Devol Customer Service

[jwriott]

I sent Devol Engineering an e-mail trying to find out where I could buy new angled mounts for the lower portion of my radiator guards. The pressed in insert pulled out so I couldn't mount my shrouds.

I got a call from Michele Versteeg asking for an address and she is shipping me a new set for free. I got more than I asked for and to me, that's customer service!

John

?

[ratbiker]

You are very lucky i live in the area where devol is located and they have a very bad rep!From not paying the guys who make there parts to selling junk you dont need and having a young teenager doing your'e 700 dollar suspension job to not returning phone calls when there is a problem.consider yourself lucky(I hope my opinion about a manufacturer is ok as i know the mods may not be happy with someone giving a bad comment about a manufacturer or a TT possible future advertiser)

[blackie]

Ratbiker,

I have also had good response from the Devol customer service. Michele has always been prompt in returning my phone calls and Ted Devol has even taken the time to call me personally about parts for my YZ. I have never had an owner of a company call me in the evening about my bike. That is service!

When I get my frame guards, radiator guards and billet gas cap, I'll post some pictures so everyone can get an idea of the quality.

John

[jwriott]

All I know is they they stood behind their product and are shipping me replacement parts for free. I'll order parts from them again.

[Terrain Rider 4z]

I had an issue with Devol this past September with their rear brake guard. I have/had $150+ of Devol protective guards on my bike because I had heard good things about the products. At a local poker run my rear disk guard disintegrated under the impact of a small rock and I contacted Devol to notify them of a design flaw and let them know about the damage done to my bike as a result. Michele V. was helpfull, but Ted Devol was an ass. My first email waited over two weeks for a reply and my second was never answered, though Michele did send it on to Ted. Here is some of the correspondence from the affair. I had to replace the disk and bought an Enduro Engineering guard to replace the original POS. I have hit the EE guard hard and have yet to have a problem, it is way tougher than the Devol POS.

Original email to Devol:

To whom it may concern,

I had the Devol rear disc guard mounted to the swingarm of my XR600R and came back from a poker run to find it had disappeared! The mounting bolts were there, along with a small fragment of the guard, but the rest has vanished. this a common failure? I have the Devol front guard and skid plate also, just wondering if they will crack under pressure too? Come on Devol, I thought you made the good stuff!

Concerned,

Ryan Forsberg

Camas, WA

Ted Devol's Response:

Regarding your letter about the rear disc guard on your XR 600. These rear guards seldom just fall off. It is likely you tagged something hard enough to blow it off of there. It probably saved your disc. We have been reluctant to build the billet shark fin because we have found that the mounting tab that mount the disc guard to the caliper carrier, brake off with a good hit on the guard. With ours the guard may be destroyed but not the $120 caliper carrier. With the billet shark fin, you loose the $90 fin and wreck the $120 carrier. No we have never had a front disc guard fail and very few skids have failed. Yes some fail but you should see what they look like. They did their job.

My unanswered reply:

The major issue I have with Devol and the rear disc guard is that I spent money to protect a valuable part, my disc. The mounting tabs on the guard failed and now I am out the guard and have a bent disc. Overall, I got screwed in my eyes. Your company took a whole two weeks to respond to my email, then had the nerve to say, "It probably saved your disc." Sorry, but if the tabs give way the disc is going to be damaged. Also, the object that hit the guard did nothing to slow the bike, I did not even feel it. My buddy told me the guard flew off, probably from a rock flung up from the front tire (not a huge impact). My question is why not build these guards twice as thick? There is room for clearance and I would probably not have lost $35 in a guard, plus however much the disc will be to replace. I was once a customer of Devol, I have/had front and rear disc guards and a skid plate from your company. Now, after the service I have received, I can't see any reason to return to you for products or recommend you to others. I am a moderator for www.thumpertalk.com and am asked periodically to recommend products and stand out companies. This recent experience with Devol has changed my opinion of your company, there are many new companies that provide quality parts and quality support. I will support companies that put the customer first.

Ryan Forsberg

Never again will I buy from this company, if for no other reason they will not respond to their customers.

[Terrain Rider 4z]

PS: I could care less if Devol does not wish to advertise after reading this post. I care too much about the good guys and gals on this website to have them subjected to crappy customer service.

