Evans

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Comments

  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    I don't think Evans are any worse than many bike shops. OK sometimes the staff can be unhelpful, and the service is variable from store to store, but where does that differ from any other retailer or indeed LBS? My LBS are super friendly, but the service is also crap at times, and they use the fact that we are all so friendly to avoid me getting arsey with them when they do a crap job, and yet they're widely regarded as one of the best in the area :shock:

    I think Evans just suffer from the fact that they are a chain, and yet still get compared to an ultra helpful LBS. If they were compared to similar outfits, say Bikehut, then you'd have to say the service they offer is far better than the norm.
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

    Revised FCN - 2
  • turbodog
    turbodog Posts: 246
    Evans isn't that bad. If you are shopping there, it is better to know what you want to buy than asking for advice. I believe the staff are more car salesmen type where they would tell you the obvious information. When I brought my pitch pro from them, I asked for the sale information on warranty, no fuss returns, size, discount, loan etc. I think they provide an acceptable customer service.

    Only thing I have got to say that Evans is so rubbish at online service. For example I have brought several ODI grips and I have to returned them back as some of them have missing items. Then I have to traced up for the replacements and returns. It was hard work. I will never shop online with them again.

    If you are looking for advice on which bike to get. I would recommend shops like Edinburgh Bicycle where most of the staff know what they are talking about. I believe they are provided with better trainings to identify the customer needs (budget, riding style, size etc).
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    turbodog wrote:
    If you are looking for advice on which bike to get. I would recommend shops like Edinburgh Bicycle where most of the staff know what they are talking about
    :shock: :?
  • turbodog
    turbodog Posts: 246
    Always Tyred wrote:
    turbodog wrote:
    If you are looking for advice on which bike to get. I would recommend shops like Edinburgh Bicycle where most of the staff know what they are talking about
    :shock: :?

    well if they don't, speak to another one.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    turbodog wrote:
    Always Tyred wrote:
    turbodog wrote:
    If you are looking for advice on which bike to get. I would recommend shops like Edinburgh Bicycle where most of the staff know what they are talking about
    :shock: :?

    well if they don't, speak to another one.
    But then I'd have to drive to Newcastle.....
  • oscarbudgie
    oscarbudgie Posts: 850
    "There are plenty of people whose dark, dull lives are lit up by opportunities to patronise and humiliate those they encounter in their professional capacity. Although most of these people work in the police force or Paris, while acquiring the peripherals for my trip I was intrigued to note the number that had made their horrid little homes behind the counters of bicycle retailers."

    Tim Moore, French Revolutions
    Cannondale Supersix / CAAD9 / Boardman 9.0 / Benotto 3000
  • BigJimmyB
    BigJimmyB Posts: 1,302
    My experience of ALL bike shops lately, be it LBS or a large chain, has been shocking.

    My riding buddy (far more experienced in bike maintenance than I) now helps with most tricky stuff, and I'll stay as far out of ALL bike shops as much as I possible can from now on.

    I have to say though, Evans Fenchurch street wear the crown of cnutyness...... :twisted:
  • Mr_Cellophane
    Mr_Cellophane Posts: 690
    thelawnet wrote:
    And I bet Halfords won't charge £12.50 to fit a water bottle cage

    I don't know, they charge £8.99 to fit a rear mount cycle rack. I wonder how many people have to go back for another fitting the second time they take their bikes out.
  • Stuey01
    Stuey01 Posts: 1,273
    Yawn.
    Evans whinge, Halfords whine, blah blah blah.

    Most of the Evans I have been in are fine.
    Hardly elitist, as their main custom comes from clueless beginners and commuters.

    It's like people go in there desperate to be pissed off then pick at every little thing then come on here and bitch about it.

    You know why they charge £12.50 to fit a bottle cage? because it's a waste of fucking time for their workshop. Have you ever tried to get a service booked in at an Evans? Their schedule is packed.
    Not climber, not sprinter, not rouleur
  • gb155
    gb155 Posts: 2,048
    Today was my first "proper" visit to Evans and I gotta admit I liked it, I was able to browse bikes without being pesteres, Once I had found what I wanted I made eye contacted and from there on the guy couldnt have been more helpful, Somewhere I will be returning to for sure.

    Evans-Deansgate-Manchester 2 thumbs fresh from me
    On a Mission to lose 20 stone..Get My Life Back

    December 2007 - 39 Stone 05 Lbs

    July 2011 - 13 Stone 12 Lbs - Cycled 17851 Miles

    http://39stonecyclist.com
    Now the hard work starts.
  • BigJimmyB
    BigJimmyB Posts: 1,302
    Stuey01 wrote:
    Yawn.
    Evans whinge, Halfords whine, blah blah blah.

    Most of the Evans I have been in are fine.

    Hardly elitist, as their main custom comes from clueless beginners and commuters.

    Well, I guess we speak as we find. They've been hopeless as far as I'm concerned, your experience clearly differs.

    I wouldn't call them elitist either. I also wouldn't say the bulk of their customers are clueless. And what's the significance of having commuters as customers? Do you have a point to make about commuters?
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    I find the chaps in Cullum St branch of Evans very helpful. Their mechanics have also helped me out of a hole shortly before they closed when I discovered a rear spoke was broken.

    Maybe it comes down to the people you deal with in each case.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • cuthbertrogergaylord
    cuthbertrogergaylord Posts: 58
    The quality varies from store to store. For instance I have always found (and now longer bother going there) the staff in the road bike shop at waterloo (the cut?) to be f*cking atrocious, on one occasion I asked some girl who was working there a question (after having to wait god knows how long to speak to someone) and she replied 'I only ride bmx so I don't know anything about road bikes, sorry'. Sorry? Well wtf are you doing working in a specialist road bike shop if you don't know anything about road bikes?

    On the flip side the staff at the mini-branch in victoria are great, always helpful and largely knowledgeable, same for the staff at Spitalfields as well.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    cuthbertrogergaylord wrote:

    On the flip side the staff at the mini-branch in victoria are great, always helpful and largely knowledgeable, same for the staff at Spitalfields as well.

    I've found the Victoria shop to be awful. Action bikes further up the road are far better.
  • cuthbertrogergaylord
    cuthbertrogergaylord Posts: 58
    Il Principe wrote:
    cuthbertrogergaylord wrote:

    On the flip side the staff at the mini-branch in victoria are great, always helpful and largely knowledgeable, same for the staff at Spitalfields as well.

    I've found the Victoria shop to be awful. Action bikes further up the road are far better.
    Whereabouts is Action bikes?
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Dacre Street.

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&q=action+bikes+dacre&near=London&fb=1&split=1&gl=uk&cid=9345394634721098229&li=lmd&ll=51.500675,-0.132694&spn=0.005263,0.013797&z=16&iwloc=A

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