Paul Tassin  |  January 20, 2017

Category: Consumer News

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RIDGECREST, UNITED STATES - APRIL 12, 2014: Walmart store in Ridgecrest, California. Walmart is a retail corporation with 8,970 locations and revenue of US$ 469 billion (FY 2013).A Florida man claims Walmart’s bike assembly is so inadequate that it puts an entire Class of consumers at risk for injury.

Plaintiff Boyd Johnson claims defendant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. does not take adequate steps to ensure the bicycles it sells are properly assembled.

He says the resulting inadequate Walmart bike assembly makes it more likely that the bikes will fail, putting customers like him at risk for serious injury.

In his Walmart bike assembly class action lawsuit, Johnson says he purchased a Roadmaster Granite Peak bike from a Florida Walmart in November 2016. When he rode the bike a couple of weeks later, the handlebar came loose within the stem and slid all the way to the right, he claims.

Johnson says the sliding handlebar caused him to lose control. He launched forward over the front of the bike, landing on the pavement with his face, shoulder, and the right side of his body.

At the time he fell, Johnson says, he had made no adjustments to the bike since he bought it, other than to adjust the seat height. He also points out that had the handlebars slid to the left instead of to the right, he could have fallen into the path of passing vehicles.

Johnson believes his own negative experience with Walmart’s bike assembly resulted from a company-wide practice of failing to ensure that the bikes it sells have been properly put together.

Bike manufacturers like Roadmaster deliver their bikes to retailers like Walmart in a semi-assembled state, Johnson says, requiring retail employees to finish assembly before sale. Walmart then advertises its offer of “free in-store bike assembly,” he says.

In practice, however, the retailer treats Walmart bike assembly as an afterthought, Johnson claims. He believes Walmart employees tasked with assembling bikes for sale do not receive adequate training in bike assembly.

They are also not required to follow an assembly checklist that would help ensure complete and proper assembly, he alleges. He believes that if such a checklist had been used during assembly of the bike he bought, he never would have crashed and been injured.

Johnson further alleges that Walmart fails to avail itself of third-party training programs like those offered by Barnett Bicycle Institute and United Bicycle Institute. For less than $30, Walmart could have its employees trained and certified in bike assembly. Yet the company has opted not to take advantage of these programs, Johnson claims.

Johnson is proposing to represent a plaintiff Class consisting of all persons in the U.S. who purchased a bicycle from Walmart and who were injured while riding the bike due to negligent assembly.

He seeks an injunction barring Walmart from continuing the allegedly negligent practices. He also seeks an award of damages and court costs with interest, and any other relief the court sees fit to grant.

Johnson’s attorney is Yechezkel Rodal of Rodal Law PA.

The Walmart Faulty Bike Assembly Class Action Lawsuit is Boyd Johnson v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Case No. 0:17-cv-60116, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

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61 thoughts onWalmart Class Action Says Faulty Bike Assembly Puts Customers at Risk

  1. Cassandra Archer says:

    How do I get involved in this because my grandson split his head Exposing his skull resulting in several stitches because the handle bars were loose and I just bought another one for my granddaughter today AND it’s the same exact problem! Loose handle bars and when I called Walmart they said they aren’t liable because they don’t assemble them.

  2. Denis Aldrich says:

    Seems negligent to sell bicycles with brakes switched opposite of motorcycles. Don’t they have a clue what locking up the front brake instead of the back brake does? Idiots

  3. Kyle Minnehan says:

    Please contact me for a professional witness testimony. I work as a bike assembler. I know a video that I can use to show exactly how bad the standards are.

    1. Brian Ritchie says:

      Please email me bmr772016@gmail.com

    2. Walter says:

      Kyle,
      We need your professional witness testimony in the class action case on product liability. Thank you in advance for your prompt reply. Walter

    3. Sheri Leone says:

      My name is Sheri and I just boaught a bike for my 11 yr old son. Today was his first real day riding on our apartment complex. He was turning and could not stop the bike because the back breaks did not work and he feared tumbling over the handle bars if he forced the front breaks to stop. He collided with a moving vehicle and damaged the side of his car. No injury to my son but this is ridiculous. Now the driver wants reimbursement of some kind. How can this be allowed to happen?

  4. Linda says:

    Please add me

  5. karen says:

    I went head over heels, hurt like hell.

  6. Linda says:

    My daughter and I have been affected by this. How do you take part?

  7. Linda says:

    My daughter bought her bike from Wal-Mart. I took a ride on the bike, after having Wal-Mart assemble, and the handlebars are loose. I nearly fell forward off the bike.

    1. Kim says:

      Same experience and just filed a claim. Two new bikes and both dangerous. On the Kent Manufacture the crank came loose and lost all pedal balance crashing me. The next exchange wss by Pacific Cycle. Rode that after tech checked it and derailed on a bridge but did not wreck. The asst store manager takes the Paciffic Cycle bike to a bike shop and they fixed the bike. I have had it one day and since the issues fixed no problems. Bike shop said the geers were all a mess and tires not on correctly. Two new bikes faulty in a month.

  8. Samantha N. says:

    My daughter is affected by the faulty bicycle assembly from Wal-Mart.

  9. Brooke-Lynn Foster says:

    I purchased a bike from Wal-Mart in Garland Texas and it was improperly assembled. While doing a test ride my handlebars separated from the frame. I fell. In the middle of the street. Luckily no cars around but I was badly bruised and scratched up. All I received from Wal-Mart was a half assed Sorry about that.

  10. Mary Helen Rogers says:

    I bought a bike for myself, first time riding it the gear chain slipped and brakes didn’t work. I fell off hurting myself. The chain will not stay on the gears after falling 3 more times the bike is just sitting there taking up space.

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