ICAN triaero A9

[noseparade]

That's bloody horrible, my ICAN p9 frame was finished to a completely different level, what are they saying?

In regards to the two holes in the steerer tube, ICAN said that was normal. The frame also has only one set of water bottle cages drilled in. Their remark was that due to the small size (it is under 50cm) that they could not place two water bottle cages on the frame. Which is funny considering my CAAD8 and old Cervelo were both 48cm and both have two sets of water bottle cages. In regards to the headtube, they have not said anything (but the message was read and they have had 2 days to respond now). Oh and did I mention the BB shell is not quite circular and will not fit even a nylon bottom bracket? A far cry from Hambini's "bang on"

I have decided to take this matter to Paypal and see what they say. If you guys have any recommendations for resolving a dispute, that would be helpful. My goal is not to slander the company (seems like they do mostly put out good products) but I do expect to get a refund for the cost of the frame/fork and the cost of shipping a defective product from China.

I have not yet decided on a frameset for the build I'm doing but after this experience I will probably stick with large manufacturers. Maybe a TIME or LOOK

[Irideslowly]

A user from the forum did not have any luck with PayPal chargeback. I hope it works for you.

[bamboo_mountain]

I tried the PayPal route in a similar case, and was instructed by PayPal to mail it back at my expense. I hope you manage to get something back.

[patliean1]

I have not yet decided on a frameset for the build I'm doing but after this experience I will probably stick with large manufacturers. Maybe a TIME or LOOK

In particular reason why you didn't go with a large manufacture to begin with?

[noseparade]

In particular reason why you didn't go with a large manufacture to begin with?

I really thought this was going to be a good product, and that the cost savings were maybe due to limited warranty/support. I have purchased carbon wheels, electronics (like an ultrasound machine and industrial LEDs), and furniture from other Chinese companies with great results.

[noseparade]

I tried the PayPal route in a similar case, and was instructed by PayPal to mail it back at my expense. I hope you manage to get something back.

I'm sorry that happened, how did your build turn out? May I ask what was the defect you experienced? and would ICAN allow you to send it to their US warehouse?

[bamboo_mountain]

I'm sorry that happened, how did your build turn out? May I ask what was the defect you experienced? and would ICAN allow you to send it to their US warehouse?

It was another vendor, Velobuild. I had a bunch of little problems with my frame and still haven't built it, granted it doesn't look anywhere near as bad as your ICAN frame and they did at least send me some replacement parts.

[1Sigma]

Wow.   I’ve generally heard positive things about ICAN, but this is shocking.
Just this one sample alone, and the response you received takes ICAN out of contention for any N+1 consideration

[noseparade]

Wow.   I’ve generally heard positive things about ICAN, but this is shocking.
Just this one sample alone, and the response you received takes ICAN out of contention for any N+1 consideration

As an update after I showed them the headtube and asked for a refund, they agreed and asked for the frame to be shipped back. There was no pushback. Refund has not been issued yet as they haven't gotten the frame, but they did pay for a shipping label for me to send the frame back to Shenzhen.

I also found a new Trek Domane SLR frameset that was being sold for cheap so I decided to use that for the time being. In the spirit of this forum I'll go for Chinese carbon wheels

[patliean1]

For the amount of money it has to cost ICAN to ship the frame back to their factory...they could have easily performed a two minute QC check either on the production line or before shipping.

There is obviously a disconnect somewhere. Usually is the case when a brand is no more than an agent rather than manufacturer.

[Icyseanfitz]

I mean a full refund including paid for return shipping is good customer service imo, obviously would have been better if it was caught in QC before being sent out.

[RDY]

For the amount of money it has to cost ICAN to ship the frame back to their factory...they could have easily performed a two minute QC check either on the production line or before shipping.

There is obviously a disconnect somewhere. Usually is the case when a brand is no more than an agent rather than manufacturer.

I think there's a general attitude that the customers are mugs and they'll lap it up.  Throughout the industry.

[noseparade]

I mean a full refund including paid for return shipping is good customer service imo, obviously would have been better if it was caught in QC before being sent out.

I agree with this. If they end up giving me a refund for the frame I will say my experience with the company (though not the actual product) was comparable to working with a company in NA. Much better so far than my previous experience with European companies.

+ I had customer service support through WhatsApp
+ Shipping time here was on par domestic products (though cost is a lot more)
- Their service hours were not as convenient for me due to time difference
- Return shipping was slightly more inconvenient (but was still free)

I am actually surprised they wanted the frame back. I can't imagine they would try to sell it again. So either it is an attempt to refute my dispute, or they will analyze it to see what went wrong in the manufacturing process. I am hoping it is the latter.

And yes obviously the QC check could be more strict, and from my personal standpoint it was inconvenient. But if ICAN sells mostly domestically within China (or does mostly OEM), the loss from product returns may be less than you think. Maybe hiring more QC technicians would cost more.

[Icyseanfitz]

Did they end up refunding you?

[Serge_K]

As an update after I showed them the headtube and asked for a refund, they agreed and asked for the frame to be shipped back. There was no pushback. Refund has not been issued yet as they haven't gotten the frame, but they did pay for a shipping label for me to send the frame back to Shenzhen.

I also found a new Trek Domane SLR frameset that was being sold for cheap so I decided to use that for the time being. In the spirit of this forum I'll go for Chinese carbon wheels

Hi, did you get your money back? What ultimately happened? I think it's a good case study of the serious, or lack thereof, of ICAN.