Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Try before you buy
  • scrambledeg
    Free Member

    Am I the only one that would expect to let their offspring try a bike before I paid good money for it?
    On Monday I called Islabikes with the intention of ordering a Beinn24 for my lanky 6 year old lad. Said lanky lad and I had spent some time browsing the web looking at various bikes in his size. He not surprisingly really really liked the Cube kid 240 in red white and blue with 2 tone tyres. I as a discerning parent with an eye on build, weight and resale value liked the look of the Islabikes. Said lad was decidedly underwhelmed by the less than snazzy paintwork of the Islabikes. However I talked him into giving it a try as Islabikes state on their website they have a 14 day return policy which reads

    ‘If you are not satisfied we will collect your unused Islabike, no questions asked, within 14 days of delivery, at our cost’

    Before I ordered the bike I just wanted to clarify exactly what that means (sounds dumb I know) As it turns out it means exactly that, I was told that my lad would be able to look at the bike even sit on the saddle but only in the house. Under no circumstances could he take it for a spin to try it out as once the tyres were scuffed that would then make the bike second hand and I could not claim my money back If he was not won over by it’s superior build and ride.
    So on Tuesday after a very nice email from Orbea in Spain and as the School was closed due to snow I drove my lad 40 odd miles to ‘The Bike Shed’ in Crediton Devon where, despite the appalling weather outside were quite happy for my lad to try their bikes out in the carpark, including the Cube & Specialized in 24″
    As a result we came away wit the Orbea MX24 Team, the shop matched the price of Islabikes Beinn24 added a stand and a funky bell and also upgraded the plastic pedals to alloy ones at no extra charge. The bike Looks stunning, has top notch gearing and is sub 10kg.
    I emailed Islabikes about their policy and so far have yet to even received an acknowledgement.
    Whatever happened to customer service!
    Or am I being unreasonable?

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    So imagine you recieved a bike thats blatently been out on test rides and sent back as not wanted from islabikes

    I canpicture the thread now !

    scrambledeg
    Free Member

    Exactly, people must let their kids have a ride.
    But I was unwilling to risk 350 quid or end up foisting a bike on my boy he didn’t like!
    As a footnote the Orbea comes with a superior warranty too, lifetime frame & forks, 3 years paint & corrosion, 2 years on all components.
    Islabikes come with 5 years on frame and forks & 2 years on components respectively!

    10 out 10 for The bike Shed in Devon & Orbea
    As for Islabikes, Unreasonable and fairly poor!

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    kayak23
    Full Member

    I think that is very reasonable. You can’t expect to be able to ride a bike about outside and then send it back. As suggested above, you’d be unhappy to receive one which had already been ridden when you expected brand new. Inside, for a kids bike seems a fair compromise.

    On high value adults bikes, there is likely to be a demo available. You can’t really expect the same on kids bikes which they’ll grow out of.

    Personally, I reckon I would have got him the bike he was excited about…. He’s a kid.
    🙂

    mtbfix
    Full Member

    It is made clear on the Isla website that you can visit their place in Ludlow for test rides. As a manufacturer it would be a huge risk to send a kid’s bike out to a customer on 14 day approval basis. Kids have a tendency to fall off, especially the smaller children covered by a lot of the Isla range, and dirty, scratched bikes are hard to resell as new. A test ride is definitely important but I think you are being a little harsh on Islabikes.

    bruneep
    Full Member

    If you were able to drive 40 odd miles to a bike shop why exactly was the school closed?

    scrambledeg
    Free Member

    If you were able to drive 40 odd miles to a bike shop why exactly was the school closed?

    Thats a very good question, and a point I also raised as most of the teachers actually live in the village and can walk to School.
    I never had days off School because of snow when I was a lad.

    On high value adults bikes, there is likely to be a demo available. You can’t really expect the same on kids bikes which they’ll grow out of.

    I disagree, £350 is fairly high value for a child’s bike, and a test ride is not an unreasonable request. If the bike is returned with damage then fair enough but slightly scuffed tyres?
    Especially as their whole sales pitch is on the ‘Ride’ So I suppose spend your £350 and take them at their word.
    Yes I could drive to Ludlow and back its only about 460 miles round trip!!!!

    scrambledeg
    Free Member

    But I can see that others have a different view than me which of course was my question 🙂
    Though the shop we visited were perfectly happy to allow a test ride and the weather was pants, so scuffed tyres and rain spots too!

    Cheezpleez
    Full Member

    I can’t see your problem. Islabikes were clear and up-front about their – perfectly reasonable – returns policy. It didn’t suit you so you took your business elsewhere and got what you wanted. End of story.

    FuzzyWuzzy
    Full Member

    I can see why you’d want a test ride but I can also see it’s perfectly reasonable for Islabikes not to offer them. They’re a pretty small business and no doubt can’t afford a fleet of demo bikes or to be able to write-down bikes that come back scratched etc. from a 14 day grace period.

    meehaja
    Free Member

    Lbs in benefits over online shocker! Mind you, I’d have bought a set of decent 24 tyres, taken the bike for a test ride then cleaned it up and replaced the tyres.

    ir_bandito
    Free Member

    I believe Islabikes are really good at letting you try the bikes out if you go to the factory in Ludlow. The problem is, they don’t sell through a dealer network, which in this case cost them a sale.

    scrambledeg
    Free Member

    I can’t see your problem. Islabikes were clear and up-front about their – perfectly reasonable – returns policy. It didn’t suit you so you took your business elsewhere and got what you wanted. End of story.

    No problem, I am completely open to the idea that I may have been asking too much. Which is why I asked at the end of my original post ‘am I being unreasonable?’
    It appears from the weight of the replies that most support Islabikes in their return policy which is fair enough!
    Islabikes have also since my original post answered my email, so perhaps a bit quick to condem them for that.

    meehaja – Member
    Lbs in benefits over online shocker! Mind you, I’d have bought a set of decent 24 tyres, taken the bike for a test ride then cleaned it up and replaced the tyres.

    I did consider that, but discounted the idea out of principle, misguided or otherwise 🙂

    mangoridebike
    Full Member

    on a different note, how is your lad finding the 24″ wheels? My boy has just turned 6 and has been happily ripping around on his MX16 for a year or so and I’m beginning to ponder the next step up. I’d been thinking 20″ as the most likely size but would be interested in your experiences with 24″.

    Also how tall is your son?

    scrambledeg
    Free Member

    My lad is 1m 30 or 4ft 3 ish his inside leg is 58cm or about 1ft 11.
    He is getting on fine in the leg department and reach too, he looks a little stretched on reach although he says it’s fine and he managed to operate the brakes and gears just fine. All in all I think the 24 was the right choice for us. I understand why you ask though as we faced the same dilemma.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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