I have two questions. Here is the tl;dr version:

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1. Are there consumer laws in Germany protecting consumers after the original warranty of their goods has expired? In the U.S., most states have a “Uniform Commercial Code”, which [guarantees that consumer products are free of substantial defects and will function properly for a reasonable period of time](https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/05/the-word-on-warranty-protection/index.htm). Is there something comparable in Germany?
2. Do these laws apply to purchases originating in Germany in the buyer lives abroad?

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The longer version is this: I live in Japan and in late 2017 bought a racing bicycle from Canyon, which is a direct-to-consumer firm based out of Koblenz. Last month, the crankset failed suddenly while I was riding.

https://preview.redd.it/efjrnplalv591.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9eb2640e6837a80c4d3231a6824484173a5e8d52

Cranksets should basically never fail – it could easily cause an extremely serious accident. I also paid significantly more for this specific crankset make (Shimano Ultegra), as I had hoped to use this bike for an extended period and Shimano had a reputation for making extremely reliable parts.

I have since found out that this particular crankset has an extremely high failure rate (cf. [this article](https://www.bikeradar.com/features/shimano-crank-failure/), [this analysis](https://www.hambini.com/shimano-crankset-failures-an-engineering-analysis/), or [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj__lexd_BI) if you’re interested) – something I was not aware of when I purchased the bicycle. Understandably, I’m not very happy with this situation, as I have had to replace the most expensive part of the bicycle about a year before I was planning to retire it.

I have already contacted the local Canyon representatives in Japan, and they have zero interest in helping me, as both the bike and the crankset are past the 2-year warranty. I have also tried to contact the parts manufacturer, but I haven’t been successful since Shimano have no consumer-facing customer service in Japan (which is very odd, since that’s where they’re based). Canyon has argued that they’re not liable, since they didn’t make the part that failed. I disagree, since I didn’t buy a crankset direct from Shimano – I bought a finished bicycle from Canyon.

So are there any German laws I can avail of? And would these laws apply to mail-order purchases that originate in Germany? Canyon is a direct-to-consumer manufacturer/retailer, so they’re selling their bikes from Koblenz to customers around the world. Therefore, are their customers covered by German consumer protections? I ask because I often order things from the U.K., and in these cases my purchases are protected both by British and local laws.

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

1 comment
  1. If the warranty expired, and the manufacturer doesn’t offer an extended warranty, you’re SOL. Even if you still had warranty on the product: after one year you need to proof that the product already had the defect when you bought it.

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