I recently got a pretty good deal on a bike, as it had been used "by the manufacturer at trade events.. they may have acquired slight cosmetic damage...but will ride like new".
I like the bike, I think I chose well, the size is great so I'm not trying to get rid of it because it's not suitable. It's just galling as the bike has obviously had a hard but short life as a full-on demo bike. So much so that one set of brake pads have been changed so it's done some miles and the cassette is fairly worn. The rear wheel is slightly out of true (I'm being pedantic with that admittedly but to be fair, it's not "slight cosmetic damage") and it's been crashed with damage to the levers on the top of the bars for example.
I normally shrug these kind of things off and carry on but this doesn't feel right - the description was given to me over the phone and on the website but it's simply not as described. It is scratched in a number of places but I expected that and am unconcerned about that because I was told as such: these bikes are thrown in the back of vans between events etc. I expected a car park ride or ten, that's fair enough but this is definitely not that.
For what it is, I will have to service forks and shock sooner, naturally, I'll need a new cassette very soon and a chainring (and therefore a chain). Not the end of the world but also not what I expected due to the description given.
I'd rather not waste my time and theirs by sending it back but if I need to, then fair enough. I like the bike so is there anything I should be quoting to help me towards buying the components it will need fairly shortly?
Thanks in advance and sorry for the ramble.
How much of a discount did you get?
Did it have pics? Sounds like distance selling may apply the other part is what was the discount and do you have warranty?
Sounds like the description of those cheap cotics that were sold off last week.
Pics were just the stock photos from the manufacturer, nothing of the actual bike. I've seen plenty of bikes run about the country in the reps' vans and this isn't one of them!
Discount - around 45% off retail price - I had seen one for around £300 more, brand new so that would probably have been around 35% off retail.
It's not a Cotic but I don't really want to say at which point what it is!
Sorry, yes, apparently the warranty is standard manufacturer's.
Its a pretty good discount but distance selling regs apply for the first two weeks - TJ will be here to add the details
It's a demo bike.
Think of demo bikes like rental cars......think how you drive rental cars (or the scene in Days of Thunder).
It's Trek is'nt it? If you'd seen the state of the demo bikes we got for customers.....you would'nt of bought one.
More of a difference of perception.You'd like a bike that had sat on a stand whilst people were shouted at for touching it.
You got a demo bike.
Send it back.....pony up the £300 and get a new one.
Average life of a demo bike
Discount - around 45% off retail price - I had seen one for around £300 more, brand new so that would probably have been around 35% off retail.
For £300 I'd return this one as not as advertised (after a phone call - what did they say when you called them) Suggest a new cassette and fork service or it's going back in the box and get the heavily discounted new one.
You can pick up very lightly used ex-demo or even ex-display bikes from sone places for that sort of money off so in not sure if accept that sort of wear or damage.
Used at trade events..
It was a test bike/journo bike for various mags etc.
I'd pick up the phone and have a conversation. See how it goes.
used "by the manufacturer at trade events
IMO, it's naivety to expect:
I expected a car park ride or ten,
I will have to service forks and shock sooner, naturally, I'll need a new cassette very soon and a chainring (and therefore a chain
How do you work this out? It seems like a worst case scenario or your are looking for that. What % worn is the chain? How badly is the suspension working?
If you need a perfect bike, you shouldn't have bought this.
Tried the conversation and sent photos, just got an email back saying the photos don't show that anything will need replacing soon so no success there at all.
Their comment: "The marks are consistent with a bicycle that has been taken around to trade shows and test ridden over the year. I do apologise if this wasn't the condition that you were expecting."
which says two things to me:
1. Deal with it.
2. "test ridden over the year" is in contrast to what I had been told and what had been described online.
I would have bought the one I saw for £300 extra from elsewhere but in the interim, it's been sold in my size!
cynic-al, I didn't expect a perfect bike but I did expect a bike that "will ride like new" because that was the advert said. I expected to receive what I had been told? I don't think that's unreasonable - this isn't the same as what I had been told.
Did you pay with a credit card?
In what way doesn't it ride like new?
You haven't described a single way it hasn't.
I don't think that's unreasonable - this isn't the same as what I had been told.
Got a link ot the advert - it will help if you do
Their comment: "The marks are consistent with a bicycle that has been taken around to trade shows and test ridden over the year. I do apologise if this wasn't the condition that you were expecting."
That's fine, it was not as described and I will package it for return immediately.
Kep part is how it was described in the ad, hence having a copy is important.
Yes, I paid with a credit card.
Under the CRA 2015 you have 30 days to reject the bike if it's not as described
If I were you, assuming you're within the time, I'd send it back under this statutory right, since you're clearly not getting much love out of the shop.
Thanks Mike - I have saved a PDF of this so I shall do this. Thanks.
"and test ridden over the year"
Erm this is an open book. My bike can be described in the same ride frequency as yours then. How do you quantify these? Weekly? Daily? Monthly?
