Buy a VEGA Helmet? Read this first...

I've been wearing a VEGA Summit helmet for a few months. I bought it new online. The fit is nice, worked fine until the internal pull wire that operates the release mechanism snapped like a twig. This is what the plastic button pushes on to release the front assembly. In the humble opinion of somebody with a mechanical engineering degree, it's flimsy. Thank God it happend as I was trying to put it ON..... and did not lock the helmet on my head.

But, stuff happens so I contacted Vega to get a replacement wire. here is the response I got, judge for yourself if you think this is customer service:

Just because you bought your helmet online doesn’t mean you are exempt from getting parts though the online dealer. I will assist you this time but in the future you need to be pro-active about getting service from the place where you made the purchase, we do not offer service or parts though our warehouse, the dealer is there to serve that purpose.

So, best case, you have to take the thing back to the dealer and pay whatever they want to charge to fix it.... if they even will.

The "local dealer" here which they directed me to use said they have no drawings for the helmets so they have no way to identify the part in question. I don't have the paperwork for the dealer I got it from online so I thought I could get support from the manufacturer and buy a part from them. I never assumed or expected to get anything free, just wanted to get the stinking part.

Some support. Some attitude. I work in customer support. I guess it always bugs the hell out of me when I get treated like this (a way which would get me fired instantly). Basically, like I was a beggar at the back door looking for a handout when I am actually a paying customer. I didn't steal the forking helmet, I paid money for it.

Anyway, just the facts folks.

I will assist you this time but in the future you need to be...

There would not be a next time.

That sucks:ohmy:
F--- them. There are too many companies making quality helmets to put up with that junk.

mariozappa wrote:

I will assist you this time but in the future you need to be...

There would not be a next time.

There isn't going to be a THIS time. I won't do business with people who act that way, so she can kiss my pasty Irish arse. I'm not going to take abuse like that to beg for parts to fix something that IMHO is a crappy design and was defective. She can keep the forking part.

The latch assembly is so flimsy I won't put the thing back on my head with it in place because I don't know how long it would be until it went "SNAP!" again with the helmet locked on my head.

I can see it now on the local news: "The fire department repsonded today to a house where a man had his head trapped in his helmet..." With video of them using the jaws of life to pry it off.

JohNLA wrote:

That sucks:ohmy:
F--- them. There are too many companies making quality helmets to put up with that junk.

That's the part I don't get. I called yesterday (long distance, my dime) and spoke to a person who basically acted like I was ruining her day by using up the two minutes we talked.

I tried going to the local dealer like she said, and they couldn't help me. I left out the part where the guy at the dealer said they stopped carrying their stupid helmets because they were crap..... I figured that wouldn't sweeten her mood to hear that.:laugh:

It amazes me there are people who don't know the power of the internet: every time somebody on a motorcycle forum asks about helmets, I can just repost her e-mail. That $5 part and arrogant attitude is going to cost them God only knows how much lost business.

not to rub salt in your cut, but I dont buy helmets tires batteries and such via the internet for just that reason,,I can put my hands on it, feel it, and if something goes wrong I have a REAL person I can go yell at...
Most of the time I havent really had that many problem with the dealers since I show up so often

BSKZ650 wrote:

not to rub salt in your cut, but I dont buy helmets tires batteries and such via the internet for just that reason,,I can put my hands on it, feel it, and if something goes wrong I have a REAL person I can go yell at...
Most of the time I havent really had that many problem with the dealers since I show up so often

I know what you mean. I buy a lot of handguns and the internet offers some impressive discounts.... but you can't fondle and inspect first. There always is a risk buying unseen, I got a good discount off the $130 list price of the helmet and now we see the downside.....

I always figure my gunsmithing skills can save me as long as I can get parts.... same for fixing electronics or mechanical things in general. It's rare to find companies that refuse to support their products, but there are some.

I bought a scorpion exo helmet simply because I am a scorpio and the only thing that happened to it was that I had it on top of my truck and drove with it in the parking lot and it bit the dust. The visor clips broke of and so I went to the bike shop to get a new helmet....well guess what? they had those parts for sale that broke for $10. Thank you Scorpion Exo. the best I ever had.

That sucks,Chester.
In a situation like that,I would make the threat that the whole ordeal WILL be posted on all "12" bike forums that you frequent...and it WILL be discussed in detail.

For the most part,I RELY on what other members have to say about a certain product,and BFD if it WAS purchased online...SO F***ING WHAT?! It's still THEIR product.
Crap like that really p's me off.
Yes,more and more people ARE shopping online...WHY?...because for one,it CAN be convenient AND cheaper.
You should ask the ,"Window-licker" you dealt with,if she has ever made an online purchase,and how she is going to feel when the product fails(prematurely).

I don't blame you one BIT,for being p.o'd:angry:

Sandy wrote:

That sucks,Chester.
In a situation like that,I would make the threat that the whole ordeal WILL be posted on all "12" bike forums that you frequent...and it WILL be discussed in detail.

For the most part,I RELY on what other members have to say about a certain product,and BFD if it WAS purchased online...SO F***ING WHAT?! It's still THEIR product.
Crap like that really p's me off.
Yes,more and more people ARE shopping online...WHY?...because for one,it CAN be convenient AND cheaper.
You should ask the ,"Window-licker" you dealt with,if she has ever made an online purchase,and how she is going to feel when the product fails(prematurely).

I don't blame you one BIT,for being p.o'd:angry:

Yeah, but I'm cooling off some now that I realized I can still wear it with the latch componenets on the shelf of my closet. I took it apart and just removed all the junk that was operated by the broken thing. The release mechanism is scary flimsy as designed, and I really don't want that thing locked on my head with no backup system to release the locks.

Gravity will do a reasonably good job of keeping the flip-up part down even without the latch.