Review Date
May 19, 2008

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Customer Service Rating
 1 of 5

Technical Expertise Rating
 1 of 5

I visit this shop:
Every few months

Reviewed by: stukshaw ,  Weekend Warrior

Shop Summary:
As a past customer, I've just left World of Bikes feeling completely mistreated. After three flat front tires, each occurring less than a blocks ride after World of Bikes had "fixed" them (charging me $45 combined), I returned the bike and asked the staff to check the actual tire tread itself for glass, nails, etc - beyond simply replacing the inner-tube.

After actually searching the tread, the bald man (whom I take to be management) found the suspected glass and pulled it out with some tweezers.

Of course, my suspicion was that the glass had been there all along - causing each of the new inner-tubes to pop immediately after the bike was used.

The man told me, in perhaps as arrogant and condescending a way as he could, that their staff was "qualified to find these things," and that he "wasn't going to pay for the glass in the Iowa City streets." He also stated that "you wouldn't have made it anywhere on your bike had this glass been in the tire all along."

I agreed, replying that "I didn't make it anywhere - literally less than one block on each occasion" because of the glass that his staff had failed to find. However, he was completely closed to working with me on fixing the tire at no cost. Stating that "you can have free labor but you'll have to pay for the parts;" this, after paying for three rounds of parts and labor because of their mistake.

I didn't mention that each of the three times I'd brought the bike in to be fixed, the young man "fixing" the tire had seemed more interested in chatting up a female co-worker, than checking my tire tread for glass.

I bring my bike to have flat tires fixed because I assume that professionals can competently check all aspects of this simple procedure so that I don't have to. This appears to be too tall of an order for the people at World of Bikes.

If the shop had only paid for their mistake and made things right by taking care of this small problem in good fashion - I would be a far happier customer, and they would still would have made money on me. I've spent $45 dollars on this small problem - buying the "bad luck" argument sold to me by this shop. They didn't find the glass in my tread until I asked them to find it.

Despite what I've been told, it seems that a flat tire indeed lies beyond the World of Bikes' "qualifications."

Customer Service:
If you're buying a bike, they're friendly and accomodating.
If you want them to service that bike, be ready for dissapointments.

Other Comments:
There's another bike shop across the street. I'll go there for service.