*GASP!* A Bad experience with MikesXS.com?!

DammitDan · New Member Joined: Oct 01, 2008 Posts: 3

I had to burn a bridge today... sad to say I won't be using MikesXS anymore. Even with their awesome selection, good prices and quick shipping, their customer service department has much to be desired. I had an issue with a 2-month-old clutch cable that broke on me, and I emailed them to see if there was anything that could be done. Keep in mind, I'm not angry that they didn't give me anything, I'm angry that they immediately assumed that it was my fault. The first rule of customer service? DON'T ASSUME YOUR CUSTOMER IS AN IDIOT. Here's the exchange:

Subject: Re: Broken Clutch Cable
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From: Dan Humberd
Date: Thu, Sep 25, 2008 at 10:16 PM
To: mikesxs @ aol.com

Hello,

I ordered a clutch cable from your company on July 13th for my XS650, order number 47653. It arrived in good working order and I promptly installed it and it worked without any problems. Unfortunately, tonight the cable broke while on my way home (and in the middle of town) leaving me double clutching and timing my stoplights all the way back to the house. I managed to make it home, took the cable off the bike and upon inspection it turns out that the nut that attaches to the clutch lever separated from the cable (the cable is still intact from that point down to the clutch). I have put less than 1500 miles on the bike since July (it's a cafe bike, making it less than comfortable on trips over 100 miles) and the bike has always been parked either inside my garage or in my basement.

I basically built this bike from your website. Everything else that I've ordered has worked perfectly (from the harness and petcocks to the solenoid and side covers). I love MikesXS for the quick shipping and nearly unlimited availability of affordable parts, and I've spent several hundred dollars on parts from MikesXS for both my xs650 and my xs850. So considering that this part failed so suddenly (it went from fully working to broken in less than a city block), is it considered normal for a clutch cable to fail after less than 1500 miles and 2 months of garaged parking? And if not, what should be done about it?

I certainly appreciate your time.

Sincerely,

- Dan Humberd

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From: <MIKESXS@aol.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 3:44 PM
To: Dan Humberd

Sounds like the part was under stress from not being properly installed. We have no warranty on cables.

ikes XS

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From: Dan Humberd
Date: Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 6:06 PM
To: MIKESXS @ aol.com

So you're telling me that it's not normal for a clutch cable to fail within 1500 miles, but that it must have been my fault as there's absolutely no possibility of poor manufacturing quality. And you're also telling me that it's normal for those good cables which are improperly installed to wait for 2 months and 1500 miles before the ferrule pulls off.

How would you feel if you were in this situation? You purchase a cable from a company that you respect, and the cable performs perfectly for the next 2 months. The cable was routed without any kinks or sharp bends in the line, the clutch pull was smooth and easy, the adjuster nut on the lever was halfway out and the adjuster under the left access cover was properly set when the clutch was refurbished 6 months ago. Then all of a sudden the cable fails when the lever ferrule on the cable pulls off. You contact the company that sold the cable and that customer service rep basically says, "You shouldn't have been an idiot and installed it wrong. Better luck next time." Turns out the company that you respected so much doesn't feel the same way about you.

Would that make you want to purchase anything from that company again? In fact, why would anyone want to buy anything from a company that doesn't show respect to its customers?

This is how your gruff response made me feel. In fact, the first thing I thought when reading your response was, "Jeeze, that was kind of harsh... I wonder if the company always does this when they get a complaint about a failure of one of their products."

If MikesXS refuses to stand by their products and treats their customers like this when there's a problem with a part, then I have little desire to continue to patronize your company. I actually tallied up all my receipts from over the last 11 months from MikesXS and the total I've spent on parts from your company comes to $928. So as a customer service representative you should ask yourself, why should I spend any more money with MikesXS now that I know how they will treat me if there's ever a problem? After all, there are plenty of other options out there... their websites may not be as pretty, but their customer service quality will certainly be higher.

