reynolds 531 double butted. dent was not shown in the ebay auction. received with dent. ebay pic of full bike, and other pics included of the dent as unpacked from the box upon receipt today. is this frame rideable/reliable?

auction stated there was a small 2mm dent on the underside of the top tube. this is on the outside (not underside) non-drive side of the tt.

what would you do? thanks in advance.

Much more than a "dent". The bike needs a new top tube.

That sucks. That dent looks structural to me. I wouldn't dare ride it. Have you contacted the seller? It sounds like a gross misrepresentation to me.

what would you do? thanks in advance.
Those were light frames for their day and the TT was already weakened by the through the tube cable routing. One day that thing could fold right in the middle of the top tube. It isn't going to happen while you are just riding along either. It is going to be on some nasty bumpy downhill in the wet in the dark.

We would miss you.

OBTW your RBR mail box is full so I couldn't reply to your personal message.

have emailed seller but not heard back yet. would prefer to give benefit of the doubt and pursue claim with fedex if this occurred in shipping. not sure what the price for a framebuilder to replace the tt would be, but i'm not willing to pay it + price of bike + shipping. this is a bigger dent than i would feel safe riding. the dent is creased on top and bottom, so it's not good news, from what i've read in RBR search for "dent". thanks.

i've cleaned out my PM inbox and am ready to accept your messages. :D

thanks for the input. it's a damned shame as the frame is beautiful. replacing the tt and a respray won't match the "distressed" paint on the frame, so it seems like a write-off at this point. now to haggle with the seller and/or fedex...

thanks M

hmmmm...wonder what it would run to replace the tt? of course i'd have to ship it, 'cuz there's nobody around here with that kind of equipment or experience.

hmmmm...wonder what it would run to replace the tt? of course i'd have to ship it, 'cuz there's nobody around here with that kind of equipment or experience.

Just ask for your money back.

if seller claims the damage was not there when he shipped it, you're probably stuck filing a claim with fed ex.

However, if seller said it was there and too bad for you, then it's gross misrepresentation and you should immediately file a complaint with paypal or stop payment on your check/credit card/ etc, depending on how you paid for it, and if he wants the damaged goods back, he can pay for the shipping.

that's what i'd do, anyway.

Pretty bike. that's too bad.

if seller claims the damage was not there when he shipped it, you're probably stuck filing a claim with fed ex.

However, if seller said it was there and too bad for you, then it's gross misrepresentation and you should immediately file a complaint with paypal or stop payment on your check/credit card/ etc, depending on how you paid for it, and if he wants the damaged goods back, he can pay for the shipping.

that's what i'd do, anyway.

Pretty bike. that's too bad.

No way he can blame FedEX being the seller said there was a small dent in his auction. There is no small dent, just a big one.

Was the box "dented" ? Do you still have the box ??
How was it packed ????

box looked like a pair of slacks under a pile of dirty clothes after 2 weeks. didn't travel well. the whole box was a big dent. how can a cardboard bike box be wrinkled? :rolleyes: packing was moderate to fairly good, i've seen much much worse, and waaay better (Gary Hobbs packs bikes to withstand a direct nuclear strike). no additional packing or buffering would have prevented this dent, it would certainly have gone through bubble wrap. if done in shipping, it was the result of a hard surfaced-corner impacting the box at the tt location.

It looks like the paint may be cracked a bit. See if you can flake some of it off without disturbing the steel under it. If there is some surface rust, the dent may be older. If not, it may be newer. This isn't a for sure test, but if there is some surface rust, the dent has probably been like that for quite some time. Good luck.

box looked like a pair of slacks under a pile of dirty clothes after 2 weeks. didn't travel well. the whole box was a big dent. how can a cardboard bike box be wrinkled? :rolleyes: packing was moderate to fairly good, i've seen much much worse, and waaay better (Gary Hobbs packs bikes to withstand a direct nuclear strike). no additional packing or buffering would have prevented this dent, it would certainly have gone through bubble wrap. if done in shipping, it was the result of a hard surfaced-corner impacting the box at the tt location.

Was there a fork lift hole? A frame dent caused in shipping is going happen two ways.

1. A fork lift blade penetrated the box. It would have a hole
2. The box was laying flat and a heavy skid was place on top. The corner of the pallet bent the frame.

Number 2 is harder to prove carrier damage but it can be done....PM me if you need help filing a claim....

If you kept the box, it will help with a claim.

