"The products seem to be okay, but the return is another issue altogether. We received our saddlebags and took them somewhere to have them put on. Unfortunately, they were not a good fit. We contacted them to return them. Supposedly a return label was on the way almost a week ago, along with a refund. Haven't seen either. Robert (not very pleasant) assisted us with the return and was pretty intent on exchanging for something that still would not fit. Based on the return issues, I wouldn't recommend them despite having what appears to be a pretty decent product line. I sure hope I don't have to get the BBB or Attorney General's office involved to resolve our issues.
Update: 3 days later I am asked for the order number (57074-140726) after finally getting a basic email reply with an RMA label dated 8/27 which is incidentally a day after the 30day period. Hmmm... No instructions on what to do with said label. Does FedEx pick up? Do I drop off? Still thinking this is to avoid a refund. I have no way to reply to VikingBagsOfficial other than to edit this response and I will not be publicly posting contact information.
update on 9/10: After returning from vacation, I found that Viking Bags wasted no time in processing my refund. Although there is an obvious disconnect in customer service, they do make good on their products and return guarantees. If you plan on purchasing, the products are fine. Just make sure that what you order will work with your particular bike and you should have no problems."
"The bags look great, I love their shape. I was expecting bags that were more tailored to my bike (Kaw 900 custom). I am disappointed they are a universal fit. I am not that handy with mechanical stuff. If I had misread the description, then it's my fault. But the mounting bolts that came with the package are too long, I had to buy shorter ones that would not make contact with my rear fender. They are very roomy and I love the lock feature. It is taking me a bit to get used to all the velcro that secures the lid of the bags. Not disappointed in the way they look on the bike, though!"
"Ordering was easy and my bags arrived in 2 days."
"I ordered saddle bags and a luggage bag on August 4. Delivery finally showed up on August 19. The main problem was that only the luggage bag showed up. Somehow they forgot to send the main purchase which was the saddle bags. They didn't forget to bill me for it. I paid an extra $99 for UPS delivery for what. "
“Hi Howardjp75,
I looked into your order and from what I can see the tracking numbers on both the saddle bags and the sissy bar bag you ordered show as delivered. Please let us know if you did not receive both items. As for the shipping costs I wish they were not o high. Anytime we ship across boarders there are tariffs and fees involved unfortunately.
Thank you - Devin Harper”
"This is the second set of panniers I've bought from Viking. Both sets were good quality and excellent value for money. "
"The bags don't fit my bike without relocating my turn signals. I missed the banner that said I would need to move them on the page that had all the bags that "fit" my bike. It didn't say in the description that I would need to move them. if it stated that in the description I would not have bought them. they will refund my money but I have to pay return shipping and that is about $50. I asked if the smaller bags would fit without moving the lights. I was told I need to relocate them with any set of bags. Now I have to decide if I want to relocate or take a loss and return the bags. I know I will need to splice the wires to move the lights and that's why I don't want to move them. Its not hard I just don't want to do it. "
“b_c_72,
I apologize about the inconvenience. As you stated, we do clearly state on our website (depending on the bike) that the turn signal relocation kit is required. I will have someone go into the website and make it clearly known that it is something that should be on all postings. if you have not already received a relocation kit, please let me know so i can have that packaged and sent.
-Steven Beltran”
"Fits perfect, and looks great!"
"Very Satisfied. Great Look Great Fit. Ordered Quick Disconnect Mount and they are a breeze to install and remove bags when not needed. Shipping was faster then anticipated and easy to track order"
"They advertised a 10% Sturgis Discount and I didn't get the discount. Still happy with the transaction. I Just received the bag. The material is thicker and tougher than I had thought it would be. Plenty of room. This is an awesome bag at a great price. Thanks Viking Bags. "
"Excellent quality, great price, perfect fit, lightning fast shipping. I'll never get saddlebags from anywhere else again. "
"Fast shipping an Great Product"
"I purchased a set of saddlebags from VikingBags.com for my bride’s Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic. I searched for the bags on the main site page using the “Motorcycle Bag Finder” feature and quickly found a set of bags that looked great at a good price (product #VLX62S). Customer reviews for the bags said they fit great with easy install.
