Mike Flaherty (owner of Atomlab) is the biggest flake ever. Not only did my Aircorp pedals fail on me and fall apart, but now Atomlab won't even return my calls with warranty concerns. I even work at a shop, and stupid Mike Flaherty won't even return calls from the shop. And what makes it even worse is that the "company" phone number is actually his home phone number. For christ's sake, what the hell is wrong with this company? It really pisses me off, and this isn't the first time I've had problems dealing with them. Me no happy. :angry:
I hate Atomlab
- Thread starter dexterq20
- Start date
I had a question about my hub, and had to e-mail because I couldn't find a number. Took a few weeks to get back to me, but he did finally get back to me. I don't know the reason for the delay -- not a huge company but they have enough product out there to be a lot quicker on the customer support.
ive heard nothing but bad things about atom lab
I have had the same problems and they sure know how to make the products high priced.
the other week at the Chile Challenge in Angel fire, 2 friends of mine, two of which had the aircorp pedals, they simply stopped moving, the bearings froze up in one and the other was just totally gone, Thank god i ducked out of getting their ballistic pedals!!
Yeah, atomlab pedals are notorious for bearing/bushing issues, and their cs is terrible. My friends trailkings just froze up yesterday, but his trailpimps have seen massive abuse and there still in good shape. Well, at least their products have cool names, ill give them that.
Try this:
Go onto atomlab site and place an order for parts. Tell Mike you need to get in touch there. That isn't perfect. But, I'll bet he checks orders...
I've had Trailpimps and they did explode. Mike fixed em pretty quick though. I've got Trailkings now w/o a problem. Sux your pedals broke. They aren't ideal. But I've yet to ride anything that feels as good.
Go onto atomlab site and place an order for parts. Tell Mike you need to get in touch there. That isn't perfect. But, I'll bet he checks orders...
I've had Trailpimps and they did explode. Mike fixed em pretty quick though. I've got Trailkings now w/o a problem. Sux your pedals broke. They aren't ideal. But I've yet to ride anything that feels as good.
dude, i feel your pain. I loved the design of the AL pedals. The stuck to my shoes soo well, too well sometimes. But they crapped out.
I found a pedal that works just as well and they were only about $60.
http://www.tiogausa.com/products/pedals.html THE BLACK ONES.
They have a nice concave surface and numerous set screws. You have to pick your foot OFF the pedal if your not set just right. You just can slide your foot around on the pedal.
F atom lab!
joel
I found a pedal that works just as well and they were only about $60.
http://www.tiogausa.com/products/pedals.html THE BLACK ONES.
They have a nice concave surface and numerous set screws. You have to pick your foot OFF the pedal if your not set just right. You just can slide your foot around on the pedal.
F atom lab!
joel
I'll never buy anything else from Atomlab. I had some those crappy Aircorp rims. The spokes started pulling through the rim. Never again...
Looks like a Wellgo B27, which is rebranded by heaps of companies. Albeit this tioga model has speed holes, and lots of them.joel hester said:
Great pedal! Get yourself a B27 cheap (who cares which brand it has), for the money you can't go wrong.
ya...I have a set of those Tioga's on my bike and they rock. They are pretty frekkin' solid! I've smacked the hell out of them and they are still going strong - longest lasting flat pedals I've ever used.joel hester said:
dexterq20 said:
Acadian, What kind of bike do you ride, When I was down at snowshoe a couple of weeks ago i was talking to a guy that had his pedals fall apart too, they were just split down the middle and fell right off the spindle. Just wondering if it was you?
I ride a 04 Turner DHR.manhattanprjkt83 said:
I didn't go to Snowshoe thou.
somebody should send this link to atomlab.
Knuckle
Knuckle
this is only one of many "I hate A.L." threads I've read online.Knuckleslammer said:
Then we're agreed.... no-one will EVER buy anything from them again
sh*t talkin once again huh. Check this out, Mike Flaherty happens to be a pretty good guy. Now i'm not sure on your relationship with him but why would you go and complain about someone on the computer cause he won't return your phone calls? Mike trys very hard to run his company by himself, sure it might not be the easiest way to do it but give the guy a break. Majority of the people that ride his products don't have problems. I have been running his products for years now and I have never had any of these problems that your talking about. You need to take care of your products. It's like your car, every 3000 miles you change your oil, you ride your dirt bike, you bring it home, you wash it, clean the filter, lube the chain, etc... Everytime I read a post from you it always has something degrading in it. For once, before you go and talk sh*t on something that you yourself have never tried or been involved in keep it to yourself. If you were calling me and nagging at me to replace your products cause "you were just riding up and down your driveway and they broke" I would be doing the same thing. Mike has a life outside of answering and returning phone calls of that nature. Mike puts so much time and effort into his products so that you can better yourself as a rider and hopefully make something of yourself other than being a person that sits behind a computer and talks sh*t. Lay off the haterade and maybe someday you'll be a better person. I love you all,dexterq20 said:
zeE deviL
That's great, fine and dandy. However, "weeks" is not an acceptable turnaround time for customer service.dirtdevil said:
The pedals are notorious for problems. You have to know that.