What method did it ship ?

there are two points, one at top and one at bottom, where the paint is gone and metal is visible. no rust.

will double check on the fork lift hole. didn't notice it but there were a few holes around the box. will advise. the second seems the more likely cause, but i'll check tonight and update the thread tomorrow. thanks...

you should also ask the seller to write you a letter stating that the damage wasn't there when he boxed it up and gave it to fed ex. and submit a copy of that ltr with your claim.

good luck.

what would you do? thanks in advance.

that filing a claim with FedEx is reasonable if the packing appears damaged, but the claim has to be filed by the shipper and the package has to have been insured. As the recipient, you cannot file the claim. One obvious reason is that you have no idea the condition of the frame prior to shipping.

If your seller is uncooperative or if it was shipped uninsured, you're SOL going that route. If the seller is uncooperative, you can file a dispute with eBay using the Safe Harbor program. You should download any pictures the seller posted with the auction, any descriptions (such as his description of the dent) and save a hard copy of any correspondence.

If all this fails and you are stuck, KoolBikes (formerly Pfeiffer Phrames) (http://www.koolbikes.com/) in Greenville, SC, does restoration and repair. That's as close as I can get to Memphis. I've never used them nor can I vouch for their work.

that filing a claim with FedEx is reasonable if the packing appears damaged, but the claim has to be filed by the shipper and the package has to have been insured. As the recipient, you cannot file the claim. One obvious reason is that you have no idea the condition of the frame prior to shipping.

If your seller is uncooperative or if it was shipped uninsured, you're SOL going that route. If the seller is uncooperative, you can file a dispute with eBay using the Safe Harbor program. You should download any pictures the seller posted with the auction, any descriptions (such as his description of the dent) and save a hard copy of any correspondence.

If all this fails and you are stuck, KoolBikes (formerly Pfeiffer Phrames) (http://www.koolbikes.com/) in Greenville, SC, does restoration and repair. That's as close as I can get to Memphis. I've never used them nor can I vouch for their work.

Triodelover,

I agree that if the seller is uncooperative, he's got some trouble. But are you sure about saying that he can't file a claim b/c he's not the shipper? If he already paid for it and it's his property that was damaged, it doesn't matter whether he's shipper or not, does it? Also, b/c shipped it via Fed Ex and not the us mail, the insurance thing also doesn't matter--Fed Ex is still on the hook if he can show the bike was fine when it was shipped (some federal common carrier law w/a presumption against the carrier for damage caused en route, or something like that). But again, he probably needs the help of the shipper on this one.

But I've never tried to file a claim against fed ex, so maybe I don't know squat.

Triodelover,

I agree that if the seller is uncooperative, he's got some trouble. But are you sure about saying that he can't file a claim b/c he's not the shipper?


Opera and the Evil Empire's Windoze conspired to eat my last reply, so...

AFAIK, the standard policy of all the carriers is that claims must be filed by the shipper and can be no more than for the amount insured. I've found this to be true with Fed Ex, UPS, and DHL, though it's beenawhile since I've had to file a claim with any of them.

It's not that J doesn't have recourse, it's just as the recipient his recourse lies outside the carrier's policy for damage claims unless the shipper/seller cooperates. He can always hire counsel and no doubt that a stern, tersely worded letter would likely produce results, considering the amount and assuming J can credibly claim that the damage resulted from shipping. (Seller's claims and auction photos might carry the day.). But there's no guarantee. And lawyer's fees would have to be added to the cost of recovery. It's rarely worthwhile to call out the $300/hour suits for something like this.

fedex lost my insured cranks - they never arrived at the door.
Fedex required the Shipper to file a claim - I could not. Though they did approved the claim as I spoke to them on the phone while I was trying to locate the package.

Give fedex a call.. they will let you know what to do.

Was there a fork lift hole? A frame dent caused in shipping is going happen two ways.

1. A fork lift blade penetrated the box. It would have a hole
2. The box was laying flat and a heavy skid was place on top. The corner of the pallet bent the frame.

Number 2 is harder to prove carrier damage but it can be done....PM me if you need help filing a claim....


... is caused by the box getting caught/bound-up in a conveyor. This could result in wrinkling and would likely show dark scuff marks on the box.
(FedEx once tweaked a wheelset of mine... when I sent it back via UPS in the same box, the nice shipping lady pointed to the scuff marks and summarily blamed a conveyor).

Good luck in getting just resolution.

Jim