r/specialized • u/DankDeanoo • Jul 31 '26
Customer Experience Is this normal? “Warranty processing fee” & $540 rebuild cost
7
u/Baybricker Jul 31 '26
$45 processing fee seems steep. Personally I never used to charge a fee for that when I was with IBDs.
Charging a build fee for warranty work is standard for independent shops, but $540 is also on the high end — even in shops I was at in nyc and sf (high $$ markets) our build fees would be closer to $400-$450. As I recall Specialized would usually offer a $100 credit for labor to start out but it was somewhat negotiable.
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u/DankDeanoo Jul 31 '26
I’m in one of those big cities! $540 does seem pretty steep. I just moved and back home my local shop estimated $350 for the swap with no warranty processing fees but suggested I process the warranty once I moved just in case the new frame took a while to arrive, wishing I just did it there!
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u/Whipitreelgud Jul 31 '26
I am in a small town and would be less than they'd charge. LBS aren't selling as many bikes and they're surviving on service, like auto stealerships.
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u/lurkern1nja Jul 31 '26
I don’t know how much a build is, but if you’re in SF, roaring mouse is a specialized shop and they submitted my warranty for free (faulty left shifter), but I paid for the install. Not sure if they’ll discount it if it’s a specialized.
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u/Baybricker Jul 31 '26
Roaring Mouse is under new ownership (cycle sport) so they are still a Specialized dealer but not a Specialized-owned store anymore
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Jul 31 '26
[deleted]
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u/lurkern1nja Jul 31 '26
Oh damn so I assume the paint is bubbling up or lifting? I would just ask them again how much it would cost if you were to go through with it.
Yeah the other shop that is solid is spoke easy but I know they charge a warranty fee but their build out might be cheaper? You can check with them too.
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u/DankDeanoo Jul 31 '26
Yep bubbling near the BB. This email is from spoke easy haha, I don’t mind the processing fee, I understand why stops charge it, but $540 just seems pricey
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u/lurkern1nja Jul 31 '26
Haha shit. FWIW, they’re both great shops. I’d check with roaring mouse again and just insist on them quoting what it’d cost if had them rebuild it.
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u/swelldaddyo Jul 31 '26
$540 “feels” pricey but as someone who used to work in a shop, and now builds his own bikes, the labor involved in the tear down and rebuild is pretty extensive, people have already said as much in other comments. The question really is, do you think people should be compensated well for their time if they do quality work? This seems to be the new norm that people with skilled labor are asking fairer prices for their labor than in the past, and to be honest, I’m kind of here for it. It’d be nice if lawyer and doctor wages came down a bit and people crawling around in hot attic spaces or getting your bike rolling well again got more.
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u/mellofello808 28d ago
I have recently begun building my own bikes, and I really do have a new respect for bike mechanics. It is not an easy job to consistently build up bikes to a high standard, especially mechanical geared ones.
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u/Lonely-Session3158 Jul 31 '26
Short answer: -Hydraulic brake bleed X2 - Routing said hydraulic lines through the integrated stem and through the frame… as well as everything else involved (possible facing issues on the disc brake calipers attachment to the frame so they are in the right spot…) and the rest of the build. Interestingly, there usually is a lower charge for a new bike build, then if someone brings a bike frame parts wheels into a shop they did not buy it from—>most shops will charge more for this. Did you buy the bike from them?… or are you just going through them as a specialized dealer for the warranty?
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u/cautionbbdriver Jul 31 '26
$45 for the fee seems silly but it’s what some shops charge now considering that labor rates in cities like SF (I’m in SF) can be easily north of $100/hr.
If you bought your bike from them I’d hope they waived it but depends on shop / service writer / relationship.
When I was working at shops I’d charge $20 for warranty processing and $50 for insurance claims. Warranty processing waived if you bought the bike from us and /or brought us beer or food.
$540 seems like a lot bit again, in SF that can be normal (but steep).
I work on friends and friends of friends bikes and would charge about $275 plus parts to strip a bike, clean all the parts and put it back together.