That's absurd. It's fine if he wants to have a life outside of the company, but that's not justification for enormous delays in customer service. That's the REASON for the delays, but if he wants to have his life, then he has to expect posts about how long it takes for him to get back to people.
I don't want to sound like an asshole, but he's running a business. People have the right to expect a certain amount of C.S. and certain turn around times for questions/problems. If he can't deliver, then people have the right to report it. If he doesn't like it, he needs to do something about it - like hire someone, or stop selling more product than he can support.
You shouldn't have to rebuild pedals every month. For that kind of money, bearings should last a LONG time. My shimano 646 lasted 3 seasons and I handed them down to my buddy who is still rocking them. My time Z's are on their second season with no maintenance. I take care of my stuff, but expensive pedals should hold up to a lot of abuse.dirtdevil said:
Dirt Devil is right.... Atomic is a one man show right now... And it isn't the easiest thing to do on your own. Just think if you had to run the shop you work at and take care of everything there yourself... Not that easy...
John, I put down the Haterade long enough to read your interview Decline... It was actually a pretty good read..
Brian
John, I put down the Haterade long enough to read your interview Decline... It was actually a pretty good read..
Brian
at the current rate, he'll be back to his roots in no time and able to handle the entire business by himself ...
...with 3 or 4 customers.
...with 3 or 4 customers.
So your saying that just because they cost "alot" of money they should last longer. How much does a mercedes cost? 80-100,000$ Do you not have to tune it up? Try it maybe I am wrong. Go through and check your bike after every ride like I do, it helps. I sure as heck don't want to show up somewhere not knowing if my bike is gonna fail or not. Atomlab makes a new one piece pedal that works really well. check it out unless you have totally given up hope. :evil:buildyourown said:
Dirt Devil - I've gone through 3 pairs of Atom Lab pedals - two pairs of Trailkings & one pair of Aircorps - on all three the bearing has fallen apart in less than six months - THAT I could deal with - what I CANNOT deal with is the fact that my LBS tried to contact Atomlabs repeatedly (both by phone & email) and NEVER gotten a response - one pair of pedals they simply swapped for me and took the loss - I have REAPEATEDLY called, emailed and tried to order replacement bearings online from his website - I have never received a response of any kind
I could care less if it's a one man company - Push Industries when I first used Darren's service was also a one-man business - and he got the job done FAST - he responded to any phone calls or emails in a prompt manner - and the many friends I've sent to Push since have received the same treatment - THAT is what customer service is like!
if Atomlabs can't handle his business single-handedly - it makes you wonder why he can't hire another person or two? - it's not like there aren't people who would love to work in the bike industry....
one person, working one day a week returning customer & LBS calls and emails would make a big difference
it is NOT "sh*t-talking when the facts support - I don't know ANYBODY who has gotten fast customer service from Atomlabs (and I actually don't know anybody who's actually even got ANY customer service at all!)
I could care less if it's a one man company - Push Industries when I first used Darren's service was also a one-man business - and he got the job done FAST - he responded to any phone calls or emails in a prompt manner - and the many friends I've sent to Push since have received the same treatment - THAT is what customer service is like!
if Atomlabs can't handle his business single-handedly - it makes you wonder why he can't hire another person or two? - it's not like there aren't people who would love to work in the bike industry....
one person, working one day a week returning customer & LBS calls and emails would make a big difference
it is NOT "sh*t-talking when the facts support - I don't know ANYBODY who has gotten fast customer service from Atomlabs (and I actually don't know anybody who's actually even got ANY customer service at all!)
Atom Lab used to be Atomic Industries or something a few years ago and all their products were hand made in the USA. A few years ago they slightly changed the name and ever since the quality has gone to poo. maybe someone can elaborate on this but i think this is basically what happened. I don't know however if ownership changed hands when the name changed a little bit...
Mike is a busy guy, heck it is hard even for me to get a hold of him every once in a while. I'll go out of my way and do you guys a favor. I am going to talk to him later this week and I will bring up the fact that you guys are bummed. I will see what I can do and try to get him to return some calls. I know he has been out of the country for the past month so maybe that is the reason for him not getting back to you.
