Price Increase Following Deposit & Part Payments

Tim76

Hi all,

I ordered a bike last May which I was told would arrive in June 2021. Delivery has been delayed & delayed and the bike is now due to arrive next week. But this is not my main gripe.

Since the initial deposit that I paid in May, a bike to work scheme has been paid against the original price and another substantial part payment made. I agreed with the bike shop that I would pay the outstanding balance once the bike had been shipped and this outstanding balance was clearly stated.

The issue I have, is that since i originally ordered the bike until now (delivery time) the manufacturer has increased the price of the model for 2022 and the bike shop is now trying to pass on this price increase on to me. This seems like pretty sharp practice. I feel like they are penalising me for their late shipment.

Anyway, anyone know if I have a leg to stand on here? Does a deposit mean that the bike shop is under any kind of legal obligation to sell me the bike at the original price?

Thanks in advance

Del2005

It all depends on what the T&C's where when you paid the deposit. If it's a set price you can try and force the shop to sell it to you but they can just say no and then you have to go legal so several months of hassle to get the bike, there's also the issue that BTW is being bought by your company so I don't really know who can initiate the proceedings

Tim76

Yeah seems like a right mess, don't know how a refund to a BTW scheme would even work? That would need to go back to my employer and then to me I'm guessing, but how is the tax side dealt with?? Am I then excluded from participating in the scheme again for another 5 years meaning I can't use the scheme to buy a different bike this year?

TBH, as the bike has been on order since last May, I'm reluctant to even ask to be refunded to start the process all over again given the lead times for bikes these days - let alone a protracted legal battle!

I have an email thread going back to April with the bike shop where the price is confirmed by them as well as a 10% deposit of the list price to secure the order. There has been months of over and back since regarding the BTW, an additional part payment and the multiple revised shipment dates but there was never any T&Cs agreed or included in any correspondence that I can think off.

It sounds like he has me by the balls and he knows it.

Caranica

Did you post a thread about this already last week?

Tim76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118514372#Comment_118514372

No. I came across that thread though. It happened to another guy in a similar situation, he managed to get his deposit refunded and went elsewhere. I seem to be a bit more embedded!

Apparently this type of practice is more common when it comes to car sales. Just seems plain wrong IMHO.

skinny90

its hard to understand how this “increase” is being passed all the way down…

either the order wasn’t processed when you paid the deposit (shops fault not yours ) or it was cancelled and reordered at a new price (again shops issue not yours, assuming you didn’t know what was going on and give the green light)

C3PO

How much is the price increase? Even if you go somewhere else you’ll still have to pay the higher price?

Tim76

The bike shop have responded and have offered to meet me halfway on the increase. Think this is the best i can hope for tbh. If i take the refund (messy and all as that would be) and go elsewhere I will be paying the for the full increase anyway as well as waiting months for the bike to be delivered - some shops are advising on 12 month lead times at the moment for road bikes. Plus there is the added complication of the Bike to Work scheme and whether I would qualify again.

Thanks to everyone for their responses.