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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To feel I have been properly suckered

21 replies

mosquitofeast · 29/07/2020 11:42

This promise of a £50 voucher to get your old bike repaired. Has anyone managed to get one?

You have to make an appointment with a cycle repair shop first, then apply for a voucher.

So I dug around in the shed and dragged the battered thing out, practised lifting and wheeling it, decided I could get it to the station, so I have booked a repair slot at a shop accessible by train, allowed by thoughts to dwell on how fast and easy my commutewas going to be compared to a covid-bus, or walking, and then ..

I can't get a voucher.

But I have dug out and dusted down the bike, got an appointment to repair it and stated fantasising about cycling to work....

so I am going to pay for it myself now I've got this far, aren't I.

And that was their sneaky plan all along, wasn't it...

OP posts:

OrigamiOwl · 29/07/2020 11:45

Have they said why you can't have a voucher?

tiredanddangerous · 29/07/2020 11:48

That does sound a bit shit! Are there terms and conditions for the vouchers?

Justanotherlurker · 29/07/2020 11:56

The website crashed last night, plus I am not meaning to sound harsh, but it is only £50 towards the price so you would probably have to pay some towards it anyway if you had to dig it out the shed.

The bike shop you rang should have told you about the the voucher scheme as some of them are not even on it, and should not have taken a booking before you had the voucher.

Original poster

mosquitofeast · 29/07/2020 12:06

@OrigamiOwl

Have they said why you can't have a voucher?

The first batch has all gone, more will be released and some unspecified later date, in small numbers. It doesn't look likely

OP posts:

Original poster

mosquitofeast · 29/07/2020 12:06

@Justanotherlurker

The website crashed last night, plus I am not meaning to sound harsh, but it is only £50 towards the price so you would probably have to pay some towards it anyway if you had to dig it out the shed.

The bike shop you rang should have told you about the the voucher scheme as some of them are not even on it, and should not have taken a booking before you had the voucher.

That is how the system works, you have to book the bike shop before you apply for the voucher

OP posts:

Dozycuntlaters · 29/07/2020 12:38

£50 won't get an old bike repaired anyway. I've got a really nice bike that stupidly I let my teenage DS use to get about on and it's knackered. I took it for a service, had the chain done, the gears tweaked, a new cable fitted, a new back tyre and it came to about £160.00. So unless you're willing to pay a fair bit towards it, then the £50 voucher is pointless.

Justanotherlurker · 29/07/2020 21:46

That is how the system works, you have to book the bike shop before you apply for the voucher

Only by some dodgy bike shops. Don't use halfords and only use the specified participants.

Any respectable bike shop that was offering this would not have taken a booking considering it was known from the start it was a first come first served scenario.

The website crashing is just another example of the uk goverment/civil service being shit at rolling out web applications, but you still having to pay for it is either some personal responsibility on not understanding the scheme or some back street bike shop.

Either way, it was only £50 towards a maintenance check, if you had to drag it out of the back of a shed it would cost more than that as most yearly check up's from reputible sources cost around that.

But in the grand scheme of things, you can just cancel the appointment, you haven't been suckered you have just misunderstood

Original poster

mosquitofeast · 30/07/2020 05:57

Any respectable bike shop that was offering this would not have taken a booking considering it was known from the start it was a first come first served scenario

I don't think you can get a voucher, unless you have a booking?

OP posts:

Glittertwins · 30/07/2020 06:03

£50 will not cover the cost of a service at a reputable bike shop. It's more likely going to be less money to buy a new bike than to service it.

Original poster

mosquitofeast · 30/07/2020 06:37

@Glittertwins

£50 will not cover the cost of a service at a reputable bike shop. It's more likely going to be less money to buy a new bike than to service it.

maybe

OP posts:

fascinated · 30/07/2020 06:40

@Glittertwins

We must be very lucky round here. I’ve never paid anything like that! Even for major repairs!

Staplemaple · 30/07/2020 06:50

They are releasing more, but in smaller batches so that shops aren't overwhelmed with demand, which makes sense. It's better to have booked before getting the voucher (you can always cancel the appointment) because otherwise some people would request a voucher and not bother using it, meaning someone has missed out. If you can afford it it's worth getting your bike done anyway, it's never been that much for me either and have had all sorts of repairs over the years.

MaggieAndHopey · 30/07/2020 06:52

@Glittertwins

£50 will not cover the cost of a service at a reputable bike shop. It's more likely going to be less money to buy a new bike than to service it.

It depends where you live and what needs doing to the bike. If it just needs brakes adjusted, gears checked, cables oiled, headset and bottom bracket checked for play etc, £50 might do it, and it would certainly cover a large chunk of the cost if it needed more than that. I get my bike serviced twice a year (commuting cyclist) and it doesn't cost much more than that, maybe £70 or so if it doesn't need anything major doing.

Glittertwins · 30/07/2020 06:52

DH's bike services have never been under 3 figures, maybe because he does the basics himself and the specialist does the other stuff though.
Mine has never been serviced in over 14 years but has been looked after by him.

Freddofrogshop · 30/07/2020 07:01

I tried the website multiple times as soon as it opened at 11.45pm. Then again in the morning. Various error messages, the latest at 9am yesterday. Tried again at 9.25 am yesterday and the were all gone.
So I doubt they released very many in the first batch.
I've tried about 4 times since then and still get the message that there are no vouchers available at this time. No indication when they might be released.
The whole thing is a farce.

Aridane · 30/07/2020 07:12

£50 will cover a basic service - if more needs doing, they’ll do you ahead of time

Staplemaple · 30/07/2020 07:14

It was always going to be popular, no surprise at all that they went super quickly. Hopefully there will be an indication of when the next batch are due to be released so that people have more of a chance.

Deadposhtory · 30/07/2020 07:14

I tried for hours and got no where

MagpiePi · 30/07/2020 07:17

I thought it looked like a good idea too, but was not surprised to see that they are only releasing a small number at a time. I suppose it's good publicity without the government actually having to pay out very much and it will be quietly phased out soon.

You could probably do a basic service on a bike yourself- loads of YouTube videos out there. I took my bike to get the gear shift cables replaced and the mechanism re-set a couple of years ago and I'm sure it cost less than £15 including parts. Find a local independent shop as they are usually really helpful.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 30/07/2020 07:22

OP forget the voucher, ask the shop for a quote to do your bike. If it's very high, think about buying a decent second hand one instead.
I started cycling at 50. I love it and save a fortune on fuel as I cycle rather than drive where possible.

TheHeathenOfSuburbia · 30/07/2020 07:29

If you can afford it and are enthusiastic about cycling then yes you should definitely pay for the service and get cycling

Otherwise you'll miss the good weather and be starting out in November or something which will not encourage you

Depending how you pay for your commute you could easily save more than the £50 with a month of cycling

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