Bothell Ski & Bike — Local services in Kenmore

I recently brought my bike in for a full tune and to replace a handful of components. The tech who originally helped me was super helpful/informative and did an all around awesome job providing me with recommendations etc. I also requested service on the rear shock, to which I was informed that it may need to be sent to the manufacturer for servicing, which would take a couple of weeks. The tech told me that he would call me by the end of the day to let me know one way or another, and that the bike would be ready next Tuesday if the shock didn't need to be sent out. I brought it in on a Wednesday, so it would take 1-2 weeks to get my bike back. I didn't receive a call, which is fine, I know that things happen and it wasn't a big deal. I called them on Friday to follow up, and was informed that I would get a call back with a definitive answer when the tech was back from lunch. I again didn't receive a call, so I gave it a couple of days and called again on Sunday. At that point I was informed that the tech wasn't in, and wouldn't be until Tuesday, and that nobody had even looked at the bike since I dropped it off. I was also informed that the shock would definitely need to be sent out, and that would take about three weeks. So my total time without a bike was upgraded from max 2 weeks to min 1 month. If this was communicated to me from the beginning (which it could have been if they are able to see that the shock needs to be sent out just by looking at it), that would have been fine. I am a pretty understanding guy and I was really hoping to be able to work with Bothell Ski and Bike for all of my biking needs for years to come - they are my neighborhood bike shop and it is nice to avoid driving around Seattle for this sort of thing. Realistically, if a part needs to be sent out and that is going to cause one of your customers to be bikeless for nearly a month, it would be a nice move to take that part off and send it out first rather than waiting a week to even look at it. In any case, a little communication goes a long way and they could have at least attempted to let me know rather than forcing me to be proactive and call multiple times only to find out that there are unnecessary delays. When I brought this up to them they really didn't accept any responsibility for the delays and instead informed me that I can always "do what I am doing now and call them if I don't receive an expected call back." I called multiple times and was super patient, and that response was rude to say the least. I get that in Seattle there is a lot of money floating around and a bike tune doesn't necessarily come in as a high priority compared to a customer who is spending thousands on a new bike. But it is a terrible feeling as a customer to be treated like your business and overall satisfaction is unimportant. At the end, I just went and picked up my bike and cancelled the work order. Pretty disappointed to...

Failed to meet time commitment on when my bike would be ready. Absolutely no concern towards customer service and the rudest communication of any retail business I have ever encountered (co-owner John Ethan, specifically). Service department overcommits and pushes out schedule for customers in the service queue (John mentioned he had 150 bikes in for service at the same time!). I wouldn't buy a bike here if you want timely service, or a pleasant customer experience.

This started with a oem recall of a fork on my Kona process. After contacting SRAM (who directed me to any licensed retailer) I contacted Bothell Ski and Bike by phone. I informed them I didn't buy my bike from them (was purchased out of state previously) but they said they would swap out the fork per instructions from SRAM. A week after dropping the bike off, I contacted John who said he would contact SRAM for status (who were rebuilding the fork), but then completely dropped the ball and forgot to call, but eventually did and obtained expected delivery dates of the rebuilt fork. At this point John said they would be able to install the fork within one day after receiving back from SRAM. Three days after John received the fork from SRAM I called him again and he hadn't starting working on it. When I asked for an updated ETA he couldn't provide one (despite promising a one day turn-around previously). Since this was a warranty job and I didn't buy the bike from him I offered to pay for the service, in case this was the reason I wasn't being given any priority. But the options John gave me were 1) wait indefinitely for them to get around to it, or 2) come in a pick up my bike in pieces. Initially I chose option 1), but afterwards I called around and found a nearby shop who were quoting 2-3 weeks out for service, but could install my fork in one day since it was a "simple job" (that is better customer service). So I went for option 2) and literally picked up my bike from the shop in pieces. Over this period I talked to John a handful of times and every time he was extremely rude , unaccommodating and unwilling to make any concession or compromise to keep my business. I told him this would cause him complete loss of my business and he simply didn't care. I wouldn't go near this place to buy a bike if you care about timely service...

Not a great experience there for me... I had a road bike that had been sitting for years. Dusty and flat tires. I took it here to have a basic tuneup done and for them to check the tires and replace tubes if necessary. They had the bike for an entire week. When I went to pick it up, the front tire was flat. I mentioned that I had asked to have them both checked. He said, "The back one is okay. It's probably just because it's been sitting here for a while" and put air in it. I took it home, and the next day both tires were completely flat. I called back and spoke with the owner who actually graciously admitted to making a mistake, and I went back in with the tires. They replaced both tubes (and charged me about $20 labor. It would have been nice to knock some off that as a gesture, since I had to go back in a second time). So, new tubes (with air) on bike, I took it to Lopez Island on the ferry to ride it. Like a fool, I didn't check it when I picked it up and assumed it would be tuned well. I got a mile from the ferry, and realized that the front derailer wasn't shifting onto the second ring at all, and the gears weren't shifting right. Stuck there, I had to pay again to take it to the bike shop on the island, and spend most of my day in a waiting room instead of checking out the village, while their tech adjusted the shifting. Between the tires still being bad, and the gears not even close to being right, I'm actually not certain that anyone even worked on the bike or did the tuneup they charged me for. Either that, or the adjustments were done so poorly that it shouldn't have left their shop, as the derailer was not even close to functionally adjusted. I won't be taking my...