Alot of talk about this law going into effect that gives added protection to consumers of  durable goods. We are not against protecting consumers, in fact this is GREAT news for responsible retailers who invest in staff, process,  presence and premises and are there to serve you for after sales. Something that parallel importers, Internet sellers that cannot do and you might end up witha lemon (We have seen a number over the last few years from such cases). And for those who travel often, you have the opportunity to buy from overseas that could be lower in price due to no tax or old stock,  bicycle warranties are not international but you are an informed buyer, so the Lemon law or warranty coverage does not apply.

Here at My Bike Shop, our top brands are thoroughbreds and come with the Distributors full support and Manufacturer’s warranty (Most of the them are 2 years or more unless otherwise stated). But that’s not all, we take painstaking effort to explain the use and care of your bike and, also allow our customers time to inspect and test your purchase before you bring it home. (We were joking that we may even want to take photos of all bikes before they are released to prevent dispute LoL). for the last 5 and half years, we have 100% responded to all warranty claims and manufacturing defects be it via repair or replacement of the part, backed by the brands and distributors we work closely with.

After that we have operating hours and space at the shop to serve you over the years. All parts and joints are backed by the manufacturers warranty, except for things due to wear and tear. So Lemon law or not, it’s business as usual for us. We do ask that you check with your Retailer or Distributor what is covered and what is not.

However we will have to take up some additional insurance coverage and protection against consumers who want to take advantage of the new law. It’s bad that we have rising costs to our business (rising rental expectations from landlords, COE bids, cost of utilities and labour costs), we now have to figure out how to actively track every durable goods purchased for 6 months. We hope the government can put some sensible guidelines/parameters/definitions of what a flaw means or we will see a influx of people wanting to use the Lemon law for low cost durables eg S$30 lights,  S$7 bell etc so please hold on to your receipts. The bar has been raised again for brand reputation, shop customer service and retailer reputation. We will be seeking advice from the Singapor retailers association and also CASE to understand better.

Extract from TODAYonline 14 Feb 2012 :

From September, consumers who find themselves with a defective product will have more leverage for redress. Proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act and Hire Purchase Act introduced in Parliament on Tuesday will pave the way for the so-called ‘lemon law’, which the Consumers Association of Singapore has been lobbying for since 2005. Slated to apply from September 2012, the changes will allow consumers to demand a defective good be repaired or replaced. If a flaw is found within six months of delivery, it is assumed to be inherent, unless the retailer can prove otherwise.