Motorcycle Helmet Drop - AMX Superstore

So today at AMX Superstore, I was looking for a new helmet valued at $599 which I accidently dropped it on the floor (Lucky it was placed on the lower shelf). I immediately apologised to the staff on the floor who to seemed to be very angry and upset. He took the helmet off my hand and said that they would now have to write off the helmet as its been dropped and forced me to purchase it. When I said the helmet is not even my size , He told other two staff members who continued to wander around me which made me very conscious to touch any other helmet to try.

Unfortunately I apologised again and left the store - My question is does the store really need to write off helmets which are accidently dropped and it is there bad debt or the company provides them with a replacement or they check for quality and resell it ?

Comments

  • Did you pay for it or not ?

  • +8

    Was the helmet unboxed and on display? I don't own a motorcycle nor have I been to AMX, but from what I've seen at other stores (like snow sports stores) they have a bunch of demo helmets on display, but actual stock is boxed and usually kept back of house.

  • +3

    One of the first things you learn as bike rider is a helm that has been dropped or in an accident should no longer be trusted. Chances are it was perfectly fine but yes it would not suprise me if they have been explicitly told that once a helm has been dropped it can't be sold. I always thought most stores had display stock for this very reason and when you buy it comes in the original box.

    • This! When people enrol on L bike lesson the instructor said this. Do not drop the helmet!

  • +6

    The whole thing seems a bit ridiculous. Motorcycle helmets are designed to protect your head during an impact resulting from a MVA. Dropping the helmet from knee height onto the floor in a store isn't what I would define as an impact rendering any further use of that helmet as potentially dangerous.

    • +7

      Dropping the helmet from knee height onto the floor in a store isn't what I would define as an impact rendering any further use of that helmet as potentially dangerous.

      Would you be willing to bet your life on it?

      • Yes. So long as there is no visible damage to the helmet (i.e. denting, cracking) then I would still use it.

        • +6

          Highly dangerous attitude, many cracks that completely compromise the safety of the helmet can be invisible to the eye.

        • +8

          People commenting as though they'd buy a new helmet themselves after dropping it from knee height.

          https://smf.org/faq#aDroppedHelmet

          Generally the answer is probably not. If your helmet drops to the ground from your hand, off a seat or handle bar of a motorcycle, you do not have to replace it. In general, the real damage comes when the helmet contacts an object with a head inside. However, helmets are one-use items, so treat them with care. Frequent dropping, or spiking a helmet on any hard surfaces may eventually degrade the helmet's performance. Similarly if the helmet falls to the ground at highway speeds unoccupied, damage to the helmet may degrade its protective capability. Snell recommends that if you are participating in an activity that requires helmet use, you should pay attention whenever your head hitting things. Without a thorough inspection by a trained professional, it can be difficult to determine if a helmet has been damaged and its protective capabilities compromised. Some manufacturers may provide this service or direct you to others that can perform these inspections. If you suspect your helmet may be compromised, Snell recommends that you replace it. If the helmet has been involved in an impact while in use, replace it. Even good helmets cannot provide adequate protection the second time.

        • +1

          Genuine question, are you a motorbike rider?

          • @Tsim: Nope, doesn't change my answer/attitude to the matter though.

      • +2

        I ride a motorcycle, I put my life on it every day, and my helmets have sometimes suffer small empty drops.

      • I've dropped my helmet multiple times lol.

    • Protecting a head during a MVA doesn't correlate with reduced effectiveness after being dropped.

  • +7

    I have been told helmets are one drop situations, But in that case I would imagine for expensive 1 drop items, Shops will keep them locked away and / or wired up so they cant be dropped rather than just keeping them on the shelf. It seems to be too easy for people to drop which will eventually happen at some point.

    • +6

      Helmets are a one drop item. Usually motorcyclists know this and are quite careful with our helmets so it's more of a 'we usually take extra care not to drop it' situation when we try on helmets. Going by the other post, OP is new to motorcycling and hasn't been shown how to handle a helmet properly. Helmets get pretty expensive nowadays, OP should be thankful they didn't drop an Arai helmet.

      And the AMX store i've been to usually has a sign saying to ask for assistance when trying on helmets, and the staff are more than happy to help you get one that is the correct fit.

      • +1

        I was told bicycle helmets were 1 drop items too but it seems like thats not entirely accurate reading what people have wrote here or is it that it isnt as sensitive.

