We recently (about 6 months or so ago) purchased an iCandy grape pushchair and extra accessories (footmuff etc) for our youngest child.
The pushchair looks great and seems very sturdy – oval metal frame rather than the generic skinny round tubes that grace most other pushchairs.
I am having a few serious issues with the pushchair now:
* The hubs of both front wheels are separating which makes the pushchair dangerous to use – I do not want to risk the wheels breaking apart while I am pushing the pushchair or even worse while pushing the pushchair across a road
* The seat attaches to the pushchair using two metal plates with sliding catches which are in turn screwed to the pushchair. Over time the metal plates have loosened and one screw has completely come out making the likelihood that other screws will come out very high indeed which I can only conclude will make the plate fall off with the very likely outcome of the chair becoming dangerously unattached to the pushchair.
Both of these flaws are clearly design issues and they need immediate and urgent rectification before a child or adult is injured or worse.
Images shown below, higher resolution images are available on request.
Missing screw in seat holding plate:
Front wheel showing where they are separating:
The manufacturer has been contacted and informed about these issues as well as the existence of this blog.
Hi there iam having the same problem as you i got a icandy cherry which was a carrycot now its turned into a stroller i got all the extras umbrella, bag and cup holder i spent over £800 on my pram and only had it 10 months my wheels have buckle and my brakes dont work my bag is all ripped where the material is bad and as come away from the edge my under basket ripped when i first got it i went back to my stockist and the email and contacted icandy to be told i will have to pay for new wheels and brakes and they havent got them in stock for a few weeks and if i want it looked at i will have to send it away which means i well have no prams and will have to pay £33.45 plus vat just for them to look at it and extra for the parts plus VAT i think this is disgusting the way ive been treated i think its bad our we have all been treated this is meant to be a very well known pram makers and meant to take care of us as mother and be safe for our children iam very sad about this and will be taking the matter further and will not be coming back as a customer.
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Having been in the same predicament as you I refuse to purchase another of their products ever again, and I have successfully steered quite a few of my friends (and even a number of strangers pram shopping!) away from iCandy products.
For the money they are charging I expect quality – after all these are not £30 mothercare throwaway ones.
I am glad that this post features high up in the google rankings – I can only assume that I have also helped other people that have not taken the time to reply, and I appreciate them visiting too.
The scrap man has mine, and it is the best thing I ever did with it.
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The customer services team at iCandy are appalling. I have the exact same problems with the wheels and the seat keeps on tipping back – certainly not safe, and I was hoping to use it for my newborn. iCandy have quoted £50 to collect/return the pram, the seat may cost £100 but they can’t tell me, and the wheels they are also unable to quote me on. The best they can do is for me to fork out £50 (non returnable) and then they will give me an exact quote. When I said I didn’t want to be left with £250 worth of repairs, they suggested I buy another cherry, and quoted me £340!
I loved the pram initially but I expected it to last longer than 8 months, and the aftercare is shocking. A definite NO from me!
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Hi Louise
You are yet another of the very large number of people that have contacted me to complain about their iCandy pushchairs.
I am sorry about your issues, but I fear you will not be the last one.
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We bought the iCandy cherry 3 years ago for our fist child….after about a year and a half of use the back wheel came free- ‘luckily’ around the time we moved him into a cheaper pushchair. Seeing as we weren’t using the iCandy (but kind of ‘planning to’ sometime in the future) instead of calling iCandy to try to get a repair or quote for a repair, we buried the thing in the shed and got on with things. I suppose we thought that come the time for it to be used again we’d be able to go back to the shop and arrange some kind of repair quote. Unfortunately the shop we bought it from now no longer exists and though we haven’t yet tried to seek a repair quote (2nd child due Feb, need to get a move on…) reading so of these reviews regarding customer service it does worry me a little! We’ll try to call them and see what the deal is with this. Will report back!
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Here’s hoping that iCandy customer service has improved (although from nonexistant to even answering the phone is technically an improvement).
Please let us know how you get on
Greg
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Will do, Greg. My other half found the problem. The small ‘attachment’ on the end of the rear axle that goes into the wheel has broken off…I guess either it needs soldering on or we just need the axle rod…getting through to iCandy to ask for one of these might be the tricky part! Looks like we might have to buy a whole new rear axle set…unless anyone knows where we can get a replacement axle rod for the iCandy Cherry!! :)
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Hi,
Just to let you know, we had the same problem with our Cherry, we ordered a new brake system from ebay for £35 plus p&p, but after about a month the axle snapped again.
I am now trying to get a replacement by quoting the UK sale of goods act.
we will see what happens but apparently iCandy have told him to tell me to buy a new one!!!!
