Unreliable and dishonest
On August 8 of this year, I placed an order for the Access Bike Shed from Bike Dock Solutions (BDS) along with the shelving. Ordering through BDS was the only way I could procure this shed in the US. BDS’ American sales rep assured me on the phone that shipping to the US would be straightforward, and that the items were in stock.
The shed did not arrive for almost 3 months; contrary to the information I had been given on the phone, it was not in stock at the time of purchase, and had to be produced. Once I took the pieces into my yard, I saw that the shelving, as well as the padlocks that were supposed to be included, was missing. I notified the US rep of this fact, but because of an impending trip, did not have time to fully unwrap the shed. While on my trip, I heard from the rep that BDS was questioning my claim about the missing shelving, but I insisted I was telling the truth, and was promised a replacement would ship that week.
Upon my return, I began assembling the shed, and after unwrapping it, realized that this was not the shed I had ordered; it could not accommodate 1 bicycle, much less the 4 the Access is supposed to fit; it had front loading doors, rather than the gas-lift lid; and the locking mechanism was not the same as in the photos. The manual was for the Asgard 5x3 Vangard Metal Shed 2 Point Locking, NOT the Access. I immediately sent photos of all this to the rep, who promised that he would remedy the situation ASAP.
Two days later, James Nash, President of BDS, emailed asking if I would like to receive the correct shed, implying that I had a choice between that and simply getting a refund. I replied no; I had waited long enough already, and the incompetence and questioning of my honesty gave me no faith that BDS would deliver.
After that, I heard nothing, despite several emails. Nor has the shelving and the padlock – which allegedly shipped before I even realized that the wrong shed had been delivered – arrived.
On November 26, I called BDS’ London office to inquire on the status. The person who picked up the phone insisted that I had no right to any restitution because I had “signed for” the package, and thus was not even entitled to a hypothetical replacement. He repeated this point ad nauseum, even as I pointed out that I had sent photos proving my claim: mismatched components and even the assembly instructions that clearly label it as something other than Access. Further, his argument ignores the fact that no company could reasonably claim that because a customer had “signed for” a package, that customer could not demand restitution upon discovering the package contained the wrong contents after the driver had already departed. I asked to speak to this person’s manager, at which point he hung up on me. Each time I called back, the person picking up the phone hung up on me upon hearing my accent.
James Nash, the CEO of BDS, then wrote saying they had been “very reasonable” and was entitled to keep my payment. Mr. Nash’s definition of “reasonable” apparently includes not responding to my emails for two weeks and having his employees question my honesty and hang up on me. Finally, even if BDS’ end of the deal could be satisfied by sending the correct shed to me, the company’s behavior is evidence that it will not do so, at least not in a timely manner: 1. It never shipped the shelving and padlock, which it promised to do even before this larger dispute. 2. It also claimed to have the item in stock when I first ordered it, only to contradict that claim later. 3. It took almost three months for the Vangard shed to arrive; if, as I expect, something is wrong with the “replacement”, I will have to go through this process again almost 6 months after originally purchasing the item. 4. Their rudeness in refusing to speak to me, questioning my honesty and efforts to hide behind the fact that I “signed for” the wrong shed are proof that the company is trying to avoid righting its wrongs or satisfy its customers’ needs.
13. Dezember 2017
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