Thursday 6 December 2018

A Disappointing Experience With Revology Bike Shop - Flawed Dash Cam Installation Before Breaking My Fairing

Updated 2nd April 2019 -



Time tells everything, and the truth prevails.  



Why I Remained Silent All These While

Ever since the case about my darling Ducati 899 Panigale being damaged by Revology Bikes was before the State Courts, where the first and second mediation session that took place on 25th February 2019 and 11th March 2019 were attended by Revology Bikes and myself, no discussion or comments about it should be made by any individual, especially in public, relating to guilt or facts that have not been established by Court.

pc: seoclerks

In our current day and age where social media is such a powerful tool that could rapidly amplify opinions on ongoing court cases, our Government has introduced a Bill to spell out when posts/comments are deemed in contempt of Court by dint of prejudicing the outcome of the case. 


There Is A Time To Speak, And A Time To Hold Your Peace

The curb is only lifted when the court proceedings have been concluded, which in this case, would be the Hearing that occurred on the 29th March 2019, when the judge has passed a verdict after both parties have presented their case and evidences which ultimately enabled the fact to be reconstructed, and Justice upheld.




State Courts Verdict Out

After holding my peace steadily for the past 5 weeks with full respect that the Court was handling this case, it's time to break the silence with the Judge's final verdict:

Revology Bikes is hereby ORDERED by the State Courts to pay for all costs pertaining to the damages they incurred to my motorcycle by the 12th April 2019, failing which an enforcement of the Court Order will be made. 



A simple dispute like this could and should have been settled amicably out of Court if the responding parties valued the importance of responsibility and business ethics. 
 
When we as consumers trust you with our vehicles, please don’t abuse our trust. If you made a mistake, please honour it and take responsibility for it. 

Simple as that.



With the conclusion derived by the State Court about this dispute that should have never began in the first place, I hope it helps to silence all rumours and bring clarity to any speculations.


Revology Bikes Made Compensation As Per Court Order

Revology Bikes have made the necessary compensation promptly, and also shared with me their plans to implement new measures that could help improve in areas they found lacking.

I'm glad to see them finally taking this incident seriously, and also as a valuable lesson in hope to move forward positively from hereon.


As this case comes to a closure, I hope that the whole process has served as a good learning experience to everyone out there (business owner or consumer), and a gentle reminder to work with integrity, for your name is your greatest asset.


Thank you to all those who stood by me through this whole period since the very beginning till the end, those who shared the same values and believed in me, you know who you are...., and to the sponsors/clients whom I've worked with, thank you also for believing in me through the entire episode.


May we always live and act responsibly, and let us never stop learning.



Updated 28th Dec 2018 -

The Shocking "Compensation" Offer Received From Revology Bikes For Breaking My Bike's Fairing That Reflected Their Severe Lack of Integrity, Insincerity & Ethics To Me


As you all may know, the fairing of my Ducati 899 Panigale was found damaged by Revology Bikes on the 4th December 2018 during their mechanic's failed attempt of installing their in-house dash cam on my bike.

(In case you missed out on what happened, you may scroll all the way down to read)


Any person with a sense of responsibility and conscience would feel remorseful about damaging someone's else's property, and they would definitely try their best to compensate and/or repair what was broken, do you agree?


Now, for a motorcycle shop handling so many customers property (motorcycles), we as customers would even more so expect them to operate with some basic level of integrity, principals and ethics; that includes the shop serving their customers with the best interest at heart, taking full responsibility for any mistake they caused; be it from the sale of a faulty product to a service glitch, and definitely damages of a customer's motorcycle incurred by them. 




But no, not for Revology Bikes. 

Instead, they displayed zero interest in taking full responsibility for the damages they did to my bike. Worst of all, they basically requested me to lie to the world for it. 

Messages from other unhappy customers of theirs regarding poor servicing to getting faulty products etc started to pour in as well.

Read on to see what I mean. 



Since the day my bike was found damaged by Revology Bikes, not a single phone call was received from them till date.



All I got was a brief message saying sorry for the inconvenience and losses caused, followed by what appeared to be one of the most shocking and insincere offer I have ever received for the damages they caused to my bike. 

ONLY IF I removed my original factual post of what really happened (below), RE-write Revology's mistake of providing a faulty device and breaking my bike's fairing into just a simple "misunderstanding and/or miscommunication" - Only then, will they provide a compensation for the damages they made. 

pc: dinarchronicles

Right there and then, I personally felt that Revology Bikes has some serious integrity issue... 

A mistake, is NOT a misunderstanding. 
A mistake, is NOT a miscommunication. 

How can they ask me to lie to everyone in exchange for a compensation? I could not do that. 




