Buyer Beware - Bayside Performance | GTAMotorcycle.com

Buyer Beware - Bayside Performance

hammer886

Member
Here's my rant:
I had ordered a Besteem Carbon Fiber tank cover for my beloved 18 rr. Yes I know, I should have gone with Ilmberger, but there was a sale offered by Bayside Performance Canada in Vancouver, and I placed the order online. I received the tank cover shortly there after, and when I installed in onto my bike, I noticed two very slight scuff marks on the top. It looks like it was under the clear coat. Small, but noticeable under the light. The fit is pretty decent, but not perfect. So I emailed the owner - Kevin Boisvert, and wanted to either return the product, as it was defective, or get an exchange for another one. It should have been simple. Clearly I was mistaken. It took several emails, and trying to take a photo of the minor scuffs was almost impossible to capture. He advised me that "He can't see the blemishes, and that I should have had a professional carbon fibre installer install the tank cover to get the job done right. Also, he advised that if he took returns from everyone that wants to learn how to do it themselves, they would be gone out of business!!! Stupid me. I had believed that if I was capable of removing the factory exhaust, and installing a full Akra exhaust system, I believed I was capable of installing a carbon tank cover. And what is a professional installer going to do that I couldn't??!! Needless to say, He advised that he needed to start a warranty claim with Besteem. Shortly thereafter, I received a message from him advising that in order to facilitate the claim, the damage has to be at least $80 worth, in order to cover the shipping costs. WTF. The tank cover was only $200. So basically he is telling me that unless the damage is over 40% of the value of the cover, I am SOL. Well the damage is not worth $80, as it is just two scuffs the size of dime each. Looks like I just just got screwed. For any of you Canucks that choose to do business with Bayside Performance, be aware, that their so called return policy is worthless, and if you order from them online, you are on your own. My experiences with every other company, including out of country, such as Moto Million, have been excellent, and never had issues with doing a return or an exchange. Until now. Lesson learned. Buyer beware.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
hmmmm...i ordered a jacket from there a few years ago that wasn't available ANYWHERE within a 500 km radius of Milton...absolutely no problems what so ever...placed the order over the phone and it was received as promised...no issues at all with Kevin or his staff...sorry to hear you had the opposite interaction...
 
I know quite a few people who have ordered from them and they couldn’t be happier.
I understand where you’re coming from though - you ordered something new and it was less than perfect. Based on what you’ve said, you sound like a perfectionist and a very small imperfection is causing you stress. If had your type of attention to detail and expectations, I wouldn’t be ordering things online that have to be shipped across the country. I would want to inspect them prior to spending my money.
Try to see it from Kevin’s perspective - he sold you something and you’re not happy. You sent him pictures of the problem, and based on your own admission, the imperfections don’t show up in pictures. What’s he supposed to do? Just take your word that even though the pictures don’t show anything wrong he’s supposed to believe you?
Come on....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
He ordered a new product that came defective, therefore the business should accept it's return for refund or exchange without any dumb arguments. It doesn't matter how small the scuff marks are, it's a brand new product and it should be 100% clean and new, with ZERO marks on it.

Definitely shady and unprofessional behaviour by Bayside in this case, assuming the story is correct.
 
I have purchased items from Bayside before without any issues. I would rather not order online, but in most cases it's hard to find items here. I don't believe that expecting a new product to be free from defects is unreasonable...but even if there are defects, I should be able to return the item for either a refund or an exchange for another one. I just wanted a carbon tank cover...which is front and center on my bike...not like it's partially hidden where I can hide the minor scuffs. Again my loss...lesson learned.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Did you check amazon first sometimes it’s more expensive than the vendor site but you get hassle free return especially if amazon fulfilled order.
 
You installed it so it's yours now. Even Fortnine asks for a photo to show issue and good on Bayside for even asking to see the issue even after install but if you can't provide that I side with them that they don't have to blindly believe you. Customers lie (a lot).
 
If its legit under the clearcoat, its a production issue, you should be able to work directly with the company - if its clearcoat blemishes, good luck proving you didn't do it during install (therefore no warranty)..
 