Regards,

- Dan Humberd

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From: <MIKESXS@aol.com>
Date: Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 6:08 AM
To: Dan Humberd

General merchandise has a 30 day warranty and we replace those items regardless of the size of anyones orders. Cables, Grips, Footrests, points etc. are wearing items and there is No warranty. Yamaha does not warranty cables, the makers do not warranty them and neither do we. If we see a problem with an item we pull the stock and discard it (this has never been the case with cables and we sell about 10,000 pc. a year).

ikesxs

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From: Dan Humberd
Date: Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 11:21 AM
To: MIKESXS @ aol.com

If anything I would think that moving such a large number of product would eventually result in some cables that were manufactured in poor quality. To assume that moving a large number means there will be fewer manufacturing problems isn't logical.

But still, I appreciate the quick responses. I wouldn't be surprised if the cable manufacturer and especially Yamaha blew me off about this issue; in fact, I would almost expect it. They wouldn't care about their customers because there's always another customer to fill the slot. But I thought that MikesXS would at least communicate with me and ask questions before telling me no. Unfortunately you chose to do the exact same thing that Yamaha or the manufacturer would have done: make an assumption and deny the claim all in one fell swoop.

I figured that being a loyal customer actually meant something to businesses, but apparently not. I normally hate to burn bridges, but if a business doesn't value me as a customer, then I simply won't recommend or use that business again.

Epic. Fail.

Best of luck in the future.

- Dan Humberd

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From: <MIKESXS@aol.com>
Date: Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 12:24 PM
To: Dan Humberd

Good luck! Speed & Sport in Pa. has a large selection of New old stock. Why you would think a part would likely be defective if made in quantity in Japan is beyond me. Parts are never handmade one at a time. Walmart may take back anything, anytime for any reason but I doubt if you will find any bike businesses doing this. Maybe I should try chargeing 2 or 3 times as much for the same part like Yamaha and others and then we can give away stuff all of the time.

ike Lalonde Mikes XS
__________________

I just stopped conversing at that point, as it was obvious that MikesXS was not going to admit that there ever was or ever would be a problem (and it was just devolving into a shouting match... Considering how unprofessional Mike Lalonde was getting, if he wanted the last word, he can have it).

And for the record, I never asked for anything for free. At best I thought I would have to buy a new clutch cable and maybe get discounted shipping. But they just assumed that I was incompetent and that there was no way the cable they sold me could have been the problem. Not even an apology for selling me a cable that broke in the first place.

In fact, if he had offered anything AT ALL, and I had denied the offer and said I'd get the part elsewhere, I wouldn't be so angry as to completely stop using MikesXS altogether. If he had come back and said, "I'm sorry that the part broke, but we as a company cannot afford to offer replacements on parts which are clearly listed as non-warranty parts. But perhaps we can offer you something in consolation... How about a free T-shirt or MikesXS sticker?" I probably would have said, "What, to advertise your company for you? No thanks." (actually I would have been cool with a T-shirt Laughing

) But I likely would have come back in the future when I needed something that MikesXS offered cheaper than anywhere else. Now? No way in hell.

So it's a sad day, but I will no longer be using MikesXS for my cafe XS650's needs. Good luck Mike. With customer service skills like yours, you're gonna need it.

renloy

The replies they sent you read like a list of things you absolutely never do in a customer service situation.

tweedy64

Hi dan just read this on 650 garage and i'm right behind you whoever the company maybe. cheers tweedy

sinister_customs

hi dan,
I for one love mikesxs.com although i feel your pain when you get responses like this back from a company. Mikes is good for us because of the obvious reasons, hard to find parts at a cheep price, unfortunatly buisness ethics seem to be lacked. If you are looking for a clutch cable i suggest going through a local dealer and seeing if you can get one from there Parts Unlimited Catalog, look up Motion Pro Cables, they make quality cables and back them up, i recently had a customer come in my shop and purchase a clutch cable for his GL1100 and it snapped within 30 days, i made a call to PU and they had no problem taking in back, granted this was within a 30 day waranty period, but at least they had one. take care and best of luck with future cables!
SC-

easytravel

Hello Dan, yeah I understand...we feel that we're part of a community that shares a passion and when we're treated curtly and disregarded by a supplier or dealer we feel somewhat disillusioned, it takes the shine off.
Yes it does sound like Mikesxs had thier head up thier ass that day, bad day maybe, who knows? My experience with mikesxs has always been good even when we could call and talk to them and the prices and selection are great. Maybe this thread will reach them and an apology will be forthcoming.

