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4/3/2015
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CT
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JBoneMotorworks
6/3/2022 8:36am
6/3/2022 8:36am
Edited Date/Time
6/12/2022 8:30am
Has anyone ever had the (4) small yellow rubber bands inside the helmet that hold the small inner shell to the big shell ever break? All of mine broke at once and I am trying to work it out with Bell but the conversations so far have not been good.
Ridden with it a few times, NEVER crashed or dropped, 9.5 out of 10 for the outer shell condition, a few small pips and pecks from roost. The helmet has lived in the bag when not in use, $850 helmet is now considered "unusable" by Bell after looking at photos and no physical inspection.
Here is there response to me after I submitted the pics.
Bell- Thank you for your email. We regret to inform you that the Spherical technology in the helmet is not replaceable. If this foam piece came out, the whole helmet would have to be replaced. I wish I had better news for you. This warranty does not cover products damaged or rendered defective due to accident, misuse, abuse, modification, improper repair, water damage, heat damage, neglect, improper handling or storage, or failure to follow instructions for use. We can offer a 20% off discount code to purchase a new helmet. You will have to call 800-456-2355 to place an order over the phone. If you would like to proceed, please give us a call and reference crash replacement. Thanks!
Me- I am a 53 yr old Vet and I can assure you due to my riding or handling this helmet in any way caused this. This helmet lived in the red bag and padded Bell bag when not in use, I never crashed with it, dropped it, or anything like this. The shell is near perfect and I feel that this is going to be a huge missed opportunity to make this right for something I did not do.
This is the most expensive helmet I have ever purchased for myself and I was happy to spend the money on what seemed to be the best helmet technology available. I should mention that I bought my daughter the 1st Bell that came out that was $1000 at the dealer, one of 600 Moto 10 flex limited edition..and so far so good with that but it is really hard to swallow an $875 helmet that is now unusable due to any sort of crash or damage. To the end user, this is almost surreal...the helmet is unusable and not fixable due to nothing crash related.
The clause states "damaged or rendered defective due to accident, misuse, abuse, modification, improper repair, water damage, heat damage, neglect, improper handling or storage, or failure to follow instructions for use."
No one inspected this helmet to see what the cause of the rubber bands breaking and it was ruled my fault and not a warranty item? You saw pics and that's it? So there is zero chance that for some reason the rubber bands on mine were faulty?
I can assure you that although I can't explain how it happened, I can't for the life of me understand how (4) rubber bands that were once installed by humans on an assembly bench can't simply redo the rubber bands. All four of them have a small hole that wraps around a stem and the other side is glued into a small strain relief. I will pay for this service from Bell.
I have been in this industry since 1993 and have never in my life seen a situation handled like this over a safety item or any item at all.
I really feel like I am getting the short end of the stick here and I just can't believe that you can dismiss this as my problem.
Bell- We understand your frustration and we can look further into this for you. Did the foam come out of the helmet once you put it on? How did you discover the foam came off the shell?
Me- As I had stated in a previous email, I noticed the foam was sloppy once I removed the liner to wash it. As you know the liner takes up some small gaps inside the helmet and it has a "snug" feeling to it, the cheek pads take up space as well and I believe this is why I really did not notice it when I had it on.
I placed the helmet in the normal position upside down to remove the liner and pads so I could wash them. I removed the cheek pads and the liner, the inner hard foam piece was jostling around and not snug anymore after I removed the liner and pads.
That is when I reached inside of the helmet and put my hand on it to see if this was part of the technology for impact resistance or there was a deeper issue. I just gently rocked the foam front to back and side to side and realized that it was not connected to anything.
I flipped the helmet to the upright position as if I were to put it on and could tell the foam was super loose, I could hear it as I shook the helmet. So I put the helmet back down and simply grabbed the foam by the middle area and it lifted right out with zero resistance.
I realize that a warranty is a contract between the end user and the manufacturer and you had provided a list of non-applicable issues that would not be covered under warranty. I am asking if you could please provide me with a list of items that would disclose what is covered under warranty.
I would have loved to be able to tell a story about a huge crash and that the Bell helmet saved my life or prevented a serious injury, and although the helmet is ruined, it did its job. But I guess that it is not the story that is meant to share and for reasons I guess I will never understand, the best helmet that money could buy has been rendered unusable not due to a crash, but as far as I can tell, due to nothing.
Maybe I should be thankful I didn't have a serious crash with it after all.
I await their response.
Sorry for the rant-
Ridden with it a few times, NEVER crashed or dropped, 9.5 out of 10 for the outer shell condition, a few small pips and pecks from roost. The helmet has lived in the bag when not in use, $850 helmet is now considered "unusable" by Bell after looking at photos and no physical inspection.
Here is there response to me after I submitted the pics.
