Balfe's Bikes - Hackney Reviews 

Very helpful and knowledgeable

Helpful staff even when store was crazy busy at near closing time

Great product selection and customer service!

The guys in the store were really helpful and did a great job fitting my child seat.

Good service and really good aftercare. Went out of their way to sort a persistent problem.

The entire team is very professional and friendly and completes repairs in an impressive timeframe

I had the £200 full service, also i needed 2 new tyres, new cable and brake pads for both wheels and a broken spoke fixed.
When I picked up the bike it felt brand new!
The mechanic Mark did a superb job as mike bike was very dirty and had been neglected by me. I had a few questions, if there was any trouble mending the bike etc, he was very informative,
The bloke on the till was Finley who was equally good.
Not the first time I've had a service from Balfe's Hackney and not the last!

Excellent service second to none from beginning to end definitely would always use again

I visited the store to obtain some clarity on questions I had. Staff was extremely helpfull, patient and able to answer all my questions.

Not great service. I bought some mudguards online from Balfe’s (click and collect). The Balfe’s website said that they would work for my bike model, but they did not. I called to check that they would process a refund, even though the package had been opened, which the guy confirmed, adding that they would help me to find mudguards that worked for my bike. I returned them and Balfe’s processed my refund rapidly – which was very much appreciated. However, the team in the store on the day did not help find mudguards that I could actually use. I don’t know why they would pass up an opportunity to do business with a customer that clearly needed help and was ready to pay. Some more proactive customer service would be valuable.

Product did have a minor scratch on it and took triple the expected time to arrive. But other than that it was ok

Outstanding customer service. Richest stock variety of any shop in London.

Once I received the product back from the service it was a good quality. however for the £279 paid, I would’ve expected more regular and upfront updates on the return of the bike (which was delayed by two weeks). The delayed return cost me about £100 in extra commuting fees. It was frustrating that I had to chase Balfe’s for an update on the delay.

Great staff. Turned my repair around within a few hours, were friendly and gave useful advice to prevent future issues. Fairly priced.

Balfes did a great job on servicing my bike and used quality products on any replacement parts I needed .

Good, efficient, and helpful service.

For the second time, I left with the bicycle in a worse state than when I brought it to get a tyre puncture repaired.

I made 2 seperate purchases, using a gift voucher, and went to 2 different branches on 2 different days.
My initial attempt at purchase was Click & Collect. The website had issues however and I was unable to complete the transaction. I phoned customer support and they didn't have much to say on the matter, other than enquire as to which browser I was using.
I therefore went to Islington branch as the item was showing as available. The price of the item was listed at £49.00 online but the store had it priced at £66.00. I flagged this to staff and they confirmed the item was incorrectly priced in store. I then went to proceed to purchase. There were 2 members of staff on hand. The person that served me was more interested in listening to her colleague's phone conversation than serving me. Although I did with a sense of humour I had to comment to her a few times that she was ignoring me and that maybe she could do me the courtesy of giving me her attention.
With the second transaction I was purchasing 2 items and went to a different branch (Hackney), curious to see if the service was similar or better. I fell at the first hurdle with this one. The company website states that branches are open until 5pm on Bank Holidays. I went on New Years Day and the store was closed...I returned the next day and raised this with the member of staff serving me. He said 'we are open on bank holidays' but were closed as New Years day...I said that I would count the day as a Bank Holiday and therefore would take it that the store would be open...he mumbled something by way of trying to justify his comment, but I've no idea what his logic was....At no point did he make eye contact with me. He appeared irritated/annoyed at my comments and served me with no acknowledgement and no 'thank you', he simply walked away.
The staff were all very young (I am not) and and I'm guessing inexperienced. I have many years experience and knowledge of bike related matters. I'm not sure how somebody with no knowledge would fare going to a Balfe's store in need of help or advice.

I won't be going back.. although I still have a balance on my gift voucher, so I guess one last visit at some point.