Other Freeborn no longer a Specialized dealer?

[Benson]

Received this yesterday from the guys at Freeborn:

You are being contacted by us because our records show you have purchased a Specialized electric bike from us which is covered or has parts covered under Specialized's guarantee.

Specialized UK have today, the 4th January 2021 advised us that Freeborn will no longer be required to represent them forthwith.

All after sales services and warranty claims on Specialized products have been transferred direct to Specialized UK. You will now need to contact Specialized UK direct as regards all warranty and extended warranty on all electric bikes and products.

Please contact Specialized using the email address below for any Specialized branded warranty issues and they will get back to you with a solution for you:

[email protected]

You can also contact Specialized by phone on the number below:

0208 391 6749

We do apologise for any inconvenience or delays these actions might cause you.

Freeborn will still continue to look after all other warranty issues on non Specialized branded parts and items e.g. Rockshox, Fox, Shimano, Sram.

Freeborn will continue to offer its full assistance as usual to all it's customers. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need our help or any technical assistance.

Came as a bit of a shock. My experience of them has always been positive, great prices. The wording suggests it was forced upon them.

 

[R120]

That is a surprise, they are or rather where one of the biggest Spesh dealers out there - maybe is has something to do with their pricing, they where effectively selling bikes at IIRC 15% discount under their "loyalty" scheme, and I know that a lot of the other LBS got pissed at this? pic form a few years back

 

[Benson]

That is a surprise, they are or rather where one of the biggest Spesh dealers out there - maybe is has something to do with their pricing, they where effectively selling bikes at IIRC 15% discount under their "loyalty" scheme, and I know that a lot of the other LBS got pissed at this? pic form a few years back

Agree most likely undercutting the competition. I saved around 2k on two Specialized bikes from them over the last couple of years. I’d be surprised if any dealers could get close on pricing.

 

[Worthy]

Bought my cube AT from Joe at freeborn, fantastic service and shop. They just did a small warrantee claim for me 2 weeks ago they could not have been any more helpful or fast doing it. I highly recommend them.

 

[R120]

Yes I have always had good experiences with them

 

[Martins8]

I received the same email, came as a bit of a surprise! I’ve bought 2 bikes from them on separate occasions and found them very helpful and good to deal with and very good value with the discounts offered No local LBS to go to now for warranty work, have to see what will happen when contacting Specialized direct with any warranty concerns as advised.

 

[Bigtuna00]

I don't know the rules in the UK but Specialized in the US doesn't allow sale prices unless they're a factory authorized sale (or old back stock). They have many other restrictions (you're not allowed to just sell bikes for example, you have to carry all the other stuff too, clothes, shoes, helmets, etc.).

However this could instead be related to how they were handling warranties. I know it seems super helpful when the shop just does whatever you want but Specialized has a very forgiving program to begin with when it comes to exchanges (there's a 30 day guarantee on pretty much everything in the US, you can swap seats, bars, stems, etc., I even got a credit for the stock dropper because I hated it so much) and Spesh eats the cost, not the shop. I've gotten the impression while reading this forum that some shops are perhaps a little too willing to "just warranty" everything.

All speculation of course but it's fun to participate