Advice on a recent used approved Triumph purchase…
Discussion
I would welcome peoples thoughts on my recently purchased bike....anyone who has consumer law experience I would especially welcome your opinion....so
I was looking for a lightly used preferably one owner Triump Street Twin...I found a 22 plate bike with one owner and only 940 miles, it was the right spec for me so I secured the bike with a deposit and sorted out the details with the dealership. I have to say at this point the dealer is a large Triumph dealership but I don't won't to name them at this point as I have not yet approached them and this public forum isn't the appropriate arena to name them until I make contact with them and see what their response is.
So my bike is delivered around the second week of August having been serviced by the supplying dealership, the warranty is extended upto 12 months, roadside recovery included and a couple of extras I specced were fitted.
I was delighted with my bike...looked good and rode well and for a 16 month old bike looked fine.
The paperwork was all upto date and with a distance sale I signed and returned the contract of sale to indicate I was happy. Now after around 3 weeks of ownership I noticed when I was heading perfectly straight the bars were very slightly and I mean slightly angled to the right....troubled by this I booked the bike in to my local Triumph dealership for them to have a look at it. This took another 10 days until a slot was available and in the meantime I continued to use my bike as I couldn't detect any problems.
So today I take the bike in to my local Triumph dealership for them to take a look at it....they confirm the steering is not aligned and do the obvious checks, forks are ok however they have said the top yoke is damaged/distorted. They also noted the steering lock has a crack but is not sheared. The damage is in their opinion consistent with an attempted theft when the bars are wrenched in an attempt to snap the steering lock, hence the damaged top yolk. Upshot is I am looking at a £970
bill for full lock change and new top yolk....and jus to cover themselves they indicated it could be more if it subsequently becomes apparent there is more damage ie bent handlebars.
My local Triumph dealers are happy to speak to the supplying dealership regarding their findings and have supplied written estimates and have photos, but obviously won't be drawn into a disagreement or take sides....I understand this.
So its Saturday evening and I am now home after my visit to the dealership and I'm wondering which way to go now....obviously I'll be onto the supplying dealership first thing Monday morning , however will they simply refute this and maintain as a used Approved Triumph the bike was supplied in A1 condition meeting their stringent standards and suggest this has happened during my ownership. I did sign and return the sale contract to say I was happy however the alignment issue is so slight I didn't pick up on it until a couple of weeks later. For the record...my bike is kept in a locked and alarmed garage and is taken out, ridden and never let out of my site...this hasn't happened whilst I have owned the bike...which is now around 4 weeks.
Can't help thinking this will boil down to my word against theirs, to be fair they could well have not been aware of this themselves......is this a case of " buyer beware "
Sorry for the long post....your thoughts
I was looking for a lightly used preferably one owner Triump Street Twin...I found a 22 plate bike with one owner and only 940 miles, it was the right spec for me so I secured the bike with a deposit and sorted out the details with the dealership. I have to say at this point the dealer is a large Triumph dealership but I don't won't to name them at this point as I have not yet approached them and this public forum isn't the appropriate arena to name them until I make contact with them and see what their response is.
So my bike is delivered around the second week of August having been serviced by the supplying dealership, the warranty is extended upto 12 months, roadside recovery included and a couple of extras I specced were fitted.
I was delighted with my bike...looked good and rode well and for a 16 month old bike looked fine.
The paperwork was all upto date and with a distance sale I signed and returned the contract of sale to indicate I was happy. Now after around 3 weeks of ownership I noticed when I was heading perfectly straight the bars were very slightly and I mean slightly angled to the right....troubled by this I booked the bike in to my local Triumph dealership for them to have a look at it. This took another 10 days until a slot was available and in the meantime I continued to use my bike as I couldn't detect any problems.
So today I take the bike in to my local Triumph dealership for them to take a look at it....they confirm the steering is not aligned and do the obvious checks, forks are ok however they have said the top yoke is damaged/distorted. They also noted the steering lock has a crack but is not sheared. The damage is in their opinion consistent with an attempted theft when the bars are wrenched in an attempt to snap the steering lock, hence the damaged top yolk. Upshot is I am looking at a £970
bill for full lock change and new top yolk....and jus to cover themselves they indicated it could be more if it subsequently becomes apparent there is more damage ie bent handlebars.
My local Triumph dealers are happy to speak to the supplying dealership regarding their findings and have supplied written estimates and have photos, but obviously won't be drawn into a disagreement or take sides....I understand this.