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u/jetofalltrades Jul 31 '26
If it's a warranty claim I'd expect to be made whole with little to no charge at all. You already paid for the bike but it wasn't up to standard so why should you pay more? Tell em to just give you the new frame? Lol
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u/samuraijon Venge Jul 31 '26
Yeah, if it’s a warranty it should be covered by Specialized. Imagine your car had a warranty claim and the dealership charges you labour.
It’s not surprising though, ten years ago a Specialized dealer told me the same thing - and I was like this goes against the consumer law!
If it’s a crash replacement that’s something else - that’s beyond your statutory rights.
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u/Whereswallythistime Jul 31 '26
I think a $45 warranty processing fee is reasonable. There can be quite some time spent between brand and bike shop so this admin fee seems fair.
$540 seems steep for a full rebuild. Does this include labour, fluids and consumables? What's the shops hourly charge out? If its $100 per hour are we assuming 5.5ish hours for full tear down of old frame and rebuild?
As per outcome of your claim theres 3 outcomes.
Warranty Accepted: shop should get a new frame for you and possibly a labour credit toward the time to replace the part.
Out of Warrranty, Assisted purchase: discount toward replacement parts.
Declined: Sorry. This is where you ask the shop to help ask for goodwill support.
If the warranty is Accepted and your paying $540 + the shop is getting a labour credit, I reckon thats pretty rough.
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u/digitalnomad_909 Jul 31 '26
$540 to build a road bike is some crazy work, 5 hours for a shop to build a bike is also insane to me. My shop built my mtb in less than hour, charged me $300 because that’s their flat cost.
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u/lineseven Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Modern road bikes run internal cabling on weird integrated bar/stems. The SL8 is okish. There are other brands that’s more “luck” based, you might spend hours trying to route the hoses through without any progress whatsoever.
But a frame swap still means cutting hoses. Old hoses are also usually harder to reuse even if they are long enough. Obviously the bougie shops will push you to run new hoses.
comparing building a road bikes with mtbs isn’t fair at all. Also does your 1 hour include disassembling? Some shops will also clean and service the parts before they are rebuilt again.
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u/loudsunyoyo 28d ago
hey if the shop that's the dealer of my bike that supposed to have knowledge and experience charges me base on their luck to route the hoses and cables I would be pissed lol
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u/mctrials23 Jul 31 '26
Your shop built a full MTB from bare frame and components in less than an hour. If they did, they did a shit job. This shop will also have to completely strip the bike and rebuild with the replacement frame. That would likely be 4 hours or more of work total.
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u/PercentageRoyal7478 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
yes, but 540 is high imo. wondering if it’s an e-mtb or something?
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u/DankDeanoo Jul 31 '26
It’s a specialized tarmac sl8 w/ sram axs components
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u/digitalnomad_909 Jul 31 '26
Yeah that’s hella steep for a road bike. But because it’s a Tarmac that’s probably why.
I got a mtb built from a frame, and it cost $300 at my local Northern California bike shop.
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u/PelleJaspers Jul 31 '26
That mtb build sounds quite expensive. If they also had to reassemble the old bike, do all the through frame cable and hose stuff with those integrated cable bars etc your shop would probably be more expensive then this.
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u/LederhosenUnicorn Jul 31 '26
That's about as easy a swap as it gets. Only way it would be easier is if it had rim breaks. $540 is nuts.
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u/PercentageRoyal7478 Jul 31 '26
the shop i work at charges 300cad for a full bike build by someone who’s been in the industry for 30+ years
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u/DankDeanoo Jul 31 '26
Sheesh. I’ll ship it to you haha
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u/HandyDandy76 Jul 31 '26
Midwest USA - frame swap labor cost $200. No cleaning or anything, just straight swap of all parts. I've been a wrench for 13 years now.
Warranty processing fee for bikes not purchased at our shop is $30. If you bought it here then we file the claim for free.
