Damaged Cycle Lock (Advice Needed)

Nozone

Hi All,

Apologies if this is not quite the right forum - I thought I'd post on here as someone might have had a similar experience and be able to give me some advice.

I'm a student and I live in halls of residence - I rent (well, I pay a non-refundable deposit) each year a key to a bike shed near my halls (owned by the university).

An email was sent out the other week stating we needed to put a sign on our bikes as any unused bikes would be removed from the bike sheds on Monday 09 September. To keep it brief, it turns out the porters had removed my bike (presumably the sign was maliciously removed or they didn't spot it) prior to 09 Sept (I wanted to double check that the sign was still there on Sunday night and the whole damn bike had gone).

In the process of removing my bike they have obviously destroyed the lock with a saw and the chain has disappeared. The chain and lock were motorcycle ones so it wasn't cheap and I can't really afford to replace it (and don't particularly feel I should).

I figure this must happen often as managed bike sheds do need to be cleared out regularly - has anyone had a similar experience, and do I have any right to get compensation for the lock?

I guess I don't as it's just one of them grey areas, so I suppose I just wanted to vent a little as well as I'm furious!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

nokia1100

What about the bike? Did you get that back?
I live in some (non-student) rented accommodation with communal bike shed. Totally inadequate in my opinion. It's overcrowded with kids' bikes, frames with no wheels and the odd bike covered in a thick layer of dust. It's stuff like that they should be clearing out first.
Did they make you fill in a form describing your bike? Some of the !!!!! in our shed has do not remove signs attached but I wish they would.
You're proably going to have to buy another lock. What did the lock (and bike) cost you? I keep a 1994 bike as supermarket/railway station transport (£230 back in the day), treated to £30 of new brake blocks and cable set, and £30 set of slick tyres. The original lock was around £35 but exchanged by Kryptonite more recently (google it). For the value of bike I would be happy spending less than that these days. But the wheels aren't quick release and it looks tatty.

Weird_Nev

If they could cut it, you needed a better lock anyway!

A decent lock should defeat everything except a powerful angle grinder.

By all means approach them for compensation, if only to make them think twice before cutting off locks next time, but it will be hard to prove that you did have a sign on the bike (not that I doubt you).

Spend at least £30-£40 on a lock, or %10 of the bikes value whichever is more on a decent D-Lock with a Brinell hardness of at least 54. I rate Abus locks and Kryptonite are good also.

Nozone

nokia1100 wrote: »

What about the bike? Did you get that back?
I live in some (non-student) rented accommodation with communal bike shed. Totally inadequate in my opinion. It's overcrowded with kids' bikes, frames with no wheels and the odd bike covered in a thick layer of dust. It's stuff like that they should be clearing out first.
Did they make you fill in a form describing your bike? Some of the !!!!! in our shed has do not remove signs attached but I wish they would.
You're proably going to have to buy another lock. What did the lock (and bike) cost you? I keep a 1994 bike as supermarket/railway station transport (£230 back in the day), treated to £30 of new brake blocks and cable set, and £30 set of slick tyres. The original lock was around £35 but exchanged by Kryptonite more recently (google it). For the value of bike I would be happy spending less than that these days. But the wheels aren't quick release and it looks tatty.

Hey thanks for the reply - I've not yet got it back but I'm told it is in storage and I can collect it tomorrow (I was also told it would have been sold if I'd not contacted them )

I sent an email describing my bike. I can sympathise with that as some of the smaller sheds around the site are rammed full of bikes that look like they have been there for years. It's not a particularly well maintained shed but it is secure (well, at least from would be burglars).

It cost about £230 but this was at least ten years ago so I guess it's nowhere near worth that much. However I've always looked after it well and it's in really good condition.

I guess I'll have to face it and buy another lock - I'm just annoyed because to me it feels like property damage and theft. On the plus side though at least I don't have to buy another bike so I guess I got off lucky with the amount of real bike thefts there are around here!

Nozone

Weird_Nev wrote: »

If they could cut it, you needed a better lock anyway!

A decent lock should defeat everything except a powerful angle grinder.

By all means approach them for compensation, if only to make them think twice before cutting off locks next time, but it will be hard to prove that you did have a sign on the bike (not that I doubt you).

Spend at least £30-£40 on a lock, or %10 of the bikes value whichever is more on a decent D-Lock with a Brinell hardness of at least 54. I rate Abus locks and Kryptonite are good also.

The lock was an Oxford Hardcore and an Oxford chain which were off my dads motorbike (he used to ground anchor it before getting a garage, I bought it off him for £30, which now seems like an amazing bargain as they're retailing for ~£70).

They have angle ground/circular sawed through them all (including one that's still in the shed which looks like they gave up as it's half cut through - I hope it broke their damn grinder).

It's less the fact about the sign as I know that is irrelevant (maybe they saw it, maybe they didn't, maybe it fell off or whatever). It's the fact that they informed me they were removing any unsigned bikes on the 9th Sept but they actually did it before the 8th Sept (as I went to double check my sign was still there on Sunday 8th and the bike had gone).

I think you're right though I should probably make a formal complaint anyway if only for the reason you mention.

I'll look into picking up a new lock anyway - I presume that the lock I was using (and any Oxford chain/lock combo) are at least as secure as a D lock - would I be better off just getting another D? I'm not really bothered about having to cart a chain around with me (in fact I've become used to having it with me when riding!) so as it stands I'd go with whichever is more secure.

Thanks for your reply

EDIT: I've been searching around and it looks like I can get the hardcore lock for around £30 and a hardened steel chain for about £15 off ebay

Norman_Castle

If they cut the chain the lock should still be useable.

Strider590

I wonder if the people doing the cutting just used it as an excuse to go bike shopping. I mean seriously....... Putting a note on your bike? that's open to all sorts of unscrupulous dealings.

fred7777

Nozone wrote: »

I guess I don't as it's just one of them grey areas, so I suppose I just wanted to vent a little as well as I'm furious!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

It's not a grey area at all.

From what you say up until the 9th of September you could leave your bike where it was and they had a duty of care not to remove or damage it.
From the 9th they could remove it but as they had removed it prior to the 9th they are in breach of their duty of care and should compensate you for your loss.

Where you can prove it and get compensation though is another matter.

WiggyDiggyPoo

fred7777 wrote: »

It's not a grey area at all.

From what you say up until the 9th of September you could leave your bike where it was and they had a duty of care not to remove or damage it.
From the 9th they could remove it but as they had removed it prior to the 9th they are in breach of their duty of care and should compensate you for your loss.

Where you can prove it and get compensation though is another matter.

They took your bike early, they owe you a new lock and chain. Simple.

Joe_Palmer

I am sorry to hear that it happened to you, I think it's utterly disgusting what they did, first of all not only did they notify you and remove it prior to the notified date but they also damaged your property in the process, that should be enough for you to get compensated for the chain and lock on it's own however I have to agree with Wiggy who's responsibility was the bike whilst in the bike shed when you "rented" the key from them, do you leave it at your own risk or is it kept under lock and key at their responsbility, if it is the latter then I would take it all the way, also see if there was anyone else this has happened to or if it's just you, if there is more then 2 voices are louder than 1 so to speak.

Good luck I hope you get a satisfactory outcome