So its Saturday evening and I am now home after my visit to the dealership and I'm wondering which way to go now....obviously I'll be onto the supplying dealership first thing Monday morning , however will they simply refute this and maintain as a used Approved Triumph the bike was supplied in A1 condition meeting their stringent standards and suggest this has happened during my ownership. I did sign and return the sale contract to say I was happy however the alignment issue is so slight I didn't pick up on it until a couple of weeks later. For the record...my bike is kept in a locked and alarmed garage and is taken out, ridden and never let out of my site...this hasn't happened whilst I have owned the bike...which is now around 4 weeks.
Can't help thinking this will boil down to my word against theirs, to be fair they could well have not been aware of this themselves......is this a case of " buyer beware "
Sorry for the long post....your thoughts
Orchardab said:
Yes, get on the phone to them and have a adult conversation about it.
I’m sure there is some goodwill as only a few weeks from purchase.
If they are bad at dealing with the situation, share the experience on a few forums and social media feeds, Google reviews….. etc.
Whats to say its not been subject to an attempted theft while under the OP's ownership? You'd be accusing the dealership for something that could be nothing to do with them.I’m sure there is some goodwill as only a few weeks from purchase.
If they are bad at dealing with the situation, share the experience on a few forums and social media feeds, Google reviews….. etc.
Vantagemech.. said:
Orchardab said:
Yes, get on the phone to them and have a adult conversation about it.
I’m sure there is some goodwill as only a few weeks from purchase.
If they are bad at dealing with the situation, share the experience on a few forums and social media feeds, Google reviews….. etc.
Whats to say its not been subject to an attempted theft while under the OP's ownership? You'd be accusing the dealership for something that could be nothing to do with them.I’m sure there is some goodwill as only a few weeks from purchase.
If they are bad at dealing with the situation, share the experience on a few forums and social media feeds, Google reviews….. etc.
“For the record...my bike is kept in a locked and alarmed garage and is taken out, ridden and never let out of my site...this hasn't happened whilst I have owned the bike...”
I think I read the post and replied appropriately.
No harm in trying to find/contact the previous owner either.
He/she may have made the dealer aware of any attempted theft and just wanted to move the bike after such an expierence and may genuinely not have been aware of any damage.. on or they may deny all knowledge of it…worth a try anyway.
Any receipts/history/warranty book with their details on ?
He/she may have made the dealer aware of any attempted theft and just wanted to move the bike after such an expierence and may genuinely not have been aware of any damage.. on or they may deny all knowledge of it…worth a try anyway.
Any receipts/history/warranty book with their details on ?
Maybe would be worth doing some sort of background check for your bike - https://www.carvertical.com/gb/motorcycle-vin-chec... I know it's a long shot, but if it shows that there was a theft attempt then it would strengthen your position in this dispute. Won't be just your word agains theirs.
Hope for a positive outcome OP.
Hope for a positive outcome OP.
Sorry to hear of your troubles. I purchased an approved used bike (not Triumph) that had no end of issues. Issues that would have shown up within 5 minutes of them taking it in PartEx, let alone during their 9000 point check or whatever it’s called.
4 months and umpteen visits to the dealer later (every single time they sent round a van to collect it so I never went to the dealer myself) I just asked for my money back. Bike collected same day and money in my bank account within 3 working days.
Honestly I was tooling up for a long drawn dispute but it was a total anti climax. In my case they really couldn’t argue when they weren’t able to fix the numerous issues their own standards.
So it really does depend on the dealer (and to some extent the brand I suppose).
4 months and umpteen visits to the dealer later (every single time they sent round a van to collect it so I never went to the dealer myself) I just asked for my money back. Bike collected same day and money in my bank account within 3 working days.
Honestly I was tooling up for a long drawn dispute but it was a total anti climax. In my case they really couldn’t argue when they weren’t able to fix the numerous issues their own standards.
So it really does depend on the dealer (and to some extent the brand I suppose).
Thanks for all your replies....much appreciated....just a quick update....
So I rang the supplying dealer this morning but it is the day off today for the salesman I dealt with so left a message for the manager to ring me back.....then rang my local Triumph dealership who had diagnosed the problem and booked the bike in to be repaired, earliest I could get it in was the 27th of this month.....and I had to pay for the parts in advance...ouch..
