I recently purchased my second De Rosa -- a gorgeous red and white King Xlight -- and have had the very unpleasant experience of dealing with the company’s web editor who I only know by the email address redazoine@derosanews.com. I absolutely LOVE my De Rosa bikes but this guy’s attitude has really spoiled the De Rosa experience for me; I will never buy another De Rosa product. My first experience occurred when I tried to exchange a De Rosa jacket I purchased that was the wrong size (when I ordered a large I didn’t realize I was ordering an Xsmall; it was small even in cycling wear terms). This jerk ripped me a new one for not measuring my thorax (I thought only bugs had thoraxes) before I ordered the jacket. Also, I made the mistake of posting a few comments/questions on the De Rosa forum and the editor deleted my posts, wrote me nasty emails, and basically told me to go F myself.

Has anyone else here had a bad experience with this Redazoine guy? I feel bad that the De Rosa family is allowing this A#1 @sshole to spoil customers opinion of the company. Are there any suggestions for contacting someone at De Rosa to complain about Mr. Redazoine’s behavior?

:mad2:

Redazione means Editor in Italian and the site is run under the direction of Cristiano De Rosa. Cristiano will not ever side-step responsibility for any personal or De Rosa company error. In this case, you clearly did not follow their measurement suggestions. Italian cycling clothing is generally sized with numbers: 1 to 8 is quite common. The XS-S-M-L-XL-XXL-XXXL-XXXXL are solely a tool to help the typical American who can't get their mind around the thought of a number as a size. Every manfacturer uses different sizing but if you wear a 1 with one manufacturer it generally is a size one or 2 with others too. To help clients buy, they do give fitting guides. I f you decide that you don't need to follow these guides, you are asking for problems. Why should De Rosa need to answer for your error? Given the tone of your post here and on the Colnago area, it is quite evident that you have no tact or understanding of personal responsibility. It wouldn't surprise me at all that you only decided that the jacket was too small after wearing it too.

BTW, you are showing your ignorance by what you write of the word thorax. It is a perfectly normal English word that describes a specific part of the body. Check this link out: http://www.answers.com/topic/thorax Quite pitiful that an Italian without any post-secondary eduction knows such a word in a foreign language, but that you wouldn't. Beyond a class in personal responsibility, perhaps you should return to 8th grade and get an education.

After reading these 2 posts, there has to be some truth in the middle.
dnalsaam is defending the De Rosa family like he is part of the inheritance.

dnalsaam, people do make mistakes and at times have ordered clothing the wrong size and need to return it for the proper size. That is way everyone has a return policy and mail order houses actually give you a return label to send your goods back with. It may not happen to someone as perfect as you but to the standard person, we have all made a mistake once or twice in our lives.

Though De Rosa is a small company, the owners never have complete control. Somehow somewhere there will be an employee who treats a client poorly that will stain the company's reputation for customer service. If they are such a great company, they or their distributor should listen to their client’s complaints with an open mind and then respond accordingly.

I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong in this situation but your attack of the poster is similar the crappy service he has received. These stuck up attitudes in the cycling community really give it a bad image at times.

It wouldn't surprise me at all that you only decided that the jacket was too small after wearing it too.

BTW, you are showing your ignorance by what you write of the word thorax. It is a perfectly normal English word that describes a specific part of the body. Check this link out: http://www.answers.com/topic/thorax Quite pitiful that an Italian without any post-secondary eduction knows such a word in a foreign language, but that you wouldn't. Beyond a class in personal responsibility, perhaps you should return to 8th grade and get an education.

Yep, I looked up your link and only found the following for thorax: The second or middle region of the body of an arthropod, between the head and the abdomen, in insects bearing the true legs and wings. OMG, so the thorax is where I place my wings when I'm not out eatin grass. That makes perfect sense now.

BTW, you might sound somewhat intelligent if you'd drum up a valid argument rather than making false assumptions about one's level of education.

To the best of my knowledge, De Rosa does not, at present, sell any items directly to end-customers apart from people who personally come to their premises. So until the original poster shows otherwise, I believe it is fair to say that the original poster did not go personally to their premises. He therefore decided of his own free will to purchase from another remote source. If you do so, you must shoulder a large part of the possible responsibility if there is a possibility of incorrect sizing. Either you need to be sure of the sizing or at least be sure that the seller has a return policy that you find acceptable. Apparently the poster did not check either the size or whether a return policy even existed. If the seller did not have an acceptable return policy, that is up to the customer to work out with the seller, not with De Rosa. Beyond this, nowhere in the world does there exist a legal right to return non-defective product, this is simply a service that is often offered on a goodwill basis. The poster, by posting negative comments on the De Rosa website obviously did not show any goodwill towards De Rosa, so why would they be inclined to do so? There are then many other factors to be taken into consideration, such as: 1) is the jacket a model that is still in-line? If the jacket is no longer in-line, it is not fair to expect a replacement; 2) Has the jacket been worn? If so, there is no reasonable basis to return such a product (It takes 2 seconds to try on a jacket to know whether it fits) 3) when and how was the request to return made? In a case such as the one described, I would find it offensive for the poster to think that he would not need to at very least take partial responsibility for the error. As such, if I had been in his shoes, I would have firstly spoken to the person who sold me the item. If that didn't work, I might have turned to De Rosa directly, but then on the basis that I had made an error and asking whether they might be willing to help me out, not expecting it. It shows a decided lack of understanding how retail sales are set up, to expect De Rosa to take on such responsibility. The retail price of a piece of clothing is generally marked up as follows: For a cycling jacket sold by De Rosa at $1.00, becomes about $1.40 when landed at the North American distributor (this between the approximately 30% duty plus shipping costs). The wholesaler then puts on their margin bringing the item to the retailer at a little over $2.00. The retailer then marks the item up by about 100% which brings the item to about $4.00. So the average $15.00 shipping charge from Italy becomes the equivalent of a $60 charge to De Rosa, for what?

