Halfords are great - don't deserve such a bad press
belter
Posts: 57
My company decided to use the C2W Halfords scheme so I decided to get a voucher - would be my first bike since I was a kid.
I eagerly looked around as to what was best for me. I phoned the Halfords c2w scheme and enquired about a Kona. 'You will have to talk to your local Halfords about Konas' said the woman on the other end.
So I phoned the local Halfords - 'I will have to make an enquiry for you' said the Manager, 'Can I have your telephone number?'. So I gave it to him. 'when will you know if you can get it?' I said. 'I will ring you back in 30 mins' came the reply. No phonecall that day. Still no phonecall the next day. So I rung them up and spoke to someone else in the store 'leave it with me and I will ring you back later this afternoon'. The phonecall never came. I didn't ring back and decided to go with a rockhopper instead.
Now I needed a helmet but thought I'd try and see if I could get a Bell delirium. I phoned Halfords c2w and enquired 'You will have to talk to your local Halfords about ordering one in' said a familiar voice. So phones up local Halfords - 'I will have to make an enquiry for you' said the Manager, 'Can I have your telephone number?'. So I gave it to him. 'when will you know if you can get it?' I said. 'I will ring you back in 30 mins' came the reply. No phonecall that day. Still no phonecall the next day. So I rung them up and spoke to someone else in the store 'leave it with me and I will ring you back later this afternoon'. The phonecall never came.
I rung again and was told that someone would call me back in an hour no-one did. So I rung the next day 'Can I have your telephone number please? and I will get back to you'. No-one did get back to me. Come the weekend and with no-one getting back to me I called into the Halfords shop and spoke directly to the manager. I will definetely get back to you on Tuesday, I will write your name and telephone number in the book and phone you then to let you know eithier way'. 'You definetely will ring me will you?' I replied, 'yes definite ' he said.
Wednesday comes no phone call - so I phoned up again - 'the managers just gone home' came the reply. 'Let me get back to you'. 'Listen I've rung 7 times in total know and nobodys ever got back to me, I have been in to see the Manager , I'm getting pissed off'. 'I will get back to you' the worker said. So I've phoned 7 times given my number and name 7 times. I then get a phonecall from them hip hip hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 'We can't find the helmet in the Bell catalogue' theres 100 and odd helmets' said the shop worker but I'll keep looking and get back to you. 'Forget it' I said. 'Oh and by the way has a rockhopper come into the store yet?' I asked. 'No definetely not' he said. 'Well can you do me a favour and check please?', 'Ok I will' he said.
30 mins passes and suddenly another phonecall - 'the rockhopper IS here'. 'Ok when can I pick it up?' I asked in anticipation. 'Saturday' he said.
So getting all excited like a little kid at Christmas I walks into the shop and there next to clothing in the middle of the shop leant against the wall is my new pride and joy. I started waving the c2w voucher 'thats my rockhopper' I said to the worker proudly'. 'Theres a problem' he replied. 'Halfords head Office haven't sent us a code'. 'Well I have got an e-mail with a confirmation code on it' I said 'but I will have to go home to get it'.
So off I drive get home get the code and back to Halfords. 'This isn't the code'. 'Let me phone my manager'. So he phones his manager, comes off the phone and says 'you can't have it till Monday as we need the code' So my bike is now sat in the Halfords shop cause Halfords head office didn't send over the invoice number.
With service like that from the shop and Head Office HOW CAN Halfords be bad???
I eagerly looked around as to what was best for me. I phoned the Halfords c2w scheme and enquired about a Kona. 'You will have to talk to your local Halfords about Konas' said the woman on the other end.
So I phoned the local Halfords - 'I will have to make an enquiry for you' said the Manager, 'Can I have your telephone number?'. So I gave it to him. 'when will you know if you can get it?' I said. 'I will ring you back in 30 mins' came the reply. No phonecall that day. Still no phonecall the next day. So I rung them up and spoke to someone else in the store 'leave it with me and I will ring you back later this afternoon'. The phonecall never came. I didn't ring back and decided to go with a rockhopper instead.
Now I needed a helmet but thought I'd try and see if I could get a Bell delirium. I phoned Halfords c2w and enquired 'You will have to talk to your local Halfords about ordering one in' said a familiar voice. So phones up local Halfords - 'I will have to make an enquiry for you' said the Manager, 'Can I have your telephone number?'. So I gave it to him. 'when will you know if you can get it?' I said. 'I will ring you back in 30 mins' came the reply. No phonecall that day. Still no phonecall the next day. So I rung them up and spoke to someone else in the store 'leave it with me and I will ring you back later this afternoon'. The phonecall never came.