I decided at 3.30pm to ring the supplying dealership back and I got through to the manager. Now I had earlier in the morning sent an emaill to the salesman I had dealt with outlining the issues and attached estimates etc also cc in the manager. When I spoke to the manager in the afternoon he apologised for not having rung me back ( I was apparently on his to do list ) and he had obviously read my email. I was expecting a bit of a confrontation but to be fair the guy couldn't of been more accommodating ( let's not get to excited...we've not seen any money off em yet ) basically if I forward all the invoices they will pay for the repairs....he was I sense a bit irked having to pay full retail for the parts I had pre paid for earlier in the morning but nevertheless accepted this.
So the bike goes in on the 27th and fingers crossed I get reimbursed....does make you wonder though about the "Approved Used Triumph Programme".....
So I rang the supplying dealer this morning but it is the day off today for the salesman I dealt with so left a message for the manager to ring me back.....then rang my local Triumph dealership who had diagnosed the problem and booked the bike in to be repaired, earliest I could get it in was the 27th of this month.....and I had to pay for the parts in advance...ouch..
I decided at 3.30pm to ring the supplying dealership back and I got through to the manager. Now I had earlier in the morning sent an emaill to the salesman I had dealt with outlining the issues and attached estimates etc also cc in the manager. When I spoke to the manager in the afternoon he apologised for not having rung me back ( I was apparently on his to do list ) and he had obviously read my email. I was expecting a bit of a confrontation but to be fair the guy couldn't of been more accommodating ( let's not get to excited...we've not seen any money off em yet ) basically if I forward all the invoices they will pay for the repairs....he was I sense a bit irked having to pay full retail for the parts I had pre paid for earlier in the morning but nevertheless accepted this.
So the bike goes in on the 27th and fingers crossed I get reimbursed....does make you wonder though about the "Approved Used Triumph Programme".....
Most legitimate dealers want happy customers because arguments and court cases just take up too much time
Having said that an attempted theft could have happened at any time so it sounds like you've been lucky that they've accepted your word
Finally the general principle is you have to give the supplying dealer the opportunity to inspect and repair
If they do as you suggest, they have been massively helpful, they are within their rights not to pay as the principle is you don't have the right to spend their money because they get parts and labour much cheaper - it can also cause a dispute if the repair is substandard or they find something else
Having said that an attempted theft could have happened at any time so it sounds like you've been lucky that they've accepted your word
Finally the general principle is you have to give the supplying dealer the opportunity to inspect and repair
If they do as you suggest, they have been massively helpful, they are within their rights not to pay as the principle is you don't have the right to spend their money because they get parts and labour much cheaper - it can also cause a dispute if the repair is substandard or they find something else
poo at Paul's said:
what's the top yoke made of? If it is ally, how can it be bent? Bars, yes, but top yoke.....? I've smashed bikes to death racing for near 50 years and never bent a top yoke, so not sure a scally can do it with his trainers.
Top yoke is steel.....technician informed me its quite commen with attempted thefts...KTMsm said:
Most legitimate dealers want happy customers because arguments and court cases just take up too much time
Having said that an attempted theft could have happened at any time so it sounds like you've been lucky that they've accepted your word
Finally the general principle is you have to give the supplying dealer the opportunity to inspect and repair
If they do as you suggest, they have been massively helpful, they are within their rights not to pay as the principle is you don't have the right to spend their money because they get parts and labour much cheaper - it can also cause a dispute if the repair is substandard or they find something else
When I spoke to the manager he didn't once infer the attempted theft happened under my ownership, in fact because the dealership is in Central London he said it will have happened locally....apparently its rife....Having said that an attempted theft could have happened at any time so it sounds like you've been lucky that they've accepted your word
Finally the general principle is you have to give the supplying dealer the opportunity to inspect and repair
If they do as you suggest, they have been massively helpful, they are within their rights not to pay as the principle is you don't have the right to spend their money because they get parts and labour much cheaper - it can also cause a dispute if the repair is substandard or they find something else
And to be clear....I'm not spending the dealerships money, it is my own money....and then setting about recovering my losses.
Labour rates will be comparable, both Triumph dealerships, and I could of charged them for a days lost wages, petrol, etc.
There is a disclaimer on the estimate which I sent to the supplying dealer in the event further parts are needed.
Sounds an odd way to go about things?
Triumph dealer 1 supplies an approved used bike to buyer.
Triumph dealer 2 identifies problem and provides quotation to repair.
