Author Topic: Broken clutch cable... The End Of The Issue... (Read 3900 times)

DammitDan · « **on:** September 25, 2008, 08:32:11 PM »

I got about halfway home tonight and POP goes my 2-month-old clutch cable. Damn, no clutch, in the middle of town... People honking at me for going so slow while I timed out my stoplights was certainly fun, and I'm sure my transmission appreciated all the hard shifting I went though. But I managed to go through about 9 stoplights without stopping and got home in one piece.

So I sent MikesXS.com an email regarding the clutch cable they shipped:

Hello,

I ordered a clutch cable from your company on July 13th for my XS650, order number 47653. It arrived in good working order and I promptly installed it and it worked without any problems. Unfortunately, tonight the cable broke while on my way home (and in the middle of town) leaving me double clutching and timing my stoplights all the way back to the house. I managed to make it home, took the cable off the bike and upon inspection it turns out that the nut that attaches to the clutch lever separated from the cable (the cable is still intact from that point down to the clutch). I have put less than 1500 miles on the bike since July (it's a cafe bike, making it less than comfortable on trips over 100 miles) and the bike has always been parked either inside my garage or in my basement.

I basically built this bike from your website. Everything else that I've ordered has worked perfectly (from the harness and petcocks to the solenoid and side covers). I love MikesXS for the quick shipping and nearly unlimited availability of affordable parts, and I've spent several hundred dollars on parts from MikesXS for both my xs650 and my xs850. So considering that this part failed so suddenly (it went from fully working to broken in less than a city block), is it considered normal for a clutch cable to fail after less than 1500 miles and 2 months of garaged parking? And if not, what should be done about it?

I certainly appreciate your time.

Sincerely,

- Dan Humberd

________________________________

Think I'll hear anything back? I really like MikesXS, but if they're gonna ship out shoddy products that fail within 1500 miles... I already had to ride 700 miles with a broken throttle cable on the xs850. A broken clutch cable would have been the death of that trip.

I don't really know what to expect. I know I want a new clutch cable (that hopefully won't break in another 2 months), but I don't know if I'm gonna get that. I have spent $928 (crap, I didn't realize I've spent THAT much money on parts... OK I never wanna do that again

) with that company since October 2007. Not an overly large amount, but enough to hurt MY budget

medic09 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 25, 2008, 08:43:31 PM »

I'll bet you do hear from them. That cable gave out way too soon, they'll know that, and you've been a loyal repeat customer. If they're smart, they'll want to keep you happy.

kirkn · « **Reply #2 on:** September 26, 2008, 10:31:06 AM »

Perhaps.....

But, this all seems like just airing your dirty laundry to me, until you have resolution, one way or the other.

medic09 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 26, 2008, 11:01:40 AM »

Quote from: kirkn on September 26, 2008, 10:31:06 AM

Perhaps.....

But, this all seems like just airing your dirty laundry to me, until you have resolution, one way or the other.

He's got a point there. I didn't think about that.

DammitDan · « **Reply #4 on:** September 26, 2008, 11:37:55 AM »

Quote from: kirkn on September 26, 2008, 10:31:06 AM

Perhaps.....

But, this all seems like just airing your dirty laundry to me, until you have resolution, one way or the other.

Isn't that what these forums are for?

Jeeze man, it's just speculation, gimme a break...

kghost · « **Reply #5 on:** September 26, 2008, 12:42:44 PM »

I assume you lubed the cable before installing it?

mystic_1 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 26, 2008, 01:17:44 PM »

Did the strands of the cable break, or did the ferrule pull off?

mystic_1

DammitDan · « **Reply #7 on:** September 26, 2008, 02:07:11 PM »

The ferrule pulled off. And yes I lubed the cable.

74cb750 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 27, 2008, 02:00:59 AM »

hmmm....sounds like a bad cable, unless you have a neighbor whom doesn't like you.

all cables i have bought came prelubed. another reason to buy from the dealer OEM parts instead of Taiwanese/chinese low-cost parts. sounds to me like the quality control guys were asleep or laid off to save the company $, sorta like the mile inspectors missing melamine added to child formulars.

good luck, but don't expect much.
michel

Uncle Ernie · « **Reply #9 on:** September 27, 2008, 08:51:55 AM »

It would have been better if you put in the letter exactly what happened.

Tough call for me. I remember one time outside a dealership a guy was bragging about his wheelies, laying rubber, etc. When the service rep finally came out, his demeanor completely changed and he started complaining that his new clutch went out WAY too soon. For a normal bike and rider, I'm sure the clutch would have gone out too soon...

On the other hand, I ordered a helmet (from JAFRUM in case anyone is curious) and the snap on the back wouldn't work. They told me on the phone to be "firm". So I was firm until the snap broke right off the helmet. Then they said they can't refund or exchange a helmet damaged through customer abuse. Needless to say, they got my money, and lost a customer.