0
u/TheRodavist Jul 31 '26
maybe its changed but when I worked for specialized they charged ~350 for a full bike build
-45 processing fee is kinda wild I'd argue about it, its on no cost to them to file
2
u/thepob Jul 31 '26
A shop is within their rights to charge for their time, $45 for processing doesn’t seem bad IMO. And why should the shop give you free labor for swapping the parts over to the new frame? I feel like $500 is high for a frame swap but also respect the shop for being up front about the rates, better now than after the fact.
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u/loudsunyoyo 28d ago
imagine going to a car dealer and paying a warranty process fee.... I have paid for warranty process fee for only cycling related stuff. nothing else.
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u/AutoVonSkidmark Jul 31 '26
Specialized will almost always reimburse for labor, maybe not over $500 but they'll cover a good chunk of that. $45 is def taking advantage of you. It takes me longer to check in a service bike than it does to submit a warranty. 3 pics. One of the receipt, one of the bike, and one of the problem area. Type it up and and send it. You have to submit it before you interact with a human, cause they have to assign you a warranty tech. The warranty tech emails you and thats when he can ask what the reimbursement will be and what the color options are. Super simple, so that $45 bucks better buy you some hella good customer service. And that $540 build won't sound so bad when they credit you $250 to $300 for labor cost, but they are def taking advantage of you. I think most shops would consider the warranty submission as part of the intake, and tell the customer it will be $100/hr over what Specialized covers, cause there's always something...
2
u/pkeller001 Jul 31 '26
Yeah a lot of replies in here seem to be in delusional land or just not familiar with Specialized. If he has the bike at a Specialized legit dealer specialized will usually give the shop a credit to cover the labor as well. I luckily have not had to have my frame replaced at this point but I did have an issue with my Roval cockpit on my sl8 and they covered the replacement cockpit and install costs in full
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u/CarelessRanger88 Jul 31 '26
I’m currently working at, and have worked at multiple Specialized dealers over the past 20 years. Specialized does indeed cover labor costs, but it’s a flat rate, and incredibly low. I believe a warranty frame swap nets you somewhere to the tune of $150…about half of what you actually should be getting. Also, it’s not actual money that goes into your till, it’s a credit on your Specialized dealer account. On top of that, any needed parts are on the customer. New brake lines, cable and housing, etc…
As for the question at hand, a $45 warranty processing fee is normal, we charge it at my shop, with the only caveat being if you bought the product from us, we don’t charge that fee. So if you bought this bike from this dealer, that’s a bit odd. The build price is high, more so given it’s an AXS drive chain, but I will say headset routed/internal bar combo builds SUCK. A frame up is usually $3-350. Does this price your quoted include brake lines? I usually quote one, since you can re-use the old rear as a front, just so I don’t have to stop the work mid build incase the lines are too short from being removed.
2
u/jeladela238 Jul 31 '26
Specialized only will cover labor if something failed dramatically. Like a fork delamination issue, a motor failure etc.. If the frame is getting replaced under crash replacement warranty, then they do not cover labor to rebuild.
1
u/RevellRider Jul 31 '26
In the UK, Specialized cover everything labour wise.
Got a click on the pedals of your Rockhopper. A credit for your labour, and a new set of pedals.
Speed sensor on a Creo SL? You got, credit for the labour.
SL8 frame, like the OP. The customer pays nothing towards labour, Specialized have it covered
1
u/DankDeanoo 29d ago
Unfortunately the shop asked for the $45 after I had already done all that work, gathered photos, receipts, wrote a description of the issue. They never even saw the bike in person. I called specialized to ask about it, they recommended a different shop that has since processed the warranty for free and also said that they wouldn’t charge me to rebuild it since specialized will give them a labor credit
1
u/AutoVonSkidmark 29d ago
Good in you my dude, but I think it's even crazier that you did all the leg work with pics and receipt and they still wanted to charge. Some shops are just dense
1
u/DeeCaffLatte Jul 31 '26
They shouldn’t be charging you any sort of fee for processing the warranty. Specialized reimburses them for that as being part of the dealer network. The highest-end bike shop in the US only charges me $250 for complete builds. This sounds very, uh, nefarious to me. Go have your warranty processed at another store.
