Liteville/Syntace customer service (english)

[Krikstar]

Hi, I'm sorry I don't speak German, but I hope you can help me anyway.

I have a 301 Mk11 with Fox CTD shock.

CTD-function stops working all the time, so I bought another shock (same model with LV Tune). It's just as bad and now I have two shocks, that last max 8 rides before CTD-fails again :-(

I wrote Syntace/Liteville to see if they could help me out, but their only offer is that I can buy a RockShox (same as Mk12) for 348 euro = full retail price... :-/

If Bike-Components can sell it at that price and make money, so can LV/Syntace! So what help are they really offering me, other than even more money in their own pockets? I therefore wrote LV/Syntace, that they have sold me a defective product and that I don't think them making even more money out of my misery is offering any help.

I feel really disappointed and let down by Syntace/Liteville - What do you think?

Are their service normally that bad? I was expecting a premium brand to stand by their products. Don't think I'm going to buy the new NumberNine pedals anyway or a new LV bike, even though I really like them :-/

 

[dogdaysunrise]

Where are you located at?
If you're in the US, I got just the guy for you.
If you are in Europe, I'd call Liteville, they should have someone who speaks English.
Usually Liteville service is great, they have always helped me out and went way beyond my expectations.
I also heard other people having luck with the facebook messenger app and contacting Liteville.
I'd still call though and talk to a person.
This will probably be resolved in less than 10 minutes and I'm sure they'll help you out.
You could probably also try Fox since it appears to be completely shock related and have better luck there. Fox's service is pretty good from what I hear.

 

[Krikstar]

Thanks, I'm in Europe and have been in direct contact with Syntace, the company behind Liteville via FB messenger.
Might give Fox a try, even though their new shocks are not available with a Liteville tune. Still better than no help though... ;-)

In the end I really don't understand what I have done wrong. Who else would buy an extra shock, because the original one was failing all the time, without complaining? And now that both shocks are failing all the time, I am offered ZERO help from Syntace/LV :-X

 

[dogdaysunrise]

Thanks, I'm in Europe and have been in direct contact with Syntace, the company behind Liteville via FB messenger.
Might give Fox a try, even though their new shocks are not available with a Liteville tune. Still better than no help though... ;-)

In the end I really don't understand what I have done wrong. Who else would buy an extra shock, because the original one was failing all the time, without complaining? And now that both shocks are failing all the time, I am offered ZERO help from Syntace/LV :-X

That does suck, sorry to hear that.
Btw the Fox shock doesn't really have a specific Liteville tune. Shock manufacturers like Fox or Rock Shox offer their shocks with different setups for frame builders to choose from. So the Liteville 301 tune might be the same as what Trek or Transition chose for their bike model.
I hope Fox will help you out, after all it's their part and they know what setup is used for the 301.
Peanuts for them to fix yours or just send you a new one.
Let me know how it turned out.
Good luck man!

 

[Krikstar]

Thanks man!
Did not know about the "Liteville tune". That is very good info, thanks!
Maybe Fox have a new shock with a similar tune I can use.

Would rather go with a less good shock, than spending as much as one more cent on the Syntace/Liteville brand, when they let me down like this, after all the money I have spend on their bikes and components through the last 15-20 years.

Funny, I was so set on keeping on with Liteville/Syntace, but there are so many other great bike brands out there now, so maybe it's not so bad after all

 

[Grizzly28]

I had the same problem with the shock and my local dealer sent it to Fox for repair. I got it back yesterday and it is working fine now. It was still under waranty, so no cost involved. If you have a non-working shock which is still under waranty, why don't you bring/send it to your dealer? After all it is his duty to take care of the repair. Liteville is only in charge if you bought it directly from them.

 

[Krikstar]

Been there an endless number of times with both shocks. Same thing happens again and again. CTD fails after max 8 rides, so don't expect it to last for long... The new one I bought was even dead on arrival! And one time Fox exchanged that one for a new one which lasted 5 rides before failing...

Original shock is out of warranty and the second one is going to be soon, so I need to come up with a solution. Fox doesn't have a LV tune in their new model line, so that was a dead end as far as I knew.

I'm not an expert in what shocks works in synergy with what frames - and after all my struggle, I think it would be normal procedure for any manufacturer to try and help out their customers. Wouldn't you think so?

Either way what really let me down and pissed me off is that LV/Syntace guy tried to deceive me into thinking they were doing me a favor. In reality they were not offering any help at all, but just trying to sell me a new shock at same price as I could have got it for everywhere else.

 

[ecafecar]

What exactly do you mean by "ctd fails" same feeling in all three positions?
I rode the original rp23 in my mk10 with no problems for 2 years, I changed to test a float x and then to a fox x2 now (which is great!), but lost oil after only few months. I think it's a fox problem, try to check with them.

I recently made very good experience with liteville customer service, but I think it's always the question how you approach them and how many informations you give them. After all, there are many possibilities for the cause of a problem, and if they get the report from a customer and not filtered by a dealer they have to be more reluctant. Tried sending them the frame with the defective shox? Because there has to be a reason for this happening so quickly...

 

[Deleted 326763]

Think about this
http://www.tftuned.com/tech-help/72-push

After rework/tune you will have
- a better working Shock, with a Setup based on your Rider experience
- and they will "repair" the ctd function in a way, that will Last more them 8 rides.

And yes, the Syntace Service is sometimes not that good. I Think it Changed in the Last years.

 

[Krikstar]

RaceFace67: Yep, same feeling in all 3 positions.
It's a general issue with the CTD system, not just me - Fox went away from CTD because of all the problems. I think the Liteville tune somehow makes the CTD problems even worse. It sure seems like it. I even bought a brand new shock with the CTD not working :-/

RomainK: Thanks! Any idea about pricing? - and whether I need to send it to TF every time it needs service after the upgrade?

Yeah, I think the Liteville/Syntace guys gets very easily offended.
Pretty ironic considering that they were the one who got greedy and wanted to squeeze the lemon, while pretending to help...

Unless they suck it up and get their act together all they will get out of this is:
1) I cancelled my purchase of the NumberNine pedals
2) I am not buying a new Liteville
3) I am not buying anymore Syntace components
4) Bad reputation on the internet

And then you think about what it would have cost to actually help me and keep me as a happy customer = 0 (yes ZERO).

I don't get it. I've been nice until now. Buying Syntace/Liteville things. Recommending them to everybody I know - and all I get from being nice and polite is nothing. As you can tell I now have stopped being nice...

 

[Lord Helmchen]

Hello Krikstar,

Lets try to calm down. I am trying to shed some light into the topic of the failing CTD system.

The problem with the CTD shock is that the CTD ist basically a spring loaded detend ball closing a valve.
The spring will eventually go soft and therefore you wont get any effect from the lever.
Well, that durability problem is a problem of the shock manufacturer, not the manufacturer who specs the shock.
8 rides is way to soon to fail, 6-18 month is the usual time for the spring to go soft... which corrosponds with the recommended service intervals. Every service they replace said spring. Sending the shock to TFtuned will change pistons and shims but NOT the spring loaded detent ball thingy. That problem will persist.

How to solve the problem? Switch to a modern shock which does not have the problem.
As liteville, by the way, recommended to you. And yes, that new shock comes with a liteville specific tune.
The factory Tune is HL3 320. You wont find that one aftermarket...

If you want that tune you have to buy the RT3 shock and send it to someone to revalve it to that specification.
Trust me, that would be more expensive than buying the shock from syntace.
That syntace shock also includes needle bearings, dont forget to count those in when you compare pricing with aftermarket alternatives.

Best regards,

Stefan

 

[Krikstar]

Lord Helmchen/Stefan:
Cool! Many thanks for the info. Nice with some expert knowledge
Never knew why it failed - it just does and it's driving me crazy ;-)

The price Liteville has offered me is exactly the same as I can buy it for at Tf-bikes, Bike-components etc. INCLUDING needle bearings and custom LV tune.

