Messed around...where do i stand?

[20ston]

hello all. not been on for a while.

ordered a new pedelec 2nd week in may. paid in full on the day i ordered.
was told 2 weeks to delivery......2 weeks passed, no bike no phone call.
i phoned them, promised 2 more weeks. these 2 weeks came....nothing, not even a phone call.
was told delivery by 20th june, guess what.....nothing, no bike no phone call.
was promised end of june, which i reckon is tomorrow, as most people dont work/deliver on saturdays.

pretty ****ed off and annoyed to say the least.
where do i stand?

just to add, every phone call regarding this has been made bu me, not once has the shop kept it's promise to call me back.
and the bike has now been paid for around 6 weeks.

 

[eddieo]

name and shame......bike will probably be with you within the week

 

[tillson]

If they don't have the goods to sell you, which clearly they don't and you have given them a reasonable opportunity to acquire the goods, which you have, I would say, ask for your money back. If they hesitate go into the shop and complain very loudly at a busy time, warn as many other potential customers as possible and trash them on every Internet site that you can think of. Keep this up until they refund you. If you have paid by credit card, complain to the credit card company. Allege fraud, in that they are selling goods which they do not have. I don't think I have missed anything off the list.

 

[oigoi]

I think you've got two options really. Keep hanging on in there and waiting, or ask for your money back.

I'm pretty sure under the distance selling regulations you have every right to ask for your money back. If you paid by credit card it could be worthwhile contacting your card provider if they won't give you a refund.

Worth considering that if they are like this when it comes to buying the bike, what will they be like if you have any problems with it or need spares?

Eddios suggestion could be worth a go if you still want the bike , especially if it is a supplier well known on this forum who would not want the bad publicity

 

[20ston]

it is a sorry state of affairs when you have to come onto a forum to try and get some joy.

i have been a cyclist since 14 yrs old and have bought dozens of bikes both from shops and olnine. this is the 1st time have have had a problem.

just been looking through other posts on here and the shop have popped up a couple of times for certain things.
i do hope i can get this sorted amicably.

 

[Morgann]

What make and model of bike?

Just askin'

 

[timidtom]

Send them a letter requesting action withing 14 working days. Head it 'Letter before Action' and inform them you will sue for recovery of your money, plus expenses, in the Small Claims Court.
Name and shame them for the benefit of the rest of us. Your local CAB will advise and there are letter formats on the web. You've acted in good faith - they haven't.
Best wishes,
Tom.

 

[Blew it]

it is a sorry state of affairs when you have to come onto a forum to try and get some joy.

20ston,

I had a reply from the customer services department of Winora, the company that handles Haibike marketing.

There is a production run of Trekking models commencing this week, the machines being sent out 1st week July.

As I posted recently, Haibikes are effectively built to order, the volumn of each run relating to pre-orders, with a few extra machines added to that run.

Rumour has it, lead-times for some of the high-end full sussers could be as long as August or even September. Even some of the German retailers on Ebay are advising four to five weeks lead-time on some models. Clearly, demand for these deservedly popular machines is currently out-stripping manufacturing capacity.

 

[tillson]

I don't know if Haibike or the retailers of these bikes are the subject of 20ston's complaint. If they are, popularity of the product or difficulties in the supply chain are no excuse for taking payment for a product that they don't have available to sell. It is no excuse for promising a delivery date and then failing to meet it. It is no excuse for not communicating with the customer.

This is just plain old bad service. Service is usually at its best around the time of sale, so things can only get worse from this point onwards. I would cancel the order and look for something else.

 

[indalo]

I would cancel the order and look for something else.

In my view, I don't care how good the particular bike may be; I don't care if it's on some kind of special offer. If it were me, like Tillson, I would cancel the order, demand my money back immediately and I'd buy something else from stock in a reputable dealer's premises.

If the story you tell is clear-cut and I have no reason to doubt you, then you should be prepared to name the firm in this forum so we all know. God only knows what kind of service you might receive in the future, should you experience any problems. There are lots of good ebikes at various price points out there so you won't be stuck for choice.

Tillson has said all that's necessary so I shan't go on.

Regards,
Indalo

 

[GaRRy]

Yep demand your money back

They have twice given you a delivery date and both times failed to meet it.

A good dealer would/should have the sense to realise that promising things that can't be delivered is ultimately not the way to do business as it will eventually ruin there reputation. If it was not their fault and they were let down by supplier they should of kept you in the loop and informed you as soon as they knew there was a problem with the promised delivery date and discussed your options not just hide away.

 

[flecc]

No supplier should ever take the full price money before despatch.

It's their responsibility to fund their business, not their customers.

 

[Kudoscycles]

In these difficult times it is so easy and worthwhile to make checks on the financial status of any company from which you intend to make a high value purchase,just google 'company check',it is necessary to know the company name rather than the trading style of the business. It is sad that in these difficult times some sme's are very underfunded and if this recession continues for much longer there will be many casualties.
From past experience the charge back credit card system works well if the company continues in business,for the finance company just takes the money out of the retailer's account but if the company fails the credit card companies make life a lot more difficult if you are trying to recover the money directly from them.
Dave
Kudoscycles

 

[DJH]

Just had a similar problem with some fencing panels I ordered. Nothing after 3 months .......numerous phone calls and emails (all mine, they never called me). In the end I contacted the credit card company and very quickly they refunded my money, the only trouble is I still have to get the fencing!!!

Hope you can get it sorted.

 

[carpetbagger]

Just had a similar problem with some fencing panels I ordered. Nothing after 3 months .......numerous phone calls and emails (all mine, they never called me). In the end I contacted the credit card company and very quickly they refunded my money, the only trouble is I still have to get the fencing!!!

Hope you can get it sorted.

result on 2 scores,the cash and more time ebiking,what more could you want ?

 

[eddieo]

I'm thinking from previous discussions it is either a KTM or Haibike

and why I previously advised as the OP wanted the bike yesterday, to get one from stock from German dealer (and save £400). Its the same situation with my other hobby motorhomes.....people are paying large unsecured deposits with companies that could well go belly up, and waiting for ever for the campers.

I only buy from Germany (lot cheaper) and they tend to hold large stock so you just go, pick one and drive home....These are turbulent times and set to get much worse.

 

[tillson]

I'm thinking from previous discussions it is either a KTM or Haibike

and why I previously advised as the OP wanted the bike yesterday, to get one from stock from German dealer (and save £400). Its the same situation with my other hobby motorhomes.....people are paying large unsecured deposits with companies that could well go belly up, and waiting for ever for the campers.

I only buy from Germany (lot cheaper) and they tend to hold large stock so you just go, pick one and drive home....These are turbulent times and set to get much worse.

I agree, but I would very much like to support UK based business, but more and more of them are operating this financial model whereby they expect you to pay in full based on a flimsy promise of a delivery date. Worse still are stories like the one from the OP, where they can't even be bothered to keep in contact with the customer once that they have trousered the cash and failed on the delivery promise. It isn't acceptable and they don't deserve to have the privilege of the sale.

Regrettably, I think that eddieo's advice is the best course of action.

 

[eddieo]

What is considered a normal deposit for a bike on order please?

 

[flecc]

What is considered a normal deposit for a bike on order please?

I would say definitely no more than 10% Eddie, on expensive bikes 5% at most should be sufficient to show faith.

When I bought my home before it was built for £4050 (long ago!), I secured my position as a genuine buyer with a £25 deposit which is all the well known builder needed, despite these particular homes being in high demand and heavily oversubscribed.

 

[20ston]

got this problem sorted last week.
top of the range loan bike landed on monday to use untill my bike turns up.
and it is fantastic.