Next, they publicly posted it on their own social media platforms, failing to provide the full picture of why I rejected their offer, which disappointingly might have created the wrong impression that I rejected their offer for monetary reasons - when my reason was that I did not agree to their conditions that I remove the original post and write a new post claiming the issues was a mere misunderstanding as that would be untrue, and therefore I am unable to agree to such conditions.



Following on, I noticed some points that seemed to be twisted. 


No.1 - "suspected to be defective"

The camera unit provided by Revology Bikes is not suspected to be defective, it is defective. It has been proven time and time again that it failed to work and Revology Bikes have been well notified each time. 


No.2 - "within her timeframe...

The time frame of 2 hours was given by Revology Bikes themselves as per the screenshot message before I went down. I waited 4 hours in the end... and they still failed to complete the installation. 


No.3 - "removing all posts containing and/or relating to 'Revology Bikes' across her social media platforms and conclude the current commotion with a new post citing a misunderstanding and/or miscommunication"

What I wrote about my negative experience with Revology Bikes was a true and factual documentation of what exactly happened, hence I do not see a reason why it needs to be removed. Plus, this entire incident is neither a misunderstanding nor miscommunication. 


As per the above screenshots of what some people have said, to which I couldn't agree more.  


No.4 - "we sincerely apologise to the riding community.."

Nope, does not seem sincere to me at all when they just told me to lie to the entire riding community for their mistake, and no way can I accept this in exchange for any kind of compensation due. 


Issuing A Letter of Demand

Subsequently, I personally took time out from my busy work schedule to seek the respective quotations from each and every vendor involved in doing up my entire bike previously, as it seems that Revology Bikes was not keen on doing so.

Via an official letter which was sent to Revology Bikes on 12th December 2018, I told them that if they are sincere about resolving this matter amicably and demonstrating to all their customers and potential customers that they will do the right thing by ensuring their customers' damaged parts are replaced/brought back to the condition when the motorcycle was first brought to their shop, please find attached all the costs (with all the vendors quotations readily available for their cross-check reference) of the replacement parts, the customized paintwork design to be reinstated and ancillary expenses required. 

I just want my chromie baby back to what it was before :..(



However, Revology Bikes did not bother to acknowledge receiving the letter that was couriered over. 


2 days later, I followed up with a call which they missed. 

No further contact was received from Revology Bikes, apart from them sending me one short e-mail saying that they are seeking legal advice. 

pc: 123rf

As of 18th December 2018, it has been half a month since my bike's fairing was found damaged by Revology Bikes and my efforts to resolve this amicably has sadly been unsuccessful. 

I sought their acceptance to take full responsibility for the cost of damages incurred (without imposing unreasonable conditions that affects my integrity), offered to compromise by forgoing my rightful claims on loss of income opportunity (as my bike is not only my main mode of transport but it also represents my livelihood) and hoped to share how they took responsibility for their mistake.



However, Revology Bikes have not been responding promptly, displayed no interest in accepting my offer and as a result, I regret to share that I have no alternative but to pursue legal action against them.

A court date has been set and will update from there. 


Sigh, just when I thought things couldn't get even more disappointing than what I have already experienced, Revology Bikes proved otherwise. 

Like what the party mentioned above as per screenshot, it is true that everyone makes mistakes and through it, we learn and get better as we improve. 

But when one doesn't even want to acknowledge a mistake they made, they rob themselves the opportunity to grow. 



Upon sharing my disappointing experience with Revology Bikes, I was further dismayed to receive messages from multiple of their customers crying out to me about their own negative experiences; 







It is disturbing to know how the biking community could be negatively affected (if true), especially the unsuspecting riders. 


Wouldn't you be worried if you knew you were sending your motorcycle to a shop that isn't going to handle it with care or take responsibility for a faulty job done? 

Would you feel confident about purchasing a product from them knowing that they will turn you down if you faced defects? 


I wouldn't, and never will I patronize a shop like that again. 



Updated 18th Dec 2018 -
It has been 2 weeks since my bike's fairing was found damaged by Revology Bikes and my efforts to resolve this amicably has sadly been unsuccessful. 

I sought their acceptance to take full responsibility for the cost of damages incurred (without imposing unreasonable conditions that affects my integrity), offered to compromise by forgoing my rightful claims on loss of income opportunity (as my bike is not only my main mode of transport but it also represents my livelihood) and hoped to share how they took responsibility for their mistake.

However, Revology Bikes have not been responding promptly, displayed no interest in accepting my offer and as a result, I regret to share that I have no alternative but to pursue legal action against them.



When it comes to product/service reviews, I will write and share about it as it is, from my personal experience, sponsored or not. This is something that I openly inform my clients too before they decide to engage me for an honest review task because this is how I'd like to work with integrity and at the same time keep the promise of credibility to my readers/followers as well.