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The exact same thing has happened to one of wheels on the icandy cherry. Have ordered a replacement for £25 and i’m not even sure we will be able to put it on!
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Hi Rebekah
The very fact that this post is still getting replies almost 9 months after I made the original post shows there is still clear systemic failure with iCandy products.
Rest assured that this page is not going away and will hopefully help the people who need it most and who should be enjoying the time with their small children, not trying to chase round after companies that see them as nothing more than pound signs.
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I am getting the impression as iCandy find product failures they building up a library of pictures to clay its customer misuse.
We have an ICandy peach which we bought in jan but only used since July . Main seat unit clips on the arm fail so you can’t lock it into the chassis. Got to retailer and he has an email detail peach failures telling the retailer it’s misuse. My retailer showed me this which iCandy are not happy about as its retailer only info. Anyway they claim it’s misuse so I told them I had contacted watchdog and so magically when they got it in they repaired both sides free. however they did no package it properly and it got damaged in transit. iCandy said they would send out a part for the retailer to fit but it’s not turned up. Now iCandy won’t speak to me and the retailer being a bit dopey isnt much help.
It’s a week tomorrow so I am going to ask him to set a date when it will be repaired. If he doesnt meet the data eye must offer a full refund or replacement unit.
I will let you know how I get on.
I won’t be buying this over priced junk again as its not even well made for £800 buggy!
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I have had problems with our iCandy Peach double pushchair – about 3 months after using it as a double the back wheel just sheered off completely out of the blue – luckily at the time my husband was using it with just the bottom seat and my daughters top seat was not on it – he was going down a curb into the road so she would have toppled into it. iCandy agreed to replace the chassis because it was a fault of theirs but they said they had had absolutely no issues with the buggy before. On its return I am still not happy with it, we have had three seperate incidences where the buggy has toppled dangerously forward and I have had to come to it’s rescue to stop my daughter plunging to the floor, this has happened because the wheel locks if it hits a tiny bump going down hill. We are now scared to push it down hill and I have spoken to iCandy who have dismissed my fears and when I insisted they tested it again they found no problems and are sending it back – interestingly though they have started to charge for any testing where no fault has been found, do we think this could be because they are getting so many returned? How on earth are they getting away with this being that this is all to do with child safety, I have also written to Watchdog so hopefully if enough of us complain to them they will do a feature.
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Hi Hazel
Yet another case of iCandy showing their contempt for the people that they should be serving.
It’s not like the intended occupants of pushchairs are fragile or anything..
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Hi all I’ve had my heart set on an icandy cherry and have been looking online for one etc and then stumbled across this page, I’m now absolutely gutted and torn as whether I bother purchasing one now >:/ I honestly thought that a pram/pushchair of such value would of been the best kind to have now again not so sure :( does anyone know if these faults have been sorted by icandy as of yet? I really do not want to pay out £800+ for something that may possibly end up at the scrap yard within months!!! Can anybody recommend me a buggy similar to the cherry in the fudge colour that is sturdy and will not break on me?? I’d be ever so grateful for any suggestions. And I’d just like to thank you for this page as if I’d have not seen this I could well of ended up with a heap of junk, pramless and an empty pocket
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Hi Cheryl :)
I can only speak from my personal experience but the fact that this page is still being replied to with people having problems cannot in my opinion be a good thing as far as reliability goes.
I know that iCandy themselves regularly visit this page from my site IP logs but apart from one person pretending not to be from iCandy to give a favourable review of their own product (biased much?) which I called them out for I have had no contact from iCandy to ask for more information or to ask if they can contact the individuals that have taken the time to reply to this post.
I would definitely not recommend iCandy products and would not consider their products for my next child.
One of the sites I host is a forum for expectant and new mothers (my wife is a member and administrator on the site) and I have asked her to ask on that forum for any recommendations as the site has a large number of members that are contemplating buying, have just bought or have used pretty much every variety of stroller available in the UK.
Please give me a (very little amount of) time to collate the replies and I will get back to you, or you could even join the site yourself and ask the question there – the site is very friendly and is a great resource for parenting tips and information.
The site is http://looneylounge.co.uk if you wish to peruse it (I am admin_greg on there but I don’t actually use it myself as it is a site ran for and my females)
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Hi there Greg,
Many thanks for your reply. Sounds very frustrating with iCandy and it’s staff I think I will definately steer clear from this buggy now. I have fortunately found a travel system that is similiar in style to the iCandy cherry but it’s a Babystyle Oyster so I plan to purchase this as the reviews are good for this compared to what I’ve seen for the iCandy. I can’t thank you enough for this blog making us aware to such faults. I will definately take a look at your (wifes) website I am a mum of 4 but expecting baby number 5 so it’s always nice to meet new mummies :)
Thank you very much again and also thank you for asking your members on your other page for buggy recommendations :)
Many Thanks Cheryl
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Hi Cheryl
I am glad (you don’t know how glad!) that I have helped you out.
