So,can I return it if I don`t like it?

[Stu33]

Hi,
I`m thinking of buying a new electric bike next week, a cyclotricity stealth, but i`m unable to find anywhere that actually has one to test unless its 120 miles away,they keep telling me they have to order it.... So if I did`nt like it, could i return it? When i speak to bike sellers they always sound like you cant do that, but what about the 7 day cooling off period ,don`t i have the right to return it if i`m not happy with it?

Stuart in Birmingham

 

[Gubbins]

Hi,
I`m thinking of buying a new electric bike next week, a cyclotricity stealth, but i`m unable to find anywhere that actually has one to test unless its 120 miles away,they keep telling me they have to order it.... So if I did`nt like it, could i return it? When i speak to bike sellers they always sound like you cant do that, but what about the 7 day cooling off period ,don`t i have the right to return it if i`m not happy with it?

Stuart in Birmingham

Just read up on distance selling regulations

 

[Alan Quay]

Hi,
I`m thinking of buying a new electric bike next week, a cyclotricity stealth, but i`m unable to find anywhere that actually has one to test unless its 120 miles away,they keep telling me they have to order it.... So if I did`nt like it, could i return it? When i speak to bike sellers they always sound like you cant do that, but what about the 7 day cooling off period ,don`t i have the right to return it if i`m not happy with it?

Stuart in Birmingham

I think you do have the right to return it, as long as its in the same condition as you got it.

Unfortunately, in order to test it you will have to ride it around, on the road/track/whatever. Then it won't be new.

 

[flecc]

If you buy remotely online or by telephone Stuart, you have the right to cancel the contract simply if you change your mind. To do that you must notify the supplier that you are cancelling your order within 14 days of receiving the item. You then have a further 14 days within which to return the item. The only snag is that the returned item must be in the perfect new condition it was received in, so a good test ride is likely to make that difficult.

These rights are under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2014.

You do not have this right if you buy from a shop, unless the shop has a predetermined returns policy allowing it. Your rights to return then only apply to faulty items and are under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

N.B. Post crossed with Alan Quay's above.
.

 

[Tomtomato]

If you keep all packaging and are careful when testing the bike, maybe all you need to do is replace both tires, to make it "new" again.

If you know how to do it yourself, shouldn't cost too much.

You actually have the right to unpack the goods to assess the quality.

 

[trex]

most vendors will let you test the bike and return it in undamaged/unscratched condition. However, they will ask you to cover the cost of sending you the bike to you and collect it from you. Best to call them and ask the question.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's not fair on sellers if you buy their bike when you're not sure that you're going to keep it, unless they offer that service. Sending out a bike and paying for its return is quite a lot of money compared with the profit on said bike.

You have to think about the morality of your actions, not the legality.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Stu....in an ideal world we would all have a national chain who would have a sample of every bike from every marque they advertise for sale.
Unfortunately there is just not a big enough market in the UK for that to be possible,this is in contrast to Germany which has a market some 20 times that of the U.K.,every decent size town has a bike shop which will have a good display of electric bikes.
One of the other problems is the Brits seem not to want to spend much more than £1k,especially on their first e-bike. It is difficult to balance the need to give a dealer a profit,the importer a profit,provide a nice bike and keep the package at less than £1k. Many dealers won't work with low profit margins,I can't blame them with the cost of running a retail bike shop in the UK,so they tend to stock and sell higher value bikes which have the headroom to develop higher margins.
There are some internet sellers who are internet only sale,it is easier to work under the £1k limit because you don't have to allow the dealer margin but you have to take the risk of buying a bike unridden.
In Holland there is a massive market for cheap step thrus bought on the internet but the Dutch are not so fashion conscious about their bikes,they know that a certain size/spec is what they want and the only choice is about colour.
They say there is no such thing as a free lunch,if you want dealer support then it's not unreasonable that the dealer makes a profit,if you are prepared to take a bit of a gamble you can buy cheaper off the internet.
The distant selling regs require a cooling off period that gives you the opportunity to return something you don't like or say doesn't fit,but these bikes are expensive to move around so it seems fair that if a supplier sends the bike out free carriage,you pay the return carriage cost if you change your mind. The bike must be returned in new condition in original packing,so always keep the box,in the spirit of being fair most suppliers will accept the tyres have some use and a bit of cleaning on return.
If the market was bigger in the UK it would all be so much easier but we all have to accept that is where it is.
Hope the info is useful.
KudosDave

 

[Gubbins]

In my area most bike shops now stock ebikes and as different shops stock different brands it might be worth a trip around you local area.
Nice Saturday afternoon drive out with the missus.. or not!

 

[Kudoscycles]

I should add that the e-bike world is now an acceptable sale in bike shops that 5 years ago would not have one in the shop.
Perhaps the e-bike is coming of age to the general cycling fraternity.
Does every Evans store have an example of their own e-bike?
KudosDave

 

[kangooroo]

The Distance Selling Directive isn't the same as 'try before you buy'. The idea is to give the buyer the opportunity to examine the goods, but not necessarily try them.

