A Dilemma.....Advice Needed

[john a]

I have had dealings with a supplier of reconditioned electric Powabykes for the last few years. I originally came into contact with him through Ebay, and there were no problems with what he supplied. He seemed a genuine, reasonable man, for whom nothing was too much trouble.

Last year I purchased a powabyke shopper from this guy for a relation. There were a few problems with it (throttle, motor) and he returned & changed the bike, but there were more problems with the replacement. This went on for a few months, each time a supposedly different bike arrived, all with one serious fault or another, finally one with worn out batteries.

I was eventually promised a full refund from the guy, as it became apparent that he could not supply what he had promised. This refund never materialized, and I am still in possession of the goods.

He continues to sell on Ebay - powabykes for spares & repairs - (which is about all his bikes are good for) - but now refuses to answer the phone or email to me. Therefore it would seem that he has no intention to pay back what he owes.

I am thinking that perhaps naming & shaming him on this board might be a good idea - or at least telling him I intend to do so??? The trouble is that it was all done on a friendly basis, so it may be quite hard to prove exactly what was paid and when, and to legally enforce him to meet his obligations.

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[flecc]

You don't need to prove anything if, when naming him, you confine yourself to describing your experiences at his hands John and don't abuse him. Just as you can't prove those, he cannot prove they didn't happen and you do have the failed bike as evidence.

The background problem appears to be that he was out of his depths as a supplier and with Powabyke no longer having spares for the older bikes, he is unable to meet his obligations from an increasing collection of faulty parts. He may be living hand to mouth in those circumstances and unable to refund you, but you could risk a claim through the small claims court at only about £30 cost if you feel it's worth it. That depends on how mucn you paid for the bike in the first place of course.

 

[john a]

Thanks for your reply. In answer to your question, he charged me roughly £300 for a used powabyke shopper, which is slightly more than the going rate for a fully working reconditioned model.

Reading between the lines, it seems that he had an associate in a different part of the country who would refurbish the bikes that this guy bought, then they would be sold-on. It seems that this colleague finished their arrangement, leaving him - as you say - with an increasing collection of faulty parts.

I doubt he is living hand to mouth however, as he does sell various other bikes of non-electrical variety, and has no problems in refurbishing these himself. Perhaps I should mention his name and/or ebay user i.d to make others aware. It is quite staggering that he has 100% feedback on Ebay, but then again, this transaction was not done through them.

 

[flecc]

By all means name him John, that is the usual practice in this forum when someone has had a bad experience with a trader and it could save someone else a similar bad experience.

Or you could of course first tell him this will be your intention to see if that results in a refund, the possibility of bad publicity could do the trick.

 

[themutiny]

I think all rogue traders should be named and shamed, de facto.

But what do I know?

Hic:

 

[banbury frank]

Hi Is the bike you have the one with the worn-out battery's they are only about £80 for a new set that should last 3 years At least you will have a working bike

Frank

 

[john a]

I am inclined to think that I should name him here. I will tell him of my intention, but if he fails to respond, then he will be appearing on this thread!

Yes, well aware the batteries are £80 or so, but I am afraid it is not the only issue with the powabyke. Put it this way - if i were to sell it on Ebay, I would be hard pushed to get £50 for it.

The guy offered me a refund, so should stick to his word.

 

[Goryl]

Hi,

If you paid with paypal you may still have a kind of insurance (I am not 100% sure as I did not use it for quite some time).

Goryl

 

[john a]

I am afraid I did not pay through Paypal. The guy accepted cash on delivery the first time I dealt with him which was through Ebay. On this occasion, it wasn't through Ebay at all, it was discussed on the phone, and he subsequently appeared with the bike. I asked him if he had a working powabyke shopper, and he provided what he said was one.

As stated, he seemed friendly & trustworthy, and eager to help so I didn't anticipate any difficulty - as there had never been a problem with him before. In the past, if there was an issue, he would always appear to sort things out.

Just had a look at his current Ebay listings and I find several powabykes listed as 'untested for spares' It would appear, from the photos he supplies that he has quite a few. I am sure that anybody wishing to search for powabyke on Ebay right now, would easily see the seller I am referring to!!!

 

[banbury frank]

Hi I found Him

POWABYKE ELECTRIC BIKE- EURO 6 SPEED UNTESTED FOR SPARES / REPAIR (Lot 2) | eBay


Frank

 

[john a]

well spotted! and saved me the trouble of naming him, although the name (i think) will be on the bottom of his listings.

if anybody wants to buy his dubious quality powabykes, perhaps they could do me a favour and collect my money from him when he delivers their purchase!

 

[johnc461165]

Report him to ebay, what is the specific fault with your bike maybe we can offer some help

 

[john a]

I cannot report him to Ebay, as the bike I bought was from him privately (see earlier in the thread). As far as Ebay are concerned, he has done nothing wrong. Presumably, he thinks that if he ignores me for long enough, I will just go away!

The bike cost me approx £300. The throttle is dodgy (and hard to find replacements these days - as other threads here indicate), the batteries are more or less dead (£80 to replace as stated earlier in thread) and the wiring wants looking at, judging by the intermittent flickering of the power lights. I fear it would cost more than it is worth to repair it.

For these reasons, and as this guy offered me a refund, I feel justified in seeing he keeps to his promise & provides money back, as the item is fit for the scrap heap, not fit for purpose.

Perhaps people here would like to ask him through his Ebay listings if he intends to honour his bad debts- any help in securing a refund would be much appreciated!!

 

[stesteste]

tell him ur interested in his job lot on ebay .get his address and go see him face to face he might give new battery or refund .think hes selling the ones he couldnt fix up as job lot

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

 

[Hugh]

Take a big ugly (male) friend with you to 'help'.

 

[eddieo]

Errrr.....lets get this in perspective its a £300 purchase and a new battery is £80? what would it cost to get wiring and throttle sorted..another £50 maybe

 

[john a]

With all due respect.... £300 is £300. He supplied a faulty bike, then offered to fix the issue. He couldnt. He then offered a refund. Then he stopped communicating. Its the principle. It is wrong.

 

[eddieo]

sorry but your sending me to sleep...........

 

[JuicyBike]

This is not really the end of the world. £300 spent and to expect a warranty, when bigger dealers are selling "test bikes" for more, without any warranty, seems a little skewed beyond what is typically expected.
I think you've come across someone who has made a commitment he can not keep, but realistically, rather than be eaten up with the injustice of his inability to keep his side of the bargain, I would advise you put the bike in for repair elsewhere (he's hardly Bob Diamond).

As Eddie points out, you'll still end up with a bargain bike.

If you're near us, we'll look at it, and you can move on (literally).
I hate injustice, but I think there are bigger issues to fight than this guy...

 

[john a]

I know it is not the end of the world. I do not expect a full warranty on something that is not described as new. Obviously.

However, when you hand over cash in exchange for what was meant to be something that worked, only to find out that it does not, anybody would be entitled to complain. Having complained, and got a reply that matters would be put right - only to find that you got ignored........put yourself in those shoes.

Sure, there are more important things - and bigger injustices in the world - but it doesn't mean that people should be allowed to do such things. If nobody complains, nothing changes. Others will doubtless get caught out by sellers like him if nobody flags such things up too.

Sorry for sending 'Eddieo' to sleep, but then again, I suspect that if it was his money not mine, he would be wide awake.