Story time!
Background info: The company I work for has this great bike benefit system in Finland. It allows you to get a max €4000 bike, basically tax-free, paying only €100 per month for several years. It’s a government-supported system, and you have to go through the leasing company your employer is using – easy enough!
So to get the most out of the benefit I was looking for 4000€ bike and eyeing the new Gen 7 Trek Madone, the one with the hole and all. I started looking for the bike in late August and quickly found myself scanning buycycle.com, which has lots of cool bikes at nicely priced. Since I needed the leasing company to order the bike, I missed a few nice options within or slightly above budget.
Then, on the 17th of October, [there it was](https://buycycle.com/en-fi/bike/madone-slr-9-etap-gen-7-2023-15711): Gen 7 Trek Madone SLR frameset + cockpit, size 56, in Satin Quicksilver for €3499 + €300 delivery and insurance. Just what I was looking for – a true dream bike!
After a few calls and emails, I got the leasing company to order the frameset for me. Things were moving really slow, and after about a week, I got a message from buycycle.com (through the leasing company) that there were some scratches on the frame not in the original ad. I tried to get some discount, but after waiting for a response, I decided to pull the trigger and just order it.
For some reason, the frame had to be ordered to the leasing firm’s headquarters in Espoo, but that was not a problem at all. After all, I was going to get my ultimate dream bike within budget, right?
So eventually, the frame did arrive on the 1st of November, packed really well in an old TV box. The mentioned scratches on the frame were nothing, and all looked awesome. It’s time to start looking for a groupset, and Black Friday is coming soon. I was thinking of going with the newer 12s SRAM Force because of true wireless, but the availability was poor with no discounts. So, I went with the 12s Ultegra instead.
At the end of November, having had the frame almost a month, I started to notice all kinds of little details that did not match what I was seeing on Trek’s promo images, reviews, or the [dream bike build videos](https://youtu.be/SeXyuZPLrVs?si=SBD7pY2oKbpiz8VJ) on YouTube.
First, it was the seatpost that had a different system than it should. Then, I noticed these small painted “fast forward” gold/bronze details missing all over the frame and handlebars too.
When I finally noticed that the fork had a different serial number in the ad than what mine was, I knew there’s something going on.
Luckily, I found a Finnish Trek customer service number, called, and explained the situation, asking if they could help me know if the frame was the real deal or not. The very helpful customer service guy asked me to take some photos all over the frame and send them to him directly, and so I did. Later the same day, I got the answer: the frame is fake. I think I even found the [actual manufacturer](https://www.carbonbikeframe7.com/fi/trek-madone-slr-gen7-carbon-fiber-road-bicycle-frame-grey-1615), or at least mine matches it perfectly.
So now what? Of course, I already got all the other parts waiting but no frame to build anymore. Also, it took a month to unwind all through the leasing company and buycycle.com and finally to send the bike back to the Netherlands.
Because there were so many steps between me and the seller, I was not that worried about being scammed and losing my money. After all, it was the leasing company who bought the frame, and they have insurances. They used a credit card to buy it, which has some protection. Buycycle.com also has buyer’s protection, so I was kind of safe here.
Finally, Trek customer service offered to help me get a proper, real Madone from a local dealer here in Finland, and things have started to turn right. Last week they did me a bike fit (turns out 54 suits me better), and everything is now ready to be ordered once the situation with the fake frame is finally over. Have to say it’s the customer service that really has made my day again and again.
Also, good I did not ride the bike and risked questionable quality.
Now when I look at the images I took, the giveaways seem pretty obvious, but still, it took me a month to realize I’ve been scammed.
TLDR; Bought a dream bike frame from a private seller that turns out to be fake. Returned the fake and got really good customer service from Trek and all the companies involved.
by sirmrharry