Consumer Guarantees Act: Advice?

[Stella]

Opps, I got my dates wrong, it was March not February that I bought it. So that was three and a half months ago.

The starting problems showed up very early, but we persevered - getting used to a new bike, only being used once a week to go to a carpark for me to tootle around in, doing lots of stopping and starting and low speed stuff which would be hard on the battery. No point taking it to be fixed at this stage.

Till four weeks ago (just under three months since I bought it) when I got sick and tired of it, but they said it went for them and further investigation would cost me more.

The battery has been charged pretty damned regularly. I don't know how often, but I probably have a slew of emails and texts to a friend mentioning it (unfortunately I deleted my phone's outbox yesterday...)

Stella

[Stella]

Well, I rang around and around trying to be as sure of my position and the problem with my bike as I could be.
Heart was thumping when I rang Shop 1...

Of course the guy was rather defensive and kept saying how I hsould have got them to look at it first. Well, hey, I did, and they claimed nothing was wrong! And when I rang I got no answer so I rang the next on the list.

Anyway, we eventually came to an agreement.

He picked up the bike from Shop 2, looked over it and decided it was indeed the stator.
He is sending off the stator to be rewound and will fit it. I pay half the cost of the rewind, he covers the rest plus the labour. $115 for me.

Also had to pay the $82 for Shop 2 to pick it up etc. A bit annoyed about this part, we argued a bit over it. In the end I just want my bike fixed asap. There is only so much antagonism you wish to inflict.

Now hoping like hell the alternator is ok. Apparently it can go if the stator goes or something. I have no idea what to do if I get the call that is dead too.

Anyway, they wont have me as a customer again, and I will hardly be recommending them to the numerous other people I know who are keen to get their license! As far as I am concerned, when they first looked at my bike they decided I was a girl with no experience and therefore Stoopid and don't know how to start a bike. Shop 2 got it going five times in front of me with no trouble, but THEY BELIEVED ME instead of judging me.

So it is mostly a VICTORY for the consumer guarantees act. I'm sure someone with more clout and possibly a Y chromosome would have got it all for free.

$200 compared to $475

[Steam]

Hooray! A mostly success! Good on you, it's a stressful thing to do, haggling like that eh.