| WOW, where do I start with this guy? I found this cool bike called a Hardknock 5150 and went to the internet for some info on them and find a dealer. I found Mick's Customs. I talked to Mick the owner and he SEEMED like an honest and up front guy, so I forked over my money and ordered a bike. I don't have a lot of mechanical skills, so I paid Mick to put it together for me, and paid to have it shipped. I got the bike, and it looked like it had been tossed down a flight of stairs. The frame was all scratched up and paint was flaking off of it. This didn't make me very happy to say the least. I fired it up and it ran sweet, so I was willing to over look a few things. After the initial ride of about 5 miles, things started to fall off the bike at an alarming rate, this started to piss me off again, and so I called Mick to see if he could make things right with the bike. All I wanted was the parts that fell off. The side covers came off, the chain tensioner fell off. The pegs spun on their shafts and drooped down instead of folding up, and the fenders were so loose they rattled going down the road. He said they weren't covered under warranty because they didn't break, they fell off, and I must have gone down a road that was too bumpy. He wouldn't send me any parts, but would sell me new ones. I asked if he could send me to a local dealer to get the bike put right and would he cover the cost? Nope, no dice there either, he thought I should just do it myself, he wasn't going to help there either. After getting no help from him, I called the company, and talked to a few guys on the company forum. Come to find out the reason the paint flaked off was due to the fact that he sent me a grey frame that he rattle canned black because he ordered the wrong color and didn't want to pay to get the right one for me. The parts fell off because apparently he never used any loctite on the bolts. Oh, he did use loctite in one area, the axle in the rear. Only problem, it was red, and you couldn't adjust the chain, so I had to cut off the rear axle and replace it. I asked the owner, Kelly, what he could do for me since his dealer failed. He sent me all the parts I needed to replace the lost ones, and sent me to the local dealer (where I should have gone to begin with) to get it all put back in order. Now the frame is the correct color with a new pro paint job, all my parts are back and have been loctited so they will stay with the bike, all at company expense. Now that is customer service. Mick's Customs promotes customer service, but their practice says otherwise. I have been told by the company that due to many complaints like mine, Mick's dealership has been pulled and he is no longer allowed to sell Kikker bikes. His site also goes on and on about how he was mistreated by Kikker company and how they dropped the ball. My experience says otherwise. I got nothing but help and friedly service from Kikker. The reason I am posting this is that his site says he is now handling some bike called a Heist. I want others to be aware of how this scam artist works so they don't run into this themselves. Heist sounds just like what you'll get if you deal with this guy. |
