Customer Complaint to Hein Gericke

I am having problems with a faulty helmet bought from Hein Gericke, I am posting my complaint letter and any return correspondence in the hope that head office will take my complaint seriously. The following was sent 19.11.10;

Before I start this letter I wish to make you aware that I shall be posting both the correspondence that I send to you and any replies that I receive on two large motorcycle forums (MCN and Visor Down). I am hoping this complaint will be taken seriously and dealt with swiftly otherwise I will be escalating my complaint for the attention of Mr Richard Chambers, Managing Director.I purchased an AGV Model GP Tech Black helmet from your Kenton branch on 26/09/10. The helmet was a display model with a faulty neck roll which was replaced on the day of purchase.The following day I was subjected to a degrading search at Asda in Watford as Hein Gericke, Kenton had failed to remove the security tags in the helmet. While trying to locate the security tags I found one of the neck roll clips was broken & rattling around inside the helmet. I notified Hein Greicke, Kenton of this problem immediately by phone and was advised that nobody would be available to deal with this until early the following week (04.10.10). This was not acceptable as I required urgent use of the helmet for work purposes so I was left with no alternative but to take a half day off of work and make the journey to the Luton branch. Obviously this was an inconvenience and costs were incurred, both for travel and for my time.Hein Greicke, Luton, kept the helmet and made a loan helmet available to me.

Two weeks later no one had contacted me to provide an update and I had to contact the Luton branch who advised me that nothing had been done as they hadn’t seen the receipt. This is utterly ridiculous given that I wasn’t asked for the receipt, either in person on the day or subsequently by telephone. I emailed a scanned copy. Needless to say there was no apology for the lack of service and I had to wait a further week until the helmet was ready for collection. Given the circumstances, it would have been helpful for the helmet to have been available for collection from Kenton but no, I had to return to Luton having had to take another half day’s leave.

Six days later the neck roll fabric again came un-stitched and gradually unravelled more each time it was worn. I retuned it to Hein Gericke in Kenton again on 24/10/10. The salesman checked three other helmets that they had on display to swap so I would not have to wait & all three had the same fault. I was disappointed by the fact that this helmet is clearly a sub standard product and surprised that a reputable company such as Hein Gericke would be peddling it. The salesperson assured me that I would be contacted the next day to advise me what action would be taken & how long I would be further inconvenienced.

Two weeks later and no communication from your branch, I was again forced to contact them to find out what was going on. I was advised the replacement neck roll had been delivered and had been waiting at the shop for a week but nobody had bothered to contact me and advise me of this. This truly is the epitomy of outstanding customer service and not at all what I would have expected.

I collected the replacement neck roll on 07.11.10 and the following day the stitching again began to unravel. At this point I was not prepared for Hein Gericke to inconvenience me further with shoddy products or poor communication so I contacted the Kenton branch on 12/11/10 and advised them that I was dissatisfied with the quality of helmet & wanted to exchange it for a different brand of helmet. The branch advised me that they would need to speak to head office regarding this issue but would get back to me later that day. Again I received no communication from your branch. I called again on 13/11/10 and was told the manufacturer would need to be contacted directly but this would have to wait till Monday as the manufacturer was closed at the weekends. I was personally assured by Chris that somebody would revert to me first thing Monday morning (15/11/10). Given the poor level of customer care and communication I had received to date, I wasn’t in the least surprised when there was no contact as promised. I took another half day off work to visit the shop in person on 16/11/10 and was advised that Chris was not available.  The salesperson I dealt with was disinterested and unsympathetic to the point of rudeness and when I voiced my dissatisfaction with the level of customer care displayed & the poor quality of the product I was told there was a known quality issue with this model of helmet and that it was merely a superficial fault. A faulty product is a faulty product and when paying money for an essential health and safety item I expect it to be perfect and durable. I was advised that it would have to be sent to the manufacturer with a further inconvenience to me of an additional ten days. I was told that I could not have a refund nor an alternate make/model of helmet. This is something I am sure that Trading Standards will be only too delighted to hear about – my understanding of consumer law is that any faulty goods should either be exchanged or refunded and as such it would seem as though your staff ignored laws designed to protect consumers like myself. I left the helmet with Hein Gericke, Kenton and advised them that I would take the issue up with head office. I was not provided with a loan helmet and was forced to walk home to retrieve an old helmet. The helmet I am currently using only has a tinted visor so is dangerous at night and has been dropped down a flight of stairs which is the reason for purchasing a new helmet in the first place. I am not confident that the helmet is sound enough to provide adequate protection in the event of an accident but I have no alternative. It is inexcusable that your company has left me in a position where I am riding a bike with sub standard equipment, possibly putting my life and the lives of others at risk. I am now not prepared to accept a faulty product from Hein Gericke, I expect either a full refund or an alternative option of helmet of equal or better value. I am also not prepared to deal with your sales assistants at branch level whom appear to have little or no customer training and are incapable of dealing with this problem. I expect direct contact from Hein Gericke, Uk by close of business 26.11.10 advising me what action is going to be taken and when I can expect a resolution to this issue.

I do not expect to be inconvenienced further and an alternative product or a refund should be arranged with me, the customer in mind i.e. express delivery of a replacement product or a CHAPS transfer of the full purchase price. An additional sum is expected for the utterly appalling service I have received and the impact that service has had on my life. I have had to take 3 half days off of work, I have had to travel to other branches, I have had to chase your staff to provide any level of service, albeit appalling and I have been left without the product that I paid for.

The thing i found with Hein Gericke is that the shop staff including the Manager don't have any authority to make appropriate management decissions which could have nipped this in the bud and prevented this now massive issue.

It sounds like you had a perfectly good reason for a replacement product on the spot.

 I work in a bike shop and we work on the phylosophy that you sort the complaint first then sort out the politics later when the customer has left.

talking from experience 9/10 times the customer ends up returning with future business.

Its not hard...

Although i have not had this kind of experience with Hein Gericke (given i have never bought anything more than a can of chain lube !!!), what you have experienced does not surprise me. The few times i have been in and asked the staff about this product and that, they appear to be totally disinterested and not very well versed in the products.

 Went into the Manchester store a while back and asked about leather trousers.... tried a pair on that fit in the waist but were standard leg and way to long for my diddy proportions (leg length only mind), the '' salesman '' advised me that all would be well and all i had to do was '' tuck '' the bottom into my boots a bit more than usual !!!!!! When i pointed out that the armour did not sit on my knee, he said (in a straight tone of voice) that all i had to do was '' pull up '' the armour before i got onto the bike !!!!! OMG, if this is the kind of muppet employed then your experiences do not surprise me.

Good  luck.

I reckon just like me HG will be bored before the end of the first paragraph..I think that the helmet has a missing popper( possibly pulled off by the OP searching for the security tag? )for the lining and a bit if loose stitching ....meanwhile the poster is clearly after compensation for travel and lost worktime??? sounds like the demands are unreasonable and way over the top...

Poor service is always annoying but sometimes the customer needs a bit of a reality check , and I am not sure how a bit if stitching coming undone can put peoples lives at risk??? sounds like a whingy letter from a  whingy shopper...next tine check the product BEFORE agreeing to buy and dont scrimp by biying an ex display model...simples

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Tu cara= mi culo 



www.thewheelieschool.co.uk/

When making written complaints of this nature, its best to be short and direct.

Mentioning that you are publishing the letter on websites won't raise an eyebrow, but maybe a smile.

I see no demands for expenses and time, so I'm guessing you just want to put your point across that the experience has been one long haul to just get to where you are now.

 I don't think that buying ex-display goods affects your consumer rights, but you may want to read up what HG's Tand C's are on the matter. They may have a clause in which you get 85% of the value of the returned item. I dunno? look into it.

Good luck though and I wish you a speedy end to this sorry tale.

I was in HG in Manchester today, went to buy a disc lock.

Walking to the counter I noticed that the cable ties that hold the lock in its packaging had been cut and a quick squeeze of the box indicated that it had been opened previously. Basically it all crumbled with a bit of pressure,( crumble may not be the right word, fell apart may be better).

I asked the two wise monkeys behind the counter if they were resale items.

The one with his hands over his mouth said nowt.

The other one couldn't hear me as he had his hands over his ears.

I'm glad the third wise monkey wasn't around,he'd have said fuck all anyway.

So, because I was met with ignorance I walked back to the locks display. And a quick scan of the items pretty much confirmed my initial thoughts of the item being a resale.  Most of the other items were in previously opened or damaged packaging.

I said " They are aren't they, they are all resale items aren't they.

Again , I was ignored , except the dumb one went "huh?"

