Last autumn I bought a new £500 Dahon Espresso folding bicycle from the website Wiggle. I have previously owned other Dahon folding bikes and was happy with them.
Unfortunately, just a few weeks after receiving it the handlebar mechanism folded when I was riding the cycle on a busy central London street. This threw me off the bike, leaving me with a broken arm. In retrospect I was lucky not to have suffered further injury.
I asked my local independent bike shop’s mechanic to inspect it in case of any damage. Coincidentally, it also sells this bike. The mechanic told me not to ride it. He said the locking mechanism was faulty and the cycle would be hazardous to use. He provided a written report to this effect.
I contacted Wiggle, asking for a replacement cycle or for the handlebar headset to be replaced. It took the bike back and said it would speak to Raleigh, the UK distributor.
Wiggle has now responded, saying Raleigh said there was nothing wrong with the bike so it would be sent back to me. I have been in correspondence with it for more than three months and it is refusing to budge.
I have stressed that I am not seeking compensation or asking it to accept liability for the accident – all I want is a cycle I can have confidence in.
I would be grateful for any assistance you can provide – the bike is currently sitting in Wiggle’s warehouse. KM, Lichfield
Wiggle is the Amazon of the cycling world – only better – and Consumer Champions can report from personal experience that the customer service is usually second to none. We also get few complaints about the firm, which is why I was surprised by this letter.
The company seemed to be hiding behind the fact that the supplier was claiming there was nothing wrong with the bike, which was rather poor given that you had a report stating the opposite – and the fact that it had collapsed on you. Retailers are responsible for what they sell rather than the manufacturer and need to be reminded of this sometimes. Happily, after we contacted Wiggle it moved quickly to put matters right. It has now refunded you the £500. We notice that Wiggle no longer sells these bikes. We asked if this was coincidental, but no explanation was offered.
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