I rung again and was told that someone would call me back in an hour no-one did. So I rung the next day 'Can I have your telephone number please? and I will get back to you'. No-one did get back to me. Come the weekend and with no-one getting back to me I called into the Halfords shop and spoke directly to the manager. I will definetely get back to you on Tuesday, I will write your name and telephone number in the book and phone you then to let you know eithier way'. 'You definetely will ring me will you?' I replied, 'yes definite ' he said.
Wednesday comes no phone call - so I phoned up again - 'the managers just gone home' came the reply. 'Let me get back to you'. 'Listen I've rung 7 times in total know and nobodys ever got back to me, I have been in to see the Manager , I'm getting pissed off'. 'I will get back to you' the worker said. So I've phoned 7 times given my number and name 7 times. I then get a phonecall from them hip hip hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 'We can't find the helmet in the Bell catalogue' theres 100 and odd helmets' said the shop worker but I'll keep looking and get back to you. 'Forget it' I said. 'Oh and by the way has a rockhopper come into the store yet?' I asked. 'No definetely not' he said. 'Well can you do me a favour and check please?', 'Ok I will' he said.
30 mins passes and suddenly another phonecall - 'the rockhopper IS here'. 'Ok when can I pick it up?' I asked in anticipation. 'Saturday' he said.
So getting all excited like a little kid at Christmas I walks into the shop and there next to clothing in the middle of the shop leant against the wall is my new pride and joy. I started waving the c2w voucher 'thats my rockhopper' I said to the worker proudly'. 'Theres a problem' he replied. 'Halfords head Office haven't sent us a code'. 'Well I have got an e-mail with a confirmation code on it' I said 'but I will have to go home to get it'.
So off I drive get home get the code and back to Halfords. 'This isn't the code'. 'Let me phone my manager'. So he phones his manager, comes off the phone and says 'you can't have it till Monday as we need the code' So my bike is now sat in the Halfords shop cause Halfords head office didn't send over the invoice number.
With service like that from the shop and Head Office HOW CAN Halfords be bad???
0
Posts
Halfords should just be honest about how they operate BikeHut.
Pile up a load of unassembled boxed bikes in the middle of the shop. Release a few whooping monkies to clamber over the boxes, shaking tin-cans to colect your money. Plain and simple box shifting with no pretentions at being a real bike shop.
And yes I've bought two bikes of them in the last few years.. :roll:
*C. Late 1950's Fixed Gear
*1940 Raleigh Dawn Tourist with rod brakes
I strolled on up to the kid behind the counter who was on work experience he of course didnt know what i was on about so i patiently waited the manager arriving " a cassette" what s one of those? great guy to be in charge of the bike hut section
I left and had one next day from chain reaction
*C. Late 1950's Fixed Gear
*1940 Raleigh Dawn Tourist with rod brakes
It was only when I threatened to build it myself in their car park so I could ride it home that they relented and gave a monkey a spanner in store so I could have it sooner.
I never intentionally buy anything from them, but there's one open late near me that is good for the emergency items the adjacent Tesco doesn't stock.
*C. Late 1950's Fixed Gear
*1940 Raleigh Dawn Tourist with rod brakes
As long as you tell the staff what your want/go pick it up yourself and don't ask them their opinion you'll be fine.
I don't know why Halfords have staff.
I will still stand by the stores that are good, as Northwind says. They sell more bikes than all the other shops in the UK combined. 20% bad out of 600 is a lot though....
VOODOO CANZO
Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
*C. Late 1950's Fixed Gear
*1940 Raleigh Dawn Tourist with rod brakes
VOODOO CANZO
Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
I'm sure some are very good, but the REAL point is that too many of them are pants, which is sad
EDIT: You can PM Mr Halfords and I'll do some mysteryshopper calls for you!