That's what pisses me of. They could have said: Ok we have a customer here, who has gone through all this struggle and even bought a new shock, not complaining a single time. Maybe we should offer him some help to get him back on his bike and set things right. But no.
I'm not expecting to get a new shock for free at all. I just don't like that they try to use my struggle to "milk" me for money while pretending to be doing me a favor...

 

[Deleted 326763]

RaceFace67: Yep, same feeling in all 3 positions.
It's a general issue with the CTD system, not just me - Fox went away from CTD because of all the problems. I think the Liteville tune somehow makes the CTD problems even worse. It sure seems like it. I even bought a brand new shock with the CTD not working :-/

RomainK: Thanks! Any idea about pricing? - and whether I need to send it to TF every time it needs service after the upgrade?

Yeah, I think the Liteville/Syntace guys gets very easily offended.
Pretty ironic considering that they were the one who got greedy and wanted to squeeze the lemon, while pretending to help...

Unless they suck it up and get their act together all they will get out of this is:
1) I cancelled my purchase of the NumberNine pedals
2) I am not buying a new Liteville
3) I am not buying anymore Syntace components
4) Bad reputation on the internet

And then you think about what it would have cost to actually help me and keep me as a happy customer = 0 (yes ZERO).

I don't get it. I've been nice until now. Buying Syntace/Liteville things. Recommending them to everybody I know - and all I get from being nice and polite is nothing. As you can tell I now have stopped being nice...

the Price with Tuning is Artung 170GBP. I had some customers with that Problem (my Job is to set up Sport gear for People with disability). Not only with LV Bikes. The Problem with CTD Units have other manufacturers too. After TF Tuning it Works Fine - Even After countless rides and more them one year.

But, you find Problems with RS Parts also - just search in this forum..... So, Fox is not the only one with Problems.

 

[Lord Helmchen]

the Price with Tuning is Artung 170GBP. I had some customers with that Problem (my Job is to set up Sport gear for People with disability). Not only with LV Bikes. The Problem with CTD Units have other manufacturers too. After TF Tuning it Works Fine - Even After countless rides and more them one year.

But, you find Problems with RS Parts also - just search in this forum..... So, Fox is not the only one with Problems.

The RT3s have a similar system - however, they tend to last A LOT longer.
If you want to have a shock without spring loades platform mechanisms - you have to search further.

Best regards,

Stefan

 

[Krikstar]

Best I think, would be a shock with easily adjustable (no tools) compression and rebound, slow/high speed settings and a climb switch for longer climbs.

Don't like CTD and similar systems. Made easy for the general mountain biker, but a nuisance for everyone else.

 

[Krikstar]

Update almost a year later now and a new low as a Liteville customer... ;-(
In the end I did not feel/like or want to pay for a defect, that Liteville should have solved years ago, so I complained to them again.

After a lot of struggle I finally got a call from Markus/Liteville CEO, whom from the start was very rejecting as to having any responsibility to delivering me a bike with a shock that actually works (as I payed for!). I told Markus, that when you buy a car, they don't send you to their part suppliers to go and fix things yourself. Imagine Mercedes telling you to go talk to Bosch when your ABS system fails... :-x No way, that's ever going to happen! Markus thought differently and could not see any resemblance at all :-/ Hard pushed he started to say that CTD does not work properly with riders over 70 kg?? Say what??? I bought a size XL bike and was never informed of this... :-0 :-X But still he did not feel any responsibility at all. That got to be the shittiest response from a bike company I have ever experienced or even heard of! Beside that Fox told me that it is not true... He did though agree to take my shock in for a check. I was furious when we ended the conversation and did not feel like he could be trusted at all. I decided to send in the rear shock anyway. He might be an complete d..., but clearly he must be able to see that it is not working. It not that hard to see/feel after all, so a little hope was left for me.

Response came a few weeks after: They found that the rebound was set way off (I cleaned it before I send it and did not set it back) and other than that it was working fine... I was baffled by this! It's the easiest thing in the world to check and feel if the CTD is working or not -and it clearly is NOT working. Anyone that has tried my bike agrees, that it is not working. It is so easy to feel, that it has become a joke in my riding group, to test my bikes rear suspension and laugh at it. I guess Liteville just looked at the rebound and thought: "Oh!, there is the error"... So I asked them, if they actually did test the CTD and the answer was "yes".

