JE James Cycles Sheffield

[Paul_L]

I'm about to buy a bike from JE James in Sheffield and there are some shocking reviews about the internet for them.

Mainly poor mail order or internet purchase problems, but also the odd in store problem as well.

That said there are inevitably good reviews as well, but there are enough bad ones to make me worried.

I've spoken to them today and first impressions are good. They are building the bike i'm interested in this week for me to try this coming saturday, and if i sort the finance deal out then, i can take it away with me.

As i'm in Braford, unless there are any problems with the bike that occur straight away, i've no need to go back to them, so my interaction with them should be fairly limited.

Any good, bad or even horror stories anyone wants to share?

 

[Moodyman]

Another Bradfordian here.

I used them for a couple of purchases and they were quite good. They're a local bike shop with three local stores in South Yorks. They just happen to have an internet operation too.

I got good honest advice, I rang for something and they asked me for my requirements and suggested something better that was not on their website, but which they had lurking in the store for less money.

Sheffield is just about manageable if you had to take something to them under warranty.

 

[johnr]

I've only used them once, but the people on the phones were very helpful and the goods arrived promptly.

 

[tubbycyclist]

I had a problem with a cracked frame around 2 years after I bought a folder from them, and they did their best to sort it with Dahon. There were extensive delays in getting me a new bike as a replacement but those delays were the responsibility of Dahon.

Although there were a few times communication could have been better they did offer to pursue my warranty claim straight away and successfully resolved the problem. It is usually said how a firm treats its customers when things go wrong is what is important and, in my case, they came up with the goods.

 

[mcshroom]

Used them (Rotherham store) a few times when I've been back at my parents. They have always seemed capable and friendly enough but I've not bought anything major from them.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

No problems here

Well, one minor one when a rack didn't arrive on the inter-depot order to be fitted to a bike I was picking up, but these things happen sometimes anywhere, I drove over to Rotherham and picked the rack up myself - didn't NEED it fitting for me but the Sheffield branch insisted on fitting it anyway

Most people l;eave reviews for poor service - some leave reviews for excellent "over and above" service, but few leave reviews for just what should be "standard" service - i.e what you want at an agreed price with no surprises good or bad.

 

[Landslide]

I use them on a semi-regular basis.

If they've got it in stock, great. If not, then I'll look elsewhere.
I've never got the impression they're trying to bullshit me.

 

[marinyork]

They are generally regarded as a joke by locals (not in a malicous way) and there have been plenty of 'horror stories' - it is very far from just being the internet that's wrong with them. If you talk to enough people and add up the cumulative stories and your own experiences you soon realise why, it's just that most people shrug and laugh it off. What tends to keep people interested is that for a LBS in theory they have an excellent stock range and cheap prices. They are also one of the few companies knocking around that have 0% finance available to them. Their status as a brompton dealer and C2W also keeps business for them. I don't trust their Sheffield workshop so my bike never goes in there. They could be such a fantastic LBS if they wanted to be and really upped their game.

I and many people I know have used them many times. The only really positive experience I've had myself was when a bolt went off my brompton and I was desperate to get it fixed and as a last resort grudgingly called in to the MTB dept in Sheffield expecting some snotty reply as you usually get and much to my surprise they did an ad hoc repair on the spot. When I've had to order stuff in it's always been very disorganised. More picky customers who are less chilled out would be driven up the wall by this. I use them because I've more or less had to, I wouldn't recommend either the Sheffield or Rotherham branches, but Chesterfield is better, a lot better. The Sheffield branch has a couple of people that really know what they are doing dragged down by everyone else and a poor system.

I think you'll be fine buying a bike off them, just I would heavily advise dealing with Chesterfield and not Sheffield.

 

[jmattley]

I live literally down the road them, its a 2 minute walk. I've found they're a great shop, really helpful and didn't take long at all to reassemble the bits of my road bike that I didn't have the tools to do myself. I've never ordered owt from them online for obvious reasons though so couldn't comment on that. Something I noticed was that the expensive bikes section (across the road from the kids and cheapies) has more enthusiastic staff who know their stuff whereas the cheap part has sales staff who know less than me on occasion!!

In my opinion, you should go to the expensive bikes side but they seem good.

 

[marinyork]

Something I noticed was that the expensive bikes section (across the road from the kids and cheapies) has more enthusiastic staff who know their stuff whereas the cheap part has sales staff who know less than me on occasion!!

In my opinion, you should go to the expensive bikes side but they seem good.

If you did a poll of two or three hundred local cyclists they'd probably disagree with that.

 

[Paul_L]

They are also one of the few companies knocking around that have 0% finance available to them.

And that's exactly why i am using them. They have the same bike available in Evans. Evans do 0 % over 12 months which i can't afford. JE James do 0% over 24 months which i can.

 

[johnr]

And that's exactly why i am using them. They have the same bike available in Evans. Evans do 0 % over 12 months which i can't afford. JE James do 0% over 24 months which i can.

Tell them there's a debate on CC... that should up their game

 

[marinyork]

Tell them there's a debate on CC... that should up their game

They are very aware of the, shall we call it, mixed reputation they have. They are simply completely uninterested because of what I outlined earlier.

 

[pshore]

You can't judge a shop by a few irate customers. There will always be some even for the good shops. Read between the lines and see if there is a pattern.


My experience was an online sale a couple of years ago. You only find out how good a shop is when something goes wrong ......

I bought some sealskinz gloves (£20), wore them twice and found they were not breathable as claimed by the manufacturer (I must admit to sweating a lot !) so I tried phoned to arrange sending them back. I got loads of grief about not being able to send them back because I'd worn them, then the next excuse was we'll have to send them back to SealSkinz for testing (more BS, that test is for leaky gloves).

In the end I had to write quite a detailed letter and sent them back. They sat on it for a couple of months until I phoned up, and after finally talking to a manger he gave me my money back because they had failed to do anything with my letter for so long. Utter incompetence.

The above smacks of a small-time shop. When you go to a well run shop, you get your money back no problem or get something resolved easily and it makes you want to go back. It's builds customer loyalty.

 

[upsidedown]

I bought a folder from the Chesterfield branch When it fell to pieces i tried ringing but could never get an answer. I emailled several times, again no reply. When i finally got through i was advised to contact the Dahon distributor, even though it should still have been under warranty.
I ended up selling the bike as it was just too much hassle trying to get through to them, and the round trip from Birmingham would have been a waste of money if they had not sorted it there and then. Suffice to say i've never used them again.