Review on Thomas Train 8514 96TJ 14 Inch Black by Richard Turner

This bike is very cute and I'm sure my son will love it when he opens it on Christmas morning, but that's not down to the manufacturer. A key part to build the bike arrived broken which means the bike could not be assembled properly. I contacted the manufacturer as instructed and it took me over five days to get a response from them. When I finally got a response they told me they could send a new part but it wouldn't arrive before Christmas because they didn't expedite shipping. I asked them to send anyway. I then went to a local bike shop to see if they could get me a replacement part (front axle and all the necessary components) at my expense. Luckily they were able to order something for me, which while not a perfect replacement (the axle length is a bit longer than necessary) will be enough to finish the build of the bike. The package from the manufacturer really arrived before Christmas, but despite the very detailed and specific information about the part I needed, they sent me something completely different and unnecessary. Some of the plastic covering the chain was also broken upon arrival, but this doesn't affect the bike's performance or is unsightly enough to worry too much. It's very frustrating to have so many problems when the problem is caused by the manufacturer - a faulty part can be forgiven if customer service fixes it well - it's not one of those cases. Update: The second package from the manufacturer has arrived and again the parts I need are not included. Again I was very specific about what it took to fix their error and again they sent something that couldn't do the job. Avoid buying anything from this company lest you have to deal with their incompetent customer service.