Butternut Bikes Reviews 24

Great service, wonderful staff. Couldn't be more helpful. They're very knowledgeable about bikes and even helped me when I needed to blow up my son's football! Fantastic local shop.

Really lovely shop. Staff are friendly, down to earth and they know their stuff. I bought my amazing electric bike from Butternut and the staff were so helpful helping me find the right one for me and then fixing my stand when it broke off. Really good community vibes. I highly recommend

On Saturday 17th May, I dropped off my bike for a standard service. I was told it would “probably” be ready within 3–5 days.

On Thursday 22nd May, I phoned to ask for an update. The person on the other end of the line cut me off mid-sentence almost immediately. “It’s not ready,” he said—before I’d even told him which bike it was. I have never been treated with such immediate hostility as a customer making a polite enquiry.

I followed up with a written complaint. The reply I received included a vague and half-hearted apology that completely failed to acknowledge the issues I’d raised. I later learned that the person on the phone was Gav, the shop’s owner. Gav tepidly apologised for being “brusque” and “curt” in his response to the complaint but, in reality, his behaviour was rude, unprofessional, and completely unjustified. Since then, I’ve seen reviews from many other customers who have had similar experiences. Gav strikes me as someone fundamentally unable to admit fault or reflect on how he treats others. I feel genuinely sorry for his staff, who seem excellent in spite of the dismal example he sets.

That same response from Gav assured me, in writing, that the bike would “definitely” be ready by the end of the following week. The delay was attributed to staff shortages. Reluctantly, I chose to wait.

By the end of that week—nearly two weeks after drop-off—I had still received no proactive communication. I emailed again on Friday morning to say I would collect the bike unserviced unless I heard otherwise. After no reply, I phoned the shop in the afternoon. I spoke to a different staff member who was far more professional and understanding. He gave me the first actual update I’d received—one that allowed me to make an informed decision. I collected the bike the next morning, untouched.

Later that day, I received a reply from Gav. It turned out he had gone on holiday with only a day's notice, leaving an already understaffed shop with even less capacity. The email was a series of shifting excuses: he and the mechanic had disagreed about what work was needed; they’d had to order in a part (an extremely common bottom bracket); and so on. I also learned from the shop that they’d initially ordered the wrong part, then had to re-order the correct one—further adding to the delay. Gav’s message essentially asked me to wait yet another week, taking a straightforward service on a fixed gear bike into its third week.

I’m writing this review not simply because the service fell through, but because I was repeatedly met with avoidant, dismissive behaviour just for asking basic questions about my own property.

Gav is a rude, evasive, and manipulative man. I’ve seen how he responds to critical reviews, often attempting to discredit or gaslight the customer. If he replies here, he’ll likely claim that my account is untruthful, or that the part needed was unusually difficult to source (it wasn’t), or that this situation was an unfortunate one-off (it clearly isn’t). He may invoke exceptional staffing pressures or circumstances—but no level of difficulty justifies the way he chose to behave.

If Gav does choose to respond, I'll let readers draw their own conclusions.

I strongly advise others not to use this shop.

Friendly and helpful when I dropped by with no booking. Sorted out the small problem there and then at no charge.
Thank you.

Staff ignored me - no recognition you are waiting - then asked me " am I in a hurry ?" after i had asked if I could leave my bike with them instead of waiting - then told to "take my business elsewhere and literally ushered out the door " - never ever seen such bad and rude customer service - i am mixed race so wondering now if they are racist - but quietly hoping they treat everyone the same

Great bike shop. Went the extra mile sorting out my son‘s bike despite me leaving it pretty last minute, and them being super busy. Much appreciated, and he absolutely loves it. Thanks for the advice as well as the great service.

My brakes on my hybrid Trek bike weren’t working properly and an annual service was due. I found this shop online. There were two choices online:: £95 for a full service or the £130 where the bike is completely stripped and cleaned and made ‘like new’. I booked the £95 for the next day.

Arriving at the shop Gavin greeted me and without further ado started stripping my bike off accessories like mud guard, small saddle bag and my silicon padded seat cover as (quote) ‘they smell off sweaty bum’. I need to use it due to problems with my tailbone. I didn’t expect that to happen and had to take all the stuff to a business meeting in town.

Gavin asked me what needed doing and I said that both disc brakes weren’t working as they probably needed bleeding/oil exchanging as that hadn’t been done since I bought the bike 4 years ago. He said ‘leave it with me’ and no further comment was made.

