HJC Build Quality/ Advice

[brooker81]

Bought a helmet few weeks back used it twice and the foccing things is falling to bits pieces flew off on ride last night should i contact the seller(ebay) or go straight to HJC i'm not happy at all.

[devilsyam]

Warranty will be with hjc but if reputable ebay seller may just swap it out but never liked them anyway to plastic looking

[sinto]

I've had a HJC helmet for years with no hassles what so ever and mates have had them too with no problems that I'm aware off.
First port of call is always your seller, send pics etc of the problem etc
Then if you don't get any joy contact HJC direct.

[brooker81]

It came from a shop in Bristol. Biker Cove. Not sure if its reputable or not in all honesty.Luke u know of it?

[fazersharp]

Had 1 hjc for 12 years no probs and now a hjc is17 for past 1 year no probs only done about 1500 miles in though

I remember now yours then is the is17 too but in lorenzo, so what exactly has fallen off

[brooker81]

the right hand rear spoiler is missing and the centre piece is coming loose also only seems to be taped on!!!!! Not good at all. Well unhappy.

[fazersharp]

Mine seems still well stuck on. Before I brought it I googled and googled and dont remember any issues with that.Try goolgeing for it and see if anyone else has the problem. Email to hjc with pictures and a New spoiler and new sticky tape perhaps, or back to ebay seller for a refund and a different make/model some where else.
We did speak about buying a lid on ebay without first trying it on but this is another reason it may not be a good idea, I got mine from J&S Accessories in person.

[John Silva]

I've got a HJC IS17 and had it about a year with no problems.
I live in Bristol and have never heard of Biker Cove.
But as you brought it from eBay it might be just an eBay name they use to sell their gear.
First port of call is to go back to the seller and ask if they will replace or refund.

[brooker81]

My bad its in gloucester not bristol. Its on bristol road dooohh. Seemed fine when deliveried evrything seemed tight and well fixed used 2 times and this the ebay seller has said it can be repaired but if i'm honest i dont want a repair, want a new item or a full refund i don't like the tought of item being shipped all over the place as more damage may occur to the helmet. HJC in france where not much help and the uk supplier just told me to take it up with the Uk distributer.  Why is nothing ever easy??

[fazersharp]

i don't like the tought of item being shipped all over the place as more damage may occur to the helmet.

This would be by worry too and is one reason I prefer to buy from a shop as it cuts out a transit. Also through an ebay seller or distance seller you do not know how many times that helmet has been sent there and back - returned for not fitting just like you were going to do if it did not fit

[brooker81]

This would be by worry too and is one reason I prefer to buy from a shop as it cuts out a transit. Also through an ebay seller or distance seller you do not know how many times that helmet has been sent there and back - returned for not fitting just like you were going to do if it did not fit   

Very true. Im pretty sure the boxed was sealed from manufacture but as u say may have been opened. Pissed me right off.

[devilsyam]

Send it back for refund - I have bought for them before was going to say there in gloss nice fella
You have rights under seller law as not fit for purpose if you have the receipt tell then you will return for full refund make sure you send it tracked

[fazed]

+1 on taking it back to the seller as the contract is between you & them not the manufacturer....Look up the sale of goods act (as amended ) where it defines what is 'merchantable quality' and 'fit for purpose' then you can talk from a position of knowledge and not be fobbed off....

[brooker81]

Asked for refund got told send item back and they will send item to oxford (motorcycle products HJC reseller for uk) they will look at helmet and see if can be repaired not being funny don't want a repaired helmet or a helmet that has been shipped all across the UK what a joke.

[mickvp]

I would say you have grounds to demand a refund under trading standards law. you are allowed a "reasonable period" of time in which to assess the quality of a product before you have legally "accepted" the goods. just message the seller and say you have rejected the goods as they are not fit for purpose. you havent made any alterations to the helmet, so you should be covered in this regard, you do not need to accept a repair:

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/glos/con1item.cgi?file=*ADV1024-1011.txt

[brooker81]

Nice one mickvp. Hopefully it won't come to that. Ebay seem to be backing me up on the item fingers crossed I will get a full refund then I will buy from nearby shop and agv again. Joke of a company bikercove.

[tex]

If you brought  it from eBay,  and payed  with paypal open a case, I think you are guaranteed a refund

[fazersharp]

not being funny don't want a repaired helmet or a helmet that has been shipped all across the UK what a joke.

Too right !

I will get a full refund then I will buy from nearby shop

Sorry but we did try and warn you off from buying a lid this way----- I know at the time it was mainly about "what if it dont fit".

In any correspondence to the seller use the ebay messaging system and that way ebay/paypal can see what you and they have said and it will aid any refund decision. Yep open a case paypal will refund but once they see that a case has been open they should then refund. After all wont they just send it to to oxford and get it repaired and then sell on.

I think Nick Chrisp used to work for oxford and he had the is17 but changed it to the RASP10 or whatever is the next one up.

I must of tried on about 10 helmets to find the perfect fit for my pin head till my ears were sore I am happy with my is17

[brooker81]

I know i know was happy with the helmet until it started falling to bits im going back to my trusty AGV until i cant get to J&S and get something from there.

[Phil]

Ask Jorge what he did.


http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2015/03/30/lorenzo-i-lost-half-of-my-vision/172975 

[fazersharp]

Thats not a good advert for the lids is it

[crickleymal]

I've recently bought a HJC TR1 from Fowlers in Bristol. Much quieter than my previous LS2 helmet but on mine the chin vent flap is loose. There should be two pins securing it but one was broken when I got it home. TBH it doesn't matter as I always have the chin vent open but it isn't a good advert for quality.