After all, how can anyone recommend something negative that they receive or experience right?


This time, I'm about to share how a simple dash cam installation kindly offered by a particular bike shop that turned into almost messing up my baby Ducati big time before breaking my fairing.




To my friends, family, and basically everyone else, I've always encouraged having an in-built dash cam installed on your vehicle, whether you're driving or riding.

pc: yahoo!news

Ever since years ago where a couple of shocking fatal accidents recorded on in-built dash cams surfaced on the net, providing full clarity on what exactly happened, the demand for such cameras soared rapidly.

pc: google plus

Key benefits of installing one includes safeguarding yourself against any legal liability in an accident because when everything is recorded, the case is clear; it silences speculations, saves all that finger-pointing and unnecessary arguments.


Also, when other road users are aware that you have a dash cam, they will tend to be more mindful of their actions and be more careful when they drive/ride, encouraging a safer road environment for everyone.


This October, I got my friend a dash cam as a birthday present as I noticed that he didn't have one on his BMW1200GS.



Someone recommended Revology @ Synergy Kaki Bukit to me for the installation as he had a pleasant experience with them when they installed their in-house dash cam on his Yamaha XMAX scooter.

At the same time, I was also thinking, how difficult can a dash cam installation be right?


pc: motoprocam

Connect the DVR unit to a power source, place the DVR in a safe compartment of the vehicle especially if it's not waterproof, locate and securely mount the camera on both front and back of the vehicle with the best view.

That's it.

Any mechanic with adequate experience should be able to do the job.
(Later on, I found out I was wrong).


So off we went to Revology to get the dash cam installed on my friend's BMW1200GS.

It took 4 hours and the installation cost $60. To be honest, I didn't expect camera installations to take that much of a time...


During my visit, Revology introduced their in-house dash cam called AMACAM S860 to me. It boasts to record in 1080p @ 60fps, 130 degree waterproof wide angle lens and supports a memory card of up to 128GB so there's plenty of storage for footage.

Sold by the high specs and being an advocate for onboard dash cams, I swiftly booked an appointment to have the camera installed on my Ducati 899 Panigale.



Ok now back to my friend.

After the long wait, he took his bike, feeling more confident now that he has a second pair of eyes to help keep watch on the roads, he rode off.

pc: youtube/photo for reference only
Barely 5 minutes later, he noticed a warning sign that indicated low-tyre pressure appearing on his dashboard, and...

pc: motorcycleinfo/photo for reference only
his BMW's fog lights were automatically turned on, unable to turn off. So he U-turned, returned to Revology to rectify what went wrong.


Unfortunately, Revology insisted they did not touch his fog light wire or anything else other than connecting the DVR to a power source.

But c'mon, if your bike was fine before the camera installation and right after that, something cocks up, of course we would naturally think the mechanic might have accidentally meddled with a wrong wiring that cause the problem, right?

pc: sgcarmart
Not wanting to spend any more time at Revology (as he has already spent 4 hours) and since they said they didn't touch anything, my friend rode his bike to BMW's official distributor Performance Motors (PML) to get things sorted. The mechanics there then told him that his wiring was indeed tampered on, which caused the fog lights to turn on permanently. Thankfully it was nothing major, they fixed it within minutes and everything was OK.

Still, it did inconvenient my poor friend :(



Next, it's my turn.

On the 18th October, I rode down to Revology to have the AMACAM S860 installed as per my appointment fixed previously.

A little concerned after witnessing my friend's not-so-smooth experience, I asked Revology if their mechanic knows his stuff. They assured me that my chromie darling is in good hands, adding on that their mechanic was previously from Ducati Malaysia.

"The camera installation is actually a very simple process, nothing to worry, we have installed this on many other bikes and has had no reported issues". 



If you know me, I NEVER let just any bike shop or mechanic touch my Ducati. Why? Because not everyone is skilled enough to handle this delicate Italian machine. Simple engine oil or filter change is fine, but for other major Desmo servicing, I only trust Ah Beng from Bikeworkz and Raymond from Bike Harbour.

Camera installation should be easier than engine oil change right? Should be alright.. or so I thought.

Front Camera
After 3 hours or so, the installation of the AMACAM S860 was completed on my Ducati 899 Panigale.

Rear Camera


The DVR unit has a screen with Menu options where you could review the recorded footages/pictures, set the date and time, and other miscellaneous setting. It is not waterproof, so it is placed underneath my seat cover.


Part of the AMACAM S860 is this tiny white button that is placed on the top clamp here, and it's red blinking light indicates that the camera is recording while you are riding.


Ok and we're good to go! I happily rode my bike off.

This is where the problems started. 