I wonder; If your throttle cables went out too, maybe it's time to get cables somewhere else? Parts Unlimited sells Motion Pro cables.

DammitDan · « **Reply #10 on:** September 27, 2008, 01:36:59 PM »

Oh no, the throttle cable on the 850 was more then likely the original and it was just time for that thing to break. I replaced it and haven't had problems since.

DammitDan · « **Reply #11 on:** September 29, 2008, 02:45:18 PM »

Well I got a response back.

"Sounds like the part was under stress from not being properly installed. We have no warranty on cables.

Mikes XS"

Thoughts? Opinions?

That response actually makes me a little angry that their first assumption is that the customer is a moron, and they say so without asking any questions about what happened.

I've got an angry email response drafted, but I'm gonna sit on it for a little bit till some of you guys weigh in.

azuredesign · « **Reply #12 on:** September 29, 2008, 02:59:07 PM »

Dan,

Maybe I'm not upset because it didn't happen to me, but if the cable is around $15. bucks, ask the company to send you out another one with free shipping and pay the $15.
For all the time you spend trying to deal with the situation, and all of the angst that goes along, $15. is a cheap fix.

However, if the cable was $20., that's a different story...

Hope it works out quickly and you get the beast back on the road fast,
Ben

DammitDan · « **Reply #13 on:** September 29, 2008, 03:10:18 PM »

The cable is actually $12 with $7 additional shipping.

Asking for free shipping with a new cable isn't a bad idea. I really want to keep using this company, but the customer service response they gave me still pisses me off. It makes me think that if I ever have a problem in the future, it's a sure bet that the MikesXS CS team will just blow me off again. It's real easy to just say, "Improperly installed. Request denied," for just about everything out there. Regardless of whether or not it really WAS improperly installed...

And then I gotta ask myself, why would I want to use a cable from this company again if the first proved to be faulty?

azuredesign · « **Reply #14 on:** September 29, 2008, 03:18:01 PM »

Retail accountability has, unfortunately, gone the way of the typewriter. When a vendor provides some these days it's a pleasant, but unexpected surprise. That being said, Buzz at Dynoman, is a stand up guy and replaced my Cometic head gasket gratis last year when the original came through missing a few holes.
Don't count on the distributor eating a manufacturing error. Even though it would be in your vendor's favor to help you out with a $12. part, they probably won't. If you're not comfortable with the quality of the part, you could just get an OEM one locally as was suggested by someone previously.
I still think it's nice to try to rectify a situation like this pleasantly, and if that doesn't work, just go around it.

My $.002,
Ben

DammitDan · « **Reply #15 on:** September 29, 2008, 03:50:27 PM »

I think I'm gonna get an OEM quality "E-Z Pull" cable from 650central.com

Here's the email that I have stewing in my draft box right now...

So you're telling me that it's not normal for a clutch cable to fail within 1500 miles, but that it must have been my fault as there's absolutely no possibility of poor manufacturing quality. And you're also telling me that it's normal for those good cables which are improperly installed to wait for 2 months and 1500 miles before the ferrule pulls off.

How would you feel if you were in this situation? You purchase a cable from a company that you respect, and the cable performs perfectly for the next 2 months. The cable was routed without any kinks or sharp bends in the line, the clutch pull was smooth and easy, the adjuster nut on the lever was halfway out and the adjuster under the left access cover was properly set when the clutch was refurbished 6 months ago. Then all of a sudden the cable fails when the lever ferrule on the cable pulls off. You contact the company that sold the cable and that customer service rep basically says, "You shouldn't have been an idiot and installed it wrong. Better luck next time." Turns out the company that you respected so much doesn't feel the same way about you.

Would that make you want to purchase anything from that company again? In fact, why would anyone want to buy anything from a company that doesn't show respect to its customers?

This is how your gruff response made me feel. In fact, the first thing I thought when reading your response was, "Jeeze, that was kind of harsh... I wonder if the company always does this when they get a complaint about a failure of one of their products."

If MikesXS refuses to stand by their products and treats their customers like this when there's a problem with a part, then I have little desire to continue to patronize your company. I actually tallied up all my receipts from over the last 11 months from MikesXS and the total I've spent on parts from your company comes to $928. So as a customer service representative you should ask yourself, why should I spend any more money with MikesXS now that I know how they will treat me if there's ever a problem? After all, there are plenty of other options out there... their websites may not be as pretty, but their customer service quality will certainly be higher.

Regards,

- Dan Humberd

On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 3:44 PM, <MIKESXS@aol.com> wrote:

Sounds like the part was under stress from not being properly installed. We have no warranty on cables.

Mikes XS

DammitDan · « **Reply #16 on:** September 30, 2008, 01:03:41 PM »

Oh well... MikesXS refused to budge even a little bit on the issue.

"General merchandise has a 30 day warranty and we replace those items regardless of the size of anyones orders. Cables, Grips, Footrests, points etc. are wearing items and there is No warranty. Yamaha does not warranty cables, the makers do not warranty them and neither do we. If we see a problem with an item we pull the stock and discard it (this has never been the case with cables and we sell about 10,000 pc. a year).