*C. Late 1950's Fixed Gear
*1940 Raleigh Dawn Tourist with rod brakes
VOODOO CANZO
Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
*C. Late 1950's Fixed Gear
*1940 Raleigh Dawn Tourist with rod brakes
Mongoose Teocali
Giant STP0
Why are MTB economics; spend twice as much as you intended, but only half as much as you wish you could afford? :roll:
lmfao sorry couldnt resist
2008 Specialized FSR XC Comp
2008 Scott Speedster S30 FB
SLOW RIDES FOR UNFIT PEOPLE - Find us on Facebook or in the MTB Rides section of this forum.
they arent necessarily set up to cater for experienced or knowledgeable cyclists - it seems their main market is recreational towpath riders etc (although that does beg the question why then stock 'proper' bikes ? )
because of this do they see the need to invest in staff training ? (although you WOULD maybe expect the bikehut manager to know his basic way round the bits of the bike ! )
case in point as to the 'average' halfords customer - i was in my local one last week to get a rear mech (needed one in a rush to finish my build as id just knackered my old one) and knew they had some decent SRAM stuff in stock - was there at the display for a few minutes checking what they had etc (was after an X5 but they only had X9 on show) before asking the guy behind the counter whether they had any X5 out back - he said do you really want a SRAM since we have a wider range of shimano in stock ? - i replied no it needs to be SRAM for the 1:1 actuation ratio to match my X5 shifter - to which he said do you know that in all the time ive worked here youre the first customer to understand that ?
so - they plug a gap in the market i guess but that gap aint necessarily us and as long as they dont hand out dangerous advice i think we should sometimes cut them some slack in the tech department - doesnt excuse what is just poor customer service though ...
personally im happy to use them when i need something in a rush (they are only 5 minutes away from me) that i know they have - if i know exactly what i want and can wait i use an onloine store for price and if i need something a bit more boutique or need some selection / tech advice along with my purchase its the LBS ...
slainte
BFe
trailstar
lee cooper
I'm buying a bike from them via their bike scheme and will be having it delivered to me in the box at my local branch and will then build it up myself with my torque wrench in the car park. To be honest that's more or less what I've also done for the last three new bikes. two from different LBS's and one off the web. if you've got a great LBS that sells what you want great. I have a great LBS but they sell a very restricted brand range of bikes and to be honest aren't experts in every model of those.
Specialized Stumpy Evo Carbon
Canyon Aeroad Disc Di2
Specialized FSRxc - XC Race Bike
You claim to be an experienced bike builder yet you need a torque wrench to do so?
having tried to make a reasonable post earlier in the thread about an hour ago i unpacked the FSA headset i grabbed from halfords last week to build up a commuter / hack bike (having resprayed the forks earlier today) ...
... only to find theres one of the sets of bearings missing from the bloody thing !
grrrrrr
slainte :roll: rob
BFe
trailstar
lee cooper
What a nonsense, I never use a torque wrench on my own bike but how can you possibly criticise someone for using one to build someone else's?
To be fair though, Chain Reaction are normally pretty damn good at returning with answers to, even pretty obscure questions. Cheap warehouse goods, good service, fast delivery. No wonder they are one of, if not the biggest single supplier for parts etc.
Anyway, the Halfords thing... They are IN MY EXPERIANCE (before I get flamed!
However, for VFM, the Boardman's are pretty difficult to beat. Bloody awesome so they are! You get some good bargains, but if you do get a bike, be prepared to have to re-build it yourself, properly.
I'm not saying they are all bad, but my experience ISN'T just limited to bikes. Vehicle spares aswell, but that's a different argument for a different day
Sick to the power of rad
Fix it 'till it's broke
I can honestly say, hand on heart, that the worst customer service I have ever had is through Halfords.
What I will say is that the Halfords C2W people were 1000% better than the people who work in the store and the so called arrogant manager who couldn't manage a piss up in a brewery. He wrote my contact number and name down in a diary in front of me but still didn't ring back.
The point is I haven't got the bike, had to make 7 phonecalls, give my number 7 times and a visit and speak to the manager. I got some sort of semblance of service when I started acting a bit stroppy.
Too right they got a bike they don't stock cause they want to make money but that does not excuse the 6 promises of phone call backs which never materialized, the visit to the store to speak to the manager and his promise to ring me back to let me know eithier way which was not fulfilled and the incompetence of Halfords by eithier not sending an invoice through or losing it and meaning a customer has not been able to get his bike at a time agreed by both parties which is what has happened.
Oh and while I'm at it - when I called in to speak to the manager this is what he said when I asked if all parts would be greased and the bike assembled properly if I had it done with them.......
Me: "If you build do you grease all that needs greasing, and assemble it properly? as I'm a beginner really"
Him: "Don't worry, its not like its a Carrera or Apollo, we will build this one properly, the guys are fully trained in here. How much did it cost you?, about £800?"
Me: "No, £685"
Him: "Exactly, thats why we won't treat it like a Carerra or Apollo"
Absolutely unbelievable.........
VOODOO CANZO
Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/