 So I slid the disc lock down the counter to him.

Waited a second or two and asked again if they were resale. I got a reply of "no , no ".

I said  "No", also.

I've a feeling that they were being cagey and arrogant due to the 2 jailbaits that were sniffing round the shop.

Unfortunatly, I hate this level of service and will be reporting my experience to Trading Standards.

HG Manchester, where two wise monkeys are no good when you need three.

Ex-display lid, you're brave!!

I've seen people drop these things (and not mention it to the staff) on a number of occasions.

From what you are describing of the helmet itself, it would appear to be an AGV issue rather than an HG issue. TBH though, if you are buying an ex-display helmet, I would have said that superficial damage to the outer and wear and tear to the inner would be expected and would be reflected in the reduced price (i'm assuming you didn't pay close to full price for this).

I can appreciate that the service has been fairly dire, but am not sure that you can pin riding in defective gear on the shop, as that would be your call not theirs. Again though, you are worried that your original lid had been dropped, but there is not guarantee that the ex-display model hasn't.

I see another classic HG manchester show of excellent customer service and all round industry knowledge....

Ex-Display lid: FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL

aint your head worth a bit more than that fella?!!

Just had the most hideous and disgusting experience at one of the Hein Gericke shops..!!

The assistant was over bearing and insulting eventually storming off and offering no help at all.

Then after spending over £600 (desperate to go riding) the shop assistant and the manager tried  to overcharge us by about £100 and in the process lied about including some free protection pads and still overcharged us anyway. 

After contacting customer services ...they to have lied to me on 4 separate occasions, saying they will send me a voucher, which has never arrived.

I am in the process of seeking legal advice.

Speak up dont shutup. wrote (see)

Just had the most hideous and disgusting experience at one of the Hein Gericke shops..!!

The assistant was over bearing and insulting eventually storming off and offering no help at all.

Then after spending over £600 (desperate to go riding) the shop assistant and the manager tried  to overcharge us by about £100 and in the process lied about including some free protection pads and still overcharged us anyway. 

After contacting customer services ...they to have lied to me on 4 separate occasions, saying they will send me a voucher, which has never arrived.

I am in the process of seeking legal advice.

What for?

It would help if you gave us a (brief is best) synopsis of the events leading up to this statement. And, from your OP, it would appear that you parted with over £600 after already receiving appalling service. WTF? Are you mad? Why didn't you bugger off and spend your money elsewhere prior to getting your bloody money out?

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98% of the time I'm right. Why worry about the other 3%.

Well your letter was overlong but am surprised at some of the unsympathetic replies above. I only have a limited amount of knowledge of consumer law but I would have thought that the helmet was "unfit for purpose" and if you feel sufficiently aggrieved then you should talk to your local trading standards office and take it from there. Don't bother going for compensation though! One thing for sure is that, having purchased the product from HG, your contract is with them and not AGV. As someone rightly said, HG should have replaced or refunded the helmet and got the AGV distributor to do the same and that way, everybody would be happy. The AGV distributor like all distributors budget for a given quantity of warranty replacement/credit during the year. Also, I don't see why people should be having a go at you for buying an ex display item from a reputable shop. Maybe you do not have a lot of money and so were trying to buy the best possible lid that you could afford. If they dropped it and then knowingly sold it then that would be utterly dispicable.   

hey found this site while seaching for HG complaints department. 

first time buyer = no knowledge. Went to a HG store saked for assistance almost begrudingly given. sold an XL helmet. (and yes i did find that odd but hey maybe my head is XL)

3 days later i go to another store (not HG) for leathers chatting with the helpful man who tells me my helmet is wrong, and shows me why by getting the identical helmet and tugging it down bashing my nose - we laugh - had this been on the road not so much laughter. spend over an hour finding a good comfortable fit. i buy a helmet from him its a SMALL.

WTF. For the sake of a few quid someone puts my life in danger. C***s. i call customer services as i want to return XL helmet. They say they will contact me before the end of the day - 48 hours later no call. Great service, i feel like going to the shop and cutting his brake cables.

Well Gromit

 

Your complaint is fair and I hope you stick it up HG. But here's a bit of advice - you ramble on and on and would do well to cut your complaint down to 200 words.Otherwise readers will fall asleep when reading your long piece.

 

This will annoy you but you should listen up.

 

you better hurry up they gone bust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!