Ha ha!

Although CDiscount, who I paid and who own the web site on which I bought my electric bike have not, to their shame, responded to the three registered letters that I’ve sent to them, the German shipper has. They offered me a refund of 10% if I then dropped my claim, which I rejected as derisory, confirming that I would accept nothing less than a full refund of my total cost.

Shortly after they came back with an offer to send me a return label for the return of the bike which they would then refund in full once it had arrived at their warehouse. This I accepted while pointing out that the bike had, of course, been fully assembled after delivery and asking whether a shipper would accept it in that state. I also added that I don’t now have the original carton which I had to cut in order to remove the components of the bike from it.

I knew that this would give them the opportunity to insist that the bike would need to be disassembled and packed for shipment and they proposed a date of 14 June for the transport to arrive at my front door. They also asked for details and a photograph of the package. They probably think that it will be difficult, impossible even, for me to meet such a deadline at which point they will say that it will therefore be impossible for them to take back the bike.

But what they don’t know is that although I have none of the bike’s original packing material, I do have two enormous sheets of very heavy cardboard that my new large bed base was delivered in and although, unfortunately, I’ve been throwing away vast quantities of bubble-wrap and gave away almost a roll that was left over after I’d finished packing for my move, it will be a simple matter to acquire more.

It will not therefore, be that difficult for me to package up the bike for shipment, aided by the fact that I did a video of its unpacking and know exactly how it was packed into its original carton. So it looks as though my plan is coming together and if for some reason the German shipper does not play ball when they get the bike back, I’ll still have the option of claiming off CDiscount who it was I originally paid for its purchase.

It’ll be sad in a way to see the bike go as I do like it and have enjoyed riding it. However, it has already taken up enough of my time and I now have other priorities to direct my attention towards in the form of for starters my aircraft and developing my garden, so it’ll be a relief when I’m rid of it and have the money I splashed out for it back in my bank account.