Taking a day off work to drive 2 hours to collect a bike for my daughter’s Christmas present from a major chain store only to find out that the bike was never in stock and the website shouldn’t have let me order and pay for it. No apology for my wasted time or petrol. More annoyingly we’d given up the chance for a decent second hand version at half the price as we had a new one
There’s a fairly large chance it wouldn’t have been put together properly anyway.
Gopping
I’ve seen far worse
Follow that up with the CEO. Insist on compensation / priority action for the bike that you want.
Had the same situation a couple of yrs ago with an iPhone from CarPhone Warehouse (order to be delivered by mail). Then went into a never ending loop:
Couldn’t cancel order on-line (no stock to cancel).
Couldn’t get through to local branch by 'phone - generic 'phone number - 'phone in branch never answered.
On visiting said store, they couldn’t cancel order (not in stock!) or otherwise amend to select a different model 'phone. Basic philosophy was wait & see…
Went to CEO by email, had a very quick reply. Took 2 weeks due to their ordering / stock / store systems apparently not being compatible (!!!) but eventually got a much higher level 'phone + more data, etc, at the same price for the original spec.
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Does the claimed ‘technical glitch’ free them from a claim for loss of bargain?
Maybe worth a call to trading standards and then contacting the CEO, as Mike suggested, and mentioning loss of bargain. Got me my launch day Xbox360 console many years ago 
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Sounds like you concluded the contract there. They owe you a bike and compensation in order to put you in the position you would have been in had they not breached, in other words not having spent all that money on fuel.
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Don’t forget the time element - you wasted “x” hrs of your time trying to source this. That has a value (& has been tested in Small Claims Court).
A couple of years ago, I waited in all day (no-one else available) for an important delivery (passport after a visa had been added to it, required for work); DHL system said “1000-1200” or similar. At 1400, no delivery, called DHL (tracking still showed out for delivery), they said please stay in & wait.
Hmmm, I checked the weather for the overnight departure airport, heavy fog. Highly unlikely that the aircraft would have departed. At 1600, called DHL again. They tried to waffle; I explained my specialist knowledge (& that I used to fly DHL freight!) & suggested that they check further. They called the departure airport, mis-scan of the waybill; it’s still at departure airport, sorry, maybe tomorrow.
Then I asked to make a complaint & how to claim for a wasted day. Oh, we don’t do that… I explained that my working roster allowed only a certain number of free days at home, so each one was exceptionally valuable to me. DHL had wasted my time.
I got £250 off them. 
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I looked at the website T&C’s as customer service claimed there was no contract as they hadn’t fully accepted my offer (the order). In just two clauses they give five contradictory definitions of how they accept the offer. Had a call this morning with the head of legal and pointed this out. They are sending me a cheque to cover the difference for buying a similar bike elsewhere, plus some vouchers for my time and amending their T&C. Just annoys me that companies treat people like crap and unless you’re clued up on your legal rights they get away with it.
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So much of litigation strategy is based upon the fact that companies settle claims to save money in defending them. We often call it paying over “Foxtrot Off” money
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That’s especially true in the Employment law area. If you have a weak (but I don’t encourage this in an unarguable one) case you should work out roughly what it will cost the employer to defend and make an early offer to settle for just below that. Amazing how often that works as it’s commercially better for the employer.
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That’s basically my employment practise!
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So would one of you legal types like to help me work out if I have a case against a particularly troublesome Estate Management Company (for mates’ rates) 
In many cases, just even sending your details that you plan to include in a draft Small Claims Court (as it used to be called) submission wakes them up…
If not, & you are sure that you case is concrete, file the claim.
I charge my mates more.
Seeing as we have a lot of expertise here, who wants to suggest help here:
We first ordered a new minibus from Ford in February 2018. In May 18 they told me they’d made the wrong vehicle. They also then told me they couldn’t make the vehicle I actually wanted until Q1 2019. It took another month for an update, when they told me they didn’t have a complaints policy “as [they] do try and resolve any issues that may occur”. 2 weeks later I had to chase again to get any sort of update, which didn’t arrive, and a further 3 weeks later again had to contact Ford to try and find out what was happening. A further 2 weeks went by with no contact from Ford, despite them having identified the vehicle they incorrectly built and wanted me to accept.
Eventually I received the details of the manager of the Team Leader I was initially dealing with, who seemed helpful and got things done. I managed to view the incorrect vehicle and we decided we didn’t want it in October 18. We then had to wait until Q1 2019 to be able to order anything, but Ford didn’t release their price lists or brochures until much later in the year. I was able to place the new order for this current vehicle in March, pre lockdown.
In July I chased HQAC for an update (as they have all our money), who chased Ford. They told me in mid-July that their ETA to be with the dealer was the 3rd August, but this was obviously subject to change. On the 4th August I chased Ford directly who told me that the vehicle had a “gate release date” of the 24/6/20 and that it was currently having a quality check and would then be delivered to the dealers. The dealer confirmed they would update me.
A week went by and nothing, so I contacted them again, and it took another week for them to reply to say they were checking with their progress team and would get back to me. They told me the next day that it had arrived in Southampton and would be delivered to the dealer in 5 working days. Brilliant, I thought, so I asked which dealer and how we collect it. Silence again from them. 1 week later, start getting a bit more annoyed and give them my number and explain it isn’t good customer service for me to have to chase every day to get a response and I’ve been waiting since June for any meaningful update.
