Name: Evans Cycles
Address: Evans Cycles, Camino Park, James Watt Way, Crawley, Sussex
Rating: 1.93

“It all started one day on my usual 20 mile cycle home from work when I looked up at the Glen and thought that I was getting too old for this four mile, steep climb every day. There had to be an easier way. Having researched the market I then hired an ebike from a great we company to test it out. The test was successful so I opted to buy an expensive e-bike from Evans. That where things started to go downhill, if you pardon the pun. I bought an ebike from Evans less than a year ago at a cost of around £3500. The purchase did not go particularly smoothly with the bike not being delivered on time and going missing somewhere. Despite that, I had communication from Evans asking me to go to the shop to collect it. I phoned the store to confirm the appointment but was advised that the bike was not actually there. Customer services investigated and found the bike. It turned up some days late and I picked it up. So far, pretty mediocre service and these things sometimes happen. At the first service, I asked the store to check out a noise that sounded like a biscuit tin full of spanners being dragged behind the bike when I reached a certain speed. I was told that this was "normal chatter". Having ridden other bikes of the same year and type as mine, I did not experience that noise with any other bike. I just lived with that. Then the front Maxle became faulty whilst the bike was under warranty - that's the axle that holds the wheel on. I contacted the shop who asked for photos and then for me to send the part to them. I asked how long it would take to have the new part returned and was advised that it would be around three days once my old damaged part had been received. I sent it off and was advised that the warranty claim had been approved. At that point, I was asked if I would like a cheaper, non-quick release replacement like the guy in the bike shop used but I said that I'd prefer the original type as a direct replacement. When I did not hear within the specified time for the replacement, I chased it up to be "reminded " that this was a gesture of goodwill in a communication that had a hint of attitude. It has now been over two months without the axle of my bike and Evans are predicting that it will be the end of this month before the part is in stock. So within the first year, I will have been without the replacement axle for my bike for around 3 months. I then contacted customer services who blamed the fault on user error despite numerous public posts and advice from another bike shop that this happpens all the time with these. When the length of delay became clear, I asked for my axle to be returned to use meantime only to the told that it had been destroyed. I asked for one to be harvested from a bike in their stock. There was no response to that. Customer services offered to solve the problem by telling me that there were none of these parts in stock and advising me that I should source and buy one myself and that they would then refund me. Having already been given different and conflicting information I was not confident that this would be done, particularly given the attitude of the customer services person that I was dealing with. I have reached the end of the road with customer services apparently which culminated in the member of staff stating that I had over-tightened the part that led to the damage. That is quite a bold and unfounded claim to make since this was the first front wheel puncture that I had had. The wheel was put on and the axle tightened by whoever built the bike. Who do you suppose that was? My options are apparently to buy the part myself and receive a refund or wait for almost another month and get the part and a voucher when it is in stock. A voucher? To spend in Evans and receive this level of service? One can hardly contain the excitement. So the next option may well be court action but even when asking for the relevant company details, customer services didn't know what information I was asking for. It was part of the email that I sent. I pointed this out. The customer services person then emailed to say that the system was on hold, could I send my questions again and they would be responded to in three working days - simply to give me details of the company with a view to raising an action. I am underwhelmed by the attitude and service provided by this company but don't let my experience influence you. You can make your own decisions as to whether you wish to deal with this company. A one star rating is a star too many for my experience.”

Evans Cycles Reviews