I was in a similar position when buying my first e-bike and had to take a chance. There are no retailers selling them locally (apart from Halfords where the models I was interested in, were too short for my leg length) and even if there were, I would have no means of transporting it home so my purchase had to be online.

On delivery, I unpackaged and set up the bike and rode it around the kitchen and hallway on clean tiles and lino. This gave me a general 'feel' for the bike and allowed me to check it could accommodate my pins - all-important for me. It's not ideal, I agree, but there has to be a compromise.

 

[IR772]

So the answer is, "of course you can", but you might not get all your money back?

 

[Kudoscycles]

This is a true story....
One of my dealers had a customer who tried almost every bike in the shop,he had on 3 separate occasions take 10 bikes out to test,so he had 30 test rides in total,he kept changing his mind on the type of bike and the budget he wanted to spend,he had effectively made some 30 bikes into demo bikes.
He finally settled on a bike,the dealer started to break that bike down to fit it in his car....I don't want that one,I want a new one....but you are the only person who has ridden that bike,it is the only one of that size in the shop...if you haven't got a new one I don't want it.
We sent up a new one for him the following day.
The joys of an e-bike dealer,but some customers are wonderful and a delight to do business with.
KudosDave

 

[Stu33]

hey ,thanks for all your replies, I was`nt expecting so many !
Kangaroo, yea I was thinking of doing that, seeing how well the throttle works in my living room/hall to test it! I previously had a wisper 905,i`m just concerned the throttle will be weak in comparison...

IR772 "So the answer is, "of course you can", but you might not get all your money back?" yea I was thinking that !


Stuart

 

[Wander]

Don't forget if you take a bike on an 'extended' test ride that e-bikes contain odometers where anyone can see the total distance travelled. It is likely that the diagnostic software that the dealers have can read a whole load of other settings that we, as users, can't.

I think most dealers would accept a bike back under the distance selling regulations that has been ridden around your kitchen (as long as your kitchen is a 'standard' size!).

Don't however be tempted to take it a up the road & back or further as the retailer will probably know exactly how far it has been ridden & won't then be able to sell it as new.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Don't forget if you take a bike on an 'extended' test ride that e-bikes contain odometers where anyone can see the total distance travelled. It is likely that the diagnostic software that the dealers have can read a whole load of other settings that we, as users, can't.

I think most dealers would accept a bike back under the distance selling regulations that has been ridden around your kitchen (as long as your kitchen is a 'standard' size!).

Don't however be tempted to take it a up the road & back or further as the retailer will probably know exactly how far it has been ridden & won't then be able to sell it as new.

I have only had a couple of bikes back returned by customers who they didn't fit, out of the dozens we have sent out 'on sale,look after it,pay the return carriage' type deal,both came back as new with minimal mileage.
It's a case of being fair and using common sense from both customer and retailer.
KudosDave

 

[LEBC Tom]

This is a true story....
One of my dealers had a customer who tried almost every bike in the shop,he had on 3 separate occasions take 10 bikes out to test,so he had 30 test rides in total,he kept changing his mind on the type of bike and the budget he wanted to spend,he had effectively made some 30 bikes into demo bikes.
He finally settled on a bike,the dealer started to break that bike down to fit it in his car....I don't want that one,I want a new one....but you are the only person who has ridden that bike,it is the only one of that size in the shop...if you haven't got a new one I don't want it.
We sent up a new one for him the following day.
The joys of an e-bike dealer,but some customers are wonderful and a delight to do business with.
KudosDave

It wasnt as many as that Dave, they'd tried 8 bikes but had tested 4 twice. To be honest they were a real pain taking up a lot of my time, they did want to buy 2 but unfortunately we did not have the KTM in stock anymore so the sale fell through. There are those as Dave has pointed out that walk in and do have an a good idea or will accept ones advice and buy, not all though.

 

[LEBC Tom]

Don't forget if you take a bike on an 'extended' test ride that e-bikes contain odometers where anyone can see the total distance travelled. It is likely that the diagnostic software that the dealers have can read a whole load of other settings that we, as users, can't.

I think most dealers would accept a bike back under the distance selling regulations that has been ridden around your kitchen (as long as your kitchen is a 'standard' size!).

Don't however be tempted to take it a up the road & back or further as the retailer will probably know exactly how far it has been ridden & won't then be able to sell it as new.

Odometers are not fitted to all ebikes, there are quite a few Kudos bikes without these. It would be very hard though to use a bike and it not be noted. Tyres are a dead give away and hard to get back to as in delivered condition.

 

[EddiePJ]

Glad to see that you are still around Tom.

 

[LEBC Tom]

Glad to see that you are still around Tom.

Can't get rid of me that easy!