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

[YellowBellyCat]

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.

@YellowBellyCat

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.

What a bloody underhand thing of them to do.

You're right to be livid.

They should have sold it as reconditioned.

On a side note - Second hand prices have rocketed during COVID, and levels of stock were non existent, so the price you paid could be realistic.

So the staff member is the person who previously rode the bike and she is the one who told you it was new?

I'm a little confused by your last post, I'd missed that detail, that does change things then

@YellowBellyCat

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

The maybe ask for a 1000k, to be honest I think they will have to agree. They have gone against trading standards laws, possibly the owners of the chain are unaware, so I assume they will need to cover their arses big time.

@Zampa

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.

But that doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t really matter what the product is or how rare or desirable it is. What matters is that this was a pre owned product being sold as new.

@Teateaandmoretea

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.

But it is a 2019 bike.

@caughtinanet

So the staff member is the person who previously rode the bike and she is the one who told you it was new?

I'm a little confused by your last post, I'd missed that detail, that does change things then

No, I’ve never met the staff member who used to ride it.

Never thought I’d be adding a cycling post to my watch list… this is jaw-dropping. Hope you get it sorted. The potential bad press for a premium brand must give you some very good negotiating space.

@YellowBellyCat

It’s illegal.
Get a huge discount or a refund
It does not matter it was reduced it was misrepresented and as new of ex display reduced.

It clearly isn’t

If you paid on credit card - which of course you should have. Contact the credit card company and say you have been a victim of fraud

Was it specifically marked as new?

[quote Justa47]@YellowBellyCat

It’s illegal.
Get a huge discount or a refund
It does not matter it was reduced it was misrepresented and as new of ex display reduced.

It clearly isn’t

If you paid on credit card - which of course you should have. Contact the credit card company and say you have been a victim of fraud[/quote]

The point is here, @Justa47 - OP wants to keep the bike and can't get similar elsewhere.

Puts a more complex spin on her next steps.

Contact Head office to negotiate a partial refund.

But it is a 2019 bike.

They haven’t changed that much and the year label is pretty meaningless.

Bike prices have rocketed. The most likely thing is they will offer a refund, the OP will end up paying the same for a lower spec bike or more for something similar that she has to wait 3 months to actually get.

It’s highly unlikely they’ll just hand over 700-1K and let her keep it. Worth asking as is everything.

@Longestfewdaysupcoming

Was it specifically marked as new?

In a premium manufacturer-specific bike shop (“concept store”) the onus is not on labelling new bikes as new, but used bikes as used. Very normal practice.

With respect, (honestly! Not sarcastic) I understand that. I was just asking if it was marked as new.

What matters is that this was a pre owned product being sold as new.

Totally BUT if the OP gets a refund she may end up worse off not better off.

@Longestfewdaysupcoming

Was it specifically marked as new?

What shops have you been in where things were specifically marked as new? Surely you assume everything in a shop is new unless marked otherwise (except charity shops!). The OP has already said that this store doesn’t sell second hand bikes

I’m not assuming. I’m asking a question which may strengthen the op’s case. Ffs.

That's really not on, esp with a carbon frame. I think the warranty/safety angle would be one i would be pushing when you do speak to them.

If I am correct to who you are referring to had appalling service in one of their other shops which has seriously put me off them.

In the current Covid-market, it’s not so much the price of the bike that is a concern (friends recently sold a bike for more than new because it was actually available, rather than several months lead time), but the inability to register the carbon frame for a warranty.

Onus definitely on the bike shop to mark as used/reconditioned

@GrandColombier

That's really not on, esp with a carbon frame. I think the warranty/safety angle would be one i would be pushing when you do speak to them.

If I am correct to who you are referring to had appalling service in one of their other shops which has seriously put me off them.

Completely agree. I have had bad experience from their York store.

It's the not being able to register it bit that makes it weirder.
So the woman that works there wouldn't have registered a bike that was on loan from the store, but it's registered, so it is her bike.

Slightly dumbfounded by the repeated question of 'was it labelled new?'

This is a high end, fully spec'd bike from a high end retailer

If you were to purchase a custom designed dress at Harvey Nicks, would you expect it to be labelled 'new' or would you expect that the few that may be second hand (despite the shops never having sold second hand previously) to be labelled 'second hand'

Does everything you buy have a 'new' label on it?

I’m hoping their head office will be unimpressed if I have to take it that far. I’m furious.

Yes - I wonder how much of the profit went to head office?

I know you said you tried registering with manufacturer, have you tried registering the frame number on BikeRegister? What’s to say it isn’t stolen?