Triumph dealer 1 authorises buyer to have bike repaired by Triumph dealer 2 with the buyer having to pay for the repairs out of their own pocket and then be reimbursed by Triumph dealer 1.
Is there any reason why the bike can’t just go back to Triumph dealer 1 and be repaired by them?
Did they verbally agree to cover all costs incurred to you by Triumph dealer 2? Or do you have it in writing?
For me, on a 3 week old bike I’d prefer for it to go back to the supplying dealer and have them rectify the situation, unless Triumph dealer 2 can invoice Triumph dealer 1 directly.
Triumph dealer 1 supplies an approved used bike to buyer.
Triumph dealer 2 identifies problem and provides quotation to repair.
Triumph dealer 1 authorises buyer to have bike repaired by Triumph dealer 2 with the buyer having to pay for the repairs out of their own pocket and then be reimbursed by Triumph dealer 1.
Is there any reason why the bike can’t just go back to Triumph dealer 1 and be repaired by them?
Did they verbally agree to cover all costs incurred to you by Triumph dealer 2? Or do you have it in writing?
For me, on a 3 week old bike I’d prefer for it to go back to the supplying dealer and have them rectify the situation, unless Triumph dealer 2 can invoice Triumph dealer 1 directly.
Chippy 123 said:
When I spoke to the manager he didn't once infer the attempted theft happened under my ownership, in fact because the dealership is in Central London he said it will have happened locally....apparently its rife....
And to be clear....I'm not spending the dealerships money, it is my own money....and then setting about recovering my losses.
Labour rates will be comparable, both Triumph dealerships, and I could of charged them for a days lost wages, petrol, etc.
There is a disclaimer on the estimate which I sent to the supplying dealer in the event further parts are needed.
Do you think the supplying dealer pays anything like the same for parts as you do or indeed for labour ?And to be clear....I'm not spending the dealerships money, it is my own money....and then setting about recovering my losses.
Labour rates will be comparable, both Triumph dealerships, and I could of charged them for a days lost wages, petrol, etc.
There is a disclaimer on the estimate which I sent to the supplying dealer in the event further parts are needed.
He may well charge the same for labour but he probably pays them around £150 a day and now you are charging him probably £150 an hour for other people's mechanics
I am a bike dealer if you didn't bring it back to me, I would not be reimbursing you after taking it elsewhere
If you wish to take it elsewhere that's your choice but legally if you don't give the supplying dealer a chance to repair and then take them to court you will (or at least should) lose
KTMsm said:
Do you think the supplying dealer pays anything like the same for parts as you do or indeed for labour ?
He may well charge the same for labour but he probably pays them around £150 a day and now you are charging him probably £150 an hour for other people's mechanics
I am a bike dealer if you didn't bring it back to me, I would not be reimbursing you after taking it elsewhere
If you wish to take it elsewhere that's your choice but legally if you don't give the supplying dealer a chance to repair and then take them to court you will (or at least should) lose
Sounds reasonable.He may well charge the same for labour but he probably pays them around £150 a day and now you are charging him probably £150 an hour for other people's mechanics
I am a bike dealer if you didn't bring it back to me, I would not be reimbursing you after taking it elsewhere
If you wish to take it elsewhere that's your choice but legally if you don't give the supplying dealer a chance to repair and then take them to court you will (or at least should) lose
KTMsm said:
Do you think the supplying dealer pays anything like the same for parts as you do or indeed for labour ?
He may well charge the same for labour but he probably pays them around £150 a day and now you are charging him probably £150 an hour for other people's mechanics
I am a bike dealer if you didn't bring it back to me, I would not be reimbursing you after taking it elsewhere
If you wish to take it elsewhere that's your choice but legally if you don't give the supplying dealer a chance to repair and then take them to court you will (or at least should) lose
To clarify...I took the bike to my local dealer for a minor issue where the underlying problem was discovered....I would of been happy for the bike to go back to the supplying dealer for repair but given the distance/costs transporting the bike it was logical to use the local dealership....incidentally the supplying dealer agreed with this.....He may well charge the same for labour but he probably pays them around £150 a day and now you are charging him probably £150 an hour for other people's mechanics
I am a bike dealer if you didn't bring it back to me, I would not be reimbursing you after taking it elsewhere
If you wish to take it elsewhere that's your choice but legally if you don't give the supplying dealer a chance to repair and then take them to court you will (or at least should) lose
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