From a pure engineering standpoint if the product is known to fail and hasn't been changed in 3 years there's something wrong. Even if the faiure rate is only 20% or less, when failure means people have to call the company and deal with customer service, rather it be good or bad, then the product needs to be revised. I've never seen so many problem threads about one specific brand of pedal as I have atomlab. Come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen any other pedal take an online bashing, pedals are simple, if they cost more than $90 people get really pissed off when they blow after 6 months. If the cost was a more reasonable $55 I'd bet most of the negativism would go away. If the cost can't be dropped that much then the quality should justify the price. I predict atomlab's market presence will decline sharply in the next few years unless they can improve their product and/or customer service at whatever cost.
I try to support the little guy. Craig at Avy. DW and the boys at Evil. etc., etc. Grassroots companies are what make the biking industry great. BUT, being a small outfit does not give you free pass to treat your customers like sh*t. This includes completely ignoring them. This Mike is probably a cool guy, and no doubt a busy guy, but he's going to become a vilified guy if he doesn't come correct. I'm not talking about sending out free goods whenever something breaks, I'm talking about the common courtesy of responding to the customer, be it an LBS or an individual. If you don't have time, make time or get help. The future of your brand depends on it.
I own lots of Atom Lab stuff and I have never had a problem with it, in fact, I've been quite happy with it. One of the things I like is the fact that it IS a small company. I want them to succeed. But I know that I, along with a lot of other people who read this thread, will think twice about buying Atom Lab the next time I bust out the check book - simply because I want my purchase decision to be appreciated.
end of rant.
I own lots of Atom Lab stuff and I have never had a problem with it, in fact, I've been quite happy with it. One of the things I like is the fact that it IS a small company. I want them to succeed. But I know that I, along with a lot of other people who read this thread, will think twice about buying Atom Lab the next time I bust out the check book - simply because I want my purchase decision to be appreciated.
end of rant.
This is Mike from Atomlab. Let me clear a few things up. First, this is a one man operation. I bust my ass day in and day out. If you go to the Atomlab website and go to the warranty info section you will notice that it says to go to your shop or direct to one of our distributors for warrantees. It then says to e-mail Atomlab directly only if that doesn't get you any results.
I'm not sure when dexterq20 tried to call me, but if he would have contacted a distributor or e-mailed me at mike@atomlab.com or warranty@atomlab.com, I would have gotten back to him by now. I haven't gotten any messages from him on my phone. The last time he had a problem I gave him my home phone number. How many companies would do that?
There are a number of reasons why some of the customer service has been slow. Sometimes it is due to me being buried, sometimes it is due to having to wait for parts from machine shops, sometimes it is just a matter of miscommunication - but it is never a case of me not caring. The fact is, the people who complain the loudest are usually the ones who don't have the patience to contact a distributor or use my warranty e-mail. I'm sorry I don't have the infrastructure to support a more elaborate warranty system, but I am working on it. In the meantime, it is best to follow the steps listed in the warranty section of the website. The majority of people who need warranty parts follow these steps and have parts sent out to them within days. They are just not as motivated to post about it because it is not a big deal.
I understand that there are a lot of people who have bearing issues with our pedals. The fact is, our pedals feel better because they are thin. This means we have to use smaller bearings. This also means if you want a pedal that is this thin and stable, you will need to replace your bearings every once in a while. The bearings will generally last 6 months to 2 years depending on how often you smash your bike onto its side by dropping it or having to toss it when you bail. If you slam your bike onto its side a lot, you may need to replace your bearings more often. We replace a lot of bearings at no charge and you can purchase replacement bearings on our website for $3. That's hardly a major inconvenience or cost.
Just so you know, the bearings we use are the same ones used in Easton, Tioga, Azonic, and many other pedals. We don't put extra cheap bearings in, people just have extra high expectations. I have higher expectations as well and I am switching all of our pedals over to a new bearing system that uses two DU bushings and no precision bearings. DU bushings last for years under the worst conditions and the most you need to do is replace an O-ring occassionally. The o-ring can be found at any hardware store.
I am not trying to make excuses or claim that Atomlab doesn't have some problems with its warranty program. I am simply saying that if you have a problem, take a deep breath and follow the warranty procedures. If you still don't get things taken care of to your satisfaction, e-mail me at mike@atomlab.com and I will do my best to take care of you.
Atomlab has gone through a lot of growing pains. Regardless of my commitment or the massive sacrifice and effort I have put into this company, there have been issues that have slipped through the cracks. If anyone out there has any outstanding warranty issues, e-mail me and let me know what your problem is and I will try to get it sorted out. If you just need some replacement parts, place an order through the online store - 90% of the time I can ship within a day or two.