I deal with this everyday , your forklift stabbed the bundle, no your forklift stabbed it coming off the truck , nope it was stabbed before it got to the warehouse.

Anyway OP , if it’s a $200 tank cover and it has to be $80 damage before a claim can be launched , well if you don’t like the scratch it’s a $200 problem .
Sort of how long is a piece of string??

I’m not sure who a certified carbon installer would be ?


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
 
I deal with this everyday , your forklift stabbed the bundle, no your forklift stabbed it coming off the truck , nope it was stabbed before it got to the warehouse.

Anyway OP , if it’s a $200 tank cover and it has to be $80 damage before a claim can be launched , well if you don’t like the scratch it’s a $200 problem .
Sort of how long is a piece of string??

I’m not sure who a certified carbon installer would be ?


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com

Agreed. It's a $200 lesson...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sounds like the typical poor service we Canadians have learned to live with and accept. Pathetic. The OP clearly stated the damage was under the clear coat. It's not the least bit surprising that a photo cannot show the damage. A camera is not at all like the human eye. The right thing to do would be for the vendor to ensure the customer if happy. Happy customers return, and refer friends. Thats not likely to happen now is it. Having dealt with U.S companies for MC parts and accessories, my experience is that they go out of their way when ever there is a product issue. I had Speigler brake line fail 2 years after I installed it. When I ordered a new one, they sent it no charge even after I explained to them I installed it wrong. When an LED headlamp bulb failed after the warranty expired, the vendor offeed me a new bulb at half the cost. Here in Canada vendors routinely crap on customers and we gladly accept it. Just reading some of the replies here shows why.`
 
Well I can't complain about Fortnine. They sent me the wrong brake pads. Shipped back and was given a $25 off coupon to re-order the pads so they could send the correct ones.

I also can't blame small companies for being wary of customer returns as many customers lie through their teeth to get warranty on things they broke themselves. Watch some of the videos on youtube of people that buy boxes of amazon returns by auction. Watch how many items they open up that are items with the actual product missing and something else in it's place. Or a car part where they take the new part and put the old broken one in the box and then return it to amazon as wrong item etc.. Since Amazon never actually inspects returns they just go up for auction instead of restocking the items it just makes people crooks.

Many think it is victim less and Amazon can afford it but in reality it just makes item prices go up to pad their losses.
 
If you tell Amazon you didn't get it they often send a new one. Who checks? There is a risk reward factor here. As a reward you get lower prices shopping the net (Sometimes) but there is a risk. Over all you usually win financially.
 
Honestly sounds unreasonable to me to expect anything more from what you were offered since the item was installed and is now considered a used item.
 
He ordered a new product that came defective, therefore the business should accept it's return for refund or exchange without any dumb arguments. It doesn't matter how small the scuff marks are, it's a brand new product and it should be 100% clean and new, with ZERO marks on it.

Definitely shady and unprofessional behaviour by Bayside in this case, assuming the story is correct.

100% agree.
It shouldn’t matter if they can’t see the defects.
If the customer isn’t happy, return their money. Otherwise you look desperate, greedy or worse, lazy.
 
And now what really happened.... This customer called here and wanted to "check out the parts" In other words I pay to ship these to him and if he's not happy with the quality I pay to ship it back and give him a full refund. He was told we can't do that. However if the part arrives damaged we can exchange it. So he orders the part thinking he will just "make up a damage claim" when there is none, so he can check it out and send it back at no charge. Once parts are installed they can't be returned just like every other online store. He installs the part "checks it out" then tries to return it. Bestem parts are 60-70% cheaper then Ilmberger. You can't expect the same quality as the most expensive part as the cheapest part. That's like complaining your Corvette isn't up to the quality of a Bugatti and you want your money back! Quality is price based in most cases. After leaving us 1 star reviews and slagging us all over the internet this customer has come back to buy more bestem carbon without removing this slag from the internet. Go figure....
 

Back
Top Bottom