Category: | Bicycle Store |
Address: | 8215 160th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052, USA |
Phone: | +1 425-881-8442 |
Site: | elementcycles.net |
Rating: | 4.3 |
Working: | 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 10AM–7PM 9:30AM–7PM 9:30AM–6PM |
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Nick R.
Me: Old alu. BMC that needs tune up, new tires, chain..., looking for a new Carbon BMC, budget $6k, reason for selecting Element Cycles - high rating and largest BMC retailer in the area Shop: staff - mostly friendly, basic tune up - $95, external cable replacement fee not included in tuneup and costs additional $35 because "Its hard and it takes a long time", wait time for service ~2 weeks, cost for tune up+chain+break pads+cables+tires+new bar tape ~$400,quality of the job - unacceptably, ridiculously poor! Avoid at all cost! Details (pre-service): I brought in the bike and they estimated cost would be $200-250 tops. I was left with the impression that it would take 3-4h to service the bike and they they will have it ride like new. The manager agreed to rent me their demo carbon BMC bike for a day while my bike is in service if I want to, at a discount rate of 50$ instead of $95 (which generally gets waved if I purchase a bike). Details (drop off): The mechanic started adding additional fees - 35$ for changing the cables as "its hard and takes a long time", new bar tape (~$50) as "its impossible to reuse the old one". I explained that the bike doesnt shift well and is squeaky (something was off...). The $50 rental deal was forgotten but the mechanic eventually agreed to "make an exception" and offer it again (he was there when his manager instructed him to offer me the discount, I shouldnt have asked a second time). The mechanic asked that I return the rental the same day if possible. I immediately asked how long it would take to service the bike - he said "not very long at all, about an hour or less". So I said that I can wait an hour and not rent the bike (saving me an additional 3 hour round trip from Seattle and $50). Instantly he said that there are 6 other bikes before mine and that would be impossible. I suspect that this was done in order to get me to ride the rental bike... either ways even if its just poor scheduling its still unprofessional granted our initial agreement for as fast as possible service and the 2 weeks notice! Details (pick up) The chain and gears looked dirty and old, I couldnt tell if they have replaced the chain. Absent the handle bars, tires, and a gentile wipe of the frame it didnt look like they did much. The handlebar tape was handed to me unraveled and it was taped around my bell!!! Within a minute of picking up the bike, while they were processing my payment the caps fell off the handle bars. I had to ask the guy who handed me the bike to fix all this, he fixed the caps and glued one side of the tape, leaving the other still a bit unraveled. This was all unacceptable granted the amount of money I paid! The bike was shifting a little better now but it was still squeaky and sounded funny. At this point I didnt want to have any further dealings with these guys at any cost!!! They called me later that day to tell me that they forgot to charge me the $50 for the bike rental (which wasnt included in the ~400 I already paid). I expressed my colossal disappointment and they insisted I pay the 50$ and that they can take another look at the remaining problems - again (wasting an additional 2-3 hours of my time)!!! This was highly unacceptable at this point and I dont trust them, nor do I want to waste my time dealing with them again! Conclusion: A week later it turned out that my frame was cracked and thats probably why the bike was sounding squeaky in the first place. The quality of the service was abominable especially considering the high price. The neglect of my concerns, the lack of transparency and the little tricks they employed in order to squeeze more money out of my pocket were truly repugnant. I urge you to avoid Element Cycles at all cost!
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Shayne Holmes
Wanted to like it, but just cant. The location is great, right where I can get to it, but every interaction Ive had there has been sub-par. Maybe its because Im not in the target demographic – I do a lot of my own work on my twenty-year-old bikes. After a few tries, Im done. In rehabbing an old Sekai, I found the bearings hashed, so I went to Element and (after waiting in line for some time) asked if they had any loose bearings. They said they did, bumbled around the back for ten minutes, then came out and painstakingly counted out twenty-two bearings. Then they let me know that it would be a dollar a bearing! This was a bit steep for me, and I had already been there for twenty minutes waiting on them to find this out. Next, I found out that my daily riders cranks were part of the 1997 recall (told you my bikes are old). Shimano says to just take it to a dealer and theyll take care of it. So again, I went to Element. There, I was instructed to talk to "the warranty guy", who begrudgingly stopped talking with his buddies and listened to me for a minute, then informed me that he didnt think Shimano would still make good on the "warranty" (he sort of missed that its a product safety recall) after more than ten years, and that he would need to see the bike and take it for "three or four days" so he could make the call. When I told him that I had the bike with me (I was in full regalia), he told me that I could call and set up an appointment for later – even gave me his business card! So... Not the most helpful folks, though maybe thats just because I dont look like a very profitable customer.
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Josiah Whalen
Great Service. I came in upset and left thinking I wouldnt buy a bike anywhere else. I bought a bike for my 8 year old a few months back. One of the things that sold me on the bike in the first place was that they had a one year service guarantee so if the bike broke, we could bring it in and they would fix it. We dont know much about mountain bikes so we picked one that was a little cheaper since he is bound to outgrow it in a year or two. We live right by Duthie Hill Park so we have been there a half a dozen times with the bike. We started noticing that the brakes werent working right and the chain on the bike kept falling off. After going to Stevens Pass to go downhill mountain biking, I came to realize that the bike we bought was not going to work. I brought the bike into the shop upset that it was giving us problems and the lady that greeted us at the door was very quick to calm me down and offered a solution that went above and beyond what i was expecting! She explained to me that the bike we bought wasnt meant for the things that we were using it for. So after months of use on the bike we bought, they allowed us a full refund in exchange for a bike that was meant for the things that we use it for. My 8 year old was SO excited about the new bike and I was SO excited in the way they handled the situation. It is refreshing to see a company that stands behind the products they sell. I have already told this story to 3 other people and the reaction is the same.. they all cant believe that this type of service still exists. Keep up the good work Element Cycles!!