# Think I got scammed :(



## tatsumaru (15 Sep 2010)

I bought a bike online from the Everest website (this bike) and I wasnt sure if they had received my payment since I got an error message after I completed the online payment form. First I used the direct debit way of paying, but I got a error message so I used pay pal. I got another error message.

So I checked my bank account using online banking and it had said the money had been withdrawn (the exact amount of the bike) I also tried calling the number on the website a few times but it just rings no one answers.

Has anyone here ever bought a bike from Everest bikes?


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## Banjo (15 Sep 2010)

tatsumaru said:


> I bought a bike online from the Everest website (this bike) and I wasnt sure if they had received my payment since I got an error message after I completed the online payment form. First I used the direct debit way of paying, but I got a error message so I used pay pal. I got another error message.
> 
> So I checked my bank account using online banking and it had said the money had been withdrawn (the exact amount of the bike) I also tried calling the number on the website a few times but it just rings no one answers.
> 
> Has anyone here ever bought a bike from Everest bikes?



Hate to say it but it sounds like you have paid twice. Get onto Paypal and your bank ASAP.If it is a genuine company no problem if not the sooner you deal with it the better. 

Having looked at their website it certainly looks genuine with a phone number and address.Maybe just short staffed and not answering calls today.

Any Leamington Spa CCers that could check out this address for the OP. Everest Bikes
Warwick House 
32 Clarendon Street 
Leamington Spa 
CV32 4PG


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## Globalti (15 Sep 2010)

Why did you buy that bike?


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## tatsumaru (15 Sep 2010)

Banjo said:


> Hate to say it but it sounds like you have paid twice. Get onto Paypal and your bank ASAP.If it is a genuine company no problem if not the sooner you deal with it the better.
> 
> Having looked at their website it certainly looks genuine with a phone number and address.Maybe just short staffed and not answering calls today.
> 
> ...



Yes possibly I called my bank and they said the payment went through, and thank fully I didnt pay twice 

And your probably right they could be short staffed Il give it a few more days before I start to panic.


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## mr Mag00 (15 Sep 2010)

BSO


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## RedBike (15 Sep 2010)

There is a landline phone number and address on their website so I would *keep trying* to contact the company. 
You also need to contact your bank to cancel the direct debit before the first payment is taken. 

I've just had a look at the bikes on their website and to be perfectly honest I would look at cancelling the order for both bikes and starting a new "What bike" thread on here. 

The five pictures of 'the bike' all have different parts in them so lord knows what you're going to get.


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## Banjo (15 Sep 2010)

tatsumaru said:


> Yes possibly I called my bank and they said the payment went through, and thank fully I didnt pay twice
> 
> And your probably right they could be short staffed Il give it a few more days before I start to panic.



It depends on how you set your paypal account up. You may have paid once through the bank and once through paypal if its connected to a credit card or different account. login and see if theres any recent Paypal payments gone out.


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## RedBike (15 Sep 2010)

mr Mag00 said:


> BSO



Doesn't BSO mean "B... Show off"?


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## SavageHoutkop (15 Sep 2010)

I've once managed to buy online from a company which I think had ceased trading. I'd also mucked up and paid twice due to an error when checking out. If you paid via credit card it will normally be refunded. My bank did refund the money but I did have to send a letter to them setting out the detail (and of course it did take a few weeks ISTR).


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## BSRU (15 Sep 2010)

Bad news, I checked the domain name, something I always do before using a new site and it looks like a Chinese scam:-
Domain name:
everestbikes.co.uk

Registrant:
Yixiang Zhang

Registrant type:
Non-UK Individual

Registrant's address:
Building 13, No. 14 Xue Yuan Road,
Hai Dian, Beijing
100083
China

Registrar:
Fibranet Services Ltd [Tag = FIBRANET]
URL: http://www.freeparking.co.uk

Relevant dates:
Registered on: 01-Jun-2008
Renewal date: 01-Jun-2012
Last updated: 15-Jun-2010


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## Hacienda71 (15 Sep 2010)

Have a look at the address on google street view.


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## Banjo (15 Sep 2010)

I just phoned the phone number on the website a chinese sounding guy answered with just a hello. I asked if it was Everset Cycles and he replied it was. I Made some excuses and hung up.

Not neccessarilly dodgy but will wait to see the outcome with interest.


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## addictfreak (15 Sep 2010)

£99 for a full suss MTB!

You might as well have thrown your money out the window! (assuming its not a scam in the first place)


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## LizardEye (15 Sep 2010)

Browsing round the site out of curiosity and this has to be the ugliest thing I've ever seen.

Hope you get your money back BTW


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## Cyclist33 (15 Sep 2010)

I once bought 3 identical sofas by virtue of errors at the online "transact" stage... it was a genuine site and with a bit of help from them and my bank, the refunds were in my bank account 4 days later. It wasn't a big problem, just that the money, once transferred, takes a few days "in the aether" before it comes back to your bank account.

BUT! In this case, how can I be sure? I'm not the customer; you are. You should call your bank asap, and trading standards. See what you might be able to do. Cancel as many of the payments as you possibly can immediately. If you really want a 100 quid full-suspension bike, try Halfords or a high street bike chain that sells cheap models. Do it in person, don't buy it online. The clincher for me on the site you linked to was that it said "suitable for heights 5 foot zero to 6 foot 2, which is preposterous in bike sizing terms. No way two people 14 inches apart in height can safely ride the same bike.

What do you want to ride for? Is it commuting? Fun? Etc. It's definitely worth doing a spot of budgeting. If like me, your weekly bus commute would come to 15 quid a week, consider this: if you get a bike on finance (or save up) and pay 30 quid a month for a year, you can have a £360 bike for half as much as your annual bus fare would come to. It's quite a saving, plus you will actually be able to enjoy riding a bike at that value - whereas a £99 bike won't really cope with much.