TeeCat

I'm sorry this happened to you, Dan, and in point of fact, I know that several others here have had cables break - though I can't swear that they were Mike's cables.

The broader issue for us here, I think, is what some good alternative cable sources might be (though one has been mentioned above), as well as why the cables occasionally break. I'm running a new Mike's cable, but regardless of my cable routing or clutch adjustment, my pull has always been quite hard, so I worry about cable survivability, though I have heard that a hard pull is common for these bikes.

TC

Tomterrific

Some of mikesxs parts are good and some are cheap sh1t but the price of the cheap stuff is low enough to experiment. There are two types of clutch screw mechanism and one has a long lever and the other a short lever. The short lever is much harder to pull but gives more travel so opens the gap between the plates further. You may have the short lever mechanism which would put more stress on the cable. The clutch screw mechanism may not be adjusted tight enough (too much gap) at the case so that makes a clutch harder to pull and also puts more stress on the cable. Add to this a weak solder job at the clutch cable barrel and failure is certain. Maybe some of mikesxs.com cables last if everything is perfect and the cable is lubed. Still, it is evedently a cheap sh!t cable since I've read of other cable failures like yours and better quality can be found for a price. I understand why you feel insulted but you must have known the cable was a light weight when it went on. British bike supliers offer cheap cables and heavy duty cables and the heavy duty cables cost a permium price.

You can fix that cable by soldering the barrel back on. The inner cable needs frayed after it goes through the barrel so the solder/frayed cable makes an interference where it pulls through. I've been around bikes enough that I have fixed cables. Not for a long time though.

As far as the way mikesxs.com responded to your complaint? Well, that's not very nice. I feel insulted when I'm treated poorly and falsly accussed of incompetance.

Tom Graham

5twins · Full Member Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 1616

I had the same problem with one of Mike's cables and got the same treatment as you. Mine lasted a bit longer (about 4K and 2 years) but I still felt it wasn't long enough. I posted about it over at the 650Garage and many others chimed in with the same problem. They all broke in the same manner as well, right up at the hand lever. To me, this indicates a problem or weakness with this part. It came to light that the problem with this cable is the inner wire, the actual cable itself, is a smaller O.D. than the original or a quality aftermarket one. Put a skinnier than stock cable on a bike noted for stiff clutch pull and see what happens - oh right, we have Smile

I have a Motion Pro cable now, about $20 and very nice. TC, you need to buy a spare and carry it with you.

Unfortunately, the list of sub quality parts from Mike's keeps getting longer. His prices go up and the quality goes down. There's near half a dozen items I won't get from him anymore - they're just bad or over priced. Contrary to what he says, his prices are not the best for everything he sells. Some stuff can be sourced elsewhere for cheaper.

TeeCat

Quote::

I have a Motion Pro cable now, about $20 and very nice. TC, you need to buy a spare and carry it with you.

twins, thanks. I do tend to have a stiff pull, so I'll look into a MP. Is there a particular model or length, and who sells them? I have what I'd call Daytona bars.

TC

5twins · Full Member Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 1616

Motion Pro only lists one cable for all the 650s. Mike said he used to sell it but it was way too long. Well, it's not, only maybe 5/8" or 3/4" longer than a Special one. That small amount of additional length will probably even help with re-routing for lower bars. The elbow on the lower end also has less of a bend to it which will probably make for a slightly easier lever pull. It's said by some that the metal elbow is a source of drag and binding. I had my local dealer order me one. I think you can get them from the big catalog places as well (Dennis Kirk, Chapparel). Here's a shot of the two compared. You can see the difference in length, inner cable diameter, and the bend in the elbow .....

DammitDan · New Member Joined: Oct 01, 2008 Posts: 3

Well it certainly makes me feel better that I'm not alone on the issue...

I always hate it when someone registers for a forum and their very first post is a complaint. But in this case, I felt it was important to let people know how I was treated by MikesXS. Now I know that it happens a lot more than I imagined.

Retiredgentleman

That's a great tip 5twins, about the "Motion Pro" cable.............the picture speaks volumes.

