Service nightmare....

[Simontm]

Service? Haha. Evans Cycles. Since the "service" the back brake locked (wrong tension spring on left calliper), I've had to re-index the gears, the seat bolt has sheared off (and it looks like the seat was too far back beyond the safety point judging from the chip marks), and the chain guard will not bloody stop squeaking.

Oh and today, a clang and the wheel looks buckled so I seem to be having problems for a bike that's 3 years old not three months.

 

[vickster]

Take it back - did you buy it from Evans?! Some Evans stores, like Halfords and any other chains, will be better than others. The mechanics at Wimbledon seem competent

Although given the state of London's roads, it's not hard to buckle a wheel (although stock ones can be made of cheese) - what's the bike?

 

[Simontm]

Hey Viks. It was the Kingston branch. I've complained but as I've had to make running repairs, there's nothing to show them and the so-called customer relations basically said I was lying. Needless to say, a sharp email to the chief exec has been sent.

It's a Pinnacle Neon 1 and, no laughing at the back, it is a fun, fast hybrid bike but the set-up and service has been shoddy. I think it was the display/test bike as it is showing signs of wear and tear that really shouldn't exist for a 3-month old bike.

 

[vickster]

I'd take it back, 3 months for any bike isn't acceptable

Unfortunately, I fear Evans use the cheapest of cheap components on Pinnacles hence the lower cost compared to competitor bikes

 

[Simontm]

Possibly. Shame because it really is a fun, light bike to ride.

 

[Globalti]

Read my post elsewhere about the fallacy of bike servicing.

 

[SWC]

why is service important?...

Financially, lets say your'e lucky enough to have an Ultegra groupset... £600.... do you really want to reduce its life with that in mind?
Safety, flying along at 30MPH is not the time to find your brakes fail etc. with nothing between you & the road other than a little lycra or pulling across a road just as a chain snaps :/
Resale value, simply the more worn the bike the less value it has

Why not to service...

If you like to gamble
If you like to take risks

are all services equal?... Hell no! 1st clue, if the guy (or gal) doing your service doesnt take time to talk to you about your needs then he probably does his job just for the pay cheque. for me personally i do it for the love of it so making sure the bikes owner is happy & able to get the most out of his/her bike its a must to take a little time to talk to them both before & after service.

When parts are included check what they are as its easy to put cheap parts on a bike when hidden for instance brake or gear inner cables. also something as simple as grease, are they using good quality or just the cheapest multi purpose they could find on eBay?

When doing bearings, are they just cleaning them or replacing them?... not replacing them? really? THEY ARE CHEAP! & not easy to check for wear so better safe than sorry.

Are they too quick to replace parts? movement in the head could be a simple grease issue but if they quote for new head set without first checking....

Dont be fooled into thinking a big shop must be better at servicing than a small business owner working from his van or small shop etc. its the man doing the service not the company that is important.

& for me personally, is he/she a biker? sorry but i'm just suspicious if not as it suggests they might just be doing it as it was better than working at McDonalds & if that is the case there is a chance they may not take pride in their work as much as someone who does it for the love of it.

Sorry, didnt mean to go on

 

[Leodis]

Last service I had was by Evans @ Leeds train station, usually had a half decent service from them but this time I took a 2nd hand bike I had just bought to be checked and serviced, it came out worse than it went in. I took it back and the rear hanger was out by an inch!! They must have dropped it or something but they did fix it but not worth the £30-£40 paid.

 

[CopperCyclist]

I think I may have mentioned one of the bikes from the fleet at work that went to Hellfrauds for a service and a new BB, and came back with both cranks pointing in the same direction.

Please tell me you all at least gave it a go for the giggles!

 

[Drago]

It only came to light when a PCSO tried to ride off on it.

 

[Simontm]

UPDATE: So Evans Cycles Chief Executive is very lazy and palmed me off back to the customer relations manager who refuses to conceive that I may have a duff bike - joy.

Indeed, she has flatly not answered my questions about whether it is normal for a three-month old bike to have needed over £90 of work done? Whether it is normal for it to need a re-indexing a week after it's "service"? Whether it was normal for a brake to seize after the "service"? Whether it is normal for two back spokes to have gone? In fact, it looks like the front is off-true now - joy! Indeed, whether it was normal to have had so many punctures? And yes, I have done the cotton wool etc.

But is has moved on a bit from "Well you claim this happened but said you had it repaired elsewhere so how can we believe you. Anyway that invalidates any warranty and it's been over 90 days" to "If you would like to take your bike into Kingston or another branch".

However, and this is what I am going to send this morning, I am concerned that a) How on earth can I get a valid investigation into what I believe is a shop soiled bike - It was the display model? How can I trust Evans?
b) How on earth, after I have spent £90, can they decide whether there were faults with the bike when it's been fixed?

To remind you, I was in middle commute when the brakes went, Limped into work when the first spoke went, coming out of work when the second went, sips were shut when I re-indexed the gears...

And what really bugs me is that I really like the bike. It's basic but it is a nippy thing that, when it's on form, makes me smile .

 

[vickster]

You could try Citizens Advice but only if you believe it isn't fit for purpose

 

[Simontm]

You could try Citizens Advice but only if you believe it isn't fit for purpose

I'm not quite sure about that - It's an accumulation over two months of things that needed to be repaired - what to do? Evans Cycles, at least on email, refuses to accept that selling me the display bike may be the cause of the problems nor that it's a shoddy bike.

I cannot believe this is normal for a brand-new bike - at least that is how they sold it to me at full price.

 

[vickster]

Have you phoned Evans, not email? Do you have reason to believe it wasn't new? Was it the one from the shop - i.e. probably had been used for a testride (maybe by yourself even?) Did it break the first time you rode it, or had you ridden it a few times on horrid SW London roads (although a decent bike should be able to handle a few potholes)

Talk to CAB, they may advise getting an independent report from the other mechanic who fixed it or something else. If you paid on credit card, you may have some recourse there on the 'fit for purpose' card. CAB can advise on what that means in reality

 

[byegad]

ebc byker my cannondale headset fitted to tight and it took a month to get replaced, it came with the gears jumpin into the weel,took it back next day! they said they didnt touch the gears?they serviced the bike as a freebi for goodwill before fixin the headset thats not the one you were goin to fit!was cranekreek not cannondale?oh and theres some spacers missing from where the fork meets the frame? why? he said there was no notes on computer to say wot was agreed and said it was a good job endoff! my reply was look to see wot iv spend in your shop it tells you that! he sorted me gears but i had to make more tweaks to get it right! they lossed my custom.

Can we have that in English? Complete with sentences, Capital letters and a spell check, please.