If its been assembled as a half arse job, then the derailleur probably won't even be configured correctly, so it'll just jump. If you know what you're doing, a few minutes with a screwdriver does the trick, or if you aren't comfortable doing that, just take it to a bike shop.
Also, if you're in the inner chainring and the outer cog, it'll make the chain so bent it'll hop back over. Try changing into the middle/outer ring and a middle cog.