        • +1

          Bicycle helmets are a lot lighter, possibly one major difference.

      • +1

        Yep - Went looking for a new lid on the weekend, my god do you handle them carefully. I do not want to be responsible for one falling off. You definitely make a conscious effort to be careful when handling them.

      • +1

        Helmets are a one impact item, but that's when your head is in them.

        • +1

          They're a one impact item in general. If you drop it you can create microfractures and weak points. If the next impact to the helmet afterwards is on your head then the helmet may not cushion the impact due to compromised structure integrity, it may fracture and increase the severity of the impact compared to an uncompromised helmet.

  • +5

    Helmets are good for one forceful impact. Once it's survived that, it shouldn't be trusted to be able to survive another. You broke it, you buy it. Think of it like any other product. If you dropped a phone and smashed the screen, you'd be expected to buy it. If you dropped a pot at Bunnings and it shattered, you'd be expected to pay for it. Just because you can't see the helmet is broken, and might ordinarily think that means it's fine, this is a product that can't be dropped and then sold without potentially compromising the safety of the wearer.

  • Yes unfortunately. The shell material and design is designed to spread the impact force across the entire shell, so any impact will cause micro fractures and reduce its effectiveness. It's impractical and probably destructive to test how much your drop affected it.

  • I think you get the gist by now - motorcycle helmets are basically on par with expensive electronics, they pretty much stop working as intended after being dropped.

    • +9

      It makes a lot of sense once you realise the helmet only has to work once.

    • You need to understand the structure, materials and design of the helmet and its intended operation for it to make sense

  • +2

    As someone that grew up with motorcycles, the store is 100% on the money. My young son has a new helmet with tags and he keeps carrying it around the house. I've told him if he drops it on the tiles he won't be riding with it (ie at all).

    • I think people are forgetting that this is literally the only thing protecting the rider from serious injury or death.

      It's not a $15 stack hat from Kmart. It's years of R&D and hundreds of dollars worth of special materials designed and manufactured to absorb impact and destroy itself internally in order to reduce the impact force on the head that's inside of it.

      I'm sure anyone saying "it's still good" would never buy one that's been dropped over one that hasn't.
      Hence why the shop is saying they have to write it off

  • +3

    I wouldn't feel too bad. If the helmet is sitting out on display its probably not a retail package. They can still use it as a display or for fitting purposes. Just cant sell it.

  • +7

    Guarantee they put it back on the shelf at the end of the day.

    • exactly this…how do we know which helmets in store have not been dropped?

  • +7

    A helmet must withstand acceleration force of a couple of hundreds g and force of a couple of thousands N and everyone released all the dogs on a guy who dropped it from a knee height. Nothing will be wrong with a helmet if only it's not made of glass. Trust me, I'm an engineer. Or calculate the applied force and see it yourself.

    • +1

      Hi engineer.
      Hypothetical:
      You need a motorcycle helmet, you go to a motorcycle helmet store, you see a helmet labelled "Has been dropped", The helmet is still the same price as the other non-dropped helmets, without any other information of the drop would you buy it?
      If your answer is no, then that's why it's a write off

      If you're to say "well because it's been dropped i'm still interested in buying it, but i want it for a cheaper price"….that again is valid reason why it's a write off

  • +2

    Love the people acting like because they google drop helmet and first result says no that they are all experts.

    If you drop it from knee height there is no issue whatsoever.

    • +2

      So if you went to a shop to buy a motorbike helmet to protect your head or the head of your partner/friend. And it said it had been dropped. You'd buy it, without pushing it aside and getting the one behind it?

      • +3

        I wouldn't be buying the display model and would ask for one sealed in box.
        Probably shouldn't be riding a bike if you're silly enough to buy a helmet that's been on display.

  • Break it, you buy it is the simple idea, however if this was me, i would have asked the store to pay cost price ie replacement cost of item rather than full rrp

    Take helmet home and Keep it a diaplay piece on your shelf.

    • I would done something in similar line.
      But usually stores usually have insurance for these stuff.

  • +3

    Break it you bought isn't technically accurate.

    Break it, retailer trespasses you from their chain of stores and sues you for damages is possible however.