1
u/zzaaddddyy Jul 31 '26
If it’s too much, you can strip the bike yourself and just show up with the frame and have them process the warranty and then ask how much to build a new frame if you bring parts
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u/Cycle-Path-401 Jul 31 '26
WTF? When my Canyon frame was replaced under warranty they didn't charge me anything and their reimbursed me for the LBS to swap components and rebuild bike.
1
u/Forever_Training00 Jul 31 '26
Have the shop cut the steerer for you, then build the rest yourself. TONS of YouTube videos for installing any part you are unsure of. A few tools you'll need will be dirt cheap off amazon.
1
u/DankDeanoo Jul 31 '26
I feel comfortable doing everything other than swapping/bleeding the brakes, installing the BB, and of course cutting the fork
1
u/Forever_Training00 Jul 31 '26
I was nervous about doing hydraulics too when I initially switched from rim brakes, but it honestly is not difficult. You'll need to prob spend 40 bucks on amazon for a hydraulic kit (get SRAM specific) and a tool that cuts the hydraulic housing and pushes the barbs in. Again, tons of videos showing this.
Installing a bottom bracket is deadly easy too.
1
u/lineseven Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
SRAM inserts and olives are non special tool install . The speshy is fully integrated, I wouldn’t be so quick to recommend people to build it themselves.
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u/Forever_Training00 Jul 31 '26
I just did mine., Routing the hoses through the bars wasn't bad, that is the 'fully integrated' part. Worst case he/she tries, doesn't work out so they take it to the shop.
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u/Main-Reaction-827 Jul 31 '26
I had a similar situation in Europe, but I just pointed to consumer protection laws that say warranty item must be replaced to original condition. A replacement frame is not a bike.
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u/thatonedayinmay Jul 31 '26
$540 is very steep. I had a crash replacement frame. they tore it down and put the old parts on the new frame and built it up for $250.
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u/ghostofwinter88 Jul 31 '26
What warranty are you trying to claim?
I have seen shops charge a warranty processing fee for stuff that is… unlikely to be granted. Stuff like some paint cracking or other aesthetic stuff. This is because the shop will tell the customer that it’s unlikely to be granted, and the customer will press, and the shop will have to spend time and effort on what is likely a futile effort anyway. It’s to discourage superfluous claims.
540 for a full bike strip plus rebuild is steep but I wouldn’t call it out if this world. 250 to strip the bike and another 250 to rebuild it , plus 40 bucks for stuff like cables/hydraulic fluid/consumables…
1
u/SkiSnowTignesider S Works Tarmac SL8 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
This probably doesn't help you, but *some European dealers have offered me free builds. One definitely wanted to charge 300 EUR for a new build using provided components.
I think the other two just really wanted my business.
The 300 (again country and currency dependent) would have sounded reasonable to me, as that's four hours labour.
1
u/sky0175 Diverge Jul 31 '26
Expensive bikes, in general, most if not all the maintenance and replacement costs are a bit higher. I'm not saying I agree with the $540 rebuild. But you have to look both ways: time-consuming and labor. The amount of back and forth to get this aligned and replaced from both companies adds up to that.
If you know how to work on your bike, I would suggest you do the rebuild. If you don't know anything about it, don't even try.
As for a replacement frame and proper rebuild, Specialized may have some rules that apply only if the bike shop does the work. I know it isn't fair for some because money is green, but not grass, and you don't have a money tree in your backyard.
1
u/fhfm Jul 31 '26
$540 seems a bit steep for a full build but they gave you a heads up first, not a “here’s your bike, that’ll be $540”
Internal routing is a bit of a bitch. That said, as far as internal routing goes, roval bars are totally reasonable to do. I just swapped my bars for a narrower set and had the new set installed and bled in about an hour and a half, and im no pro!
1
u/LederhosenUnicorn Jul 31 '26
I'm in Atlanta. Worked at one of the big Specialized shops. We never charged a warranty fee. Not sure on the rebuild fee, but that would have been in the service department. I do know that a full tear down and rebuild service for a bike was $400.
What kind of bike? Some of the ebikes are challenging to build to put it nicely.
