When buying someone a gift at Target, always, always, always ask for and give a gift receipt. It’s useful not only when the gift is the wrong size or something the recipient doesn’t like or need, but also when it’s defective. Kekoa’s daughter received a bicycle from Target for her last birthday, a gift from her grandparents. Some parts were missing from the box, but employees at the local Target were helpless and unhelpful because the family didn’t have a receipt.

My daughter received a Girls Great Divide Bike 20″ for her birthday. Since this was a gift we did not have a receipt. Imagine our surprise when this item, brand new from the grandparents was incomplete. The bike’s brakes were without all of its parts. The reach adjuster was missing in both the front and rear levers.

Also the brake levers are too large for a child’s hands to grasp. The “reach adjusters” (which are meant to address this issue) were not present so the ability to brake was literally “out of reach.” Therefore, my daughter could not stop which is a recipe for possible serious injury.

What’s most absurd is that Target wouldn’t take it back or at least provide me with the missing parts due to not having a receipt. The bike still looks new and with all the other paperwork.

A store should go ‘out of its way’ to address the problem if they sell a children’s bike without all the brake parts. In the end they would do nothing without the receipt.

Disappointed cycling Dad.

Exchanging the bike at the store would be the easiest thing, but isn’t the only option: call regular customer service. If that doesn’t work, move on to contacting the bike’s manufacturer (even if it was manufactured for Target, the phone number on the box should take you to a different office that may be able to help.) And if neither of those options works, escalate!

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