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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be angry with bike shop for selling me a second hand bike as new?

432 replies

YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:23

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.

OP posts:
caughtinanet · 04/07/2021 07:40

How weird, how would that even happen? I've worked in retail and I cant see the chain of events that would lead to a 2nd hand item ending up being sold as new unless the retailer also sells second hand bikes but even then it seems very odd.

Did you get paperwork that says it was new? It must have been in exceptional condition for no one to have realised it was well used.

Do you think an inexperienced employee made a mistake rather than a chain retailer was deliberately best-selling, it's seems a strange thing for them to do

I'm interested to hear what they say, hopefully they'll agree to refund you when you explain.

Original poster
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:42

I have a till receipt, I have a branded owners manual booklet and also the workshop checklist to say it’s been through the pre handover safety check. I’m not sure if I should have had anything else.

OP posts:
NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 04/07/2021 07:43

Yanbu this is unbelievable. Cannot believe a bike shop tried to pull this off.

BikeRunSki · 04/07/2021 07:43

So it’s a manufacturer chain.
T ?
G ?

Rule of thumb for pricing second have bikes - hand price after a year, 10% off every year after that. Then it plateaus at the point the bike model is upgraded, like in this case from rim to disc brakes. BUT -if it’s a difficult to get hold of model, it’s a seller’s market.

Original poster
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:44

G

OP posts:
MaggieFS · 04/07/2021 07:44

It's out of order, but given you've said you love the bike, I'm not clear what you want from the situation?

Whatever it is, you need to be crystal clear what you want from them or you won't get it. A refund? A partial refund? Some sort of warranty?

Remove the fury, the emotions etc and stick to the facts, ideally backed up with some quotes from relevant consumer law.

caughtinanet · 04/07/2021 07:44

@FortunesFave

Don't even give them the chance to reduce the price! They've ripped you off badly! And you have proof!

Tell them you want a full refund. ANY arguments and you tell them you're seeing a solicitor and going to the press.

Gotta love Mumsnet, always go for the nuclear option when a discussion with the store could well find them very apologetic and keen to sort it out Smile
BikeRunSki · 04/07/2021 07:44

Oooh, is it S?

Original poster
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:45

I’d like a partial refund, I think it’s worth £700 less than I paid for it. At least £700 less.

OP posts:
Mintjulia · 04/07/2021 07:46

I'd contact their CEO directly, explain what has happened and ask for a full refund. Look them up on LinkedIn.

I've done that twice with various things and it has worked instantly.
He or she isn't going to be pleased that one of the staff is using their business to defraud a customer. And the potential damage to reputation that can be done over social media is huge.

Zampa · 04/07/2021 07:47

If the spec between the £1900 bike and yours was exactly the same, why did you pay more.in the first place?

I understand the issue with the warranty and the shop need to sort that out but otherwise I'm struggling to see the issue. Bikes don't depreciate like cars and the items that show wear must have been replaced for you to think it's new.

Original poster
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:48

I’d have been prepared to pay £1500 for it and that’s taking into account it currently been a sellers market.

As bikerunski says half price after a year and then 10% drop every year. So on a £2700 bike that’s actually about £1200.

There’s the added issue is that I’ve sold my old bike so could rapidly become bikeless at the height of summer with no stock in the shops at all. There’s a massive bike shortage.

OP posts:
Original poster
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:48

@Zampa

If the spec between the £1900 bike and yours was exactly the same, why did you pay more.in the first place?

I understand the issue with the warranty and the shop need to sort that out but otherwise I'm struggling to see the issue. Bikes don't depreciate like cars and the items that show wear must have been replaced for you to think it's new.

Because there’s no stock of the bike at £1900. That price was at the end of 2019 when they were selling them off at the end of season.
OP posts:
BikeRunSki · 04/07/2021 07:49

He or she isn't going to be pleased that one of the staff is using their business to defraud a customer. And the potential damage to reputation that can be done over social media is huge.

I was going to say similar. Do the shop realise that this has happened? It does rather sound like a member or shop staff might be trying to pull a fast one.

Original poster
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:49

@BikeRunSki

Oooh, is it S?
I’ve messaged you.
OP posts:
Original poster
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:50

@BikeRunSki

He or she isn't going to be pleased that one of the staff is using their business to defraud a customer. And the potential damage to reputation that can be done over social media is huge.

I was going to say similar. Do the shop realise that this has happened? It does rather sound like a member or shop staff might be trying to pull a fast one.

I hadn’t thought of it like that but possibly. I’d assumed she’d had the bike on long term loan but now I’m beginning to wonder especially as it’s already registered.
OP posts:
knittingaddict · 04/07/2021 07:51

@emilyfrost

You say they pretended it was new, but did they, or did you just assume?

At any point did they say it’s new? Or have a sticker on the bike expressing it was new?

Oh come on. A second hand bike in a shop that sells new bikes should be clearly identified as second hand. Of course the op assumed it was new.
Mooserp · 04/07/2021 07:51

Is it a 'large' shop in Lincs?

Original poster
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:52

@Mooserp

Is it a 'large' shop in Lincs?
Bingo.
OP posts:
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Zampa · 04/07/2021 07:54

If there was no stock of the £1900 bike then it's a false comparison. If a model is in short supply the it can attract a premium.

Also, my bar tape gets filthy after a few uses. I doubt it's the same bar tape used by the purported former owner.

caughtinanet · 04/07/2021 07:54

@BikeRunSki

He or she isn't going to be pleased that one of the staff is using their business to defraud a customer. And the potential damage to reputation that can be done over social media is huge.

I was going to say similar. Do the shop realise that this has happened? It does rather sound like a member or shop staff might be trying to pull a fast one.

I don't know all the bike initials but unless ithe chain has a unique way of doing things how would a member of staff benefit from this? The bike was priced up and presumably rung through the till, I'm guessing the OP didn't get out a wad of cash and leave without a receipt, how does any of this help a staff member?

My money is on some kind of misunderstanding or it not being made clear to the OP that it wasn't a new bike

Original poster
YellowBellyCat · 04/07/2021 07:57

I think it’s more likely the staff member had it on long term loan for the last two years….not that they’ve benefited personally. If she’s winning big races on it thjs benefits the brand. But that the shop have let her ride it/race it….shes now got a new bike and doesn’t need it so has handed it back in. The shop have decided to sell it.

OP posts:
SwanShaped · 04/07/2021 07:58

Oh my god I’d be furious! Hope you get it sorted.

Teateaandmoretea · 04/07/2021 07:59

Comparisons to 2019 are pointless.

I bought a bike in the sale for 1250 in 2019, it would cost me over 2k to replace it with anything similar.

It sounds dodgy for sure though.