Halfords experiences... (Boardman bikes)

didnothingfatal

Sorry, but brakes ripping off a road bike due to lousy build in 30 miles is not acceptable, they want to sell bikes sell them road worthy, or accept the consequences, as for the advice do your own bike, all my mountain bikes are frame up builds, yeah perhaps I should have checked it over, but you know what when they only sell the Boardman bikes through certain stores you expect their mechanics to be able to build a bike. You lot must be totally anal if you pay for a job, then take your own set of allen keys with you to the shop to check every bolt. Does somebody check everything you do all day everyday at your job??? :roll:

DomPro

Bikehut in Dorking have been excellent IME. The near-by Halfords a little less good but still not too bad at all. No problems with the Boardman at all in fact - at least nothing that could be attributed to their workmanship.

wolleur

I got a Boardman bike from Halfords Leamington after much musing over what to do with my £600 I went for a road comp over a specialized allez for the better overall spec.

The bike is top notch and I'm really pleased with it froma workmanship point of view, however the customer service at Halfords is SHOCKING, the bike was supplied to me in a dangerous state....

spotty youth sez 'yeah it's good to go mate'....

-no air in tyres (about 15psi)
-gears not set
-pedals only finger tight
-stem loose
-rear brake rubbing
-fixings 'dry' and no anti sieze used
-front hub loose
-could it be that spotty youth just straightened the handlebars out of the flat pack and wheeled it round to me???

Buying from your LBS avoids these worrysome and potentially life threatening flaws, but then halfords are offering some very nice steeds at reasonable prices. I would recommend that anyone buying from halfords take their new purchase to their LBS for a proper set up, rather that relying on the lies of a spotty disenfranchised youth.

It seems a shame that our scientifically minded, attention-to-detail obsessed Mr Boardmann has made some poor decisions regarding the distrubution of his lovely bikes, maybe he's too busy counting his millions to lay down some punishment on the arch bicycle heretics that are Halfrauds of Leamington Spa.

andrewjoseph

galaxyboy wrote:

andrewjoseph wrote:

fast as fupp wrote:

haha!

tbh if i was buying a boardman from halfords- and by all accounts they are great bikes- id ask them to sell it dissembled and put it together myself

This is what I insisted on when I bought mine.

Did you get owt knocked off?

I didn't think to ask.

andrewjoseph

fast as fupp wrote:

...

good move

those photos are rather good btw

thanks.

andrewjoseph

didnothingfatal wrote:

.... You lot must be totally anal if you pay for a job, then take your own set of allen keys with you to the shop to check every bolt.

I may be guilty as accused, but then I've never had a set of brakes fall off my bike either. Or anything else for that matter.... apart from me. I do tend to fall off a lot.

Does somebody check everything you do all day everyday at your job??? :roll:

No, 'cos I'm retired. 8)


I've just finished checking over my mtb and spotted that the lower bolt on my SRAM shifter had started to work loose. I would have lost the bolt and lever on the next ride had I not been checking for loose bolts.

It's my bike, I ride it, it's my responsibility to make sure it's safe to ride.

I also look after the 3 bikes belonging to my wife and daughter. i am even more 'anal' about checking them!

But sometimes, accidents happen. Bolts can work loose even after checking.

fast as fupp

im so anal i stop to check my nuts every half-mile :twisted:

cougie

Have you moved lately fupp ?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... tenced.htm

l

galaxyboy

Don't think I'll be bothering to get the team carbon. Just been to local store and after having to drag one of the assistants over to the bike found out that he never knew anything :? . He never knew how the gears worked, if i could have a different rear cassete, frame sizes or anything else but he did tell me he prefered mountain bikes. SCARY!

robv1306

In response to earlier posts, no we cannot offer a discount for giving you the bike boxed.

And once again, you simply cannot tar all halfords mechanics with the same brush. Heres a list of the bikes that myself and my colleagues ride and maintain in our own time:

Intense Slopestyle Custom Build
Specialized P All Mountain 08
Specialized Stumpjumper 05 Custom Build
Boardman Road Comp 08
Kona Stab Primo 05
Gt Chucker Custom Build
Cove Stiffee SL Custom Build
Kona Coiler Deluxe 08
Giant Glory FR 08
Giant Glory DH 09

We all ride every weekend, in addition to commuting. The cycles supervisor has previously raced in the NPS and a national trials series. In the year and a half I have worked for halfords I have had one assembly complaint (in my first week on the job). Having worked in a 5 star hotel previously, I pride myself on my customer service, as it used to be all I did. I will always address a customer as "Sir" or "Madam", and if - on the rare occasion - a customer asks me a question that I cannot immediately answer, I will find out for them there and then.

WE ARE NOT ALL IMBECILES

Before delivery of the bike, any Halfords mechanic SHOULD ask you to "check the bike over and that you are happy with the build" before they ask you to sign the box on the PDI form which YOU ALL will have signed in order to leave the shop with your bike. This means that you were satisfied with the build, meaning that if there was an assembly problem, it is every bit as much your own fault for not noticing as the mechanic who built it.

However in my personal experience, barely anyone actually spends more than a minute checking their bike before they sign the box and leave. You have a duty of care as do we.

And finally I will reitterate. WE ARE NOT ALL MORONS!

Monty Dog

Halfords have a legal obligation to sell you a bike in a roadworthy condition - if not, report them to Trading Standards.

Leodhasach

Thanks for the comments guys.

I've been down in Stirling where the bike was getting sorted and I have to say that I was really impressed with the level of service I recieved. The chap who serviced it new his stuff and gave the bike a thorough service. I've been out on a couple of times since and it handles like a dream. The indexing is perfect and the brakes are spot on. The difference between the two stores was like night and day. He had the time to chat and tell me what he had done as well as answer any questions I had. The staff I dealt with were a credit to the company.

If only my local shop would follow their lead.

Jonny Fortnight

Hi guys,

I'm currently thinking about purchasing a Boardman (not sure which model yet) and was wondering if anybody knew of the service levels in Norwich's Halfords and/or Cycle Republic?

Also, can anyone recommend a LBS in Norwich?
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justresting

can't comment on Norwich Cycle Rep. but the staff at the York branch seem a lot more clued up & helpful than the staff in main York Hellfords.