That same day I made an appointment with Ed to get sized for my bike and have a tune up. The appointment was to be on a Sunday which I was told they do not normally do but if I was patient and allowed them to also serve customers that came in it would not be an issue. I was instructed to call a day or two before to confirm and that my appointment for fitting would be with Chris.
Chris , Craig have been real great in doing all necessary repairs , advise for my bike .
It gets better - I called the Lakewood store on Monday to speak with Ed to find out what happened with this appointment. Chris answered and told me I had the wrong number. So I called their Sarasota Location. I spoke with Ed briefly, he admitted the appointment was scheduled and he made an error. Ed was non-apologetic and curt, he asked for my number and said he would be in touch. Ed told me he would fix the problem himself, he needed to check his schedule and see if he was working 2/1 and would perform a quick service on the bike. NO, we are not paying for a quick service! We want a professional service from a professional company. PS. We never heard from Ed
On a side note my wife called this morning to speak with Ed to address the issue and Chris answered the phone and told her she had the wrong number. Stay away!!
Two weeks ago I purchased a $1400 bike for my wife from Village Bikes in Lakewood Ranch. We dealt with the owner Ed who went out of his way to work with us to find the best bike for her. Even though it was a bit out of our price range we were happy with the decision as the bike has worked very well for her.
1/29 my husband and I arrived at the Lakewood store with a scheduled service appointment. This appointment was verified on 1/28, it was explained as long he was willing to wait for the bike, as Sundays could be busy; my husband was good. Upon arrival there were others in the store and Chris was standing at the register. We greeted Chris and explained we had an appointment. Chris said we did not and that he did not perform service on Sundays. We attempted to explain that we had this scheduled with Ed (owner) and Chris became rude and would not listen to us. With all honesty, it was embarrassing and frustrating as others were in the store. We set aside the day for the service, we were interested in investigating the possibility of the purchase of another road bike, we drove 20 miles one way, and based on my positive experience with my Cannondale….this was no longer the case.
I now regret buying my wife’s bike from this company and yet we are stuck with them for one year for any warranty service. I for one will never set foot in this store again!!!
On the day of the appointment I arrived at the scheduled time and asked to speak to Chris. I was directed to the gentlemen at the cash register. I brought my bike over and introduced myself and indicated that I had an appointment with him for a fitting. Chris gave me a really dumbfounded look and in a rude condescending way said that I didn’t have an appointment with him and that they do not do that type of work on a Sunday. I explained to him that I made the appointment with Ed (the owner) and that I called and confirmed as requested and it was indicated that as long as I was patient it would not be an issue. Chris flat out rejected anything that I had to say and that he wasn’t going to help me in such a way that was rude, condescending, and embarrassing. There were other customers in the store that promptly left as he was taking his frustrations out on me. I was dumbfounded and embarrassed at the same time. I said fine I will take my business elsewhere and left. It didn’t matter that I had an appointment and traveled 20 miles on a Sunday to pay them for a service. All that mattered was the fact that he wasn’t going to help a customer that pays his salary.
A MUST READ before you purchase from Village Bikes. I purchased a women’s Cannondale Synapse Al TGRA with add-ons, spending approximately $1400.00 on 1/15/2017. I went to both Village Bike locations before purchasing from Lakewood Ranch. I had the pleasure of working with Ed (owner) during my purchasing process and found my experience to be informative, pleasurable and one that I would have recommended to others. My bike was serviced on the day of purchase and Ed sized the bike. *During the purchasing process my husband mentioned that he had a road bike and asked Ed if they worked on other model bikes. Ed replied yes, stated the the service fee and briefly explained what would be involved. My husband scheduled this service for 1/29 with Chris his store manager. I had the opportunity to work with Chris on 1/24 as I needed a few adjustments to my bike after putting some miles on it and getting further adjusted to the ride. During that visit it was only Chris and a tech. Chris worked with me for approximately 30 minutes and I was very satisfied.
It is with disappointment that we supported Village Bikes with the purchase of the Cannondale Bike. We were excited with the purchase, to further purchase; but what is important is the customer service that follows! If you just want to purchase a bike, this is your place. If you want customer service……buyer beware!
I appreciate village bike for being in the neighborhood, and for employing these talented workers.
Found them unpleasant and expensive
I called a day prior to the appointment and was told again it would not be an issue and it was reiterated as long as I was patient they would get me taken care of. I had no issue with that and was happy they were willing to work with my schedule.
They are both very knowledgeable and experienced about everything has to do with bicycle. Even I can say they give a great tips about riding outdoors in a group or solo .
Chris denied that the appointment was scheduled, there was only two people in the store and he could not come off the sales floor. OK, if he were a Good Manager, instead of being rude and denying the appointment he should have taken the 10-15 minutes to size my husband on the trainer and offered issue resolution; such as, could they keep the bike overnight and service it on Monday? At no point did he offer to work on the bike. He just said service was Monday thru Friday.
Knowledgeable staff. They take the time to inform you about the products and services they provide.
Village Bikes is a US Bicycle Store based in Bradenton, Florida. Village Bikes is located at 8111 Lakewood Main St #108, Bradenton, FL 34202, USA.
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