Bike Shop of Winter Haven

I went in to look at a second hand bike that my husband saw, I didn’t really like that bike but while I browsed the store, three different people offered to help me. I told the salesman, Chris what I was looking for and he showed me one in the back that they had just gotten in, it was exactly what I wanted and I felt the price was reasonable We went ahead and paid for it but they kept it until the next day to clean it up and tune it up and he threw in a water bottle holder. I didn’t do a test ride but they guarantee their bikes for 30 days. We went riding a couple of days later and I absolutely love my bike. I found the staff to be friendly and helpful and I would definitely shop here again.

Bought another Cannondale bike here in August of 2014, I was treated well and got a good deal on the bike. People there are very helpful.

So my girlfriend’s road bike, an older Specialized aluminum bike worth appx. $ 200, isn’t shifting correctly. I take it to this bike shop because it’s the closest shop to our home. I tell them the issue and that it probably just needs a new chain, but they’re the experts, so let me know if that’s the case. This is on a Monday and I tell them we need it back by Friday because we’re riding Saturday morning. They call me the next day and leave a message that the bike is ready and that the bill is $ 117. She stops by on Friday and picks up the bike. Later that evening I ask her what they did to the bike that was so costly. She said they gave it a tune up which included truing the wheels, checking the cables and brakes etc… and they also replaced the chain. The problem here is this… replacing the chain would and did fix the issue, the tune up was not necessary and there was never a phone call advising us of their diagnosis before proceeding with the work. I called them and told them that had we known beforehand, we would have simply told them to replace the chain and forego the rest of the work. The answer I got was «well I’m sorry you feel that way, it sounds like a lack of communication on our part». I told them we would never have agreed to the work had we been told ahead of time, to which their response was the same…“I’m sorry you feel that way”. No offer to refund the money we paid for the unnecessary work, no credit offered, nothing. So from now on we’ll just have to drive a half hour past their business to Lakeland and do business with a bike shop I’ve been doing business with for years. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to try to support the local bike shop. These guys are obviously just used to charging whatever they want to people who just pay them without asking questions or expecting a call before any work is done. My car mechanic doesn’t do any work over $ 100 without a call first to authorize and neither should my bike mechanic.