Ive not wanted to do this but feel other riders need to be warned…
So… August last year , my arai corsair ( which was purchased from gants hill) was dropped… Luckily it fell on the vents… so all it needed was two vents and a wing to put her back to new…
I dropped the lid down there and was greeted by the meanest most miserable woman ive ever purchased motorcycle apparel from.
This woman cannot help herself… Im not sure if shes been scorned in love or something and has a chip on her shoulder… but… every time i call to get an update… she gives me attitude then when I ask her why she is speaking to me in such a manor , she replies im speaking to you normally… Im thinking… If thats your normal… Who the hell hired you? What kind of decision is that… To allow some one as blunt and rude as that to manage a good store ( which ive been shopping in for 8 or more years) .
NOW… back to the story… I call them today… and ask what the situation was and they tell me that Hein Gericke have fallen out with Pheonix Distribution and will not be mending the helmet… They said that theyre are going to get Pheonix to return it and theyre going to refund me the £102 . Which I was made to pay upfront… “Because we dont know if you going to come back and get the helmet” . A brand new £600 arai and Kitty tells me shes not sure if Ill collect it… So from the off i get attitude and now almost 6 months later… she tells me… with an attitude… Theyre waiting for Pheonix to return the helmet…
Im mean… im speachless… Abuse… attitude… rudeness… then i get my helmet back… the way it was given to them…
i’ve been into the hanger lane shop, needed to buy some winter gear, I was in the store for 30mins the only guy working was on a personal cal the whole time…
But I’ve just seen this so might be worth popping in
The checkout code LOYALTY30 gets you 30% off any Hein Gericke-branded goods instore or online this weekend…
On the XX of XXXXXX I visited the Hein Gericke Store at Gants Hill. At this time I gave to Hein Gericke my Arai Helmet for repairs.
This was X months ago.
Hein Gericke has not returned my helmet and after several attempts to find out when my helmet will be returned I have been given no information.
If I do not receive my helmet in 14 days, on the 10th of February, I will expect a full refund of the price of the helmet valued at £XXX on that date.
If I do not receive my helmet or a full refund for the price of a new helmet I will bring court proceedings against Hein Gericke in the small claims court under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 s13 for a failure to exercise due skill and care in regard to the repairing of my helmet. I will be requesting the full refund price for the helmet, plus damages for the loss of use of the helmet, damages for inconvenience for the failure to repair the helmet in a timely fashion and interest on the amount from the 10th of February until Judgment is given.
Please accept this letter as my pre-action letter as I will not initiate any further correspondence with you regarding this matter.
Yours sincerely
Be prepared to go to court though, but in my humble opinion, they have failed to exercise due care in regard to your helmet, they have fobbed you off for months and you should be entitled to either your helmet or the refund, and if they refuse and you have to take them to court, damages for your wasted time.
Of course you should seek independent legal advice, perhaps Ring CAB or ring the Government’s own consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06
They probably won’t give you the same advice I have, but maybe I have a grudge against Hein Gericke.
I have been out of pocket and with a lid bagged up and tucked away in the bike cupboard for a year now. That is how long the case has been with the Ombudsman which are taking the p1ss taking this long…
I will never trust Arai helmets again, hence not wearing mine either. It was sent back 5 times in 20 months and Im just worried that it will just crumple to bits if I wore it on my commute to work :ermm:
The chin spoiler was only the first problem which surfaced the first time I wore it about a month after purchase, then two days after the first 6month check-up i had to take it back coz I dared wear it and use the vents and one of the diffuser vent buttons detached itself and slid under the diffuser. It was sent back to be fixed. Then it came back ( I must point out that I was not wearing this helmet on a daily basis, only at weekends at the time and at four months old the neck lining already started fraying and the rubber neck trim clracked), collected it and put it back in the cupboard in its bag.
Wore it on a few weekend ride outs and later on(when the lid was just under a year old) I just wore it on my commute to work. I remember changing the visor for the clear one at 4am one morning to go work when the side pod just broke off so had to go to the garage, get my 4 year old Arai and use its side pod.I was told at the store that I had to buy the side pods as they weren’t covered under warranty. Never said a word just ordered a set and paid for it.
After that the visor started closing by itself, never stayed open when I wanted it to so I took it back again, said the visor kept falling close and wouldn’t stay open at any angle. The guys told me they’d send it back to be fixed. Ended up having the side plates changed but when i went o pick it up I tried the visor and it was still closing. Not sure it was something that could’ve been adjusted/tightened in-store by the sales assistants but they said “well we just send it back again” so they did. I didn’t have the lid for long, I think it spent more time travelling to and from and being at the service centre than in my cupboard, nevermind wearing it :crazy:
It was sent back 5 times in 20 months and Im just worried that it will just crumple to bits if I wore it on my commute to work :ermm: