We have a Bugaboo Chameleon, that I purchased when my daughter was born in February 2006. It has served us very well, both as a pram and a pushchair, and now that I have a second child (1 year old), it has been great for getting both kids to nursery, with my daughter ridding on the Bugaboo Board at the back. Over the past few years, I have recommended Bugaboo's to load of people, most who have bought one on my advice.
Unfortunately the unlocking mechanism broke recently, so the buggy can not be folded (it is locked in the down position). As it is out of warranty, Bugaboo will not fix the fault, and say that the only way to rectify the problem is to by a whole new chassis at a cost of £220 ($315). This has angered me as the buggy with accessories (travel bag, board, umbrella, car seat adaptors etc) cost us £770 which is over $1100 dollars (yes that is the price they charge in the UK). I always knew that the warranty only lasted a year, but when spending this sort of money (we are not wealthy by any means), I do expect a product to last long enough for more than 1 child. I am sure the fault is nothing more than a stripped thread or broken catch, but as the unit is sealed I have no way of finding out without risking damaging the unit more.
I resent the waste of paying hundreds of pounds to replace the whole unit, and know that for the price of a replacement chassis I could buy a perfectly good buggy from another manufacturer, but as none of my accessories will fit other buggies, they will then become obsolete too. I now regret both the purchase and the numerous recommendations I have made, resent the poor customer service I have received from both my retailer and Bugaboo, and consider replacing the whole unit to be extremely wasteful at a time when most of the world is looking to develop sustainability.
If anyone has experienced a similar fault, and knows how to fix it, or has a used chassis they are prepared to sell, then I would greatly appreciate them contacting me. If you are considering buying a product from Bugaboo, then unfortunately I can not longer endorse either the product or the customer service, despite the fact that for my first child, it really did serve us well. Shame.
Thanks Piers
Unfortunately the unlocking mechanism broke recently, so the buggy can not be folded (it is locked in the down position). As it is out of warranty, Bugaboo will not fix the fault, and say that the only way to rectify the problem is to by a whole new chassis at a cost of £220 ($315). This has angered me as the buggy with accessories (travel bag, board, umbrella, car seat adaptors etc) cost us £770 which is over $1100 dollars (yes that is the price they charge in the UK). I always knew that the warranty only lasted a year, but when spending this sort of money (we are not wealthy by any means), I do expect a product to last long enough for more than 1 child. I am sure the fault is nothing more than a stripped thread or broken catch, but as the unit is sealed I have no way of finding out without risking damaging the unit more.
I resent the waste of paying hundreds of pounds to replace the whole unit, and know that for the price of a replacement chassis I could buy a perfectly good buggy from another manufacturer, but as none of my accessories will fit other buggies, they will then become obsolete too. I now regret both the purchase and the numerous recommendations I have made, resent the poor customer service I have received from both my retailer and Bugaboo, and consider replacing the whole unit to be extremely wasteful at a time when most of the world is looking to develop sustainability.
If anyone has experienced a similar fault, and knows how to fix it, or has a used chassis they are prepared to sell, then I would greatly appreciate them contacting me. If you are considering buying a product from Bugaboo, then unfortunately I can not longer endorse either the product or the customer service, despite the fact that for my first child, it really did serve us well. Shame.
Thanks Piers
