Great disappointment and horrible buying experience
On July 11, after some preliminary arrangements with Torben, the business owner, I placed an order for a black doggy dog sidecar, a seat, and a branding. I planned the purchase of a sidecar very carefully: I bought a bike especially for the sidecar and gave up the red color of a sidecar. For personal reasons, the time of delivery was very important to me - and in the Scandinavian Sidebike website I read that the shipment of sidecars with colors other than black takes more time.
Torben wrote me that delivery time for a black doggy door sidecar was 4-6 weeks at the moment. So the sidecar should be shipped between August 8 and August 22.
On August 16 I wrote to Torben, asking him about the date of shipment but I didn’t get any answer. And the Scandinavian Sidebike website informs that when the delivery is delayed, the customer is informed about it and learns the reasons.
On August 27, after 7 weeks, I wrote another email, asking if they would complete my order at all. I got a short answer: they were „little behind schedule due to the summer holidays”. Torben wrote that my sidecar will be shipped by the end of next week.
On September 12, after another 2 weeks without any information about shipment, I wrote another email. And finally I got an email about the shipment and the picture of my sidecar, with the branding that I previously asked them to change.
On September 19 the sidecar finally arrived. It took me 9 and half weeks to get it – and I had to ask for it several times.
There was no U-bolt proper for connecting it with my bike – though, according to the manual, it should be there. There were some more parts missing in the set, like extra wire for the hitch pin.
I expected that after the delivery we will set a price that will take into account the very long delay - because delivery time is an element of the contract signed with the seller. Unfortunatelly I found out that the Scandinavian Sidebike have taken from my bank account the full, original price. They have taken my money on August 7, exactly at the time when they should complete the order – but they did it more than five weeks later.
I assumed I was dealing with a series of misunderstandings or unintentional omissions. So I wrote an email to Torben, explaining him my point of view, my losses and my expectations of proper refund. Between September 23 and 25 we exchanged several letters. I repeated my request for a refund supporting it with solid arguments. Torben’s answers were inadequate and embarassing, so I don't quote them. He proposed me a raincover for free. But I already knew the value of their accesories, so I didn’t agree.
The „branding” for almost 30 euros are stickers which you could buy for maximum 5 euros. I ordered a seat because I was convinced that it would perfectly fit the sidecar – and maybe it fits the mini version, but no the big one. The seat is to small. It costs 230 euros and I could buy a super-comfortable one and more fitted size for up to 50 euros.
Finally, when I didn't agree that the shipment of raincover would solve the problem, Torben recommended me to you use a 14-day return right, according to the EU purchase law. Then they would refund my payment 100%. And at the beginning I gladly agreed, for two reasons. First, for me the sidecar was supposed to be an experience – an experience of joy for me and my family. This experience was completely ruined by the delay and the way the Scandinavian Sidebike processed the order and dealt with the delay. Second, now I know that their sidecars aren’t worth the price. A fair estimate would be probably twice as low – and only including a good customer experience. And sidebikes are a luxury product, so one would expect attentive, reliable service.
But then my lawyer strongly advised me not to return the sidecar. She convinced me that since I already have many evidence about the Scandinavian Sidebike unreliability and lack of integrity, there is a big risk that they would not return me the money.
If I had a slightest suspicion that my order would not be completed by August 20th, I would not have placed it. Now, knowing the details of the sidecar, I am totally sure that I wouldn’t buy it. You don't want the seal to move and spread glue around itself when installing the cover on a sidecar costing almost 2000 euros – which happened to me. In my opinion the only true value of Scandinavian Sidebike’s sidecars is a plastic shell which is light and you can’t do it by yourself. But it is not worth that amount of money. And for sure it is not worth experiencing such a buying process.
September 19, 2024
Unprompted review