5twins · Full Member Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 1616

The thing that gets me is Mike used to sell the heavier cable. He claims his customers like the skinny one better because it pulls easier. Personally, I've used both and found no difference in the way they pull, the skinny one just breaks faster. And 3M at 650Central has a special "Easy-Pull" cable made for him with no elbow and .... and the heavier cable. If a heavier cable pulled harder, why would a specific "easy pull" type use it? I think the statement from Mike's is just plain bullshit and he gets the skinny ones cheaper, gets to sell more of them too because they break so fast.

davidnj2

My mikesxs cable shelled on me too at around 1200 miles. Had my wife on the back with me--really sucked!! Didn't bother letting him know since I had already experienced his e-mail "WRATH" concerning an exhaust valve issue. I've dropped over 2 grand at his business and expected better. I had the valves resurfaced at a local shop and replaced the cable with a new Yamaha cable. Pulls much easier now. Wasn"t even asking for a replacement on the valves, Just asked him to inspect before sending out a new pair.

xsjohn

Where exactly are you guys breaking the cables........are you saying the ends come off.......????.......just asking........

xsjohn

DammitDan · New Member Joined: Oct 01, 2008 Posts: 3

The ferrule pulled off the end of the cable on the lever side, xsjohn.

From everything I can tell, there are 3 or 4 wires that pulled free from the braiding and are slightly frayed, and all the rest in the center are still tightly woven. And the wires all come to a flat top, none longer or shorter than the others (which leads me to believe it was a clean break... something I wouldn't consider common with a woven braid-type wire)

Retiredgentleman

I ordered the 4 small screws that attach the butterflys to the throttle shaft from mikesxs. When I tried to use them I found they had a course thread but my throttle shaft has fine thread. Fortunately I was able to re-use the existing screws. E-mailed mikexs................he said no one else had ever reported a problem with the screws! Rolling Eyes

650skull · Support Staff Joined: Jul 19, 2007 Posts: 1186

You could always buy from MMM at 650 central. I know he gets a lot of his gear from mikes but his service and communication is very good and the price is the same on mikes gear........... I to have bought some parts that ant worth s..t and had to revert back to the part i removed but then i have also bought a lot that has ment i can keep riding my XS.........So far those parts that have been worthless haven't been the expensive ones...........The biggest problems with getting parts for the Australian models is compatability with the parts made for the US market especially the Special models and the carbs are one example

xsjohn

DammitDan.......all of the very end of the cable has to be splayed outward before soldering.....straight soldering or just a few bent outward obviously won't hold for long................

xsjohn

TeeCat

Quote::

Motion Pro only lists one cable for all the 650s. Mike said he used to sell it but it was way too long. Well, it's not, only maybe 5/8" or 3/4" longer than a Special one. That small amount of additional length will probably even help with re-routing for lower bars. The elbow on the lower end also has less of a bend to it which will probably make for a slightly easier lever pull. It's said by some that the metal elbow is a source of drag and binding. I had my local dealer order me one. I think you can get them from the big catalog places as well (Dennis Kirk, Chapparel). Here's a shot of the two compared. You can see the difference in length, inner cable diameter, and the bend in the elbow .....

twins, thanks for this. I'll have to get an MP cable and consider doing a preemptive replacement this winter. That will ease my mind.

This seem to be what you have? There are no length specs, sadly.

TC

weekendrider

I like this part.

5twins · Full Member Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 1616

Yep, that be the one. Even though that link of yours says the country of origin is the U.S.A., mine is tagged "Made in Taiwan". Maybe they mean the company is from the U.S. (which it is). Still, this is a much better cable which you'll see when you compare the 2 close up.

TeeCat

I plan to order one. Hopefully the little bit of extra length won't be an issue.

eanwhile, I'm going to unto my current Mike's cable at the lever and dribble some Lock-Eze down the sheath and lube the ball at the lever. Maybe that will ease my pull a little. Seems to have gotten a little harder with all the on-and-off of my left case cover. Perhaps the air-tool oil I lubed it with initially has retired. Sad

TC

5twins · Full Member Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 1616

Yes, a thicker oil is better. I use motor oil.

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