Stu


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## Sittingduck (15 Sep 2010)

Not being funny and I realise it's not very helpful but that site is _obviously_ dodgy. If your budget is £100 you must surely realise you're probably not going to get much for your money. Even more reason to look at what you are buying, first hand. I would have thought a TRAX bike from Halfords would be a better and less risky solution!

I do hope you get your money back or the bike delivered though...
Checked on Street view and there is a building there by the name of Warwick House but it's a small, 60's office building. Could be a cheap place for them to rent and store their wares I suppose. Perhaps one of the offices is packed to the rafters with full sussers!


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## zaid (15 Sep 2010)

tatsumaru said:


> I bought a bike online from the Everest website (this bike) and I wasnt sure if they had received my payment since I got an error message after I completed the online payment form. First I used the direct debit way of paying, but I got a error message so I used pay pal. I got another error message.
> 
> So I checked my bank account using online banking and it had said the money had been withdrawn (the exact amount of the bike) I also tried calling the number on the website a few times but it just rings no one answers.
> 
> Has anyone here ever bought a bike from Everest bikes?



Hi Tatsumara, I'm not sure if this will help you but I believe the same people are selling on an Ebay shop by the name "Volkan" and, "VLK sports and music" , plus here on Amazon.
Hope you get your money back.


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## summerdays (15 Sep 2010)

Cyclist33 said:


> The clincher for me on the site you linked to was that it said "suitable for heights 5 foot zero to 6 foot 2, which is preposterous in bike sizing terms. No way two people 14 inches apart in height can safely ride the same bike.



Very true - especially when you consider the fact that its a full suspension bike - by the looks of it, the seat post would adjust by about 2 inches in total if that.


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## Hacienda71 (15 Sep 2010)

I am not sure it is a scam. Probably just a seller of BSOs with Chinese connection. You can get cheap mountain bikes from Tescos Argos etc for the same or less. The proof will be if said bike arrives in the next 48 hours.


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## e-rider (15 Sep 2010)

It says their warehouse is in Basingstoke.


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## Banjo (15 Sep 2010)

My linkThe ebay site has 7000 plus feedbacks with 99.9% positive feedbacks so I dont think they are Scammers.


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## TheDoctor (15 Sep 2010)

It's still a terrible looking heap though!!


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## Trumpettom001 (15 Sep 2010)

LizardEye said:


> Browsing round the site out of curiosity and this has to be the ugliest thing I've ever seen.
> 
> Hope you get your money back BTW




Is it just me or are the forks on that thing on the wrong way round?


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## Paul_L (15 Sep 2010)

Trumpettom001 said:


> Is it just me or are the forks on that thing on the wrong way round?



yep!

what an awful monstrosity!


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## rockyraccoon (15 Sep 2010)

BSRU said:


> Bad news, I checked the domain name, something I always do before using a new site and it looks like a Chinese scam:-
> ...



On the other side of the road you will find number 32 which is the address of some accountants and business advisers offices http://www.dafferns.com/


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## davefb (15 Sep 2010)

User14044raccoon said:


> On the other side of the road you will find number 32 which is the address of some accountants and business advisers offices http://www.dafferns.com/



isnt the supposed address 32 and it says 'warwick house' , they could just be in the same building or maybe one of the accountants is running a mail order business, which started on ebay....

fwiw i recall buying things from mail order electronics firms, that were just some blokes bedroom! eg maplin , wonder what happened to them 


hope the bike arrives,, i'm getting all nervous


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## TheDoctor (15 Sep 2010)

In all honesty, I hope it doesn't and you get a refund.
There's far, far better bikes out there for £100.


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## CopperBrompton (15 Sep 2010)

Yep, £100 spent on a cosmetically tatty but mechanically sound secondhand bike will get you something much, much more rideable.


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## RedBike (16 Sep 2010)

I'm still wondering what she'll get. The close up detailed pictures arnt even of the right bike.


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## ian turner (16 Sep 2010)

Sounds familiar.
Dubious online retailer, address in Warwickshire. Think a previous victims thread resulted in me finding a number of references to such a company with addresses all in residential streets , one in Rugby and one in another Warwickshire town.


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## e-rider (16 Sep 2010)

...but you get a bell and stand for FREE 

I'd spend the £99 in the pub and walk to work everyday. Unfortunately, comments like this have probably made the OP feel even worse about the purchase. Not everyone can be a bike expert, and companies like this exploit such people by selling complete junk.

However, the bike is probably useable for short trips to the shops or work and certainly would avoid the hands of bike theives which is a bonus. I've seen loads of kids around my estate happily riding about on similar bikes so it's not all bad.


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## 3narf (24 Sep 2010)

What was the outcome? Or did we give Tatsu such a complex that he/she hasn't returned?


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## cyberknight (24 Sep 2010)

3narf said:


> What was the outcome? Or did we give Tatsu such a complex that he/she hasn't returned?



http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5hfvNtkHpok

Hope it works out ok .


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## homercles (30 Sep 2010)

Sadly an awful lot of people are being fooled into thinking they need a full suspension MTB these days and that a cheap one is better than a higher quality rigid bike that is half the weight. Its a good job most of them never actually go off road.


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## RedBike (30 Sep 2010)

homercles said:


> Sadly an awful lot of people are being fooled into thinking they need a full suspension MTB these days and that a cheap one is better than a higher quality rigid bike that is half the weight. Its a good job most of them never actually go off road.



It's a good job most of them never get ridden on the road!


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