Evans Cycles employee's

Gabbo

What are you honest opinions on them?

To me, they come across as obnoxious and quite unhelpful. If it wasn't for their relatively decent range of road bikes, they'd be ranked along halfords as down in the cellar. Have never come across such rude employee's before, especially when they're dealing with people who want to part with substantial sums of their hard earned money.

I've visited Cyclesurgery (also rude), Sigma Sport, Specialized Concept store, Pearsons, and some others in and around London and it's no coincidence that a majority of Evans employee's are not just unhelpful, they are plain rude.

I'm not going into the specifics, but polite Evans employee are seldom seen nowadays. Does anyone else share the same opinion, or is it just me?

Sorry about the rant!

nicklouse

fine where i have been.

just like any person some are nice and some are not. It has Fark all to do with Evans/Halfords/M&S......................

Yellow Peril

I haven't bought anything from there for a long time but not for any particular reason.

However, I was in Londinium for the Olympics and the Travelodge that I was staying in was in Covent Garden right opposite an Evans. When I discovered this I duly made my excuses for a trip across and a looksee inside.

I was greeted by a young lady who must work in the workshop. She asked if she could be of assistance and I told her I was in the big city and basically don't get out much. She was very pleasant and chatty and I came away thinking what nice people they were even though I didn't buy anything.

sungod

don't go to evans very often, but the staff in the camden town store were fine

Wunnunda

They've always been fine for me - though I use the Crawley one (where the head office is) so may not be representative. I've had a couple of rather 'disinterested' assistants but then Evans is mostly staffed by males <20 years old so that's pretty much par for the course, isn't it?

Gregger

Perfectly fine yesterday in Nottingham and matched Chain Reactions price on pedals

rick_chasey

Depends when and where you go.

Foreign guy in their Fenchurch street branch is probably the friendliest bike mechanic I've met.

Sorted some quick stuff out for free for me, in return for some of my business. Worked out a treat. Gave me tips on bike maintenance specific to my bike etc etc.

If you go on the weekend it's a different story..

Kendal Black Drop

The one in Kendal is good in my experience. The staff are friendly and know what they are talking about. The mechanics know what they are doing. I'm happy to spend my money there.

bugsrabbit

Just bought an exposure front light from trafford centre evans and cant fault them

Frank the tank

I've never purchased from the Nottingham branch but when I've been in there the staff seem perfctly ammenable. Polite, ask if you need any help and step away if you say not at the moment.

dabber

Cycle Surgery... Chertsey... I've always found them pretty helpful.

CambsNewbie

No problems from Milton Keynes staff.. Always come up when browsing and ask if they can help. And no problems when returning items bought on-line.

Went in the Giant store in Cambridge on Sunday was totally ignored by the two guys working there. A simple "hello fellas how you doing?" would have been nice.. Not asking for much is it?

jonomc4

I have never had a problem with any of them - for me they always seem to go the extra yard to help and get things right - I use them less now I have good experience - but as a newbie their help was invaluable. (I have only used the London ones. (canary wharf, tower bridge, waterloo and the cut) and their price match is clear and simple and done all the time.

Secteur

nicklouse wrote:

fine where i have been.

just like any person some are nice and some are not. It has Fark all to do with Evans/Halfords/M&S......................

+1

Gabbo

Just south London stores then...

Anonymous

SW6 store has some lovely people in it. Eastern European mechanic may not be "polite", but certainly isn't rude. Manager is charming and gave me all the chat on how to fix my rear wheel when it was clicking and said 'nah mate, you can use all your normal tools, no need to buy anything'.
Young feller with a bandage let me use the till computer to do my pricematching on another occasion
All in all, cant fault them - except for one absolute tool who was a far lump of useless cr@p.

Really decent bunch at London Bridge too, and cant fault the service i've had at clapham common on occasion.

Id say it generally helps to know kind of what you want before you go in.

wiffachip

was lucky enough to deal with a manager who obviously knew he was going to get peddled, he virtually gave me a bike for nowt

that apart, always found them to be very courteous

tim_wand

Frank the tank wrote:

I've never purchased from the Nottingham branch but when I've been in there the staff seem perfctly ammenable. Polite, ask if you need any help and step away if you say not at the moment.

