Evans Cycles www.evanscycles.com Review

Let me share a letter I wrote to Evans complaing of service, this says it all!



I think you should know about the very bad experience I have had yesterday when purchasing a Trek FX E+ from your branch at Lakeside, Thurrock. This is a bike that you insist is collected from the branch and is not available for home delivery.



I ordered this bike about 2 weeks ago utilising the Ride to Work scheme. I received a call from the branch on Wednesday 2nd February to say they had it in stock. I explained that the voucher was not yet with me but I was hoping to get it at the weekend.



I received my £1800 voucher on Saturday 5th and called the branch and asked if it would be ok to pick the bike up the next day on Sunday 6th it was agreed that this would be in order. I gave the assistant my phone number to call me if there was a problem.



Bike not ready

On Sunday I drove from my home to the shop, arriving at 10.30, to find that the bike hadn't yet been prepared for sale. No one had any record of my previous call. I asked the assistant if I could wait, as it is was 100 mile round trip for me to go home empty handed. I waited until about 13.30 when the bike was brought to me and I made the payment.



Bike not right

I noticed that the front brake was binding and the assistant took the bike back to the workshop for fixing. At about 13.50 it was returned to me.

 

No advice or fitting

No one offered to size it for me or offered any advice on how the bike worked. The battery wasn't charged and the assistant didn't understand how it worked. I therefore couldn't test the bike.



No help

I then struggled to get the bike into my car (it's a heavy bike with the battery and motor and the rear wheel isn't quick release) whilst one of your staff looked on from the shop doorway whilst talking to a friend.



Battery not charging

I got the bike home and put the battery on charge, I noticed that the yellow "battery charging" LED wasn't lit, which meant the battery wasn't charging. I phoned the shop and they said they didn't know why and to bring the bike and battery charger back to them. I wasn't happy about another 100 mile round trip, and told them so.



I fixed this problem myself, by taking the bike out and generating some life into the battery on a downhill run, this enabled the battery to charge when returned to the mains charger.



It gets worse

I then checked the bike over thoroughly and this is what I found:-

. Headstock loose, with 2cm play at front fork

. Speed/Control panel loose and swivelling

. Rack, which holds battery, loose at all fixing points.

. 4 bottle hanging Allen bolts only finger tight

. Front light loose at two fitting points and disconnected

. Two grips which were given to me by the shop have to be changed by myself (see separate note) for which Evans get a £10 payment



Overall experience

Simple, the worst customer service that I've ever had.



Your staff don't understand these bikes. The mechanic needs training or overseeing. The sales staff need to help customers and fit them to the bike and explain how they work.



I will be writing to Trek to suggest that they only sell these bikes through trained dealers and to my Ride to Work Administrator to suggest that they use a different retailer.