Ebay - Disasterous purchase!

[RedBike]

[QUOTE 1177765"]
Sorry to sound harsh but you should have tested it. Come rain, wind or shine if I'm parting money for a bike I would defo test.

All the issues that you describe in your OP apart from two you could have checked visually.

Let this be a lesson to those thinking of buying second hand - always check and go for a test ride.

edit: Looking at the picture anybody that rides large/large is a bit suspect.
[/quote]

Yes, in hind sight I realise that I should have checked the bike more carefully but at the time I was getting soaked and I was in a rush to get out of the rain.

I pushed on the fork, they seemed to move alright and I changed the gears up and down. The gears obviously wern't adjusted correctly but they seemed to work. I couldn't ride it because the seat was hanging off and the wheels wouldn't turn because of the bent rotors.

It wasn't until I removed the wheels to straighten the rotors (they were very bent) that I realised the bearings in the wheels had gone.

With the rotors straightened I tried to set up the gears, it was only then that I noticed just how worn the drivetrain was and noticed the gears wern't setup correctly because the barrel adjuster for the rear shifter had been snapped off.

It was while I was looking closely at the front mech cable that I spotted the new paint and found the crack in the frame along one of the welds.

Seeing as the frame been touched up at the point of the crack he obviously knew the frame was damaged; and as hes been riding around in big-big because its the only gear that works he obviously knew the other gears were fecked too.

 

[RedBike]

[QUOTE 1177767"]
What?! And you still paid for the bike? You are taking the piss surely??
[/quote]

Sadly i'm not.

 

[ChrisKH]

We all do it. I bought a £1,500 TR7 with a blown engine once. You don't do it again that's for sure. Just file it and commit it to memory; don't beat yourself up though. Life's tough enough.

 

[S_t_e_v_e]

Decent people shouldn't have to learn a lesson... Take the bike back, and take a couple of "big" buddies for support... ohh and Neg the seller!

 

[dodgy]

£260.54

 

[RedBike]

Decent people shouldn't have to learn a lesson... Take the bike back, and take a couple of "big" buddies for support... ohh and Neg the seller!

Despite the fact that the seller has said that he doesn't want to know I'm still going to take the bike back tonight!

His friend might have miss-adviced him on the condition of the bike but that his tough luck. It was sold as being in good working order, and it very clearly hasn't been in 'good order' or working for a long while.

 

[Hacienda71]

The fact he or his mate has hidden a crack in the frame is something you could throw at him. That is not just an opinion of wear on the bike it is a deliberate attempt to conceal a defect. That might be fraudulent. Best of luck when you go back.

 

[TheDoctor]

Your contract is with the guy who sold you the bike, not with any mythical friend. The fact that the seller 'doesn't want to know' is irrelevant.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

We all do it. I bought a £1,500 TR7 with a blown engine once. You don't do it again that's for sure. Just file it and commit it to memory; don't beat yourself up though. Life's tough enough.

I bought one of them for similar money and it caught fire on the way home! Burnt my leg too. I bought a brand new Triumph Bonneville back in the 80's and it broke down 3 times (three different reasons) in the first week, the first being on the M23 en route from the dealer in Caterham to home. I took it back and after much debate the dealer let me chop it at a very generous px for a Guzzi Le Mans. I now have a phobia of all thing Triumph, even the bra's.

As for the OP... if our paths ever cross I'll buy you a pint and empathise. We've all been there or thereabouts at some point.

 

[Howard]

£260.54

That's Ebay for you.

 

[RedBike]

That's Ebay for you.

Seemed alright at the time for a bike that was supposed to have Reba forks, Sram x9 groupset and handbuilt mavic 317 wheels and is only 2yrs old.

Seems rather expensive now seeing as the only part on the bike that isn't damaged / worn out is the headset. Pretty much everything else is junk.

 

[Panter]

I think you are going to have to take this on the chin. Caveat Emptor and all that. You saw the bike and I presume had the opportunity to try it out or inspect it then. I agree this has probably been missold and you would have greater rights had PayPal been used or had the bike been delivered without inspection. Don't ebay make you use PayPal now otherwise you can't use them to rule on a sale, etc.? Sorry I can't say anything positive.

Don't forget it is an ebay sale, though.
The OP didn't go to check it, merely to collect it based on the advert decription.
Theoretically, you wouldn't even be permitted to check it, most ebay sales are posted and once you've "won" the auction, it's just a matter of paying for it.



I would imagine you have some comeback on this? it's clearly misold although I'm not so sure that ebay will give a stuff as they get their cut, regardless

 

[dodgy]

I reckon the OP will get his money back. As Panter says, the bike could have been posted to him with only the description to go from.

 

[Globalti]

Exactly. It doesn't matter HOW the bike was sold, he has every right to ask for his money back. Might not get it but he does have the right to it.

 

[MockCyclist]

And yet this guy has nearly 300 positives. Bizarre. You can spoil his feedback record of course, a seller can’t leave a buyer negative feedback so you can't get a tit-for-tat. I wonder if you could link this thread in your feedback?



Don't bank on eBay sorting it out either. I once bought an item described as brand new, never used, etc etc. It was soiled, obviously used, scratched and just loose in its cardboard box with all the retaining packing missing. After the seller said get lost I complained to eBay who said get the item checked over by an "expert", and provide a written report on a business letterhead. As if. Fortunately it was a low value item.