Manager in the Nottingham store price matched some Shimano shoes for me even though the competitor didnt have my size, Cant say fairer than that.

When I lived in London in the mid 90's used to avoid the Waterloo store like the plague, right bunch of condescending couldnt care less tossers.

simona75

Some of their stores seem to have some great staff who have been there yonks, others not so much. However I do feel their online delivery service has gone downhill in the past couple of years. In the last year I've had the wrong items show up, no items show up and when they do they have sometimes been damaged. Added to this is the fact that they take an age to respond to emails/phone calls. I think Evans may well be developing "big company syndrome"

Gazzaputt

Lakeside store staff also good had no problems at all.

alihisgreat

CambsNewbie wrote:

No problems from Milton Keynes staff.. Always come up when browsing and ask if they can help. And no problems when returning items bought on-line.

Went in the Giant store in Cambridge on Sunday was totally ignored by the two guys working there. A simple "hello fellas how you doing?" would have been nice.. Not asking for much is it?

I was the opposite!

MK Evans didn't ask If I needed help.. and Giant Cambridge did.



It varies so much even day to day.. I went into my LBS in Bedford a few days ago as the guy was useless -> probably just in a bad mood...

Went in yesterday and he was chatty friendly and desperate to show me the proper bikes upstairs and the sub 7kg Cannondale MTB

edhornby

Manchester Deansgate staff have always been good whenever I've been in...

CanalRider

I have been in the Brum store a few times and have always been greeted in a friendly manner.

Pep

Fine with me.

Monkeypump

The problem I have with Evans is not rudeness - most of the staff are generally polite - but actually finding someone who knows what they're talking about. On any given shift they seem to have one 'expert' and the rest of the staff are simply sales-monkeys.

I tend not to bother using them unless it's for something simple that I don't need to discuss with any of the staff. As mentioned above, perhaps it's just a symptom of them getting bigger and more successful.

Bunneh

When I worked at Halfords some years ago it was sometimes how you were approached by the public. I was one of the 'good' mechanics at the Bolton branch, along with another, older guy who was lovely to work with and knew his shizzle. Sometimes you just get a customer who rubs you up the wrong way, coming in with an attitude that they're there for you and you must treat them like some god. Whilst I understand from a business point of view it's wise to be nice to everyone, that is generally impossible. Not saying the OP went in with an attitude but it could have easily been someone's bad day, or they had a customer prior who was a nobnob.

I quit that job back towards the end of '98, and would never work for Halfords again especially after seeing how staff stole from each other at the Bolton branch.

Grill

Evans Cycles employees in the Cardiff store are quite nice, although they're pretty clueless about their own stock and cycling in general. A bit like Tredz employees, they mean well but just have no clue. Best shop I've found out here is Certini. All the guys that work there are awesome, super-helpful, and they know their stuff.

msmancunia

edhornby wrote:

Manchester Deansgate staff have always been good whenever I've been in...

I was in yesterday morning and they were fine too. Weekends they can be a bit preoccupied. Prefer my LBS but call in there or Harry Hall's for emergency stuff.

twist83

No problems with the store just up from Oxford Street. Price matched twice without problem and once when buying shoes, it was a shift change and he stayed on an extra 5-10 mins to sort me out when he didnt have too.

No problems with the Spitalfields store, one clueless lad in there though. I asked if they had any ASSOS stuff in store and he said Evans do not stock it at all even online.... Which they do.

lakesluddite

Kendal Black Drop wrote:

The one in Kendal is good in my experience. The staff are friendly and know what they are talking about. The mechanics know what they are doing. I'm happy to spend my money there.

Second that - I live about quarter of a mile from this store, so am in there regularly (until I move house next monday). I think they probably recognise me by now, so that might have something to do with it (despite the fact they might actually be thinking "oh God, not him again")

nathwilson22

Evan's - Chiswick, they seem nice enough. Cycle Surgery - Shepherd's Bush, some of the friendliest i've met even the bloke with the 'Mod' tattoo on the inner of his bottom lip.