Scooter Woes - expert eyeballs and advice needed

Reddybec5013

Hi,

Looking for some advice please!

I recently purchased a little Piaggio MP3 scooter, with the intention of using it to commute to and from work. Before taking this step, I was getting the train and using my company’s interest free season ticket loan scheme to spread the cost.

I happily commuted for a few months, and then about 3 weeks ago my bike started to lose power, and cut out completely (both at speed and in slow moving traffic).

As the bike is under warranty I immediately took it to the dealership for investigation and repair (please note the bike was not bought as brand new, but was in fact about 3 months old with 1000 miles on the clock).

The dealership checked everything out, replaced a few parts and called me last week to advise that the bike is ready for collection. Off I skip, pick up the bike, and ride it home. It doesn’t even manage to complete that journey without cutting out on me four times. I had to abandon it round the corner from my house and get my husband to wheel it back. Duly called the dealership who came to re-collect the bike.

Since then, I’ve checked in twice with them, and keep getting told that they are waiting for Piaggio to diagnose the problem (it seems no other bike like mine has ever developed this issue, so everyone is stumped).

So, I am now approaching 3 weeks without my primary mode of transportation, nothing by way of a courtesy bike, and a sinking feeling that we are still no closer to finding out what the problem is.

This bike cost over £5k, which I am still paying for (along with insurance), and I am now having to fork out for the train to get to and from work, while the bike is worked on.

I do believe I’ve been patient enough and am thinking it might be time to start making a move towards getting my money back, so I can reinvest in a bike that actually works.

Would this be something I could take via the small claims court, or could I initiate a charge back (we paid for the bike with a zero percent interest credit card)? The bike was bought over 6 months ago, but these issues only started 3 weeks ago – where do I stand legally in terms of getting my money back?

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Thanks

Rebecca

unholyangel

If the faults occurred more than 6 months from purchase then technically they could ask you to prove its inherently faulty rather than accidental damage/misuse for example.

You can request one remedy over another (repair, replacement, refund) but the retailer can refuse your choice if its disproportionately costly in comparison to another remedy. However if they choose to repair, it should be carried out within a reasonable time and without causing significant inconvenience. If they are unable to do this then you can insist on a refund - however that refund can be reduced to take into account use you have had of the item.

Have you asked them for a loaner or for them to cover your travel costs over & above what it would have cost you to get to work on the scooter?

NotRichAtAll

Am still trying to figure out why the "expert eyeballs" in the topic title?

do you know what parts were replaced? i do know there was a issue with ht coils a couple of years back.

other possible issues could be duff battery, check terminals for crud make sure they are tight, the battery may not be supplying enough volts to the ecu.
also could be the ecu is damaged by voltage spikes caused by the cutting out, an ecu unit is an expensive fix £500 plus possibly.

hope it is something simple for you.

bod1467

I happily commuted for a few months

Per post #2, can you be more precise about the timing of the fault in respect of the purchase date?

Reddybec5013

Hi everyone!

OK - so I bought the bike in Dec 2014, and only started using it on a daily basis in March 2015 (I was returning to work from maternity leave and wanted time to practice on the thing before I gave the big roads in London a go).....

The bike ran beautifully up until it was serviced 4 weeks ago. It then started to intermittently lose power while on a motorway but would kick back into life. The problem then worsened, and it started to cut out completely. Which is when I got the dealership involved.

The dealership have been great but they've checked everything they can and have found no faults. The best guess from them is that the bike is running fine, but the bike computer thinks otherwise and is engaging some sort of fail safe unnecessarily.

The dealership have been in touch with Piaggio, who have collected lots of data etc, but no resolution has been found. Nobody seems to be able to pinpoint what is wrong with it.

I did mention to Piaggio yesterday that I am being financially impacted, and the lady on the phone mentioned trying to get some sort of goodwill offer from the technical department (it's their call apparently), but I'm just not sure how much longer I should put up with the situation.

The dealership even told me yesterday that they wouldn't be as patient as me in these circumstances!

Aaargh!

halibut2209

Sounds like whoever serviced it messed up.

NotRichAtAll

replaced a few parts

2nd time asking, do you know what parts they replaced?

i doubt very much if a fail safe even exists on the bike, if it did it would stop it dead and you'd have warning lights illuminated.
intermitent loss of power sounds like ht coil / dodgy earth / voltage spikes / duff battery.
computer = ecu = expensive