Having worked with one of the largest De Rosa distributors in the world in the late 80's and 90's, as the person handling all dealings with De Rosa, I can assure you that a family member is indeed in charge of every element of the company. No employee with contact with the public would ever dare to expose the company to anything without first speaking to a family member. If they did, they would be gone in a nanosecond.

Yep, I looked up your link and only found the following for thorax: The second or middle region of the body of an arthropod, between the head and the abdomen, in insects bearing the true legs and wings. OMG, so the thorax is where I place my wings when I'm not out eatin grass. That makes perfect sense now.

BTW, you might sound somewhat intelligent if you'd drum up a valid argument rather than making false assumptions about one's level of education.

How odd! When I go to the link, the primary definition reads: The part of the human body between the neck and the diaphragm, partially encased by the ribs and containing the heart and lungs; the chest.

Perhaps in the education system that you frequented, 2 comes before 1.:idea:

Pardon me, I didn't realize I was dealing with an ex retailer. I shouldn't care enough to send you this link but here it is anyway. And I did receive a letter directly from De Rosa when I asked about the return.

http://www.derosanews.com/
Products and then merchandising

You sure like to make assumptions.

I searched the De Rosa site and could find nothing about how to size my wing area. I also found nothing on a return policy. I contacted De Rosa directly about the return and they are the ones who told me where to send it. I paid shipping both ways so I did pay for my mistake. I never said the sizing issue was De Rosa's fault. I take 100% blame. The issue is De Rosa's customer relations, not the size of a jacket. Stick to the facts man.

And why in the world would I blindly return an item to De Rosa if I didn't buy it there?
dnalsaam, are you telling me you've never received poor service from a retailer's employee?

I searched the De Rosa site and could find nothing about how to size my wing area. I also found nothing on a return policy. I contacted De Rosa directly about the return and they are the ones who told me where to send it. I paid shipping both ways so I did pay for my mistake. I never said the sizing issue was De Rosa's fault. I take 100% blame. The issue is De Rosa's customer relations, not the size of a jacket. Stick to the facts man.

And why in the world would I blindly return an item to De Rosa if I didn't buy it there?
dnalsaam, are you telling me you've never received poor service from a retailer's employee?

The facts are:

1) You and only you made a mistake about sizing. No blame can be given to De Rosa.
2) You did not ask about return policy, you simply assumed anything that you wanted was allowed. Once again this is not the fault of De Rosa.
3) De Rosa replied to your request for an exchange. De Rosa did not therefore shirk customer relations.
4) De Rosa exchanged the jacket without any additional charge, such as a restocking fee.
5) You posted inflammatory remarks on the De Rosa club website, exposing your dirty laundry in their private domain.

Sticking to tha facts as you say, I see that De Rosa suffered because you made the initial avoidable sizing mistake. De Rosa responded to your message. They accepted to exchange the jacket notwithstanding that there was no legal or implied requirement to do so. This exchange also had costs to De Rosa that were not charged to you. You entered a private domain and bad-mouthed them...

All pretty one.sided in my eyes.

The facts are:

1) You and only you made a mistake about sizing. No blame can be given to De Rosa.
2) You did not ask about return policy, you simply assumed anything that you wanted was allowed. Once again this is not the fault of De Rosa.
3) De Rosa replied to your request for an exchange. De Rosa did not therefore shirk customer relations.
4) De Rosa exchanged the jacket without any additional charge, such as a restocking fee.
5) You posted inflammatory remarks on the De Rosa club website, exposing your dirty laundry in their private domain.

Sticking to tha facts as you say, I see that De Rosa suffered because you made the initial avoidable sizing mistake. De Rosa responded to your message. They accepted to exchange the jacket notwithstanding that there was no legal or implied requirement to do so. This exchange also had costs to De Rosa that were not charged to you. You entered a private domain and bad-mouthed them...

All pretty one.sided in my eyes.


Wow... soo much hate in your tone. It makes me think that you are said Mr. Redazoine. Which makes De Rosa look poorly in my eyes.

I think you should stop while you're head.