Viking Bags shipped the product on time and it arrived when promised. Upon unpacking, it quickly became apparent the bags would not fit – there wasn’t enough room with the stock placement of the turn signals. If you search their website using the “dropdown” menus on the main page, there IS a banner reading “turn signal relocation is required” – if you search by year/make/model, this information is NOT provided. Viking Bags needs to do some work on their website.
Contacting Viking Bags was a bit problematic – I called on 5 separate occasions when they indicated they were open, a computer answered and “looped” me on hold without anyone answering the phone. When I finally got a live person to answer, I spoke to one of their fitment “experts” to ask if I was doing something wrong – all the “expert” did was pull the bags up on their website (the same as I did) and proclaimed the bags correct for the bike. Hardly what I would call a “fitment expert”…
When I asked about returning the bags as I was unhappy with everything so far, I was told Viking Bags would happily do so – but the shipping costs were my responsibility. As I am on the East Coast and Viking Bags is on the West, this was costly so I decided to work it out on my own.
Once the turn signals were relocated on my bride’s bike, I started installing the bags. Quality was decent (not outstanding – but I do believe them a good value for the price). Instructions were a tad fuzzy but easily puzzled out. The “universal” hardware included was just that – universal (one size fits most). The mounting bolts provided were the incorrect size, so I had to find and purchase correct length bolts myself. The other issue I ran into was the build consistency of these bags…not good, not good at all. When I drilled holes on one bag and tried to use it as a template for the other, I couldn’t. Seams didn’t line up – internal brackets to hold the bags’ shape were in different locations on the two bags – so a safe place to put a hole on one bag would run through seams and metal on the other. As such, the bags ended up being a fraction of an inch off from each other when mounted – not easily noticeable but frustrating for a “measure twice, cut once” guy such as myself. In retrospect, I should have checked that before drilling but did not expect such poor consistency in the product.
Overall…
Viking Bags gives a good value for the money. They are not top quality, superior bags – but you’re not laying down top dollar, either. But quality vs cost they are a decent value.
The website needs some work. As indicated the bags in some cases do require turn signal relocation. This should be put everywhere – not just in certain spots. Perhaps put it at the “checkout” page so you catch folks before they lay down their money?
Customer service is fairly awful. The “chat” feature seems to run on a 5-minute delay (you type…and wait…and wait…and finally get a response). Telephone is ultimately worse – you’re very lucky to get someone on the phone. This is extremely frustrating when you’re already upset that you sent a bunch of cash to a faceless website and are thinking “I’m going to get shafted on this – I have no recourse”. And paying shipping on a return? To be blunt, this is becoming less and less common and I don’t expect it like I used to. I learned a good lesson on this – read the fine print unless dealing with a known company.
In the end, I suppose I got what I paid for. And the overall experience was far less than palatable. Although for the price I got okay value for product received, poor customer service and product consistency keeps me from recommending Viking Bags to my motorcycling friends. There are too many other options out there that are much less hassle."
“Hi ThatNorseman, my name is Ramiro and I would like to help resolve the issues you've had with our saddle bags. Can I have your order# or a phone number where you can be reached?”
"Could not be better, i've chat on line. Bought the right product and was confident. Delivery was faster than expected product and prices are the best you can find
Life is good"
"Nice bag and very rapid delivery."
"Nice Site.
I like that I was able to find Saddlebags that actually said on the site that it would work on my specific Motorcycle! It was easy to fill in the Make year and Model.
My order Shipped fast and the tracking info was great.
The Bags look great, I can't wait to get them on my Shadow to see how they look! "
A rep from Viking Bags, VikingBagsOfficial, has responded:
“Hi Cheriboberri, we do have a 30 return policy whatever the issue is - even if you just don't like the bags. Please give me your order number or a phone number where we could contact you so that I can make sure your return is expedited.”