Burkes Cycles

"I have been taking my bike to this shop for over 8 years... Last month I took my bike there and explained that it has some problem with the gear... I asked the chain and and cassette to replaced... I also said the bike has other problem and asked the mechanic to have a look at some noise... I finally asked for a general service... I asked the mechanic to call me please, before changing anything extra so I don't end up with a huge bill... Anyway, the mechanic didn't call me... they send me an email saying the bike is ready. I called them and said "Have you done the general service"... the guy on the phone said "No, you didn't ask for it"... I said I did... any way, he was implying that I am mistaken because it was not written on the card... I asked them to do the general service service as well... I waited a few more days to give them time to do the general service... then I collected the bike... it has some serious chain issue... took it back... they said we have to change the derailer... I said, had the mechanic called me (as I had asked for) then I didn't need to keep bringing me bike there... Anyway, took the bike there for the second time. waited for a few days and then collected it... then I noticed it has some break problem... I took it back for the 3rd time and I said, this bike has been serviced recently, why does it have the break problem... They guy tells me that it has not been serviced. I said I asked for it twice... he kept implying that it is my fault and they have done the right thing... it was my fault that I did not asked for a service... so after taking my bike there 3 times and waiting for about 3 weeks, they guy tells me that I can book it for a general service (he didn't even offer to fix it soon, he said wait in the queue)... Awful customer service... did not even said sorry once for wasting my time... they just blamed me for not asking for a general service and expecting one."

"I've been in for a few different issues just in the past year and the team has always given me the solid advice and equipment needed to get things fixed. Also it's not mentioned on their website (not as far as I could see), but they also do key cutting - Top tip to the Team... advertise that as everyone east of Newtown may find you guys a lot handier than having to go into the city! - Definitely coming back for any issues/services etc! thanks team!"

"My family and I have been coming here for decades to buy parts, get service done and buy bikes. Even to this day the staff are all very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. Prices are also pretty reasonable and reflective of the honesty and expertise in store. I can't recommend Burkes any higher. 100% recommend, thanks guys!"

"I tried to address concerns privately via email, but was given a stock response. Sharing here so other parents and children can avoid the same experience: I came into the shop with my son and mother to try to buy a Wishbone 3 in 1 balance bike. I've never been inclined to write a message like this before, but I was so shocked and upset by the way a staff member treated us that I can't just let it go. I assume it was not the owner who 'assisted' us, as it would be very surprising if a business could survive on such poor product knowledge and rude treatment of customers. The man (older, balding, white) who approached us when we came in, immediately started addressing my two year old as "Darlin'" (creepy much? He also clearly believed he was a girl, as he has long hair, but whether or not he would refer to a child he presumed to be male as "Darlin'" is probably something for him to interrogate about himself, and less about service). Anyway, this man immediately began freaking out, for lack of a better term, about the possibility of my son touching anything in the shop, and demanding that we stop him from moving around. Nothing had happened that could have led him to have any impression that we weren't watching him closely, or that he was likely to cause any damage. His explanation, repeatedly, was that the bikes etc were 'very expensive'. DUH! 1. Whether or not we have any knowledge of the particular bikes stocked in your store (we do), in what world would we not know that bikes are expensive? 2. Does it not matter if you break something inexpensive in a shop? Surely 'you break it, you bought it' applies across the board. 3. We were mitigating the risks: firstly, we had two adults, secondly, we were both standing nearby him, thirdly, he had done nothing more than lightly touch a helmet, which we immediately moved him away from. Yes he is exuberant, but he is two. Do you have a No Children policy? If so, you need to make the sign bigger, and/or stop people at the door. Of course, I understand that children can be a menace in shops, and I would never take him to a bike shop if I wasn't intending to buy him a bike. So despite the bad start, we persevered, however it turned out that the 'salesperson' knew even less about the available balance bikes than what I had gleaned from even a cursory Google search, so really he wasn't able to provide us with any assistance at all. At that point, my son attempted to try out the display model of the bike we wanted. However, as soon as he started moving, the 'salesperson' practically flew into conniptions about the potential destruction on the horizon. At this point we had to leave."

"I got my first mountain bike from Burkes in 1993 so have a soft spot for them. I now live in the Hutt so it’s not super easy to pop in but recently ordered something online and it turned up the next day. I love supporting a real life brick and mortar shop and one that’s been a mainstay of the community and am stoked to be able to order well priced gear that turns up the following day! Thanks team."