So much for the new jacket, then.

I've been looking for a decent replacement for my old HG Voyager jacket for
a while now, and I thought I'd found one last Saturday in HG in Bristol.
Cordura, Goretex, armour, removeable lining etc, seemed to fit well: sorted,
I thought. So I bought it.

I didn't wear it immediately, because I needed to find a pair of gloves that
would fit up the sleeves, but I did wear it for going to work on Friday, and
for a run up to the Stafford show yesterday. As I was getting buttoned up
to depart Stafford, the tag on the slider on one of the sleeve zips broke.
Then I noticed that the velcro on the front closure had been unpicking the
threads and stuff on the right sleeve. This is after no more than two hours
strolling about with the jacket undone. After six months, it would look
like I'd been fisting an Ewok.

Looking at the broken zip, I'm not surprised it broke - it looked pretty
weak to me as designed.

So, I took it back to Heinz Gherkin this morning, told them I wasn't happy
with the jacket because of the broken zip and the shredding sleeve, and
requested a refund.

"We can't replace a jacket just because of that."
"I don't want a replacement, I want my money back."
"We can get the zip fixed."
"No point. I don't want it repaired, I want a refund."

....and so forth. Eventually they said they'd have to talk to Head Office,
and they'd call me tomorrow, which is where I left it.

I'm a bit pissed off now, mostly because I thought the jacket would be a
good replacement for the Voyager - which it would have been, apart from
these problems.

 

Sale of Goods Act - not fit for purpose.

But I'm sure you knew that already.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, platypus

Sales of Goods Act, unfit for purpose, accept no substitutes.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

Oh yes. Safety equipment failing 100 motorway miles from home.

You are entirely correct. I could have stood in the shop and refused to
leave until I had had a refund, but I prefer to avoid unpleasantness. They
now have the opportunity to come back to me and say "Okay, Head Office have
said to give you a refund" and everything will be fine. If this doesn't
happen, then I will have to speak seriously to them, and possibly write a
letter.

 

<hi-fives WUN>

Oops.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, platypus

No manners, some people.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

platypus said...

It's not safety equipment, it's merely a waterproof jacket that carries
CE approved armour. The jacket is not deemed as safety equipment in
itself unless it has been CE tested and approved, which it hasn't.

It is still unfit for purpose if the zips fail and the velcro unstitches
the construction. You are entitled to a refund because of the time span
between buying and reporting a complaint under HG's own terms of
trading, which can be found in the shop manual filed under the counter.
File 8 IIRC.

 

Have you seen his 'mobile'?

A rucksack would be more appropriate than a pocket.

 

Champ said...

My new jacket has one of those little pockets for yer mobile. I should
have used it today, then my lovely new Nokia 6230 phone wouldn't be in a
millon bits spread all over Jct 16 of the M4. Fucking Baglux bags and
their stupid velcro'd map holder pockets, give me zips any day.

At least I managed to retrieve the remains of the body of the phone,
with the sim card, but the memory card, battery and case are long gone.
I wasn't about to start wandering around in the middle of the M4 looking
for such small items. I couldn't run in and out of traffic cos I was
wearing very inflexible MX boots.

 

Shoulda gone to Lidl.


--
Beav
OMF#19
VN 750
Zed Thou

mail is beavis dot original at ntlworld dot com (with the obvious changes)

 

Oh, I know - just a little excursion into hyperbole. However, there's quite
possibly a case to be made that all the guff about protectors and cordura
and dynatec etc might lead one to form the impression that the kit actually
was safety equipment.

That was my view.

Thanks. I don't expect to have to lean on them, but that'll be useful if I
do.

 

No fear. I'll end up walking out with one of them Halvarrarssonses suits
and a load of other stuff besides.

 

platypus said...

Read the small print on the back of the price ticket on every garment in
a Gericke store. It clearly states that it is not PPE. Some garments
have the same sort of thing printed on a label inside.

 

Yeah, but who reads the small print?

 

platypus said...

Gericke staff, very loudly to the person complaining about things like
this.

 

Heh. I didn't come out with anything like this when I was talking to them.

Although I did once tell someone at work, who persisted in drawing willies
in the dirt on my lid, that he could be prosecuted under H&S legislation.

 

Having seen it last weekend, it did indeed look splendid and almost made
to measure.

Unfortunately it appeared to have been constructed to someone else's
measurements. Are you sure it wasn't a stress failure?

Thanks for the books BTW. I'm not entirely sure I'm looking forward to
reading the Luigi Barzini, but as Champ went to such lengths to shove it
through my kitchen window yesterday it would seen rude not to. Perhaps
I'll have another eargasm first.

 

wessie wrote:

Never heard of it. Looks quite new judging by the lack of site content.

I shall ride up at lunchtime and investigate the jacket situation,
although this...

"Everything from Bolt on Chrome accessories for Japanese Cruisers to
parts for Harley Davidsons can be found here."

....has given me the willies already.

If anyone in the place is wearing chaps, I'll point and laugh.

And give'em your number obviously.

Report to follow.

 

Right. I've been. Firstly, I'd like to point out that although the
website declares opening hours as 10am-5.30pm, it fails to inform you
that they are fucking closed on Mondays. Cunts.

Anyway, it didn't make much difference as it turns out.
The shop is tiny, approx. 12'x6', and I could see all 3 walls through
the door.

Contents:
The usual tacky live-to-ride bolt-on accessories (mirrors, grips, etc.)
Some very fetching leather bandanas.
Sunglasses.
1 unpainted quickbob tank.
1 'Held' rack with a few tassled panniers attached.
NO JACKETS
And disappointingly, no chaps.

In short, nothing of any interest to anyone with any taste.

I feel I've done my fair share for UKRM now, so you can all **** off.

 

Bring it on the BH rideout and I'll wear it on my arse.