Next day: I got one of their automated messages that they had looked over the bike and it needed lots of new parts including cassette, chain, some sealed bearings etc and some break pads. The service fee was now £130 instead of £95. I wrote to them asking why the fee went up and if I could keep the cassette and chain as both was exchanged only 14 months ago. I received a swift reply saying that it is up to me but that they would recommended changing it. I mulled it over overnight but when I looked at the parts list in the morning again it was now over £330 .

I gave them a call and spoke to Gavin who was just extremely patronising from the outset when I simply asked him to run me through all items on the quote such as why the service was now £130 instead of £95, and he said that the bike was extremely dirty. I disagreed. Yes, there was a bit of mud on the frame but Gavin didn’t say anything about it when I dropped off the bike. He said that they cleaned the bike and I should be happy that I wasn’t charged the £20 extra cleaning charge. I said that it would have been good to tell me about it before he made the decision for me. It says on the website that they will consult customers about everything before carrying out any work.

Not being happy I mentioned to Gavin how patronising I found the whole situation with the accessories when dropping the bike off and having to take them into town, he said that I should better be reading all the emails sent to me before dropping off the bike where it is clearly stated that they have to removed. I re-read the one (1) email that I received when booking the service later and it didn’t say anything about it at all.

I just wanted honest advice as I am used to by my usual bike shop about the work that needed doing but I felt like being blackmailed by being told that I could break my hip like his mate if cassette and chain wouldn’t be replaced. I said that I didn’t feel comfortable going ahead generally with the service and that I would rather collect my bike as is. To which he replied that he had already exchanged the bearings, cleaned it, changed break pads and rear rotor and that they couldn’t just put the old ones on but could see if they could find some old parts. I felt I had no choice and said he shouldn’t change cassette and chain at my own risk.

When I picked up the bike the bike was as ‘dirty’ as it was when I handed it in. I ended up paying £236.99 that now included a cleaning fee of £20 (!) despite the bike not being full cleaned. The most incredible thing was to find the following disclaimer on the online invoice later: 'Disc brakes might need bleeding/new oil and/or front brake pads?’ The only thing that I had asked them to do and they didn’t do it! What did I get for my service of £130? Why did I pay £20 extra cleaning fee?

According to their website their £130 service would make my bike as new. The bike was still dirty, no lube on the chain, no bleeding/new oil for the disc brakes and therefore still not working properly.

I am waiting for a bike shop in Friern Barnet to have a look at what they actually did do for the money I paid. I feel unsafe riding it now.

Butternut Bikes Limited: The Epitome of Abysmal Customer Service and Unprofessionalism

Beware of Butternut Bikes Ltd, a business that epitomises everything wrong with the service industry. My recent encounter with this atrocious establishment left me utterly appalled and disillusioned.

I recently reached out to Butternut Bikes Ltd to inquire about the cost of assembling a flatpack bicycle, and I must say, the experience was nothing short of a nightmare. The customer service I received was extremely poor, and the staff's behaviour was unprofessional and challenging.

I was met with nothing but unprofessionalism and challenging behaviour from the moment I contacted the company. Instead of providing a simple quotation, the staff accused me of being an AI/Robot, which is not only unprofessional but also demonstrates a lack of trust in their customers. This behaviour is unacceptable and reflects poorly on the company's image. Put another way, not only did they fail to meet even the most basic standards of customer service, but they also engaged in unprovoked personal attacks. Without any provocation or justification, they baselessly accused me of being an 'AI.' This not only demonstrates their unprofessionalism but also their utter disregard for basic decency.

Their unwarranted interrogation about inability to attend 'Ally Pally today' further exposed their immaturity and childish behaviour. It is evident that these individuals masquerading as adults lack the cognitive capacity to grasp that this is inappropriate. I believe in my personal opinion that it is highly likely that these individuals are indeed children that are assuming the identity of their father, ***** ******, born in Sep****** **** and registered as the Secretary and Director of Butternut Bikes Ltd according to Company House. Should this be the case, I would suggest that their conduct suggests a severe lack of parental supervision and guidance.

Nonetheless, Butternut Bikes Ltd come across as immature and childish. I would suggest that they work on their customer service and communication skills to build their reputation management and provide quality service to their customers.

The staff's emotional immaturity and incompetence were evident throughout our email correspondence. They were unable to articulate themselves in a meaningful way, which only added to the frustration of the situation. It is clear that the staff at Butternut Bikes Ltd lack the necessary brain development to provide quality customer service.

For transparency, I have attached screenshots of the email correspondence. I hope that by sharing my experience, others will be aware of the poor customer service and unprofessionalism they may encounter at Butternut Bikes Ltd. I strongly advise potential customers to look elsewhere for their bike assembly needs.