[Hedgetrimmer]

I can't comment on ebay/paypal stuff as I don't know much about it. Personally, I would never buy a helmet online, even if I tried it in a shop first. I would buy the one I physically tried on. If I tried one on from the shop shelf, I'd still want to try one they brought out from the back that had never been out of it's box before buying.

Yes, Oxford Products are the UK distributor for HJC. No, I wouldn't be too pleased about having a helmet sent back and forth for repairs either. Many helmets use a double-sided tape to affix top vents, and I have seen them come loose before. My carbon RPHA10 was in show stock due to a loose/cracked top vent. Put a new one on, and it's now fine.

I didn't like the IS-17 because I found it directed a stream of air straight into my eyes. I'm not the only person to have found this, but others seem to get on just fine with it.

I have physically examined Lorenzo's helmet at first hand and it is exactly the same as one you or I would buy off the shelf except for a mod they have done to fit a drinking tube. They would have removed and slightly modified the EPS and comfort liner to achieve this. I would say that Lorenzo's helmet technician might have done a better job to ensure that it was race-ready, but things fail now and again. That's just the way things are. I do not say that HJC are the best helmets in the world, but I am very happy with the RPHA10 - I've had 3 now, crashed in two, they fit me beautifully, are quiet, and reduce buffeting to a minimum. My first one seemed quieter than my last two, but still not bad.

I have worked in shops selling many different brands of helmet over the years: Shoei, Arai, HJC, Suomi, LS2, Box, AGV, Lazer, Roof, etc etc. I don't think HJC are particularly bad - IMO. If you think otherwise, then  fair enough, steer clear. I can only give MY opinion.

I no longer work for Oxford Products, so have no vested interest in promoting that company. I left cos there were things I didn't like about them, and for many other reasons too, but this wouldn't affect whether or not I bought HJC.

I was put off AGV by mickey-mouse vents, but that was some time ago, and they might have improved by now. I don't know if they'd fit me as well as my current helmets do.

I used to like Shoei and Arai (I seemed to be one of very few people who got a decent fit in both - I must have a plasticine head  ), but I only had one Shoei and 3 or 4 Arais - I can't justify spending that much on a helmet now. No, I don't think my head is worth it! 

[brooker81]

Thanks for all the info nick. I'm happy with the HJC in fit look and value for money i was just unhappy with the build quality maybe it was beacuse i bought the entry level model. I'm happy to look at buying HJC again but will go for the next model up the RPHA10as you have. I just couldnt stress enough to the company i bought from that i didnt want a repair done not because i didnt trust the repair i dont trust the fact that it wouldnt be dropped/bumped in transit. All i got from the company was how do we know u havent just dropped the helmet and know want a new replacement cheeky foccers. So i'd rather have a refund from them and take my buisness elsewhere.

[Hedgetrimmer]

Just some musings on the subject - I do after all have too much time on my hands 

Personally, for the given reason above, I don't like the IS-17. Other than that reason, it seemed like a good helmet. I still have mine as a spare. I don't like the RPHA-ST (with the drop-down sunvisor). The sun-visor mechanism seems a bit cheap and nasty, and they have changed the shell shape from the standard RPHA to accommodate it which says to me aerodynamics, fit etc will have changed too; not to mention weight. Having said that, I've never used one out on a bike, so....?

Companies deal with many customers who like to try it on - and I don't mean just the helmet! Conversely, us customers deal with companies who like to try it on. Keep a balance in your mind, don't jump to instant conclusions - sometimes we can only learn by personal experience, good or bad. I will one day buy a helmet that disappoints me again, I'm sure. Just happy with what I've got for now.

Just some info on how it all worked at Oxford's:
Shops will clear helmets back to the distributor if they have not sold or wish to replace them with a new product. At Oxford's, part of my job was to examine the helmets so returned, to determine their fate. If I was VERY happy that they were as new, I'd put them back to stock for resale as a new item. If I suspected that they had been show items on a dealer's shelf, but otherwise were in perfect nick, they'd go to show stock for sale at a hefty discount at the BMF or such. If I so much as found a loose hair or bit of dandruff in them, they wouldn't be sent by me back to new stock. That was my PERSONAL standard.

Helmets would get sent back and forth to dealers for repairs. Now Oxford's run a loan helmet service for customers who's helmet is away for repair. I wouldn't like this myself, but I think I'd give it one chance. If I was at all unhappy with how this worked out, it'd be a case of never again!

Oxford's do this because they lose a lot of money over replacing helmets with the most minor, repairable "faults", but also, because they got fed up with dealers trying it on. In some ways, Oxford's shoot themselves in the foot over this by allowing dealers to return almost anything for any reason - economics dictates sometimes you have to keep a good customer onside. But remember that ALL dealers say that you cannot return a helmet after it leaves the shop unless you have found a genuine fault with it - you must make sure it is right for you before you part with your hard-earned. This doesn't really work for us as the buying customer/end-user, as you may find something that isn't exactly a fault, but isn't right for you when you actually ride a bike with the helmet on; e.g. the wind-in-the-eyes problem I have with my IS-17. But what's the solution?

Good companies work with their customers to provide a satisfactory outcome, but when customers sometimes take the piss the same as bad companies might, what do you do?

I think what I'm saying is, you can't generalise, you must be reasonable, use common sense. We all are disappointed from time to time. Know when to invoke your rights, and when to accept things aren't quite perfect. But don't buy helmets online. "Oh but my mate always buys his online, and he never has these problems". So do you think that will always be the case with everyone, every time? Using a shop that you can physically go back to, to discuss issues face-to-face seems an infinitely better way of doing things in my view. (Not digging at anyone here btw, just hoping some of my experience from both sides of the counter may be of some use    ).

Hope you get it sorted to your satisfaction brooker