One of their “account executives” got back to me a day later on Friday to say they were looking into it as a matter of urgency and would contact me by Tuesday. On Wednesday, no reply, so I again chase them. It takes them 7 working days to reply (9 including weekends). They told me they had ordered the 15 mats I had specified and that their dealer was working on the Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) and the removal of the side step, but that they couldn’t calibrate the tacho because it needs a registration number to do that, so needed my registration address which I provided. I asked them to let me know once done so I could start looking at insurance.
No reply after 8 working days (12 actual) and we’re now at the 23rd September, so I complain again and tell them I want to know delivery date, status and reg number by the end of the day. It takes only 2 hours to reply and they tell me this:
They said they would calibrate the tacho on the 1st October, so suggested delivery on the 5th. They finally gave me a registration number, and I insured it from that delivery date. 4 days later they tell me the PDI has said the vehicle has a recall, so they won’t deliver on that date. They couldn’t give me an ETA as “it’s affected a whole batch of transits and so parts are in demand”.
At this point I told them how ridiculous this was, and asked what compensation I’m going to get because of it and that I’d paid money to insure it now. The response was basically “tough”, I can’t authorise compensation and recalls happen. They did email me 2 days later telling me it had been “escalated to Ford for comment”.
They then asked about the mats, and whether I wanted all the mats or just the front of the vehicle “as it may pose a trip hazard”. [Stupidly I forgot to check our actual quote and invoice where I’d asked for and paid for all 15. More on that later]. I confirmed just the front 2 would be fine.
My complaint then went to another person, who told me they can’t give compensation because recalls “aren’t something they can foresee”. They copied and pasted some email detailing a “stop production” order on minibuses and telling me the priority order for the fix, but didn’t elaborate. I had to question whether that meant I would receive the vehicle on the 19th October, and then posted a version of this post to detail my extreme frustrations with their service levels and started asking about refunds, complaints and who I can speak to with some authority to make decisions about the whole saga.
The same day I was told I could have the vehicle delivered, and this would be on the 21st October (6 days later). Unfortunately they hadn’t read my questions about delivery previously as to how they were delivering it, as that would dictate where they could deliver to (preferred destination is a small farm so no good arriving on a huge transporter lorry). They told me that “due to the size, it will be driven to me” which is madness given that the initially incorrectly built vehicle arrived for my inspection on a low-loader. I complained at them adding 80 miles to the clock, but went with it just to get it over with.
2 days before scheduled delivery he told me that because we had requested the power side step be removed, every single time you start the vehicle you have to go through the settings options in the menu and turn off the warning it gives you - not ideal, not advertised before. Would I be fitting a new one? No I say, the reason we asked for it to be removed is that we don’t want it and anyway why do we have to turn off a warning for an item that isn’t present - how can it warn us about a step that isn’t present?
Now we’re 1 day until delivery and they copy in someone who works for the dealership where they removed the step, who tells me:
Utter madness yet again.
In the mean time an independent Ford worker contacted me to advise they were sorry about all this and would look into what they could do to help. I’m not keeping him updated with all of this.
I ask how long it would take to replace the step - no firm answer given. I explain that without a date and confirmation I’m not being charged for it, I’m not agreeing to it. The dealer that removed it are now saying they can replace it but are speaking with Ford to see if there’s a fix for it “like a plug or something”
Phone calls back and forth - why don’t we want the step? Admittance it shouldn’t have been an option for us because of the impact on using the vehicle. Talks of compensation etc. Eventually they tell me they have applied a software fix and the issue is gone.
Delivery is due 23rd November, again. I get out the initial quote to make sure that I can check it all off when it arrives. I see we have paid for 15 mats and remember our earlier conversation, so I ask to make sure they’re all included. Oh, they say, no, only the front 2, so they’ll refund me the rest. I ask why I can’t just have the remaining 13 to save faffing with refunds. They don’t make ones for the rear. So I ask why I was asked if I want them and how they can have been a trip hazard if they don’t exist. They can’t answer.
Day of the 23rd comes, and big surprise there are issues which I photo and send through. Firstly, no mats at all are in the vehicle and the driver has left a mud bath in the driver’s footwell. Secondly the step warning is still present, despite being advised it was fixed. There’s also no paperwork present.
Their reply was "we took the mats out to clean underneath them, they’re behind the driver’s seat (they aren’t). They can do nothing about the step warning and they told our “account executive” about this before delivery, but this wasn’t communicated to us. They then also told me that the vehicle left them at 16 miles on the clock. It is a 67 mile journey and it is now showing as 122 miles, so where have the extra 40 miles come from. No answers were given, no “I’ll go and investigate”, just dumped on me with little else to support.
Cue more phone calls with more people all saying “ahh well we’ll probably never find out the mileage issues” and “maybe they took a different route”. I’m not having that, so pushing them to investigate fully. They will pay for a full valet if we give them an invoice for it, and they will send me some mats. They can’t tell me when though.
In short, we have now been waiting over 2.5 years for this vehicle through no fault of our own. Pre and post lockdown I’ve had to constantly chase updates, all the while we have paid out £33k+ for a vehicle we seem no closer to having and with no acceptance of any responsibility from anyone at Ford.
We’ve heard talks of compensation but this hasn’t materialised yet and we’re still not in a position to have the vehicle we ordered working correctly. I’ve spent days of my life on it and were I to be offered this opportunity again I wouldn’t hesitate to decline.
Thanks for reading.
I feel like I’ve spent days of my life just reading it. What an awful experience. Remind me not to go with Ford when/if we replace ours.
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Sorry, I got a bit carried away with it all!
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I enjoyed it really