Bell- Thank you for your email. We regret to inform you that the Spherical technology in the helmet is not replaceable. If this foam piece came out, the whole helmet would have to be replaced. I wish I had better news for you. This warranty does not cover products damaged or rendered defective due to accident, misuse, abuse, modification, improper repair, water damage, heat damage, neglect, improper handling or storage, or failure to follow instructions for use. We can offer a 20% off discount code to purchase a new helmet. You will have to call 800-456-2355 to place an order over the phone. If you would like to proceed, please give us a call and reference crash replacement. Thanks!
Me- I am a 53 yr old Vet and I can assure you due to my riding or handling this helmet in any way caused this. This helmet lived in the red bag and padded Bell bag when not in use, I never crashed with it, dropped it, or anything like this. The shell is near perfect and I feel that this is going to be a huge missed opportunity to make this right for something I did not do.
This is the most expensive helmet I have ever purchased for myself and I was happy to spend the money on what seemed to be the best helmet technology available. I should mention that I bought my daughter the 1st Bell that came out that was $1000 at the dealer, one of 600 Moto 10 flex limited edition..and so far so good with that but it is really hard to swallow an $875 helmet that is now unusable due to any sort of crash or damage. To the end user, this is almost surreal...the helmet is unusable and not fixable due to nothing crash related.
The clause states "damaged or rendered defective due to accident, misuse, abuse, modification, improper repair, water damage, heat damage, neglect, improper handling or storage, or failure to follow instructions for use."
No one inspected this helmet to see what the cause of the rubber bands breaking and it was ruled my fault and not a warranty item? You saw pics and that's it? So there is zero chance that for some reason the rubber bands on mine were faulty?
I can assure you that although I can't explain how it happened, I can't for the life of me understand how (4) rubber bands that were once installed by humans on an assembly bench can't simply redo the rubber bands. All four of them have a small hole that wraps around a stem and the other side is glued into a small strain relief. I will pay for this service from Bell.
I have been in this industry since 1993 and have never in my life seen a situation handled like this over a safety item or any item at all.
I really feel like I am getting the short end of the stick here and I just can't believe that you can dismiss this as my problem.
Bell- We understand your frustration and we can look further into this for you. Did the foam come out of the helmet once you put it on? How did you discover the foam came off the shell?
Me- As I had stated in a previous email, I noticed the foam was sloppy once I removed the liner to wash it. As you know the liner takes up some small gaps inside the helmet and it has a "snug" feeling to it, the cheek pads take up space as well and I believe this is why I really did not notice it when I had it on.
I placed the helmet in the normal position upside down to remove the liner and pads so I could wash them. I removed the cheek pads and the liner, the inner hard foam piece was jostling around and not snug anymore after I removed the liner and pads.
That is when I reached inside of the helmet and put my hand on it to see if this was part of the technology for impact resistance or there was a deeper issue. I just gently rocked the foam front to back and side to side and realized that it was not connected to anything.
I flipped the helmet to the upright position as if I were to put it on and could tell the foam was super loose, I could hear it as I shook the helmet. So I put the helmet back down and simply grabbed the foam by the middle area and it lifted right out with zero resistance.
I realize that a warranty is a contract between the end user and the manufacturer and you had provided a list of non-applicable issues that would not be covered under warranty. I am asking if you could please provide me with a list of items that would disclose what is covered under warranty.
I would have loved to be able to tell a story about a huge crash and that the Bell helmet saved my life or prevented a serious injury, and although the helmet is ruined, it did its job. But I guess that it is not the story that is meant to share and for reasons I guess I will never understand, the best helmet that money could buy has been rendered unusable not due to a crash, but as far as I can tell, due to nothing.
Maybe I should be thankful I didn't have a serious crash with it after all.
I await their response.
Sorry for the rant-
The Shop
So the dealer really fixed this, not Bell, glad I have a replacement, but not happy with Bell, probably going to go in a different direction..the new Alpine Star M10 looks food as does the 6D's.
We will see-
I had one of the first Shoei EVOs when they came out and also had an issue with the liner that provides the rotational protection that I also found when I removed the padding to wash. One call to Shoei customer service and I followed their instruction. I shipped the helmet to Shoei in California (I had to pay for the initial shipping) for initial inspection, they shipped me a refurbished helmet in the mean time (I did have to place a deposit on my CC for the loaner) once inspected the decision was made to send the helmet to the Factory in Japan for inspection by the factory technicians, the factory decided to immediately replace my helmet at no cost... this all took place in one week from the time the helmet was received in California!
This isnt a sway to buy Shoei but the customer service i felt was outstanding and shows how it should be done... I was considering a bell but i will stick with Shoei!
Glad the dealer did the right thing for you.
ps- removed the liner, washed it, super easy to get the pads in and out etc.
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