[jwriott]

I'm just conveying my experience. I'm happy with their service and products and I'll continue buying them. The part I needed pulled out of the mounting tab. Not from abuse on the trail but possibly from overtightening or it may not have been pressed in correctly to begin with.

I am also not defending Devol with regards to your experience. Being a moderator, if you think their products are so bad, why haven't you removed their items from the Shop TT Now section???

I have smashed various guards off of bikes I have had in the past. I have no doubt it is due to my riding style and desire to go fast in sections that are questionable. I have no fantasies about my radiator guards, hand guards, skid plate, disk guard, etc. with regards to them being indestructable and saving my bike through any situation. I buy these items to give me a little more protection than what the bike comes with stock. I fully realize that if I'm flying and hit a rock or log, I may damage, destroy or lose these parts.

[blackie]

Ryan,

As a moderator, you are probably aware of the policy at TT not to slam companies. Your opinion is valuable, however, it is hearsay and not supported by the TT owners, who I am sure would value advertising dollars from Devol. As you may also be aware, the reputation and value that TT offers the public relies on the support from industry leaders. It is often difficult to attract corporate interest in a hostile environment, especially when the hostility is directed from a "moderator". In the future, I suggest that before posting an e-mail conversation with a customer service department, that you consider the long-term effects that such correspondence has on TT and it's ability to generate a viable business.

John Whitehead

[drift]

I would have to agree with blackie 100%, for what it's worth, when I read your post you came off accusingly, as if they had intentionally done you wrong. I would think that if you used alittle more tact you could have probably been comp'd the replacement product. You were atleast getting some sort of correspondence from Devol. Consider the consequences Especially if you are trying to throw your "weight" around. Being a moderator for a public forum with many readers you need to look beyond your immediate imotions, it's a bad idea to flame companies when advertising $'s are at stake. I have a background in magaziness, and only in a test type of situation do we ever give a compare and contrast on products, and always are unbiassed. When you buy the product yourself and put it on your own bike, you are speaking for yourself...on the otherhand, if you were testing loaned or given product under the pretense of R&D or Public Product evaluation you would post about how the product worked under real world circumstances. When you talk about customer service, and you start going off on people you will quicly learn that it get's you no where quickly. To thow your "moderator" status around can come back to bite you in the end. Don't think Devol does not have their own connections and don't think that they won't be more than happy to tell other companies how "cool" those guy's over at thumpertalk.com are. Word travels fast in industry circles, and when you go and try to get comps and swag from somewhere else you never know what might happen. I for one am actually surprised about how well thumpertalk (members in general) get support from factory & industry guys. It's pretty cool, especially compared to other message board sites.

[rockdodger]

i agree,

the message could have been softened a little to get a

positive response...or not; whatever

but it is unprofessional to use this board ( business )

as leverage in a personal matter. dollars and support issues

are at stake here; not just one mans ego. a stunt like this

can drive off potential support

i cant throw my bosses name around to get my way (id get fired),

so i guess im just jealous

later

rock

[dougframe]

I have delt with DeVol Engineering for years as a customer and I send all my friends there. Everyone is treated very well there. I read Mr. DeVols responce to the unhappy customer and it remains a fact. You can't please everyone and some people are unreasonable. I was at DeVol to have my suspension revalved on my 5th consecutive bike. On the suspension counter was a skid plate that was all bent up.

I was told it was returned by a customer that said it failed. The bottom you could see had several big gouges where the metal was pealed back probably by a rock. DeVols engineer figured it would take a force of over 4,500 pound to bend like it did. Looking at where the biggest gouge was I would say that it did not fail. The plate saved the rider a center case job. The teenager refered to in another post is Mr. DeVols son. He has been in the suspension area for 5 years that I know of and is great. He and his father are always available to help with tuning at their awsome test track for all their customers.I am always impressed with their fine tuning abilities.

The DeVol Engineering crew is highly respected in our area. Don't let a jealous person pursuade you otherwise. Mr DeVol has done a great deal to help build and keep tracks going around here. Wrestling with the government along the way.

D Frame

[dominator426]

I was just about to order a set of Devol rad guards (and a WER skid plate) when this interesting thread unfolded, so I checked my own OE rear disc guard. Ironically, I've consequently added a "Devol" rear disc guard to my order, from Monkeybutt Ent. ?