I was a bit hesitant to book an e bike because I'm not the most experienced cyclist and I had... read more
I was a bit hesitant to book an e bike because I'm not the most experienced cyclist and I had... read more
Chris at Devonport was fantastically helpful & very knowledgeable. The bikes were great and well... read more
My wife and I visited Waiheke Island with high expectations for a beautiful day of bike riding and touring this beautiful island. Bikes and Barbers was the 1st bike shop we encountered off the ferry and we figured this was as good an option as any, wrong!
We rented 2 ebikes, opting for the less expensive bikes, which were older, but they assured us that they were in excellent condition and up to the task of taking us around the island. Wrong again.
Problems between the 2 bikes included; front brakes on one bike didn't work, derailer for the rear gear cluster on the same bike in poor condition and unreliable in shifting, especially up hills when you need it most. The control pad on the other bike not attached properly and when you went to use it to change power levels it was out of reach resulting in having to release your grip on handle bars to reach for it, very dangerous. Power levels fluctuated greatly going up and down hills, making it really difficult to maintain momentum. Ultimately the power failed on my wife's bike while going up a hill, which resulted in her taking a spill, fortunately she wasn't hurt, but we'd had enough.
We called to be picked up, which they did. When we explained what happened to the owner and asked for some consideration on the fee we paid, seeing how our day was ruined, the owner became defensive. He insisted that they maintained the highest standards and that every single bike was thoroughly checked out and maintained every night (there was an awful lot of bikes on their lot, so really?) Then he tried to blame us for the failure, pointing to a scuff mark on the end of the left handle bar grip, saying we damaged the bike. When I pointed out the fresh abrasions on my wife's right hand and forearm and made it clear that we weren't having any of that, he dropped it. Nice try though, blame the victim.
Extremely disappointing, I strongly recommend passing Bikes and Barbers bike rentals by.
I was a bit hesitant to book an e bike because I'm not the most experienced cyclist and I had already bought a ticket on the hop on hop off bus. Long story short as to all the events that followed but the e bike was absolutely brilliant. I could take in the sites, make my own schedule, go where I wanted and stop for pictures as I please but made it to all the places I wanted to go on time! So glad I did not use the bus nor rely on cab service as I saw many people doing and unable to go to places they wanted or waiting forever. I reckon even if you are a cyclist you would want the e bike just to give you a bit of help up the hills and make it to the wineries in time. Seriously I would get around waiheke any other way!
Chris at Devonport was fantastically helpful & very knowledgeable. The bikes were great and well Maintained ‼️ 2 days later we hired again at Waiheke and Chris was there this day needless to say we were WINNING, he looked after us with excellent service yet again plus and after our trip around the a must for any ♀️ enthusiast- STUNNING SCENERY‼️ Thanks Bikes &
Just had a shocking experience with theses guys, including the owner by phone. We waited over 30 minutes to be served, chose to pay extra for their “premium” bikes, finally got on the road and quickly realised mine was unridable due to gears slipping locking up. Limped back to exchange for another one. I asked whether they check their bikes before sending them out and was told yes absolutely (later the mechanic admitted no they’re too busy not possible). Another girl was head off and said her tire wasn’t pumped up! They put me on another completely different full suspension bike and the guy clearly looked nervous. We headed a long way out for a vineyard lunch and realised the crank was grinding badly up hills and top 3 gears hardly worked making loud grinding noise. We only had half day on the island so couldn’t waste anymore time messing around with changing bikes...and I don’t believe they had any other well maintained bikes anyway. So got back before heading to ferry to explain how bad the experience was...and that I was happy paying $80 for my wife’s bike but expect a refund for mine. They wouldn’t have it !!! When you hire a bike for $80 it should work properly...not only do these guys have no quality control, they’re not interested in putting things right when they go wrong.
Wanted to take 3 bikes out for the day, first bike had next to no front brake so asked for another one. Second bike had little air in the tyres, they put more in. Gears partially failed during the day, (it's a hilly island) when we got back to the bike shop they where not interested in a partial refund. We also hired an E bike which worked well.
I should start by saying that I did not take out the e-bikes nor physically interacted with the staff. This rating is based on the service received, or lack of, after cancelling my booking and for not receiving my refund after multiple emails. Before the cancellation, the team was responsive and helpful at each contact. However, due to bad weather, I had to cancel, I called and emailed (the day before and on the day of the booking, 23/10) to confirm the cancelling/refund policy and was assured (on email and verbally) it was not a problem. I have emailed the team twice since the cancellation, to date, I have not heard from them, nor seen a credit to my account. The deposit amount isn’t much, and I’m okay with the promise of a refund was a mistake, but ignoring a customer, especially when you owe them money, is very poor customer service.
Hi,
i'm sorry to hear you are un-happy. Sadly you have not put your name on the review - ). Reading between the lines i think you are mistaken - we do not take deposits. We only ever take a booking fee of $5 , which lost if you do not turn up at all. The fee can be used on moving the reservation to another day- but we simply cannot refund $5 -
This i think is made clear on our booking platform see-nz . com.
So maybe we understood wrongly - or we somehow confused the system ? Anyway sorry for your trouble - please submit your name next time so we can help better. Regards chris and team