Avoid at all costs, and it's a shame I can't give zero stars. In February 2023, we rented a BASSO DIAMANTE bicycle worth €3200 with a lease-to-own agreement that turned out to be a long-term lease, which we would never have signed had we been properly informed (a clear case of fraud).
After only a few kilometers, we encountered numerous derailleur problems on every ride, rendering the bike unusable. Multiple visits to the repair shop and Ronan's incompetence were never able to resolve the issue, and after one last attempt, he finally decided to contact the manufacturer.
During these negotiations with the brand's sales representative, the bike was out of commission for another six weeks, only for the groupset to be replaced with a 105 11-speed (replacing a Campagnolo 12-speed carbon groupset, which is of far superior quality...). The day we came to pick up the bike, expressing our astonishment at the 11-speed groupset, he implied that he had already replaced it and that it was already a great improvement, cutting off any further explanation!
With all these problems, we decided to contact the sales representative, Basso, who confirmed that he had covered the entire cost of the groupset replacement and, during our conversation, confided that we weren't alone in this.
Indeed, according to him, there had been numerous complaints regarding after-sales service issues related to the limited technical expertise of the manager of RC CYCLES.
As proof, when I asked him why the tires were mounted in the opposite direction to the manufacturer's recommendations, he replied that it was to better evacuate water and thus prevent aquaplaning—on road bike wheels, no less! 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks to numerous emails with the rental company and the threat of taking legal action, the manager finally agreed to install a 12-speed groupset, a mechanical 105 which, once again, has nothing to do with the Campagnolo but at least allows us to stay on a 12-speed system. Barely home, the bike's brakes started squeaking with the slightest braking. I emailed the manager to ask if he had personally changed the groupset and therefore the brakes, and he confirmed it. We returned the bike and had the brake pads replaced (which could have been avoided with a simple road test). Miraculously, the noise disappeared.
After all the problems encountered and the numerous times the bike was out of service, the two-year rental finally came to an end. We dropped off the bike for a condition check and to close our rental file. The buyback price for the bike (30% of €3200) was supposed to be €960. To our great surprise, we received a buyback quote for €1200!!! (That's a name for something!!!)
We ask this gentleman to please honor his commitments (we were right to repeatedly request written confirmation of the 30% discount) and, at the same time, to offer a goodwill gesture of €360 for all the problems encountered, given that we have always paid our rental fees.
- The periods of downtime, which amount to approximately three months minimum, the price difference due to the replacement generator (which is neither of the same quality nor the same price), the numerous trips back and forth at our expense, and the wasted time.
In response to our attempt at an amicable settlement, this gentleman simply replied that this case had caused him nothing but problems (related to his incompetence and certainly not our fault), and that the groupset replacement had been carried out at his expense (which, again, is completely false since the bicycle manufacturer covered it). For these reasons, he made us a final, very generous offer of €960 (the original price), on which he would still lose money, and that if we didn't receive a response, he would put the bicycle back on sale in 7 days!
We will do everything in our power, with our lawyer (and with supporting evidence), to assert our rights and seek redress for the numerous damages. Venal, incompetent, utterly dishonest, and a liar! Avoid at all costs…
