Complaint Review: Integrity Cycles

Being 55 years old and a private money manager for several clients, I feel I am pretty competent in making decisions in regards to spending money.

Having spent many evenings looking for Harley Road Kings, buying three of them for resale and now wanting to buy one for my own use I came across Integrity Cycles on e-bay. Their feedback was not 100%, but I figured everyone has a right to have a couple of unhappy clients.

I picked out what appeared to be clean 2001 Road King with 4k miles on it. The bidding process started. While in DC, picking up another bike, I went on line to check my prize. It was within $200 of the For Sale price on their website, so I called them and told them I would just buy the bike and end the auction early.

I asked how much deposit they wanted, telling them I was in DC and not at home but would arrange a trip out the next week to pick up the bike. We agreed to a $500 deposit which I gave them on my Visa Card.

The following Tuesday, I arrived in Columbus to pick up the bike. They greeted me at the airport and took me to a warehouse. The first thing I saw when I walked in was a big shop full of WRECKED BIKES. Now, keeping in mind, I am pretty careful when it comes to spending money. I had requested them to fax me a copy of the title to be sure it was not a salvage bike etc.

The bike did indeed have only c. 4k miles on it. However, the lights were broken, both signal, running and headlight. The check engine light would not go off, and the handlebars did not line up with the headlight when looking over the road.

After much discussion, they assured me the bike was in their mind, a 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. I would come closer to rating it a 5.5, on a good day with a tail wind behind me. Again, after more talking they convinced me to take it for a ride saying one of their partners had riden it some 40 or 50 miles on Sunday to make sure all was ok.

I took it one block, turned around an came back. My left arm was fully extended and my righ arm was bent. That tells me either I was riding sideways, or the bars were indeed not in alighnment.

They then suggested I take a look at other bikes on their line of Harleys. So, being that far from home I looked. There were four other Road Kings in the corner. I was told originally all were sold, but as I balked more on taking the one I had come to pick up, was later told all were maybe for sale, then finally for sure they were for sale.

I finally agreed to look at a tourquoise blue Road King. They of course wanted more money and I kind of thought about it, but closer examination, revealed damage to this bike as well. And they did not have the bags to go with it. Do not most Road Kings come with saddle bags and windshields ???

After an hour or so we agreed to disagree. I asked for a conversation with "Frank" who always had answered the phone when I called to aske re. the condition of bike, but "Frank" was no where to be found at this time. Finally, he agreed to talk to me, telling me how he had been put out by my not taking the bike. He had three chances to sell it the day before.... wish he had.....

He told his partner to write me a credit on my credit card. I suggested a check instead. They agreed, but when I wanted to stop by the local bank on the way back to the airport, the guy driving me, kind of stammered and said there was no bank on the way. I suggested we look in the phone book as I had no intention of leaving Columbus with a check from these folks.

As soon as this was settled, he was able to come up with $500 from his briefcase to cover the check...

In talking to him on the ride, I asked about where their bikes came from...Most, according to him, came from auctions for WRECKED bikes. I asked how he got a clear title and he just smiled, saying they did, or they would buy only bikes with clear titles. Now in Arkansas, where I am from, if a bike is wrecked and sold at auction, you get a salvage title. I have seen many listed in either e-bay or Bike Trader, and they would state if the title was salvage or not.

They refused to refund my expenses, which I asked for. But, they did give me a ride to a hotel, close to the airport. I asked what choices of hotels I had and he promptly informed me the one he was taking me to was the least expensive. Wonder how he knew that? Think maybe he had made that trip before?

I continue to watch their products on e-bay and will continue to send e-mails to every bidder that they get. These guys, are, in my opinion RIP-OFF artists to the nth degree. thx, elbowe

Ed
Little Rock, Arkansas
U.S.A.