  • +3

    I would have hoped they wouldn't be selling demo helmets to begin with! They are probably dropped umpteen times unnoticed…

  • 0.5mm of foam compression could be the difference in an accident between a severe concussion and a permanent disability. Situation sucks but treating the helmet as being compromised is the right call.

  • I generally found amx to have really shoddy customer service after trying to return an unused jacket that had a faulty zipper. They didnt have stock to do an exchange and told id have to wait for it to be sent off for repairs. Which could take months. Pretty bad considering it was so expensive.

    • And illegal. If it was new then you were entitled to a refund for a faulty item.

  • +3

    Yes.

    To put it into perspective, you MOST LIKELY did not do any damage to the inside of the helmet. But, it's impossible to know without opening it up and finding out (which will then destroy the helmet regardless). BUT, lets assume the slightest possibility that that low height drop did damage the internal integrity of the helmet (it's definitely possible)….
    then fast forward to someone else buying and using the helmet, imagine them coming off & relying on the helmet and the structural integrity of that helmet (especially internally) to save their life…..if that's already broken then that persons life is at further risk. So then the store, especially knowing what happened to the helmet could be completely at fault for that helmet not doing what it's designed to do.

    I've done a lot of study of motorcycle helmets and motorcycle safety (uni projects). In general, despite what some people believe, motorcycle helmets are designed for single use. Once you come off the bike once, or drop the helmet, you SHOULD replace it.

    think of it as like "using" an airbag on a car. Once the airbag in a car has been deployed, it's done….you shouldn't just cram the airbag back in, you should replace the whole thing. When dropping a helmet once, that's the helmet being "deployed"

  • -3

    Everyone saying dropped helmets are useless…

    Very rarely the case, it should be x-rayed/ultrasounded at customer cost..

    And if it's broken? Well, it's a taxable write-off for the store unless they want to take it to court.

  • +3

    Op said it was dropped from the lower shelf. Assuming that's the bottom shelf, its maybe 30cm off the ground.

    Dropping your helmet from knee height will cause no damage to a helmet shell, even crappy polycarb shells. Helmets are designed to withstand high impacts forces.

    Given it's an Australian shop, the lid is most likely ECE or ANSI rated. Without mass (your head) in the helmet, there isn't enough force to do any damage. SNELL helmets are rated for multiple impact resistance.

    Disclaimer: I am a motorcyclist, have been hit by a negligent driver at 40kmh while wearing my ARAI XD4. Took 2 head impacts, head felt like it was in a bouncy trampoline. 10/10 helmet. Bought the same model again.

  • +1

    Legally you don't have to buy something you break, this is one of the risks of operating a retail store. Having worked a few retail stores you'd be surprised at how often something like this occurs, and there's usually a procedure in place to write off the stock.

  • -1

    Wait wait wait, you didn't know that if you drop a helmet then you can use it, so why were you browsing $600 helmets? I don't think you should have to pay as that's why stores have insurance. Anyway be careful in future.

    • +2

      Companies usually don't have insurance for $600.
      Our company's excess is several thousand for any sort of claim.
      It's not feasible to cover every small theft and break through insurance.

    • You seem to have the misunderstanding that $600 is an expensive motorcycle helmet. It's a mid range Chinese made helmet. An expensive helmet is over $1000.

  • If forced to buy it - I'd offer to only pay- wholesale cost price - not sale price.
    Send it to "Helmet Inspection Company" in UK (yes international postage will add cost, but may be worth it), then sell it with the inspection certificate as new if all good…:

    "We’ve all done it; left our lid on the seat of the bike then knocked it to the ground. Or it’s rolled off the table. Or it’s just slipped out of our hands.
    On the record, many helmet manufacturers will suggest that, for you to be safe and to protect themselves from potential litigation, the helmet should be replaced.
    Off the record though, with no weight inside to add more energy to the impact, they’ll often say that a helmet might – perhaps – be okay.
    The problem is that there are so many variables; how high was the drop, what did it fall onto, how old is the helmet, was there anything inside?
    … they can’t see between the inner and outer shell, and they can’t see any damage that could have been caused to the polycarbonate or fibre shell under the paint.
    The only way to know for sure if a helmet is safe to continue to use is to have it professionally inspected using the same technology that inspects the hulls of lifeboats, and is also used in the aeronautical industry, though this does only currently work for composite shell helmets – it’s not suitable for the thermoplastic or polycarbonate shells typically used on cheaper lids.
    The Helmet Inspection Company has just started offering this service at a cost of £39.99 including return postage. - https://helmetinspection.co.uk/

    https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/advice/….

  • I think there are two issues here. Yes you dropped the helmet and the store did the right thing by removing it from the shelf. Should you pay for it? Im not sure especially if it was an accident and stores should have insurance or other means to write off damaged stock (no different to grocery stores when people drop glass jars or damage goods).

    • -1

      Accident or not is irrelevant. No one goes to a store to tick of their daily dropping spree

      • +1

        Accidents happen mate. It couldve been a kid doing it but my point is that the company should have a policy to write this off or claim via insurance rather than asking the customer to foot the bill. Companies have a loss prevention policy so an accident should be no different.

        • -2

          What a stupid analogy. So if you cause a motor vehicle accident, why arent people allowed to walk away and say "sorry, it was an accident"

          • +1

            @dji1111111: Because a motor vehicle accident doesnt involve buying a product that is for display? People also buy insurance for this purpose. I dont think you can call my comparison a stupid analogy after what you've just said.

            • -1

              @Piranha2004: You will realise you are saying stupid things if you read my post with extract from ACCC lol

              • @dji1111111: It seems like all you are good at is insulting people who disagree with your opinion/position.

                The ACCC quote you posted (without a source) is not law and is a recommendation.

                https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/products-and-services/busine…

                If a consumer breaks a product while shopping, a store may ask them to pay for it.

                The store is effectively making a claim for damages against the consumer because they have lost the opportunity to sell the product at the retail price.

                This type of situation is not covered by the Australian Consumer Law or other Victorian legislation.

  • -5

    Can’t believe OP got away with paying for their mistake. Dog act and they seem very disrespectful based on the 10k lams bike budget.

    Then has the gall to make an ignorant post about it

    These are the types of people karma needs to punish10 fold

    I’m going to my local amx soon. Find out if it’s them and try to help them out. Even if it’s not I will recommend to them that they put up signage and a photo of OP not to sell to them! Haha

  • Clueless people saying it's an accident and the OP doesn't have to pay should just shut up lol

    Typical for clueless people to chime in and even bring in irrelevant points like the shop should have insurance.

    This is an extract from ACCC's Be Smart – Buy Smart consumer guide document.

    You can be an a*hole and try and make it difficult for the shop to get their money but when it boils down to it, you will lose if they take you to court.

    Shop breakages

    Who pays?

    If the break was all your fault, then the seller can ask you to pay for what broke. If you don’t, you could be taken to court.
    If it happened because of the seller’s mistakes then you should not be expected to pay for what broke.

    • +1

      EXACTLY!

      the amount of ignorant asses on here is incredible. If you dont know then dont spread you idiocy and please please for the love of god shut tf up!

  • +2

    AMX do have the right to ask the customer to pay for it BUT if you're a large retailer like AMX who wants to maintain a good image, I think it would be wise to personally write it off as accidents happen and you hope that the customer will come back and shop again at AMX through out there life time while owning a bike.

    That way you maintain a good image with your clients, maintain a good reputation and continue making profit $$.

    Many successful businesses do right by there customer even through the customer are in the wrong.

  • My question is does the store really need to write off helmets which are accidentally dropped and it is there bad debt or the company provides them with a replacement or they check for quality and resell it ?

    Yes, for safety reasons they have to. You were lucky to be left off the hook.

  • I bet OP's family would be pissed if he bought a helmet, got into an accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury only to learn the shop had knowingly sold him a compromised bit of gear.

    • The issue is that the helmet can no longer be sold because OP dropped it.

    • FFS!
      AMX are not selling him compromised gear!

      OP compromised the gear!

      • Yes. I'm not accusing them of doing so. My point is that a company should never sell a dropped helmet, and OP should recognise why.

        • Why shouldnt they, they are making him pay for it. Up to OP what he does with it. He can stick up his door frame in the garage

          when your kid breaks something - you pay for it. whether you take it with you or not is up to but you MUST pay for it! end of discussion

          • +1

            @ChatCPT: Yes. Okay. We aren't disagreeing here, but I see perhaps I've not made myself as clear as I could have. OP dropped the helmet, and OP should be then required to pay for the helmet. The shop can't sell it to another customer because it may have been compromised. That's why OP should pay up.

