the discrepancy

I am sending the shock back , I pay for shipping and take a 10% hit ; I would prefer a 90% refund and worse case I will take a new shock if this is not plausible

To be honest , I do not want to deal with this company anymore and it has made up made my mind to go with KW suspension over Nitron for my car

I also just purchased a 748s , any suspension will be Ohlins not Nitron

[Jez900ie]

Companies usually make it mandatory for purchasers to list relevant information about their bike/ car, including reg, model, year. Especially companies who know their products are being fitted to Ducatis - who change their specs all the time.

Frankly for the money you are spending, on an item they will (imo) likely be able to sell fairly easily, their attitude is not what I would have expected. Yes they supplied what you ordered, but they are being unnecessarily tough on an honest mistake. Shame really because theres a lot of people who speak highly of the shocks.

I doubt Ohlins would treat you this way, but their products are typically 40% more than Nitron -though some might say they are better as well.

Good luck with getting a refund and if I were you I would never consider Nitron again either unless it was very cheap!

[Flip]

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with what is being said here.

There are actually two listings for Monsters on the Nitron site, one for 620, 750, 900 and 1000cc's and another for 600, 750 and 900cc's the first clearly stating the model years being 03-06 and the latter for 94-01 therefore covering both types of suspension used with little confusion between model overlaps as they don't actually list a link for 2002 presumably so any owners unsure can ask for clarification before ordering.

CarloL, you obviously know your bike is a '97 model so surely when the listing took you to 03-06 did you not think it odd and therefore click the other Monster 900 listing?

Personally I cannot rate Nitron's customer service highly enough.

A couple of years ago I sent mine back for a service after over ten years of use, at the time of booking it in I mentioned some marks in the anodising of the top section due to it lightly touching the linkage which they gave me a quote to replace it of just £25.00.

However, when they examined the shock they informed me there had since been a re-design of that part and so replaced it free of charge.

So in my view that was outstanding- they already had me at a cost of £25.00 to replace that part on top of the price of a service, yet they phoned me to tell me of the re-design and the F.O.C. replacement so I appreciate you are a bit angry at not getting what you expected but in all honesty and given it was your mistake at the end of the day I think they are being pretty bloody fair.

[CarloL]

Just to note they added the second version , I only noticed it after I pointed it out to them

A company who solely deals in custom shocks as a core business , should clarify with the customer, have a process in place to take mandatory details, or even at least note there are two part numbers in my instance , I made a mistake in assuming the chassis was the same , pics on their site resembled my bike

But to tell a customer it's over 60% of the cost of the unit ex vat ex shipping to rectify, to even put forward the option to try their luck flogging it on eBay is highly unprofessional and very disappointing

Support and customer service was the reason I choose Nitron , I am glad who had a good experience; I am trying my best here to justify their actions

[Wildfire]

Are you saying that they have changed their website since you pointed out the error.

When you ordered did you order online or by phone? Often if you quote a part number people can assume that you know exactly what you need. As opposed to "Hi, I have a 97 Monster 900 and want an R1 shock for it." Should they have clarified the bike, possibly yes, but as before, if someone says I need xxxx, then often you just supply that.

forgive me if I am mistaken, but it seems as though you have contacted them, ordered a specific part, not stated your bike, they have assumed by you being specific that you know what you want, they have fulfilled the order and you have realised that you have ordered the wrong part?

That said, I have bought a battery for my TVR in the past and ordered on part no. and the shop has said "What car is it for?"

As pointed out before they are made to order, so in order to rectify it, whilst some of the parts are re-usable, the whole unit would have to be de-pressurised, dismantled and rebuilt and re-valved using a fair few new parts. A fair amount of work. Does it amount to 60% of the value, perhaps not, but it's not a quick fix, e.g. taking another off the shelf.

In that time they could be building a shock for another customer, as opposed to rectifying a mistake made by a customer, who would like it rectified for free. After all they do run a business. So from their point of view, I can understand the initial extra costs.

Perhaps if they had offered the re-stocking fee straight up you wouldn't feel so aggrieved.

[CarloL]

Wildfire , Flip you are absolutely right , customers these days ! Who needs them

Yes I did state my bike as a Ducati Monster M900, no year or part number , its my first bike , as far as I was aware they only made the 900 between 94 and 03/04 with fuel injection ; I included a link in my initial email from their website, their website illustrated a picture of a 900/750/620.. model (no year) , when you click in it has 03-06 ,this is the link I gave them as a reference to what I wanted to order

The second bike on their website was not there when I ordered as I went through the Ducati page meticulously, did ponder over other manufacturers , I was back and forth multiple times over a few days to review the different types of shocks they offered , it was not there

Why they have the bike illustrated twice on their Ducati page with no distinguishing factors I dont know but at least have the two similar bikes beside each other in OE trim & preferably one without a modified exhaust on it.

The bike should be illustrated once , you click on the model (Monster) the page should allow you to choose your model/ year ...defining factors ; I know some pictures of bike models on their website do not match the actual model , causes confusion

I had 2-3 calls with the sales team and numerous emails , technician said the two part numbers for the 900 are beside each other on their internal system (one with a 305mm shock and the other with a 330mm shock), due diligence mention it to the Customer, we are idiots

People make mistakes , we are all human but to say sales department has zero accountability is unacceptable & my big grievance was their initial response

Its an 02-06 shock setup for a person of average weight for their height , it is by no means an extreme setup to sell on

I never said I wanted anything rectified for FREE

Customers , what a bunch of SOB's

[Flip]

I don't mean to sound argumentative but they have always listed the two model types on their website 100%. I have linked to it many times while recommending them as a fantastic quality shock absorber and a company with (in my view) with outstanding customer service.

I am however, somewhat surprised at their alleged idea for You to eBay your incorrect item.

[CarloL]

So am I flip , my objective was to rectify the situation with minimal outlay of course ; was hoping they would waiver the parts and I just pay for labor, shipping, come to a reasonable exchange as the shock is new as opposed a full rebuild price

After he told me to try my luck selling it on ebay , I told them, I was not happy and I ended the call promptly ; just not how I like to see a company conduct themselfs

[Wildfire]

I am however, somewhat surprised at their alleged idea for You to eBay your incorrect item.

Yes, I agree that this is definitely not good customer service. If they had offered the £180 then that is their position. Telling you to go on eBay is not very good. If it were me I'd be having someone's name for that and escalating it up.

I think you should calm down mate. You are not happy about a situation, some others have stated that they don't agree 100% with your view point. Coming on here and ranting about it is one thing, but not everyone will always agree with you, so you probably need to be prepared for that,

As I pointed out, the sales team never asked what bike you had or year, if you said M900, then they should at least ask what year as there were changes to that model range, so not good there. That said you also did not state the year.

But customers are important and the £180 is fairly excessive, with the 10% being very reasonable.

Just to point out that I have dealt with Nitron for cars for years and a good mate is a Nitron dealer, other I know use Nitron on their bikes and have always had great experiences with them. Sorry you didn't get the same.

[CarloL]

Just giving members an insight to my experience , not looking for people to agree with me; like I said I am disappointed at their initial response as I heard great things about support and customer service

All I can say is I have bought KW Suspension for my car and the 748s I bought will be treated to Ohlins in the future