Argos bike lock was "burned" open - Bike stole

wealdroam

OP, what have Argos said about the quality of the lock?

Can you supply the Argos catalogue number please?

whitewing

Definitely raise this with Argos. They shouldn't sell a bike lock so eay to melt off.

bris

Any lock can be broken, whose to say it was easy? The Thief could have been there for an hour for all anybody knows. If it was an special expensive bike it could have been targeted by experienced thief's, you can't blame the lock, if they want it they will get in in the end.

timbo58

I would strongly expect the argos lock to have a disclaimer somewhere in the small print stating they are not responsible for consequential losses, of which it being broken and the item secured pinched is consequential in this case.

Really good bike locks made specifically for securing bicycles often have a money back guarantee of up to £xxx for the item secured if they are broken leading to the bicycle being pinched, you really DO get what you pay for with locks IME.

My 2 decent bicycles are never left unattended, however if they were I'd use an ABUS or similar D lock and both bikes are datatag security marked and the serial numbers etc are recorded, they are also insured as part of my house insurance.

If the Argos lock has a circular type lock with a hollow barrel type key these have been extensively 'rubbished' in tests as a melted pen can be shoved into them and then opened without the key.
This is a known security flaw.
If it is the type the other poster has pictured it was no use whatsoever for securing anything more than a £9.99 happy shopper bike.

However the most you are likely to get from Argos is a refund for the lock, they won't refund you the cost of the bike.

See if your home insurance covers it.

John_Diver

Sorry but a quick reply here, about to go to the gym.

Any lock can be broken, whose to say it was easy? The Thief could have been there for an hour for all anybody knows

I was inside Tesco for less than 10 mins so it was done within then.

In all fairness, for a top of the range cycle, you should really have had a top of the range cycle lock and not one where the lock mechanism was surrounded in plastic.

The bike was kept in my home, the only reason for the lock is if I had to stop somewhere for something, which wouldn't be happening often..that's why I didn't pay for an expensive lock because I didn't think the bike was staying outside long enough to be needed.

I just went tonight and tried to get the lock off using the key but it won't budge.
I did take some photos of it though on my phone.

Thanks for the replies

John_Diver

Also, yeah this was the lock you posted George

CoolHotCold

Sorry, but like I posted, you have no chance of getting any sort of compensation from Argos.

The bike lock is just that a lock, Argos make no statements about it's durability to theft or guarantee.

Sorry, but you took a risk on a cheap and cheerful lock and it ended up being expensive and unhappy.

societys_child

Argos Value Range £7.99.

I wouldn't try and secure anything with that.

T_T_2

I'm repeating what others have said but no lock is guarenteed. All they ever do is buy you time and the amount of time it takes to defeat them is typically related to the amount you spend on them. The general rule of thumb is that you should be spending around 20% of the cost of your bike on a lock. So if it's a cheap £100 bike then budget around £20 for a lock. If it is a £500 bike then get a decent 'Gold' standard lock with a budget of around £100.

'D' locks or heavy link chains are best. Remember that even the best bike locks will only really buy you around 5 mins of time before they are ultimately defeated.

mattyprice4004

Please, please PLEASE tell me you didn't secure a £500 bike with an Argos Value bike lock?

On an unrelated note, I locked my shed with a suitcase padlock and my £2000 lawnmower was nicked. As I bought a security device, does the retailer have to pay for it?