Top Saddlery seat defect?

[RJ2112]

Update: TS offering to pay 61.00 without shipping receipt for first seat sent back.:thumbup: New upgraded (lowered) seat with my original choices for fabrics and stitching on the way according to TS, as well! Will post pictures upon getting the seat.opcorn:

It's quite reassuring, to hear these people 'making good'. The old saying was that it took 10 'attaboys' to offset one 'aw, ****'...... bad press is very hard to overcome. They seem to be making the effort.

Kudos to Top Sellerie.:cheer:

Thanks for adding the positive report.

 

[YamahaMAXdRPMs]

my only problem is, they were sticking it to you when you had individual complaints, now when we have all banded together and went public, they want to get their act together and look good. Im glad it is all working out for you, but i still dont buy it.

I personally dont believe this "one mischievous employee" story, that it just so happens every complaint went through him? Like i said, personally, i think they were just disregarding individual emails from each of us who ALREADY purchased the seat, but once they saw that we were voicing our opinions to POTENTIAL customers, they wanted to save face real quick and try and make everyone happy.

I would be willing to bet that after the dust settles, in a month or two, you will see individual complaints start coming back... Was there even any word of them fixing the problem with the tip of the seat ripping?

 

[RJ2112]

Max'd,

I've only seen two 'attaboys', against 5 or 6 'aw, sh*ts'.... you're right, to not bury the hatchet just yet..... but a little positive re-enforcement when the movement is in the desired direction is not out of line, right?

 

[FZ1inNH]

First, they are not that big a company. I doubt they have a bank of people or even a pair of people that handle one function such as email response and complaints so yes, I can easily believe that one non-caring person mishandled things for a period of time.

As for the good vs. bad, the poll shows a score of 8 to 3 in favor of good seats and that doesn't include my other two because I could only vote once so make that 10 to 3 in favor of good seats. :don'tknow:

I'm just playing Devil's Advocate. We do this all the time at work. When we discuss ideas, one plays one side, and the other plays the opposite. This way, we cover all aspects of the idea and get all the pros and cons on the table.

 

[cap'n]

Great thread. Coupla thoughts:

1. It took balls for a french sales rep from TS to come in here and post. I don't think they really had a choice, but still. Speaking as someone who's been in a somewhat similar scenario, it's no fun.

2. The TS rep had a pretty serious attitude at first, if you go back and read it. He came in here to publicly blame the buyer for something that's at BEST arguable... does anyone actually think that seat got rubbed on concrete?! Is a seat that can be damaged by a 1 foot drop something to be proud of? Neither party knows exactly what happened to cause the damage but the only smart play for TS is to assume fault if it's plasuible - the alternative is bloody. If things had stayed that course, it could've ended BADLY for them. As much damage as this forum could possibly generate, it likely would've. Then he reconsiders (or gets told to by a boss perhaps) and does a 180. Like I said, interesting to watch.

3. I agree 100% with those that point out all the successes they've had, and the relative weight of good to bad experiences. Having said that, if this IS an issue they're causing (either in manufacturing or in their shipping processes) then the onus is on TS to find the issue and then FIX it... not their customers. If I worked at TS that's what would be keeping me up at night. "Do I have a bad process? Is there a bug somewhere causing a small but noticeable fail rate?" Then I would weigh out the savings of going USPS vs. the business they flirted with losing here in this thread. Bigger companies than TS have been damaged worse than this by trying to save $15 on shipping. Penny-wise, pound-foolish.

4. And in the end, I don't so much care who said what as long as they do fix whatever's wrong, with all three areas here: we've seen a potential problem with manufacturing, a very likely problem with their chosen US shipping method, and what I would deem a very likely problem with their entire approach to customer service. To come out swinging at customers like that, right off the bat, with several examples here of what I would consider half-hearted concessions about repair jobs where you pay the shipping to effing France, is not really going to cut it. Not when your seats are a premium product. Happy customers, at all costs. Have to eat shipping once in awhile? It beats the alternative.

 

[FZ1inNH]

Well said cap'n!

One thing we have to keep in mind is this though... they are French and they have no qualms about speaking their mind. Wavex has told us on many occasions how they interact. They don't treat customer service the same way American companies do and we really cannot expect them to, can we?

I can say one thing about the Frenchmen that I've known over the years. You know EXACTLY where you stand with them because they are the first to tell you.

Yes, they did come out guns blazing but this forum was (and rightfully so at that time) firing all guns too. Could have been handled differently, but we have to look at where this is coming from.

Plus, we don't know the age/maturity level of the initial responder. Perhaps that person responded, brought it to the boss and now the boss is logging into the forum and being the kinder person trying to smooth things over? Just a thought.... (I know, Devil's Advocate again, eh?)

 

[YamahaMAXdRPMs]

As for the good vs. bad, the poll shows a score of 8 to 3 in favor of good seats and that doesn't include my other two because I could only vote once so make that 10 to 3 in favor of good seats. :don'tknow:

even with your multiple seats... 10 to 3 is 70%... not the best odds.. so 3 out of every 10 seats comes with issues? not a company i would purchase from knowing that, especially overseas... just my $.02

 

[S.D.Willie]

Well i came home today only a few days after TS emailed me to this:

Much better packing job than last time for sure. They guy wasnt kidding when he told me they took "extra" care packing it becasue when i opened it this was inside the box:

Jesus, if i was handy i could probably make another seat with all the foam/memory foam inside the box!

Then at close look underneath the graveyard of seats long passed was this:

Im like what the hell is this black seat cover thing that I didnt order? I realize its a Top Sellerie tank cover for the FZ6, not sure whats its doing in my box here in New York. Was this for the trouble? Nice gesture? hmmm. If so, wow.

As you can see in the next two pictures you can tell how they stapled additional leather material to protect the corners and back of the seat for shipping purposes. I was worried about pulling the staples out so i just trimmed them very closely to the staples.

Heres what the material looked like after i trimmed it close enough:

Tank cover here:

And of course the seat:

The seat is in great shape, im happy with it. Only difference is the "FZ6" lettering on the back of the seat is not in script but I could live with that. No biggie. I am very glad Top Sellerie stepped up and did the right thing and I want to thank them for that. I hope others have no issues going forward from here. I want to personally thank all of you who helped this thread along by joining in. Strength in numbers for sure.

 

[CrazyBiker]

That is called service. The cover itself is $150+

 

[FZ1inNH]

Wow! Nice one S.D. Willie! Scored a tank cover for your troubles? That is very cool!

Ok, pics of them ON the bike now. Glad they stepped up and did right by you!

Nice job Top Sellerie!

 

[S.D.Willie]

Wow! Nice one S.D. Willie! Scored a tank cover for your troubles? That is very cool!

Ok, pics of them ON the bike now. Glad they stepped up and did right by you!

Nice job Top Sellerie!

VERY nice job from Top Sellerie. I have confirmed that they sent the tank cover as a nice gesture for all the trouble. Awesome. I really hope others get their issues taken care of and thanks again to T.S. for standing by their product.

 

[Jman]

Just got my new lowered TS seat today with my requested build materials. Also, got it on a stock pan (which I am happy about). Also, received a brand new TS tank cover like Bill did. I am guessing this is for shipping cost for the first seat. If it is, that is fine. I can sell it to recover the money. I thought they were going to Paypal for the shipping cost, but I am happy with the results on this go-around.:thumbup: Here are a few pics of the better packing job and un-damaged seat! Thanks Top Sellerie for making good on the mishap.

 

[RJ2112]

Two down...... who else is waiting for TS to make things right?

 

[S.D.Willie]

Just got my new lowered TS seat today with my requested build materials. Also, got it on a stock pan (which I am happy about). Also, received a brand new TS tank cover like Bill did. I am guessing this is for shipping cost for the first seat. If it is, that is fine. I can sell it to recover the money. I thought they were going to Paypal for the shipping cost, but I am happy with the results on this go-around.:thumbup: Here are a few pics of the better packing job and un-damaged seat! Thanks Top Sellerie for making good on the mishap.

Awesome. Very glad to read this.

 

[Adirondack Jack]

Very nice ending for you two. I've been following the saga but didn't have anything to offer until now. Congrats!

 

[FZ1inNH]

That is great news Justin! Glad that this all worked out in the end. It was cool for TS to throw in the tank covers. You should do at least ONE pic with it on the bike "for the sale thread" right?

 

[Jman]

Wow, just got an email from TS saying that they will also be refunding the 61.00 for shipping as well (there was a mix-up in the PayPal email address). I will say this - at this point, TS has gone the extra mile to make things right IMO. :Flash:

Eric, I will put up some pics when I get a chance. This one will have to do for now.

 

[Jman]

Here are the pics, Eric!!!!

 

[FZ1inNH]

Here are the pics, Eric!!!!

That looks SHARP! Liking the material selection for the Raven bike! Are you going to put the tank cover on too for a "modeling" pic?

Did you get to ride with the new seat yet? Curious about the lowered option and comfort level. Thanks Jman!!

 

[Jman]

Thanks for the comps, man. I won't be using the tank pad (guess it is just not my style), but that was very generous of TS to do that. I just received my refund today for the shipping charges on the first seat. This MORE than makes up for the mishap IMO. I started a write up here on the seat(s): http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-technical/26978-corbin-comparisons.html