Havebike - Collect & Return

Arch 245-248 John Ruskin Street, SE5 0NS, London, GB
image
4.50
Based on 778 Reviews

5

71.21%

4

9.13%

3

4.37%

2

4.88%

1

10.41%
About Havebike - Collect & Return

At havebike we believe that riding a bike is the purest pleasure a person can achieve... but not if mechanical niggles & creaks, rubbing brakes or skipping gears interrupt your flow! We’re passionate about helping everyone make the most of their riding experience by ensuring they’re equipped with bikes that perform whether your the commuting to work, hitting the local trails, tackling Mont Ventoux, or just riding for pleasure. Havebike… will ride

Contact Info

You need to Login first to submit your review.

image
Mike
United Kingdom | 24 April 2022

Really not impressed. Expensive and not convenient. I’m going back to my local bike shop.

image
Ben Sharpe
United Kingdom | 23 April 2022

Excellent service - picked up on time, dropped back on time and bike is running well. Query during the service from a miscommunication was resolved smoothly and easily. Will definitely use again.

image
Mathew Lewis-Carter
United Kingdom | 22 April 2022

Excellent service!

image
Paresh Gandesha
United Kingdom | 20 April 2022

What can I say absolutely fantastic ! It’s the First time that I booked my bike to be serviced with ‘Havebike’ and the service I got was excellent, I got text and email on when my bike was going to collected and was advised on when my bike was in the work shop, which was assuring, also I was given advised if there was any additional parts that was required out side the deluxe service, something you don’t need to expect if you feel it is not required ? Overall I was extremely Happy with the service provided, I should mention that when your bike was going to be picked and dropped back, you will be advised of the name of the collection driver with a photo of the person. Thank you Paresh

image
Chris
United Kingdom | 19 April 2022

Great service. Prompt, polite and professional. Bit more expensive than others but happy to pay a bit more when the bike is collected and dropped off without having to go to a shop, and the service is as good as it is. Will definitely use again. Thanks

image
Olivia
United Kingdom | 15 April 2022

I’m very disappointed with the service from havebike. I had my chain and casette replaced and the bike has been returned with the front gears unable to change (this wasn’t an initial problem). On closer inspection the cable is completely disconnected from the derailer which means the bike hasn’t been test ridden before being returned. On top of all this, havebike charges £18 labour fee for each part replaced on top of parts. So I paid £36 labour for an unrideable bike. Normally companies will also clean the bike and not charge labour for part fitting. I will not be using havebike again and strongly recommend to just go to your local bike shop if you want a servicing

image
Lisa Bowen
United Kingdom | 13 April 2022

I appreciated getting the bike picked up and returned as it was not road worthy, however I didn’t get any communication about my bike and due to waiting on parts, I had to wait for three weeks for it to be repaired. It was only when I chased it up that I got an update, I would have liked to have been informed about the delay. Apart from that, normal repair costs for the work.

image
Anna
United Kingdom | 13 April 2022

Fast efficient service. Picked up and dropped off at the time specified. I haven’t done a road test yet but bike looks much better Staff helpful and friendly

image
Charlie
United Kingdom | 12 April 2022

Thanks Havebike - great service. Very happy with everything.

image
Elliot Lord
United Kingdom | 11 April 2022

Havebike are an expensive service to use. The increased cost must be due to the nature of the business i.e. they collect the bike from you and return it to you, but I'm not convinced this justifies the inflated costs they charge. I will say, the bike did come back to me well serviced and cleaned however, I did have to wait nearly two weeks longer than the initial return date I was given. This was because they had to receive some parts which were delayed but also, I was given an updated return date which was then changed again. This meant, the inflated cost of the service, plus the replacement parts (break pads and 1 tyre) when combined with costs of using public transport due to the delays, meant I was significantly out of pocket.