To conclude, my experience with Butternut Bikes Ltd was a disaster, and I would not recommend them to anyone. Their reputation management is in shambles, and their complete lack of communication and customer service skills is truly astonishing. It is clear that they have no interest in providing quality service or building a loyal customer base.

The poor customer service, unprofessional behaviour, and lack of trust in their customers are unacceptable and reflect poorly on the company. It is clear that the staff at Butternut Bikes Ltd need to undergo significant training and development to improve their customer service skills and communication skills.

I strongly recommend that anyone considering doing business with Butternut Bikes Ltd avoid them at all costs. Their unprofessionalism, personal attacks, and immature behaviour make them a joke in the industry and a blight on the community.

P.S. I have also left a Google review. I would suggest that others do not consider reviews on Trust Pilot as businesses like this complain to have negative reviews taken down, which in my opinion does not allow users to make informed decisions. However, I have found Google allows unfiltered truthful reviews, so I would direct your attention there.

Put another way, Butternut Bikes Limited got this review taken down because I mentioned the name of their Director and they claimed this information to be private. This business is a registered business with Companies House under the Companies Act 2006, therefore, that information is public knowledge. I would suggest you visit Companies House website to obtain the name of Director. The registration number for Butternut Bikes Limit is 12639530. Unfortunately trustpilot does not allow website link but you can easily type in company house in Google and search for the company name or use company unique registration number.

Friendly, reliable, competent

They've been super friendly. Extremely helpful and clearly passionate about bikes. Fantastic place to get started and to fix or alter anything as time passes and needs change.

Very long wait for a small job,very expensive.£14 for a small chain lubricant I did not ask for. Left a screw untight and I went to spend more money elsewhere to fix the rushed job they did cause they were too busy at selling a £13000 bike and eating curry. Very annoying

Absolutely incredible bike shop - always go above and beyond - always super helpful and friendly. Have had my race bike commuter bike and electric cargo bike serviced and repaired here and nothing is too much trouble.

Rude and grumpy owner, not a clue at what he does and charging for things they weren’t asked to do. I can see many other reviewers making the same comments about this dirty shop

I've now been their on two separate occasions and both I've had the same experience: they seem to go out of their way to be unhelpful and obstructive and that ends up with them being patronizing and rude.

It's like a bike version of that Not the Nine O'Clock news sketch about the hifi shop, or "Championship Vinyl" in the film version of High Fidelity. (the reply to the review by Susannah, below, sums them up)

It's really unpleasant and off-putting

It’s a bike repair shop but I’ve used Butternut Bikes several times not only for bike repair but also to get my kids’ scooters fixed; whether it’s changing wheels or brakes, or disassembling or assembling them, I’ve always been met with a friendly smile and the job’s been usually done the next day latest. No job is too small (or big) for them, and I would warmly recommend Butternut Bikes for any bike (or kids’ scooter for that matter!) related problem!

I came in with a dodgy back wheel and couldn't fix it as I had no tools.
They kindly fixed it and didn't charge me anything.
Really friendly blokes, I will be back for a service :)

This is your quintessential super friendly and helpful neighbourhood bike shop. I went into get a couple of small handlebar ends which they put on on the spot without charging and pumped my tires for me. Definitely recommend for anyone in the area who owns a bike.

Saturday morning, I need the bike later and after inspection see my rear brake pads are worn to nothing! Brief moment of anguish /mild hysteria and then I called Butternut bikes. Took it to them and pads replaced within the hour and I'm back on the road. Good service and on the basis of this experience I would recommend them.

Went to collect my bike after a service. The shop was chaotic, the staff more interested in chatting to people who'd dropped in to discuss bikes than an actual customer. I was persuaded to have new pedals and the guy spent 15 minutes trying to remove the old ones while on a phone call and chatting to other people, spanners and other tools regularly hitting the floor. During a charity ride a few days later, one of the pedals fell off. Butternut had nipped a spacer (which had been on the bike for 2 years with no issues) which dug a groove around the pedal screw. Ruined my ride, of course. Last 15 miles on one leg. They offered to replace the destroyed crank arm or get someone in Brighton to do a repair, but I chose to use a trusted repair shop in Brighton pending the replacement of the arm. Eventually I had to chase them to deliver on their offer to replace. They ignored emails, finally responding and telling me they found my emails funny because they considered them 'threatening'. When you're being ignored, I'm not sure what else you can do. Mistakes happen and while they accept fault, the customer service has been so disappointing. Being laughed at? Not a good look.

Thank you Butternut Bikes, especially Gavin for servicing and practically rebuilding my bike ! They went above and beyond to make sure my bike now feels butter smooth. Well stocked shop, nice guys, and Sprocket the bike shop dog ! I will be back for sure.