The following day, I rode out and noticed the red light button not blinking like it should be. The red light just seems to be permanently on, or completely off, indicating that the camera isn't recording.


I called Revology Bikes up and they advised it could be the SD memory card issue.

Erm, ok.


So I drove down to their shop to get an SD card replacement, thinking this should solve the issue.

Went back home, went to my bike, replaced the SD card and.... the AMACAM still doesn't work!


Checked the DVR unit, the screen doesn't even turn on. It's like really faulty or something.


Again, I called Revology Bikes and they told me I need to format the SD card.

Ok.. whatever to get the device to work, because.. what good does a dash cam with all that impressive specs do if IT DOES NOT RECORD RIGHT?? It would basically be useless.

I reformatted the SD card, and tried again..

This time, the red light is blinking and I thought "great, it's finally working".


Who knew, 3 days later, the camera hung again.

Checked the footage and realized on the days where the red light button was seemingly blinking, the camera actually wasn't recording properly at all! Some clips recorded 0.1 second of footage, some 1 minute, and some 15 minutes. All the footages were jumbled up, and they were not recorded consecutively at all.


Making things more worrying, more than an hour after I've turned my bike off, the camera remained hung in its "turn on" mode (the red light remained on, not blinking). Texted Revology Bikes about this during their operation hours but there was no reply or call from them.

Busy with work and travel, it was pretty tough having to find time to go down to their shop again, and I gotta say their customer service recovery was low.

There was no sense of urgency observed. Almost never any immediate respond or update on the camera issue when reported, sometimes even no reply.

Sigh~

Their regular social media postings are always up which made it more disappointing to see them not take the slightest bit of effort to reply a customer facing an ongoing issue with their faulty device.

1.5 Months Later

On 4th December (this camera issue on since October), I went down to their shop for a device replacement as they suggested I may have unluckily gotten a faulty unit.


After 3 hours, all I saw was my poor Ducati baby stripped open with both my delicate chrome fairing on the ground, wires hanging out, nuts everywhere, and their mechanic looking not one bit sure of what he was doing.

This was supposed to be a very simple camera installation, why did things turn out this way? Which are the other wires of my bike tampered on?

Now it is strongly discouraged to let an inexperienced mechanic meddle with a bike that runs on a lot of electronics because one wiring issue can cause some sensor to go off and result in the bike not working properly.

Revology told me they are still figuring things out because there's some power source issue about my bike that's why they are having trouble installing the AMACAM.

Seriously?

I called up 3 other motorcycle workshops and none felt what Revology said made any sense. If my bike had a power source issue then I wouldn't be able to start it and ride out in the first place.

What do you think?

Upon seeing that their mechanic is clearly not experienced with even the simplest installation of their own in-house dash cam, I tried to maintain a calm face (sorry if I failed to because I was actually fucking upset by now), told them to remove the dash cam, and put everything back like it was before.

Right side fairing gap after collecting bike from Revology Bikes
Having spent almost 4 hours at the shop, I rushed to my next work appointment that was already delayed, and on the way, I noticed my fairing not fitted back properly. There were gaps which never existed.




When I brought it up to Revology, they initially denied responsibility... until I sent them before/after photos of my bike fairing. (I happen to take plenty of photos/videos of my bike every other day so luckily the photos came in handy for you-say-I-say situations like this)

Before bike sent to Revology Bikes

Not cool at all.

pc: the conversation

First, it was my friend's BMW GS1200, and now, my Ducati darling.. sigh...


So I brought my bike down to my trusted workshop to get it checked.


Upon removal of my bike's fairing, to my horror, we discovered that IT IS BROKEN.

Due to the broken part, the fairing is not able to fit properly, causing the gap.

There is a proper way to remove the delicate fairing. When not handled with care or knowledge, forcefully removing it would result in damages like this.



Started up by a pair of young entrepreneur guys about 2 years ago, Revology Bikes is fairly new and though they may have received positive reviews for simple products sold off their shelves, their lack of experience in certain other areas could somewhat be understandable too.

However, what I found unacceptable was their undesirable nonchalant lack of customer service recovery and refusal to admit mistakes that caused frustration to the customer, huge inconvenience after having to go down to their shop 3 times (still) without resolving the issue, and needless to say, much precious time wasted.

Smooth transactions happen when things are handled carefully and correctly, from product, to service. But the trust and reliability of a workshop will be put to the test when we witness how they efficiently and promptly recover something that went wrong.

In this case, I'm sad to say, Revology Bikes has utterly disappointed and under-delivered the trust of service I placed in them :(

I sincerely hope we could all learn from this and genuinely hope no one would encounter such a negative experience with them.


Now, let's figure out how to get my chromie baby back to what it was before..