image
James
United Kingdom | 11 April 2022

24 hours before Havebike were due to pick up my disabled commuter bike I got a cheery email to say they had re-scheduled the pickup for the following week. No explanation, no discussion, no thought the re-booking might possibly not suit me, the actual paying customer. So I cancelled and booked elsewhere. Later Havebike sent me an email about staff shortages; still no apology, but there was a vague offer to see what they could do for another date. It was all too late, and the cancellation was massively inconvenient for me. I've given a 2 star rating because I have used them before without problem, (and they refunded promptly) however there is clearly an attitude/service problem in the firm.

image
Dr Mavji
United Kingdom | 07 April 2022

Excellent service; online additional repairs form is a handy addition - no more phone calls.

image
Mr Kenneth
United Kingdom | 06 April 2022

Edit: Following posting this original review, I was re-contacted by Havebike. They offered to take my bike back in and replace the front crank at no cost to me. They said this should solve the problem as it would mean that effectively the whole of the chain run assembly had been replaced. Once they had the bike again, they rang me to say they’d decided not to do that as they didnt think it would help after all! They have arranged to re deliver my bike (again). They offered me a £20 partial refund which i view as derisory in the context of the time they’ve had my bike, the amount I’ve actually paid them and the fact they actually made my bike worse. They also offered a voucher for a free service in the future, however I have no intention of ever using them again. I have no confidence the outcome would be any more positive than this one. I suggest to anyone reading this review that you find a local bike shop that knows what they are doing and don’t waste your time with Havebike. It’s expensive, inefficient and in my view incompetent. In summary: Slow Expensive Made bike worse Poor comms I booked my bike in and it was collected from my house on 18 Feb 22. I got it back for good yesterday 06 April 22. It was only in for a service, which is to say it was working fine when it went in. Now, despite a number of replaced parts and a service it has a problem that they say I'll need to just live with. The biggest issue I have is that having paid for a new rear cassette and chain (as the service identified wear), I can no longer use the gear configuration of smaller front cog, smallest rear cog. This was not an issue before I put the bike in Havebike's hands. They've suggested I just avoid using that gear. They also suggested that they could maybe file down parts of the chain, reducing its durability, in the hope that this would help - but they don't recommend it! I was told that little front cog little rear cog is a setting that cyclists should just avoid. They are unable to explain why a manufacturer would make such a setting that wasn't appropriate, nor how a manufacturer can construct a bike where that works fine for 5 years but can't work once Havebike fit a direct replacement part. It took too long to end up in an unresolved situation. Havebike's communications were poor, conflicting and slow to arrive. I had to chase them for updates and when trying to contact them, whether by webchat or phone, (no-one answers their phone) you are immediately told it'll be 48 hours before they get back to you. For what I had done, service, cassette, brake blocks, tyres it seemed very expensive, but ultimately they made the bike worse than when it went in. I've had a perfunctory apology and no mention of a refund. Full timeline: 18/2 collected from me for service: £99 21/2 Received request to review additional expenditure (with errors in the email that made it unclear what was being asked) 21/2 Reached them by phone after the support email said they may take 48 hours to revert. Agreed £262 of additional costs, including 2 new tyres instead of the 1 required (same kind as previously on the bike). 01/03 requested update by email (tyres out of stock) 02/03 received response that new tyres not arrived. 04/03 Received an update that cassette still on order. 12/03 Requested an update. 14/03 Told cassette in but tyres still awaited, so instructed them to use (more expensive) tyres they actually had. 17/03 Bicycle returned. On using it, discovered issue with gears. Immediately raised the issue on their (automated) webchat. 18/03 Emailed Havebike re the same issue 20/03 Emailed them again 22/03 Bicycle re-collected to investigate issue 24/03 Bicycle returned, checked it before they left, still not fixed, so returned it again and emailed them 31/03 Got an email apologising for the delay and told that it would be worked upon 01/04 by a senior mechanic. Also got an email same day saying bike being returned 01/04. Got further email saying it would be returned on 04/04 04/04 Got phone call saying they couldn't fix it (as above) 05/05 bike returned with issue unresolved

image
TM
United Kingdom | 06 April 2022

Excellent service. Professional & punctual. Highly recommend.