Enjoy baby number five – and your choice of pushchair appears to be a great one.
Feel free to let me know how you get on with the Oyster, maybe you could even write a review for me telling your experiences with it after a while of real world use?
Have a great day.
Got any weird cravings?
Greg
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I have a peach and have been having problems with th handle bar. Icandy have told me I need to pay to replace it even though it’s still under warranty I tried explaining this to them but they are ignoring me now :( my pram cost a lot and the care is disgraceful.
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Hi Kristina
The lack of customer support at iCandy never fails to astonish me. We are nothing more than cash cows to them, and their standard reply to all things is pretty much “not my problem mate. You should have left it in the box, anything after that is down to the customer being an idiot and incapable of looking after the equipment”.
Another day, another complaint from an angry user. I truly hope that one day it changes.
Best regards
Greg
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Hi. Had the same issue with the reclining seat pitch. The latch which holds it in the various positions now longer works and it defaults to fully declined. I live in Kent – anyone know of a repairer who can fix this? Other than iCandy presumably – judging by the comments above…! Not I impressed…
Thanks
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Hi Tim I have an icandy cherry which is about 2 years old and I had the same problem with the seat latch, it just suddenly stopped catching and went into permanent recline. I wasn’t impressed as I was some distance from home with my daughter in the buggy when it happened. Icandy didn’t want to know and I got the same blurb about owner misuse. There is no repair that they will do and just tell you to buy a new seat frame. This is what I eventually had to do and it cost me £80 as the retailer did me a small discount. She was also angry with them as their display model has gone exactly the same way and icandy wanted them to buy a new seat too.
A few of the shopping basket poppers don’t catch any more on mine either and the wheels are a bit dodgy now too, I can’t use them in swivel mode and the left front one is constantly sticking. I also have an issue with the seat covers, the fleece is coming away at the seams around the slits for the straps to go through and the bit of the zip that says icandy on it keep falling off when I’m zipping up the footmuff! I loved loved this pushchair but have been very disappointed in the durability and performance. I wouldn’t buy it again.
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Oh dear. Not impressive all round. No 2 is now on the way and were looking for a 2 seater. Phil & teds or baby jogger seem like the way forwards. Not iCandy (not even looked to see if they do one!)
Regards
Tim
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The really annoying thing is we have sung the praises of iCandy and the Cherry pushchair system, and overall we are very impressed with build quality, we had an issue with the adjustable foot part of the pushchair attachment, we took it back in warranty and they replaced it immediately.
Since then its all gone pear shaped and actually they don’t seem very good at all.
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As much as I appreciate everyone here has had issues, I wouldn’t dismiss or tarnish the brand and then completely dissuade others from choosing iCandy – particularly when I’d imagine the vast majority, like myself have been over the moon with ours from day one!
I’ve had my cherry for just over 2 years now and have just encountered my first problem with one of the rear wheels, which is how I came across this site. Before mucking around with it myself I made my husband take it back to the shop we bought it in and the sales assistant got in contact with iCandy for us and organised a replacement wheel straight away.
All in all, it’s an inconvenience but everything suffers from wear and tear eventually and requires upkeep – considering it’s put to use near-every day. I couldn’t praise the stockist or iCandy enough for how they dealt with us as customers.
Again, I don’t mean to bat away other people’s issues, but i’m merely offering another side to the story of those who have had their iCandy for a long time and are now complaining.
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Hi Carol
You are entirely right to voice your opinion on this matter, and I thank you for taking the time to make the post.
In my particular case the problems started within six months, well within the period I expect an item I purchase to be of sound quality, especially as it is not a throwaway “budget” pushchair but rather a supposedly sturdy piece of equipment designed to last.
I am glad that things have gone well for you, maybe iCandy is finally getting their act together.
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hi there i’m really gutted my icandy apple seat reclined all the way back with my little one in it luckily i decided on that day to have her facing the world otherwise she could of got hurt, i emailed icandy and they didn’t respond so i decided to call them, they told me i had to go through the shop of which i purchased my apple from (even though they don’t sell icandy products anymore) so they can deal with my issue in the correct manner. i was gobsmacked!! you pay a high price and dont get a decent service. im unable to get through to the shop so i’m going to try icandy again. i have to say though i do love my apple and out of all my friends prams its the sturdiest. i guess everything has its flaws. wish me luck
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This Happened with my iCandy Apple I was out shopping when the seat unit fell back and wouldnt click back into place. I had to set my child on the floor turn the unit round and walk home with my shopping while using one hand to hold the seat up!
