I bought an expensive bike last week from a well known National bike shop chain. Bike was reduced from £2700 to £2200 as I was told it was last year’s model. It’s a seriously well specced bike.
Turned up for a club ride yesterday and people there recognised the bike, it’s had custom bar tape put on it which makes it distinctive. Someone who works at the bike shop was there and made a comment about how the bike had won a National Grand Prix. I didn’t click at first and thought he meant that make/model. But later on other people were saying oh that’s x’s old bike. I’ve now found public posts from x on the bike shops fb page dated from 2019 with photos of her with the bike saying how she’s entered numerous races with the bike.
I tried to register it with the manufacturer yesterday on their registration scheme and can’t register it as it’s already registered.
So they’ve basically sold me a 2yo second hand bike and pretended it’s new. Don’t get me wrong…it looks in good condition, they’ve obviously cleaned it well, possibly they’ve put a new chain/cassette on 🤷♀️ But I wouldn’t have paid that amount of money for a second hand bike. At the end of the 2019 season another National chain were selling them new for £1900!
I’m going back to the bike shop today to attempt some serious price negotiation but not sure how far I’m going to get. If they don’t budge on price I think I will have to insist on a refund as it’s just making me angry now. A similar spec bike in this year’s models is about 4k though as the bike model has been seriously redesigned and upgraded (disc brakes from rim brakes) and I can’t afford 4k. They’re also all out of stock.
A friend was with me when I bought it and she’s as shocked as me, says she also thought it was a new bike. It was lined up with this year’s bikes.