South Side Cyclery

"On November 21st I was looking for a specific bike for my son and found something I thought would work. South Side said they had one left and couldn’t promise it wouldn’t be gone by the time I got off work. So while I had them on the phone I bought it. South Side has about an 89$ charge for tune up for 2 years that I bought as well. South Side is one of the only bike shops in the city that charges for this. Maplewood Bikes, The Hub, Big Shark all have free tune up, but I paid for it to get the bike I wanted for my kid. The bike was one size smaller than we really wanted and after talking to my wife, we changed our minds. I called South City back literally fifteen minutes later and told them we had changed our minds, this is where the odyssey begins… Now bear in mind, they had done nothing with the bike, just looked and verified it was there and ran my credit card. When I asked about the refund, they told me it would take a bit to clear and I may be on the hook for some small credit card fees, but that is it. Didn’t love it, but I said ok. So weeks later there was still a 156 dollar fee on my card. I called in and they said that was the credit card fee. I said,”Are you sure? Those are crazy fees for an $800 bike” He went and talked to someone and said it was a restocking fee. I mentioned that on the website, it said there MAY be a restocking if you bring a bike with some wear and tear on it. This bike never left the store room. They said they would have to check with the owners and see what they could do. This led to multiple calls, they never called me back. I always had to call them to try and work through this problem. In early January they said they could mail me a check. For some reason I couldn’t understand, they couldn’t just refund my credit card. They said they were sorry for the wait, but they were wrapped up with the holidays. I waited for it for a couple of weeks. It didn’t show up. I called them, they had my wrong address. I asked if I could just go pick up the check, they said they needed the owners to write the check and they weren’t there and they weren’t sure when they would be in, so I waited for another check. It showed up today. A check for $74.06. I have no idea how they came up with this number. I don’t know why I was treated this way, I don’t know if it was just gross incompetence or just hoped I would go away, no idea. This went on and on for two months and somehow I only got half my money back for something that was clearly against the written policy on their website. They have since changed their website. I have been a lifelong biker, now my kids are bikers. Never in my life have I had such an experience. I hope these guys make some positive changes to their business practices, until then I’m steering clear."

"Seriously I had the most amazing experience today. The owners are so genuine and authentic. I cannot say how much I enjoyed visiting their bike shop today."

"Deanna, Tim, and all the staff have all been very helpful. Walked my girlfriend through buying her 1st (adult) bike. And have been super patient and helpful with several follow up visits to get the bike adjusted and dialed in right. When it came time for me to get a new bike. Deanna hit it out of the park."

"I drove all the way down from Purdue University to check out this place. Before visiting this shop, I visited many other bicycle shops in Lafayette, Bloomington, and Indianapolis and just couldn't find the right bike at the right price. This place was wonderful! I found a very nice bike and they even helped attach a basket, a cargo rack, and a water bottle holder to it! I even got 10% off on my purchases! Their team was so interactive and helpful! I forgot the guy's name, but this worker with orange/red hair was so nice and very helpful! I very much appreciate you guys for helping my brother and I find the best bike for a great price! Now we can both get around campus with bo trouble! Thank you!"

"Found a bike and wanted to get some tubes and tires. I don't know much about bikes, so visited this shop expecting someone who was passionate about bikes to kind of fill me in and give me some options. Absolutely not the experience I got. Simply pushed some $8 tubes and $30 tires on me. When I asked about a different tread, I was told "this is what we have". I'll definitely take my business elsewhere. Apparently if you don't bring in a thousand dollar bike for service your business isn't worth having."