  • +1

    So you dropped a helmet and didn’t buy one. Why were you in the shop? To wreak havoc?

    Surely damaging something you would feel guilty and commit to a sale.

    • -1

      So you would pay 599 on the spot out of guilt?

      • out of common practice. geez

        ever heard of " you break it you buy it" and in case you still didnt get it OP broke it!

        and if you still still dont get it and for some crazy reason you have kids, you will learn this the hard way

        • -1

          lol relax geez, it's not me that said it

          "Surely damaging something you would feel guilty and commit to a sale."

          • @oranglama: What?
            I know you didnt say that, i dont disagree with that person.
            its you i disagree with

  • +1

    OP now has to go to another store to buy helmet with maybe not so strict policies and unknowingly buys a dropped helmet. Sounds like bad karma to me.

    • fingers crossed

      exactly what I said above that made a few ppl cry

  • +1

    You would hope they are not selling display stock helmets to the public. No one knows how many times they would get dropped or who knows what.

    • They deffo do this. I picked mine off the shelf, tried it on. I liked the size and fit, so he went in the back, brought out an empty box and put it in there and sold it to me.
      In hindsight, I should have asked him for a new boxed product. Lesson learnt will do it for the next one.

  • Guys, off topic, what do you do with your old, expired, broken helmets? How do you dispose of them?

    • red bin

  • Not entirely saying the OP is right here, but just a few things in this specific case or incident:

    1) If the integrity of the helmet is so important, and any drops or impacts to it can breach it, wouldn't this make almost a lot of owners helmets at risk, I have seen people accidentally dropping their helmet before as well.

    2) If this is very important to the store, I wonder if the helmets should be behind glass cabinets and a staff needs to accompany a customer if they want to look/hold/try one on. I haven't been to this store but looking at some photos online, they have a wall of helmets, wouldn't really busy days where there's a lot of customers in store catch them off guard from anyone potentially dropping helmets and putting them back on the shelf as well?

    • +2

      1) It's your personal choice to wear a helmet after it's been dropped. You can take that risk if you like. But it's irresponsible for a shop to sell a dropped helmet without disclosing that it may not protect you as effectively as it's designed to in a collision.

  • -1

    There's no way their throwing away helmets , this guy didn't drop another one so..
    These display helmets are the ones that are always stolen anyway.
    Everytime I go in , they say did you see the guy running with the helmet , na I am oblivious.

    • -1

      wat

      • -1

        What wat
        They aren't throwing helmets away
        At big helmet outlet stores ,
        more are stolen than are dropped.
        The big secret in Aussie motorcycle stores is that we Only get the Clearance gear from the Northern Hemisphere after it's 5 year old plus.
        It's no wonder it all falls apart as soon as you buy it .
        Including your $500-$800 helmets you think your getting a deal on .

  • +2

    I'm sorry but I would never buy a helmet that could be compromised by brushing against something. if your helmet cant survive contact with anything more than once its not fit for purpose. Find a brand that wont break by being brushed against something. HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR 1 TIME USE HELMET WASNT BUMPED IN SHIPPING???? you're being neurotic. Motorcycles are dangerous. You likely wont survive the crash to begin with.

    • +1

      Glad to see some sane comments, the neuroticism here is overhelming..

  • +2

    It's demo floor stock thats had 300 heads inside, may have been dropped 3x before you without staff even knowing.

    Real question is why are they selling used floor stock as new.

    Example you play with a 3k laptop at jbhifi, if u decide to buy they dont give you the demo one.

    • This is a fair point. I would expect the demo helmets (i.e. not for sale) can be dropped, worn etc and brand new helmets should be sealed/in box condition. Depends on the manufacturer and packaging I suppose but I would expect a $600 helmet not just to be sitting out in the open.

  • +1

    Dropped a phone, then if has dents, cracked screen, or won't turn on anymore then it's obvious you broke it.
    Dropped a crystal glass, shattered, can't argue that you broke it.
    Dropped a helmet from 50cm height, no visible marks, how can you know that it is actually broken? And even if it can be professionally proven that it is broken, there is no way to prove that it was cause by you as it may have been unknowingly dropped many times before with no visible marks.

  • +1

    I wouldn't buy a display helmet anyway, who knows the dirty buggers who have tried it on while on display

    ewww

  • Why are they charging him full retail? He (profanity) up yes, but should they just not charge him the wholesale rate?

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