Yes most assuredly. They support their dealers and their customers. They use the high quality Brose mid-drive motors and other quality parts. Plus when you buy from a shop you are supporting local business which is always important. You get a built bike usually with at least one free tune up or some service along with it plus warranty support. For Specialized they offer a lifetime warranty on their frames and forks and may offer a crash replacement discount as well to keep you rolling.

Plus the Specialized Como is probably one of the easiest and most comfortable non-suspended e-bikes I have been on and I have ridden quite a few. I had a lady come in recently who was scared she couldn't ride it and needed a throttle and was looking at a really cheap bike and within a few minutes she was passing me up a steep hill and she ended up being so happy with the bike (and my help) that she went for it.

The online brands offer you cheap products at inflated prices (for what they are offering you) and they pass on the real cost to you. All the service and warranty work is on you if they even give you much warranty. If you need parts in some cases you are well on your own as the company may not have those parts anymore or may not be able to help you. I had one of the cheaper brands tell me as I was helping a customer with their product that their bike was out of warranty (by 4 days) and they would not support their product. Plus a lot of shops might not want to touch something off the internet or might not have the skills or resources to work on the cheap stuff.

Having been selling e-bikes for a while now I can say buying a high quality bike in the first place will save you in the long term. A lot of people go cheap and then whenever they get the opportunity they upgrade and wish they had just done that in the first place. I could tell tons of stories like the Amazon bike that was not working from the box and they refused to help at all and eventually with some serious pressure returned the bike and the customer bought a Como 4.0 and loves it to death but I won't go on and on.