Tell them you are sending it back.. You arent happy with it.
Just send it back.. Buy the new one that you'll be happy with.
You have the backup of the CC company if it turns awkward.
curto80 - thanks for that information. It has only been 3 days anyhow. Much appreciated.
nuttysquirrel - Member
Thanks Mike - I have saved a PDF of this so I shall do this. Thanks.
Before you do though (and I understand not wanting to share it here) get a mate to objectively look over the bike and the ad and not what they think the differences are.
Thanks cloudnine! It's such a shame it's an awesome bike!!
Ps: the fact that the bike was sold to you at a discount is irrelevant if the bike is not as it was described to you.
The info in the link below is useful and also gives some info on your rights if you have missed the 30 day return period
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act
It's last years model? I'd expect it to be in the same condition as if I'd owned for a year and ridden it (only with less scratches).
i.e Getting due for a drive train change and suspension service.
If it does'nt match your (high) expectations.....send it back.They won't mind.
How bikes get ridden by journo's/shop staff/liggers would shock you to death 😯
You seem confused with "ride like a new bike",did you think this meant "it IS a new bike but with scratches"?
No worries. You have two key pieces of evidence which is the advert and the subsequent email which is inconsistent with the advert. That puts you in a very strong position, especially as they've done you a favour and put it all in writing 🙂
Yes Rorschach - that's exactly what I thought because I was told that it was a bike used for display purposes by the manufacturer when going to shows and to shops.
"used by the manufacturer at trade events"
or
"used for display purposes by the manufacturer when going to shows and to shops"
Devil is in the detail.
That's not detail. It's fantasy or will full blindness.
(oh gawd....I'm agreeing with Al again....this is never good 😉 )
How many conversations did you have. It's gone from being used at trade shows to being a display bike over the course of this thread.
I hope it wasn't all done over thephone an you have an email or two documenting this. Also speak to trek they used to be pretty good when we got their ex demos in and they were trashed. We used to buy in alot of them and so when we decided we weren't selling it on the shop floor they moved pretty sharp to sort us out with what it needed for us to sell it.
cynic-al - Member
That's not detail. It's fantasy or will full blindness.
Without the ad it's guesswork. Got a set of hope wheels that were display/trade show for the price of the rear hub, they had been sat on a stand for 12 months that was it.
The seller has left themselves open by not listing the product properly
Assuming it's not one of these..
http://www.santacruzbicycles.co.uk/demo_sale
The pics of marks etc like it should be, [b]IF[/b] the ad is as described then it's will full upselling by the shop and hopefull optimism by the buyer, one is protected though.
Rorsarch, just accept it 🙂
I think you may need proper advice here as you got it cheap and it was described as cosmetic damage.
cosmetic damage
A few scratches and marks are cosmetic damage. A worn cassette isn't.
Damage hasn't really been meaningfully described bar scratches
Cosmetic damage does not cover a worn cassette. Quite how you quantify wear on a cassette might be a different matter!
Damage hasn't really been meaningfully described bar scratches
As neither of us has read the ad Al then it's speculation. Hence my advice of get a mate or someone with sound judgement to compare the bike and the ad and see what they think. No describing the use accurately and not including pics of the actual bike in the ad would probably keep me clear of it but it's not good form from the shop.
Would you try and sell a used bike without pics?
Would you try and sell a used bike without pics?
Equally, however, would you buy a used bike without pics?
Caveat emptor applies, sadly.
That aside, a worn cassette is from a lot more miles than a trade show! I'm ex trade, and I know how much use a bike gets at a trade show, versus how much if gets at a dealer demo day. If it's the latter and it's a popular bike, it will have been ragged harder in one day than most people would do in a year of riding!
Indeed the description is relevant, as are the faults - obvs.
OP just seems really vague. "worn cassette"...the chain is the easiest component to measure...and the it's "transmission will need replaced".
Sounds like he thought it'd be near perfect and is now painting the worst possible picture he can, but without any facts.
How do you know the cassette is worn? I can't tell by looking at them. Slight kick in the wheel could be an honest mistake, the rest is cosmetic IMO but then I ain't fussy
Check it out on here - the laws have changed and IIRC there is something about shop soiled goods
http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act
I'm not sure how helpful all the speculation is to the OP.
The OP is of the view that the bike doesn't meet the description provided and my advice to him is to return it on that basis. It is for him to prove that he is right, granted, but at the end of the day he had the opportunity to get a bike at a really good price so I'm not sure what incentive there is for him to want to return it unless he genuinely believes it's been mis-sold.
No-one else on here is in a position to judge whether the OPs views are right, but they are honestly held.
Are you need here?
cynic-al - Member
Are you need here?
[i]ALL YOUR NEED ARE BELONG TO US![/i]
I should be charging you for my typos.
😆
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Trade show/ display bike vs test bike. If they said test bike originally then fair enough if not then just send it back.
Do you still think it was a good buy? Forget about demo bike/trade bike, all that, just assess it for what it is.