Motorcycle Consumer Law

In the UK, almost all purchases of items and services are covered by what is known as consumer law.  This is the same when purchasing a vehicle or paying for services such as mechanical work and repairs. Motorcycles and consumer law are effectively the same as the guidelines for other vehicles like cars.  This entitles the customer certain rights which help protect from being a victim of shoddy workmanship, manufacturer errors and also low quality work by garages during repairs.

When buying a new motorcycle from a dealer you have consumer rights to protect you from been given substandard products.  It is required by law that when you buy a new bike it should match the description given by the salesperson, and should meet the requirements you ask if it can in the showroom. For example, if you asked for a bike that had average miles per gallon figure of 50 or over, it is against consumer law for you to be sold a bike which has an average of 30mpg as you specified that it needs to meet those requirements. If the bike does not meet these requirements then you are entitled to a refund, a replacement or repairs to solve any issues you may have been concerned with. This is also apparent for buying from a second-hand motorcycle dealer or an online bike traders.

motorcycles and consumer law is different when applied to private motorcycle sales rather than buying from a dealership or online trader. Due to the nature of a private sale, there is no entitlement to refunds, repairs and replacement like buying from a dealer. This means you have to be more careful when buying a motorcycle through a private sale. What consumer law does entitle you to when dealing with a private sale is that the bike for sale must match the description posted in the advert and must be the owners to sell? If either of these conditions are broken it is possible to claim to get your money returned to you.

Buying at a motorcycle auction is a similar affair to that of buying from a private seller: there are less consumer laws in place to protect your purchase.  It is a legal obligation of an auction house to put the correct bike history into the auction books. If this is incorrect then the auction house has broken the law and it is possible to make a motorcycle claim to recuperate your monetary losses. Auction houses use signs on cars to cover their backs such as “Sold as seen” and “Your legal rights do not apply”. This means you should be extra careful when  buying from a motorcycle auction and thoroughly check the bike over as once purchased there is very little chance you could get your money back.

The consumer law for replacement and aftermarket motorcycle parts is the same as that of any normal purchased goods. This means any faulty motorcycle parts are subject to consumer law and must be fit for purpose, as described by the seller and be of a satisfactory quality. This means if a part is defective, it can be repaired, exchanged or refunded to resolve the situation in accordance to the sale of goods act first published in 1979.  This means it is a buyers right to request such outcomes if not happy with the provided quality of the goods.

motorcycles and consumer law applies to paying for a service such as having a garage repair your motorcycle.  It is sometimes the case that after taking your motorcycle to the garage for some repairs that the work has not been fulfilled to a satisfactory standard or the bike may have developed further problems due to mechanics negligence. In these circumstances that you encounter poor quality motorcycle repairs consumer law can protect you. The garage is entitled to give discounts, wave any costs and in extreme cases give out compensation to cover any damages caused from the unacceptable work.  This again is all covered by consumer law surrounding the provision of services. motorcycles and consumer law keeps the shopping environment fair for the people.