Well strange things happens and sometimes errors are periodic, so I installed the damper and tested it again. It was CLEARLY NOT working! I even had a few other people check it, to make sure that it was not me going mad... :-( :-( :-( So here we have it: Markus is now lying to me, to not lose face, run from responsibility or whatever his reasons might be? - Not that it comes as a surprise, after our conversation on the phone, but what do you do now???

Me: I'm a stubborn piece of shit - and if you mess with me, bullshit me or even lie to me, I will do my best to make you regret doing that. Wrote about my experience on all their FB media, videos etc., to the point that Bike-Components contacted me to hear more about this story. Told them everything in details and BC now would like to have a look at my shock for themselves! Great! ;-) I don't know how this is going to end but DAMN, I am tired of being lied to and bullshitted by Liteville/Syntace.

 

[alex_bruchpilot]

Muss auch meinen Frust über den für mich gefühlt unterirdischen Service loswerden:
Habe seit Mitte April einen Tauschrahmen (davor hatte es die Coladose durch einen ganz banalen Ausrutscher derart verdengelt, dass das Unterrohr hinüber war) und nun sind während einer Abfahrt beide antriebsseitigen Schrauben zwischen Ketten- und Sitzstrebe verloren gegangen. Für mich ist das eine klare Fehlmontage im Werk. Ich könnte mir vorstellen, dass z.B. Fett auf den Gewinden war und dadurch die Schraubensicherung nicht klebt.
Aussage Wiggensbach: Ist mein Problem, sie hätten ordentlich mit Schraubensicherung ausgeliefert und ich müsse eh vor jeder Fahrt prüfen, ob alle Schrauben fest seien, das stünde auch so in der Betriebsanleitung. Sie könnten mir aber gegen entsprechende Vorkasse Schrauben schicken.
Ich finde es unglaublich, dass ich für Fehler des Herstellers bezahlen soll und stelle mir vor, wie es z.B. bei einem Auto wäre:
nach einem 1/4 Jahr verliert das Gefährt Teile des Fahrwerks und der Kunde soll dafür bezahlen. Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, dass das dort so läuft.

 

[ecafecar]

Keiner kennt hier die Einzelheiten Deines Falles... (Sturzschaden etc) wenn es dein Verschulden war, egal wie doof das gelaufen ist, ist ein Tauschrahmen doch schon sehr kulant. Aber sich lösende Schrauben sind bei einem fully nicht selten. Hatte ich schon bei diversen Fabrikaten. Und man merkt ja eigentlich auch Spiel oder Geräusche.

Nachziehen bei Schraubensicherung ist aber Käse, weil wenn sie fest war, ist sie dann lose...

Wie dann mit der Rekla umgegangen wird hängt, denke ich, viel mit der Art und Weise zusammen, wie man mit den leuten umgeht...

 

[Deleted 326763]

Meinst Du die Schrauben vom Horstlink?

Ist halt immer schwierig zu beurteilen, wie solche Gespräche abgelaufen sind.

Kenne das aus meiner eigene Praxis.

Kunde: hey, das was ihr mir Geschickt habt ist scheißdreck. Bessert das mal aus. Und überhaupt, das Ding ist Kernschrott, kein Wunder das das verreckt.
Ich: ok, Dauer 8-10 Wochen, müssen wir prüfen. Kostet erstmal x€, wird evtl. Erstattet

Oder

Kunde: habe von euch Ersatz bekommen. Dafür danke, leider ist mir da was kaputtgegangen. Würde hier die Teile neu bestellen. Wir kriegen wir das über die Bühne?
Ich: kein Problem, geht heute kolo raus

 

[alex_bruchpilot]

Es geht eigentlich nicht um dem Tauschrahmen. Wollte damit nur sagen, dass a) der Mk12 Rahmen erst 3 Monate alt/ im Einsatz ist und b) dass das Colablech durch ganz banale Ausrutscher klein zu bekommen ist (da braucht man bei Carbon nicht mehr Angst haben).

Ja, es geht um die Horstlinkschrauben.
Die hab ich in keiner Weise angefasst.

Klar, wenn ich eine gesicherte Schraube drehe, egal ob auf, oder zu, ist die Sicherung hin.

Ich denke schon, dass ich beim ersten, telefonischen Kontakt am Montag höflich war. Es hieß ja auch ganz einfach: Kein Problem, schick ich dir raus, da ich gesagt hatte, ich würde sie bis gestern benötigen, da jetzt Urlaub. So weit so gut. Dann kam Dienstag nochmals per Mail die Nachfrage welche Schrauben den benötigt werden. Nach diversen Problemen der Kontaktaufnahme, konnte das auch geklärt werden. Bis dato kein Sterbenswort über Kosten.
Dann am Nachmittag die Mail mit Auftragsnummer und Rechnung. Teile werden erst verschickt, wenn der Betrag auf dem Konto eingegangen sei. Das hätte bedeutet, kein Urlaub.
Da ist mir dann der Hut hoch.
Ich könnte dann wenigstens noch erreichen, dass die Schrauben verschickt wurden. Da kommst Du dir vor, wie der geringste Bittsteller. Ich solle froh sein, so günstig der Ersatzrahmen bekommen zu haben. Für mich sind aber auch die 1000 Euro für einen alten, mittlerweile ja total unfahrbare, Ladenhüter viel Geld. Zudem ist das keine Rechtfertigung dafür, fehlerhaft zu produzieren.
Für mich steht fest, es wird bei uns kein LV Nr. 6 geben. Da ist mittlerweile zu viel vorgefallen. Hab mir z.b. von Basti sagen lassen müssen, wer Syntacefelgen verdengelt, kann halt nicht Ratt fahren. Das war zu Anfangszeiten der Laufräder.

 

[Deleted 326763]

Ok, dann kann ich Deine Verärgerung verstehen.

Mit dem W40 LRS hatte ich ähnliche Gespräche.

 

[Krikstar]

Update: Liteville caught lying to me!!!

My shock was by Bike-Components who had it checked by Fox. Fox found it to be defective, just like I said! So Liteville/Markus has clearly been lying to me, saying that it was fine after they checked it! YES we are talking about the CEO of Liteville lying to the customers! What an unbelievable embarrassment! Not that it was his first lie. He lied on the phone as well about CTD not working with riders over 70 kilos, so it did not come as a surprise. Only difference is that I can prove it now.

So I called Markus out on his lies and told him it was enough with the bullshit. He told me that he did not like my tone and I told him that I did not like being lied to... Told him/them about Fox findings and that I could forward the email/details to them, so they could check it out themselves if they did not believe me, but no answer. I have apparently been blocked on their e-mail...

Wonder what all this bed rep will cost Liteville in lost sales etc.? I was ready to buy another Liteville until they started screwing up and what about everyone else that reads about this? Markus dude is clearly not the smartest guy out there...

I mean: Who in their right mind would feel like buying a bike from a company who has a CEO that lies to his customers, just to get out of a warranty issue, that would have cost them almost nothing to fix???

I hope this will be a warning to any others even thinking about buying a Shiteville

 

[Deleted 326763]

Everybody calm down! Its a waste of time get it so excited. VW is lying to the customer, you said Liteville is lying to you. Maybe it's the time we are living in. Make a decision, means no Liteville anymore and then up on the trail and enjoy

 

[Krikstar]

Well... That's easy to say, when you haven't spend 4 years on a defective bike that has never worked properly and paid hundreds and hundreds on service and repairs with no result, while you were being lied to and bulshitted over and over again.

Ps I just paid another 120 euros to fix this piece of shit, because I can't afford to buy a 3'rd shock. VW at least have the decency to fix their fuck ups for free. Liteville have none of that.

 

[HeldDerNation]

If it never worked properly why didn't you complain about it when you still had warranty?

VW and decency... interesting opinion...