Mikesxs"

So I responded:

"If anything I would think that moving such a large number of product would eventually result in some cables that were manufactured in poor quality. To assume that moving a large number means there will be fewer manufacturing problems isn't logical.

But still, I appreciate the quick responses. I wouldn't be surprised if the cable manufacturer and especially Yamaha blew me off about this issue; in fact, I would almost expect it. They wouldn't care about their customers because there's always another customer to fill the slot. But I thought that MikesXS would at least communicate with me and ask questions before telling me no. Unfortunately you chose to do the exact same thing that Yamaha or the manufacturer would have done: make an assumption and deny the claim all in one fell swoop.

I figured that being a loyal customer actually meant something to businesses, but apparently not. I normally hate to burn bridges, but if a business doesn't value me as a customer, then I simply won't recommend or use that business again.

Epic. Fail.

Best of luck in the future.

- Dan Humberd"

DammitDan · « **Reply #17 on:** September 30, 2008, 01:09:39 PM »

Their final response:

"Good luck! Speed & Sport in Pa. has a large selection of New old stock. Why you would think a part would likely be defective if made in quantity in Japan is beyond me. Parts are never handmade one at a time. Walmart may take back anything, anytime for any reason but I doubt if you will find any bike businesses doing this. Maybe I should try chargeing 2 or 3 times as much for the same part like Yamaha and others and then we can give away stuff all of the time.

Mike Lalonde Mikes XS"

At least I got a name that time. No more business with MikesXS for me... Once again their assumption was that I wanted something for free (which I never asked for), and I was perturbed when they responded with a flat "no" without asking any questions first. They just assumed that it was installed incorrectly.

Since they're not going to admit that there even MIGHT have been a problem, or apologize for the fact that the cable that they sold me broke prematurely, I guess that's the end of the issue.

kirkn · « **Reply #18 on:** September 30, 2008, 01:45:24 PM »

OK, I take back what I said earlier. I'm with you 100%. No more business for them.

And, what goes around, comes around. That kind of attitude (theirs) will be their undoing, eventually.

Sigh.

kghost · « **Reply #19 on:** September 30, 2008, 07:36:56 PM »

Think if it were my business I would have said...."send me the cable".

If I inspected it and it was defective...you'd have got one free including shipping.

All he had to do was listen and take a look.

Would you have been satisfied if he had looked at it and said no?

DammitDan · « **Reply #20 on:** September 30, 2008, 07:58:53 PM »

It's a good question, KG. At this point I'm pretty angry about it, so if he asked me now I would just assume that they were doing it to screw with me. So in that case, no I wouldn't even consider it.

If he had asked back in the first email response? I think I would have been satisfied. It only would have cost me a few bucks to ship it to them, and I've got a second bike to ride in the meantime, and what's a few bucks on top of the $21 I'm gonna have to spend for a new one? Hell, I may have even been able to send a batch of pictures of the cable if he had actually taken the time to work with me.

Honestly, if he had offered any kind of consolation at all, even if he offered me a free sticker for my troubles, I wouldn't be half as angry as I am now, and likely when I got over it I would continue to use MikesXS. But now? No way in hell.

The question is though, how do you inspect it to see if it was defective? The ferrule is gone, lost on the road when it popped off. All that's left is a nice flat-topped braided wire, with the outer wires a bit frayed but the inner wires still neatly wound.

74cb750 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 01, 2008, 02:17:58 AM »

Think if it were my business I would have said...."send me the cable".

If I inspected it and it was defective...you'd have got one free including shipping.

All he had to do was listen and take a look.

Would you have been satisfied if he had looked at it and said no?

i'm w/ khost here.
whenever someone has a problem w something i sold that's what i do. most of the time the part is never sent bak to me. recently i sent bak 50% of the paid price for a defective part out of 9 parts. so buyer felt not cheated. i value myreputation unlike mike xs apparently.
pece,
michel

Tower · « **Reply #22 on:** October 01, 2008, 12:47:13 PM »

Maybe describe the fault, describe your installation, i.e. with lube step, and add a pic of the routing. Then ask them what evidence they have that it was improperly installed.

edit: probably too late for that anyway.

DammitDan · « **Reply #23 on:** October 01, 2008, 01:33:57 PM »

Well I posted this email thread on two of the most popular XS650 forums, and the folks there have been coming out of the woodwork telling stories about how products from mikesXS break, and mikesXS refuses to admit fault.

And here I was thinking that I was alone here (at least that's the impression that I got from the mikesXS email responses...)

74cb750 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 02, 2008, 02:36:31 AM »

maybe you could gather all the broken parts anf mail them back in one package.

sorry, dumb, but the alternative is to email mikexs w/ all the negative press he's getting.
peace
mivhel

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Author Topic: Broken clutch cable... The End Of The Issue... (Read 3900 times)