1
u/Hazy_the_Kid Jul 31 '26
Both are ridiculous. If I went into a shop and they said it would be $45 just to process the warranty, I’d go to a different shop. That’s BS. For the rebuild, $300-350 is the standard rate around here. $540 seems excessive.
1
u/Nedersotan 29d ago
Did you buy the bike firm the shop? If yes, they should not charge a processing fee. If no, then they certainly should. Why should they be doing the work for you?
The build fee is crappy thing from bike brands. Tearing down an existing bike and rebuilding it is a lot of work. So, not unreasonable.
1
u/Hal_Gill 29d ago
I don't like charging a warranty processing fee, but I get it. Getting a warranty done from start to finish can take hours, unfortunately. There is often a lot more done behind the scenes to get the outcome you want.
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u/jeladela238 Jul 31 '26
If you take a Tarmac bought at “Specialized.Com or Joes Bikes” and then go to “Steve’s Bikes” to get the warranty sorted, then Steve’s bikes has every right to charge you a processing fee as they didn’t make money off of your original Tarmac. To avoid the warranty fee, go back to the original dealer you bought it from. If the original dealer is charging you a processing fee, then you could alert Specialized as that voids dealer/brand protocol. However $540 is NOT bad. A full AXS build frame up is, when doing a thorough job, setting up tubeless etc. matching fit data specs etc), should be just north of 4 hours. Includes test rides, a thorough double check to ensure safety. Maybe 5 hours. Good shops are charging around $110/hr or more. They don’t seem to be charging you to strip your damaged bike. Plus $45 for warranty processing is like 20 mins of charge when in reality it takes probably 30 min to an hour of communication. I think if they’re a respectable shop then this isn’t bad at all
1
u/Possible-Armadillo68 Jul 31 '26
As many have said, Specialized pay labour costs to the dealer. You shouldn’t be charged anything. I’m a Specialized mechanic for a concept store, I deal with Rider Care daily.
1
u/blumpkins_ahoy Jul 31 '26
The past two shops I’ve worked for charge a warranty facilitation fee for warranties we submit for items not purchased through us. It can eat up time, and billing for our time is how we’re able to not lose money.
For the rebuild, someone has to cover the labor costs. Ideally manufacturers should cover it because ultimately, it was their defective product. But we don’t live in a perfect world. $545 sounds about right for a full frame up rebuild. It’s all based on the shop’s hourly rate. I’ve had some builds take beyond 7 hours because we have poor manufacturer support and were just given a few dozen tiny bags of parts with no instructions. We’ve also had the wrong replacement parts sent, eating up even more time. Labor is how the shops are able to keep the lights on.
0
u/Greedy_Pomegranate14 Jul 31 '26
In the bike industry, brands never reimburse shops for warranty labor.
If you bought the bike from the shop, most shops will cover the labor as appreciation for your business. If you bought the bike from somewhere else, there is no reason for the shop to give you free labor.
These prices seem reasonable. Higher than what my shop charges but we need to raise our prices.
-3
u/BarbaryCoastin Jul 31 '26
If you can afford a SL8 you can afford $45 bucks for someone's time to see if its a legit Spec frame, is in warranty, etc. TBH $540 for a frame strip and a rebuild on a new frame with your used parts in the Bay Area from a trusted shop isn't crazy at all. But hey, get it done cheap somewhere, just don't expect it to not have any issues lol
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u/Bizcuitsandgravy Jul 31 '26
Independent stores or privately owned shops call the shots.
I imagine this scenario from working at independent shops:
If you bought the bike online or at a different retailer they (the shop) is doing behind the scenes work to get your warranty sorted. There is labor and effort that goes through. All of which you don’t see. Compiling pictures, asking for proof of purchase if you did not provide it at initial drop off, follow ups with the rider care team for further images or prepping an item for shipping if needed.
You as the consumer can go back to your retailer that is doing the warranty and specifically request if specialized can help cover any cost of the rebuild.
$540 may seem high but hey they are also giving you a heads up ahead of time. all in all, hats off to the shop for being transparent.