I wasn’t pleased looked like a right …! The shop I got it from no longer sells them and won’t have any dealings with me! I didn’t even get the full year out of it and over £800 wasted!
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Hi
Try using http://www.icandyuk.com/contact.php and tell them of the issue, the place you bought the product from, and that they refuse to deal with you. Please let me know the outcome (whether they offer to fix the issue under warranty or whether they ask for you to pay).
I would also contact your local Trading Standards (it is a department of the local Council) informing them of the reseller breaching the Sale of Goods Act by refusing to help.
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Hi Good to find your blog, I hope it has some effect. A very similar story for us too, i like the pushchair and the rear facing feature is especially good, but after less than a year our buggy was falling apart, wheels splitting and wobbling brake dropping and locking wheels on one occasion when i was crossing a busy road! We took it back to john lewis who were very helpful but basically i candy refused to accept any fualt and wanted us to pay £180 for new wheels and chassis, eventually john lewis met most of the cost when i refused to pay we bought wheels still £80! That said 7 months on we’ve been very careful with pushchair not loading with shopping etc and it’s looking like we’re getting the old problems back. basically these things are not built for people who walk or use them on a day to day basis. Not relsihing the thought of going back for another battle though….
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Almost exactly a mirror of our own experience.
I love this blog because it constantly reaffirms my own opinion.
2 people have been positive about iCandy – one worked for iCandy (no bias there!), one was someone saying their experience was completely different to mine and other people’s, which I welcomed and was happy about.
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Im having a different challenge with i-Candy, We moved to the USA due to relocation by my company. We bought a Peach version about 1.5 years ago, 2 weeks ago the button that allows you to adjust and fold the I-Candy down just went all floppy.
I took this apart to see what the issue was and one of the cables had snapped that operates the mech.
In addition to this interestingly the aluminum handle had stress fractures eminating away from the holes where the button goes.
So a call to I-candy to see about repairs, they said as we moved overseas we voided all warranties!!! – Scumbags, they take nearly 800 pounds of my money and cant even back up their warranty.
Anyone know if they can legally do this? – Ive continued to search on this subject and willing to take tem to court (After all I am in the US now!)
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Oh no! I’ve just purchased a second hand iCandy Cherry off of eBay and then stumbled across this website while looking for replacement wheels (in case they were too worn out)
Now I am really, really upset to learn that it will probably fall apart the minute it arrives :(
I’m really worried, especially because it’s the last pushchair that I’ll be buying (my husband made me promise not to buy another one ever again.)
*sigh* Guess I’ll be back here in a few weeks with news about wheels falling off and a baby being tipped out of its seat :(
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I purchased an iCandy apple jogger pushchair in November 2011 and have had niggly problems with the front wheel jamming and bits breaking here and there, but my big gripe is that the bumper bar is dangerous. Beware! I had my baby facing me fortunately so I saw him choking, he had bitten a large chunk of the foam off the bumper bar. I informed iCandy about this hazzard (stupidly I thought they’d be interested) and they told me that it is not a manufacturing defect and the pushchair meets all the safety standards! I am appalled by their attitude towards safety and reading this blog makes me wish I had never bought an iCandy. Well I’m not leaving it there, I shall go to trading standards and do whatever is necessary. I’ve got a health & safety consultant on to this now, so we’ll see where it goes. I will keep posting updates.
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As an Independent Nursery Retailer established 15 years ago we feel we have quite a lot of experience with nursery products. We made the decision to stop stocking iCandy products 4 years ago now. We could not carry on selling their products in good faith. We experienced a 100% return rate on the iCandy Cherry. Faults such as front wheel failure, brake issues etc. We experienced a 70% return rate on the Apple, again problems such as the folding mechanism jamming and more commonly the seat unit suddenly dropping backwards. Whilst we accept that there isn’t a wheeled product on the market that will not, at one point or another, have a fault, we felt that the return rate on icandy products was completely unacceptable. Sadly what we found even more appalling was the attitude of the company. Their blatant disregard for is customers and safety of their children was nothing short of shocking. Sadly years later blogs like this are still around and customers are still more than happy to hand over obscene amounts of money for a product that offers no additional features to those on the market that can be purchased for less. My advise would be, if you were thinking of purchasing iCandy look around first. Look at Silver Cross, Babystyle, Britax, Bugaboo, Jane and so many other fabulous products from manufacturers that value their customers and will go the extra mile.
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