As someone who drafts regulations this is ticking all my OCD boxes!!
The element where the friend called the shop to arrange stuff I get as outside interference.
But calling a friend for advice on how to fix your bike doesn't seem any different from calling a bike shop...
Who’s the person? A friend? If so then yes 100% black and white.
If he called a bike shop himself and asked them to help then no.
But it’s not a race, so there isn’t anything to win and no rules to be broken.