May 28, 2021: Jimmy Mac On Two Wheels has been following the Park & Diamond saga for years. Yes, years. Their customers have called the company “ridiculous scammers,” “criminal,” “an embarrassment” and “incompetent.” I have maintained that the Park & Diamond people probably started out with too much enthusiasm and not enough expertise in helmet design and manufacturing. After their inexcusable update of May 22, 2021, I am lead to believe they are misleading their customers or worse.
The update claims that the Park & Diamond helmet is in the process of passing “a global certification standard.” I’ve never heard of such a standard, but I’ve only worked for Bell Helmets, Troy Lee Designs and as editor of motorcycle and bicycle magazines for 20 years. So, I turned to Randy Swart of the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute. Randy, arguably the most knowledgeable person on planet earth when it comes to bicycle helmets, said, “I have never heard that term applied to any bicycle helmet standard. There is no single ‘global certification standard.'”
The gig is up, Park & Diamond. Even if you are struggling to deliver helmets promised years ago, you are not being straight with your customers. And it doesn’t appear that those customers have any recourse. Cancel the order? Request a refund? Pray the helmet, any helmet, is shipped?
I was skeptical in my original story posted in October of 2019. I’m way more skeptical now.
Update July 1, 2021: A new update from Park & Diamond posted on July 1st starts off with “Sorry to say, we are not ready to ship helmets just yet.” It goes on to explain how investors can change their mailing address but offers no information on possible shipping dates. The hosting platform that enabled this fiasco, Indiegogo, needs to pressure Park & Diamond to deliver more forthright information or assist in securing refunds for customers who have waited long enough for their helmets.
Update November 1, 2021: Just checked in on the Park & Diamond helmet company in the hopes of finding some positive news. No luck. Their last update states “We’re still navigating many barriers in our overseas production operation, including raw material shortages, staffing challenges and production capacity constraints.” Jeffery Gorris asks in the investor comment section, “Can you be more precise please? What raw materials are you lacking? Staffing challenges of offshore production or local staffing? What production capacity constraints? How many units can you produce per day? What precise steps are you taking to solve each of the problems?” All fair questions that have gone unanswered by Park & Diamond. The company’s investors deserve honest information from Park & Diamond even if it is bad news.