I think that I'm the member of official DeRosa forum that has posted there the most, and I must agree with Paris_Metro about the attitude of the guy that won't provide his name and is hiding under Redazione rank.
For. example....when Tango was just introduced, I said it is ugly in my eyes....my messages were deleted, and I got mail in which he calls me "to keep it friendly".
LOL....I was laughing for hours....WOW....how unfriendly of me....I said that one frame in their lineup is ugly.
There was that another time when I said I saw a King, of an guy that I know, got cracked at chainstay fo no obvious reason. Now...I can't find some od those posts on forum :)
Also I called ppl that post there DeRosa nuthuggers that can't see beyond good paint and cool name (but with fine words :) ) ...few of my posts also got deleted.

Anyway...De Rosa is my favorite brand, I think that they still make decent bikes...at least good enough for me, and my next bike, like the current, will be De Rosa. But what does that Redazione dude to their image is notorious. Oh...and his english is awful...english news on their site are mostly funny to read. My english is not that good, but I think he uses some kind of ital>eng translator to put news on that site....result is awful.
If someone from De Rosa family is going to read this...you should really find a proffesional that will manage your web site.

...if you must put up with wieners like dnalsaam. And that De Rosa website is poorly designed too! Lastly I'm just ripping my guts laughing at this whole thread here (at dnalsaam not you paris_metro). It makes me think this a Monty Python Flying Circus sketch here.

Yes, this editor's een-grish is horrible. I wrote several nice comments on the post which he interpreted as being negative and immediately deleted; warning me to stop being "hostile." Several of the new 2007 models he had listed as novelty bikes. I told him that the word "novelty" might have a bad connotation in the United States -- often interpreted as an inexpensive item that provides fleeting amusement. Redazione became enraged at this, telling me the meaning of the word and how it is used as proper "english," not "American english."

Smokva, I'm glad to hear you've poked a stick or two into the redazione hornet's nest. I'm with you; De Rosa makes one of the nicest riding and elegant looking bicycles out there. It is so unfortunate that the company has given some j*ck@ss free rein to destroy the image Ugo De Rosa has spent a lifetime to build. I did not start this post to bad mouth the De Rosa brand. Rather, I was hoping someone, somehow, could get through to the decision makers at De Rosa to end the company's horrible customer relations. If dnalsaam really does have Sunday dinner with the De Rosa family, I wish he'd let them know what people are saying about their brand instead of sticking up for this devil.

To the best of my knowledge, De Rosa does not, at present, sell any items directly to end-customers apart from people who personally come to their premises.

From my quick perusal of their website it would appear that they sell online. So much for your knowledge.

All things aside, DeRosa is a high-end retailer, and the OP owns 2 of their bikes. Part of the deal when you charge out the ass for your products is to know how to treat customers and convince them that your prices are worth it. If the OP's story is correct, I've been better treated by Nashbar, the bargain basement of cycling. All this elitist crap is one of the reasons I no longer have a desire to own a euro bike. Not to mention that most of them are made in Taiwan anyway.

But what does that Redazione dude to their image is notorious. Oh...and his english is awful...english news on their site are mostly funny to read. My english is not that good, but I think he uses some kind of ital>eng translator to put news on that site....result is awful.
If someone from De Rosa family is going to read this...you should really find a proffesional that will manage your web site.

Here is a sample of how Redazoine has mastered the english language:

"These are the three declinations that characterize the King X-light Formula, the maximum evolution of a frame that since 2000 has allowed De Rosa to make many cycling experiences, eighter in the amateur races or in the professionals ones. It’s the business card De Rosa in the world, a frame that, by now, is considering a classic bikes, eighter for its design (colorations to part) or for its construction (based on modular technique), or for the modular monocoque elements making up both the main triangle and the rear stay."

I just received my Merak frame back from De Rosa that I had sent to them to be repaired. I was pretty nervous about sending my frame back to Milan after reading some of things in this thread. Anyway, they were fast (a few weeks), polite and incredibly responsive (next day responses to email). I was communicating with someone named Roberta. In fact they are one of the best manufacturers I have done business with. This is my first De Rosa. Based on the way they treated me, I am going to be a repeat customer- So I guess, my experience was quite different...

I bought a De Rosa Cinquanta and had a similar experience.
It came with black handlebar tape instead of Gold, no pedals and no gold bottle racks.
This was supposed to be my dream anniversary bike. I contacted the Redazione e-mail and they eventually got the parts out (after months).

The integrated bar and stem are a one piece design like deda/Cinelli Ram. I was given the computer extension ( another missing part from the original) but there was no thread in the handlebars to attach the extension. I went through many frustrating e-mails to Redazione asking how to attach it - He/they ended up telling me to pot- rivet in a thread.
They expected me to do the work they didn't complete on a bike that’s supposed to be their special anniversary bike.

I paid a lot of money for a bike De Rosa couldn’t be bothered fixing after I had paid the money. They also deleted my posts on Derosanews.com.

The De Rosa family should be ashamed of themselves.

Few months ago I had accident and my derailleur hanger got twisted. I contacted DeRosa at info@derosanews.com.
One of Mr. Ugo sons (I think it was Cristiano, but not sure) replied next day and sent me new hanger which came by mail quickly at no cost.
So, I had great experiance in that case.

this thread is a friggin joke.