Believe it or not, I too feel your pain. -Mike
I'm not sure when dexterq20 tried to call me, but if he would have contacted a distributor or e-mailed me at mike@atomlab.com or warranty@atomlab.com, I would have gotten back to him by now. I haven't gotten any messages from him on my phone. The last time he had a problem I gave him my home phone number. How many companies would do that?
There are a number of reasons why some of the customer service has been slow. Sometimes it is due to me being buried, sometimes it is due to having to wait for parts from machine shops, sometimes it is just a matter of miscommunication - but it is never a case of me not caring. The fact is, the people who complain the loudest are usually the ones who don't have the patience to contact a distributor or use my warranty e-mail. I'm sorry I don't have the infrastructure to support a more elaborate warranty system, but I am working on it. In the meantime, it is best to follow the steps listed in the warranty section of the website. The majority of people who need warranty parts follow these steps and have parts sent out to them within days. They are just not as motivated to post about it because it is not a big deal.
I understand that there are a lot of people who have bearing issues with our pedals. The fact is, our pedals feel better because they are thin. This means we have to use smaller bearings. This also means if you want a pedal that is this thin and stable, you will need to replace your bearings every once in a while. The bearings will generally last 6 months to 2 years depending on how often you smash your bike onto its side by dropping it or having to toss it when you bail. If you slam your bike onto its side a lot, you may need to replace your bearings more often. We replace a lot of bearings at no charge and you can purchase replacement bearings on our website for $3. That's hardly a major inconvenience or cost.
Just so you know, the bearings we use are the same ones used in Easton, Tioga, Azonic, and many other pedals. We don't put extra cheap bearings in, people just have extra high expectations. I have higher expectations as well and I am switching all of our pedals over to a new bearing system that uses two DU bushings and no precision bearings. DU bushings last for years under the worst conditions and the most you need to do is replace an O-ring occassionally. The o-ring can be found at any hardware store.
I am not trying to make excuses or claim that Atomlab doesn't have some problems with its warranty program. I am simply saying that if you have a problem, take a deep breath and follow the warranty procedures. If you still don't get things taken care of to your satisfaction, e-mail me at mike@atomlab.com and I will do my best to take care of you.
Atomlab has gone through a lot of growing pains. Regardless of my commitment or the massive sacrifice and effort I have put into this company, there have been issues that have slipped through the cracks. If anyone out there has any outstanding warranty issues, e-mail me and let me know what your problem is and I will try to get it sorted out. If you just need some replacement parts, place an order through the online store - 90% of the time I can ship within a day or two.
Believe it or not, I too feel your pain. -Mike
I had to replace the bearings in 1 of my pedals after about 18 months of use and order some via the website. I had a reply about 24 hours later from Mike and got the stuff within a week of ordering.I may be in the minority but I have had good luck with the Atomlab stuff I have ( hub,stem, rims, pedals etc) and havent had any issues when I needed something.
Thanks auntesther. You are not in the minority, but there are clearly too many people who haven't been taken care of as well as I would like. Hopefully this link will help get some of them taken care of.
J
James
Guest
Give Mike a little break. He is responsible for everything over there. Granted, he can't get back to everybody as quickly as we all would like, but he will eventually take care of you. Although it is a huge pain in the but, stay on top of the situation and he will hook you up!! Good Luck!!
Wow, in the amount of time it took Mike to type that reply he could have warrantied 5 sets of pedals, including the set that my teammate Tyler Jorgenson broke almost 2 years ago and still has not gotten a replacement set. We saw Mike at Interbike last year and he was writing names and addresses of people who came up to ask about their warranty status and said he would take care of it as soon as he got back. Still waiting... My point, just like complaining about a company on the internet will most likely get you nowhere, a company owner defending himself on the internet will get him nowhere. Changing your customer service habits and standing behind your products, now that will get you noticed.
Have Tyler e-mail me. You may not have noticed, but I am not defending myself so much as trying to tell people how to get their warrantees taken care of. The majority of people who follow our warranty instructions get very quick service. Most of the people who complain didn't follow the instructions. If Tyler did slip through the cracks for some reason, have him e-mail me. There were a lot of changes that took place after Interbike 2 years ago and those changes caused a lot of problems. I still have a few pair of pedals here from that time with no return address and I have a few others that were returned to me as undeliverable. I would be more than glad to follow up with Tyler.
Does this thread look like its turning into the old thread on MTBR "Everyone Vs. Tony Ellsworth" because it does to me