image
Mark Smith
United Kingdom | 06 April 2022

Really disappointed. With two young children at home and the fact I am currently on shared parental leave, I was happy to pay a small premium for Havebike because I didn't have the time to get to a local bike shop. However, my experience was far from convenient. One week after pickup I had heard nothing about the bike's return, so I queried this and was told that they were waiting for parts to be delivered, but that I'd have my bike back on Friday. Friday came and no sign of the bike, but instead I got a call to apologise to say they'd let me down and that the mechanics didn't get chance to service my bike yet due to staff sickness. I accepted the apology but my request for a small discount was refused. I only asked for a discount because I realised the price Havebike charge for parts is well above what they are sold for on the high street - plus they charge premium rates for labour, so in effect they're profiting twice on each part, which sticks in the craw. I ended up getting my bike back on Tuesday, two weeks after it was picked up. I won't be using Havebike again. UPDATE: Your response below is not meaningful engagement - if you'd understood the review above you would not have added your stock response about returning the bike for total satisfaction. My issue was not with the quality of the service/parts, but with the cost and the delays and the poor communication. The last thing I want is for you to take my bike again - who knows how long you'd keep it this time!

image
Edward Larmour
South Africa | 03 April 2022

After some initial issues with the bike HaveBike were very quick to offer additional servicing. Quite a long lead time owing to part availability but a good service nonetheless Thanks guys

image
Paul Morrissey
United Kingdom | 03 April 2022

I hate giving poor reviews, simple no communication at all. Very quick to take money, but no updates to any delay on parts needed to complete service. They suggest emails, web chat and none are used. To that end I was left to look at reviews and was horrified at what I was reading, got emails to say returning ( finally ) only to find that I received another same day to say parts arrived and would complete service accordingly?! Got bike back 10 days later, only to find that both of my wheels needed adjustments and simply not carried out.? Finally got through on the phone as if making a new booking, Matt answered and agreed with issues & his job to resolve. Couldn’t answer why my bike was returned with out having wheels addresses despite having my card payment thereof. The answer is I guess, use a local company that’s been around some time - I wish I had.

image
CB
United Kingdom | 01 April 2022

After they received my bike they told me that it there were a couple of parts that needed replacing which would have made the bike more functional, even if wasn't essential. I asked them to go ahead with it expecting the delivery date to be the same I had requested when booked the service. When the day of the delivery comes and I receive no notification of the delivery in the morning as promised. I called them and found out that they weren't going to delivery it on that day because the parts had not arrived. This would have been fine, but they never let me know about it. I had booked a day off work so that I can be at home waiting for the bike. Communication is very poor and often impossible to speak to them over the phone. They are still using the Covid excuse that they are busy and there aren't enough people available, which is unacceptable after 2 years of pandemic. If you are a company that cares about customer service then you make sure you hire new people to deal with the shortage. If you want to save yourself the headache then go and get your bike serviced elsewhere. Just a friendly advice.

image
John
United Kingdom | 01 April 2022

Brilliant service - great way of commutating regularly on where everything was at and good visibility given on all potential costs. Would definitely recommend

image
HP in
United Kingdom | 01 April 2022

There's a response below that confirms Havebike has now been sold to Halfords. That may be good news for the cycling community. It is very startling news for many of the investors in Havebike! Nicholas J. Brown, the CEO and majority shareholder, recently wrote to them telling them that their company had gone into administration. No other details. This was not long after raising half a million ££ from them. Just so you know. Potential customers may want to ask themselves, "If this is how they treat their investors, how on earth will they treat my bike?"

We may use cookies or any other tracking technologies when you visit our website, including any other media form, mobile website, or mobile application related or connected to help customize the Site and improve your experience. learn more

Allow