Tiaxx wrote: ↑Thu Apr 14, 2022 12:28 pm
I have an Ostro so this is my 2 cents for those on the fence on wether it's worth to pay more for a Factor....
The bike itself is amazing, but you can read all the reviews on the web about that.
What i'm here to talk about is their customer support.
It has been nothing short of amazing ever since i started talking to John even before i bought the bike. But most recently i started suffering from that whole loose headset issue, and all they did was asked me to take some pictures (3 pictures of specific parts of the headset) and immediately after i sent the pictures to them they said they would be replacing my fork. (Since they now apparently use a new system inside the fork,etc...)
After my initial contact with them about this problem it took 2 weeks to receive the new fork.
I'm trully amazed by their level of care, respect and professionalism. I would buy back from them 10 times out of 10. Even if it costs 1k more than Specialized for example.
On this day and age,it's hard finding a company that cares so much about their customers.
Just something you might want to consider when deciding wich brand to chose...
My experience is a little different.. unfortunately.
I had good contact with the local distributor, so often communicated directly with him. But, I still bought the Ostro via my LBS.
Ordered the frame (frame only, as I ride Campy) in Oct 2020. The frame arrived in Feb 2021. I couldn't wait to see it, so went to my LBS to check it out. Looked awesome, but also noticed the wrong seatpost was included. LBS also noticed and already took action on that. About a month later, the bike was ready to be picked up. When I saw it complete for the first time, I instantly saw something was off. After some further inspection, I noticed the wrong bar/stem was on the bike. I ordered a 130mm stem, but it had a 110mm. So refused to take delivery, as this needed to be fixed.
Of course, the barstem was not in stock, so had to wait again. Meanwhile, the infamous headset accident with Van Asbroeck happened, and Factor released an updated compression plug. I contacted my LBS to ask if he could get the updated plug. He wasn't awere of this updated plug but promised to fix that. In the background, I also spoke to the local distributor, who said the compression plug will be replaced as courtesy not warranty (...). And only if costumers have issues with their headset.
So finally took delivery of the bike with correct barstem and updated compression plug. After a couple of rides, I noticed the headset still would not hold. Informed my LBS. LBS fixed it, but the issue kept returning. Around August 2021, I saw a picture on WW of the updated fork. I contacted the local distributor, who wasn't aware of the updated fork but would order one for me and replace under warranty.
As I wanted to finish the season riding the Ostro, I returned the bike to my LBS around October 2021. So... waiting again... In February 2022, I asked for a status update on the fork. LBS said the bike would be ready next week, but the fork will not be replaced under warranty. Costs; 500 euro. I was unpleasantly surprised by this statement (and that obviously is an understatement).
Contacted the local distributor to ask what was going on. He said this was the third time I needed a replacement and the fork will not be replaced under warranty. I have no idea where the "third time" comes from, but I suspect he is referring to the incorrect barstem and updated compression plug. He said there is nothing wrong with the headset and should work with the updated compression plug.
Luckily, at that point my LBS jumped in between and said he will figure out the issue with the fork with the local distributor. Which was at the exact right moment, as I was about the contact my lawyer. So I ended up not having to pay for the fork.
So my experience? The bike is an awesome ride. I still enjoy every second of riding it. But customer support? It's a total mess:
- They failed 2 (of of total 4) correct sizes upon initial delivery
- They were very reactive in replacing the updated compression plug. And it turns out this does not fix the issue
- They communicate poorly (to the LBS). I often had to inform the LBS. There has not been any (of very limited) communication on the updated fork (to anybody). They could definitely learn from Canyon and Specialized on this.
- They wanted to charge me on an issue that is clearly a warranty issue. They do not seem to take responsibility for issues with the frame. Remember, this is a high-end frame (and price). If you ask me, you may expect (close to) a perfect product and high support.
Hopefully, the bike is good now as I am not really looking forward to having to go through this process again..