BBC highlight importance of buying from authorised dealers
Posted on in Cycles News
BBC documentary Fake Britain highlights the dangers of buying online from unauthorised dealers.
On Monday, the BBC documentary Fake Britain focused on the case of mountain biker Matt Phillips who purchased a set of carbon handlebars, branded FSA, from an online dealer.
Whilst on a ride, the bars snapped in three placed leaving Matt with a broken wrist in two places. Upon returning the handlebars to FSA for an explanation and compensation, he discovered that they weren't an authentic FSA product but a cheap copy manufactured in the Far East which did not conform to European safety standards.
FSA have since found and removed thousands of similar counterfeit parts online.
According to FSA, "Counterfeit parts originating in China pose a pervasive safety problem for the bicycle industry as such parts fail to meet industry quality standards in addition to our strict manufacturing specifications, and are untested and made of inferior materials."
Unfortunately this isn't a unique case. In a previous episode Fake Britain examined the issue of fake copies of Giro helmets that also fail European safety tests.
FSA strongly advise purchasing from authorised dealers, "We strongly urge consumers to only buy Full Speed Ahead products from bicycle retail stores, or authorised online retailers. We also recommend that bike shops only buy Full Speed Ahead products from their recognised bicycle parts distributors, and bicycle brand partners. Again, buying our FSA products from online marketplaces, or from foreign trading sites runs a very high risk that they may be buying a counterfeit product."
How to spot if the "FSA product" you have been offered is a fake:
1. Check the packaging for copyright symbol, product serial number, FSA address and contacts.
2. Look for the serial number on the product itself.
3. Examine the FSA and other logos, and the finish quality on the product itself.
4. Examine any paperwork included in the box, such as technical specifications, fitting instructions and guarantee.