Every bike shop has its horror stories. As an independent LBS, I will try to offer some background/reasons that might help explain your difficulties.

My experience in 2008 when I began looking for a folding bike was that most bike shop employees had very little knowledge about, and almost no respect for, folding bikes. I think that's still the case in most LBSes. When we bought our bicycle shop in summer 2010 I was convinced there was a local opportunity for selling folders. I have not been disappointed.

As you may know, learning the nuances of a new product line can be a challenge for any retailer. That challenge is increased when the product can be customized by the consumer at the manufacturing level. When you add the training for servicing a product that has significant differences from a retailer's existing products, one can understand that expertise with the new product is not likely to be developed overnight.

Over the past 12 months the lead time for production of our Brompton orders has varied from 4 weeks to 16 weeks. Brompton increased its production capacity late last year, and our lead times for production have been, I believe, 4 weeks to 7 weeks in 2013.

Also, Brompton changed its shipping method for North American sales recently. In the past, we usually could expect a bike to delivered to us within three days of its leaving the UK. (This was amazing to me.) They now send the bikes by boat which we expect will take ~7-10 days. Our other brands with warehouses in the US usually take 4-8 business days for delivery.

I know you have said "... never ... , ever.", but I would encourage you to find out who the primary Brompton believer is at Bardstown Road Bicycle Company, and discuss your issues with them. I expect the person in the shop who told you the bike had been tuned up before you picked it up believed that it had been properly inspected and adjusted.

Finally, I don't know anything about sales taxes in Kentucky. My understanding is that in Oklahoma, on-line purchases are required to be reported annually on the taxpayer's state income tax return, and any sales/use tax that has not been collected by the on-line sellers is remitted to the state with the taxpayer's income tax. So, while an on-line purchase may allow the buyer to defer payment of the sales tax, it does not remove the legal obligation of the buyer to pay the sales/use on the items purchased on-line.

Hope this helps!

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA