Thought I'd update here about my communication with Farsports if anyone was interested. Thank you for all your opinions thus far.

Farsports has been very cooperative and helpful in my warranty process. They admit that this was a fault that they didn't catch (but should have) on their end in the manufacturing process. They're sending me a new rear rim free of charge as stated in their warranty agreement. I don't have to pay shipping.

I also made it clear to them that since I'm only getting a new rim, I'm going to have to pay an experienced wheel builder to re-build the wheel and that'll cost money.

They understand and are offering to cover the cost of the re-build so that I don't have to pay out of pocket for a defect that was from their end.

All in all I'm very impressed with their helpfulness and customer service. This was a slip up on their end but they are fixing their mistake which I respect.

Hopefully the new rim is as well finished as my front wheel is, because the front wheel is perfect.

At the price they sell these wheels you are taking a gamble, and even though I got unlucky on the first round, I don't have any hard feelings for Farsports. At least I'm not up the river without a paddle now that something DID go wrong.

That's better warranty service than many domestic manufacturers.

I think it is great that people hear these stories and not just the stuff made out of newspaper stories. I think too often only the negative ends up on the internet.

Good warranty terms. Almost sounds too good to be true...

...let us know how it all turns out.

Simply Outstanding service!

It should put to shame my recent experience with a much higher premiuem manufacturer!

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Di2x2

Absolutely this.

Although, did you buy the wheels already assembled? You would think it would be cheaper for them to ship another complete wheel than a rim then have labour costs added...

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

I bought the wheels built by them. The front wheel is fine but the rear had the defect. I wonder what would be cheaper for them... They are offering to give me $50 toward a new wheel build which I think is pretty fair. I originally quoted them $80 because that's what the wheel builder I will go to charges and he's a bit pricey being in NYC and being a top race mechanic, so they said they could offer $50.

So is the cost of a new rim plus $50 toward a new build less than what it would be for them to just ship me a brand new built wheel with another hub/spokes/nipples? I don't know.

I'll let you guys know how it turns out. I asked them to send the money to my paypal account and they supposedly shipped the new rim yesterday, but I'm still waiting on tracking info.

So far they've been very cooperative and understanding but the one email a day is kind of tiresome since the time zone difference is so huge. Can't complain too much.

return it thats just not right

So Farsports is following through with their promises and their warranty policy.

They have been absolutely FANTASTIC in terms of communication and making things right for me. It's really quite nice to see such a high level of customer service from a company overseas.

I just received my refund for $50 to my paypal account and that'll go straight to getting my new rim re-built. The rim shipped yesterday and I'm assuming it should arrive by next week.

All in all, I know many people have bought from Farsports and received quality products, and in my case where I received a product that was defective, they took the time to talk to me and make it right. It's nice to see that they understand that when you pay for a product, it should perform to a standard and nothing less.

That's good pr. I'd certainly buy from them.
errr... unless you're just a stooge syncmaster

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r o y g b i v

Haha I'm no stooge (you can find me posting under the same name on bikeforums). Just someone who took a gamble ordering tubular wheels overseas. I was really relieved to get such good customer service from them after something went wrong. Wasn't sure what to expect. After all this I'd probably order from them again.

Initially I was asking you guys for your advice on what to do and now I'm happy to report the outcome.

So as promised I'm reporting back.....

Farsports kept their word and they sent me a brand new rim to replace my defective one. They also refunded me $50 to go toward a pro wheel build. I'm happy. I'll be getting it built up soon and then I'll go from there.

That was fast.

Did you check it for defects?

Haha yes I did. Looks good to me this time around.