Halfords

bilbo164

Halfords

Just went into Halfords to ask about getting my gears adjusted and asked if i could book it in next week, and the snotty little boy behind the desk said "just bring it in and we should have it back to you in about a week" .
A week are these people just stupid, one whole week to adjust a couple of gears......
how the hell are Halfords making so much money???

Took it to the fourteen year old lad across the road and he done it for me in ten minutes and only charged me a fiver.

supersonic

They probably had a back log of repairs - and you go into the queue - not unusual: I have seen many shops, not just Halfords who can't fit you in for weeks if busy.

bilbo164

thanks for the clear up....but why couldnt they have said that :roll:

supersonic

Because they can be useless lol.

And in your case most probably were!!!

Tim.s

Im not keen to jump on the Hellfrauds slagging bandwagon but I was in one on Saturday with £500 cash burning a hole in my pocket for a new commuter bike.

No one else in there just me and the two lads behind the counter, despite looking very interested in a few bikes even to the extent of pulling a few out to sit on neither of them so much as acknowedged that I was even there. I gave them fair chance but im not about to sell myself a bike so I shuffled off elsewhere and bought one.

Surprising when its so difficult out there at the moment.

Graydawg

Tim.s wrote:

Im not keen to jump on the Hellfrauds slagging bandwagon but I was in one on Saturday with £500 cash burning a hole in my pocket for a new commuter bike.

No one else in there just me and the two lads behind the counter, despite looking very interested in a few bikes even to the extent of pulling a few out to sit on neither of them so much as acknowedged that I was even there. I gave them fair chance but im not about to sell myself a bike so I shuffled of elsewhere and bought one.

Surprising when its so difficult out there at the moment.

Take away 50% of their wage and make them targeted on sales and you'd solve that problem!

they'll still get the same money at the end of the month regardless if they sell the bike or not..... Prolly still living at home with mummy and daddy too so the money is pure beer tokens!

The youth of today.... :roll:
we were all there once.....

OH NO Dan

A mate of mine had to ring round 3 local shops to get some repairs done on his bike, all of them said about 3 weeks because they were so busy.

I was thinking it might be because of that government 'bike week' thingy. Is that still on?

clarkson

i think bike week ended last week. but yer, halfords was probably busy. we're quite busy at the minute in our store, but to be fair, if it was just a gear adjust, he should have done it there ans then. we would have!

woodywmb

Some day some big overseas retailer is going to take Halfords on. The pile them high, sell them cheaply formula earns them no loyalty. One off bike purchasers might be tempted but committed cyclists with disposable incomes won't become regular customers. There must be another business model for a supermarket style bike shop.

Tim.s

The one I was in had a great range of bikes and accessories, everything was laid out well with plenty of room to move around and little info tags on most stuff but the two staff members were just obviously not interested in talking to me!

Now I dont expect to be crawled all over when I go in any shop but the shop I ended up buying it in were great. Id been in there many times before for other things and they made an effort to make me feel welcome and 'remembered'. The sales girl really took her time even though they were busy and was even moving between 3 customers at one point.

Bikes are expensive nowadays and people spend a large proportion of thier disposable income on them, if someone came into our car showroom and got ignored I would be seriously chewing someones ass!!!

geordiefreerider

I have to say not all are bad, depends where you go and who's working at the time but my local one in durham at the arniston centre is the workplace of a lad who's fairly big set with spikyish hair and is really friendly and helpful - I have come across some numptys before but he's sound, he even offered to lend me any tools i need if i was stuck (not to take out the shop i dont think but to use inside) :roll:

Mickey Eye

Tim.s wrote:

Im not keen to jump on the Hellfrauds slagging bandwagon but I was in one on Saturday with £500 cash burning a hole in my pocket for a new commuter bike.

No one else in there just me and the two lads behind the counter, despite looking very interested in a few bikes even to the extent of pulling a few out to sit on neither of them so much as acknowedged that I was even there. I gave them fair chance but im not about to sell myself a bike so I shuffled off elsewhere and bought one.

Surprising when its so difficult out there at the moment.

This is something I've seen before on these forums and quite frankly I detest it. If you want something go and ask for it. They might not have been the brightest bulbs and certainly lacked initiative however you'd be surprised what happens when you actually talk to people instead of hovering like that. They probably thought you were lost. Either that or they were betting on how long it would take you to ask for help.

The short fat one won by the way, he said "I bet he never asks at all then goes off to complain about it on the internet". Sadly all he won was that the tall lanky one had to get him a drink from the machine.

Tim.s

Meh. Whatever thier motives they lost a definate sale.

Shabby.

cgarossi

I've never bought a bike from Halfords but im not adverse to doing so if they had the bike I wanted.

Saying that, I see Halfords as a covenience store which usually has what im looking for in terms of accessories etc. Much like PC World. The staff seem ok, but im sure they aren't as jubilent as some LBS because, well lets face it, £5.80 odd an hour isn't exactly going to motivate you, especially when joe public comes in asking stupid questions and treats you with contempt.

I'm not saying the OP did that, but im sure they get it quite often.

seataltea

Woodywmb wrote:

Some day some big overseas retailer is going to take Halfords on. The pile them high, sell them cheaply formula earns them no loyalty. One off bike purchasers might be tempted but committed cyclists with disposable incomes won't become regular customers. There must be another business model for a supermarket style bike shop.

There is, it's Decathlon.

I've had first class service at both Sheffield and Stockport.

Staff are pleasant, knowledgeable, skilled and prices are very reasonable.

glennpro09

there is nothing worse than someone coming up to you and asking do you need any help,if you need help or know what you want walk up to them and ask they don't bite.
we have some people in our local halfords that do know what they are doing around a bike (nuneaton store btw) unlike the local bike shop that had never heard of my bike
a boardman pro 09 ht. and as for setting your gears you should at least be able to do some things yourself, what if your out on a ride or a trail ????
if a 14 year old can do it !!!!!!!

Tim.s

The basic retail principle of that is wrong.

The modern way of thinking is that you should approach your customers not wait for them to come to you.

Anyone who tries to run a retail outlet on that principle is doomed from the start.

What if I was terminally shy? What if I just didnt want to ask? What if I hadnt noticed the two of them there?

I was there and willing to spend some money, there are dozens of places I could of gone and they should know that. The fact that they let me walk out the door with my money still in my pocket speaks volumes about thier attitude to selling.

bramstoker

If you were in a supermarket you wouldnt wait for a sales person to put a loaf into your basket for you would you? You said you had money in your pocket to buy, why did you need to be told that? If they had pressurised you into a sale or gave you wrong advise you would be here complaining about that, seems like a no win to me.
Me i would just read up, decide what i wanted then the only shopping would be on price

alfablue

bramstoker wrote:

If you were in a supermarket you wouldnt wait for a sales person to put a loaf into your basket for you would you? You said you had money in your pocket to buy, why did you need to be told that? If they had pressurised you into a sale or gave you wrong advise you would be here complaining about that, seems like a no win to me.
Me i would just read up, decide what i wanted then the only shopping would be on price

Is buying bikes, components and accessories as easy as buying a loaf?

Its a simple thing, it is called customer service. It just needs a polite "can I help you". Apart from the customer maybe needing help, it also gives the impression that the staff actually do give a t*ss. For example, in John Lewis last week perusing coffee machines, the salesman came up and asked politely "can I help you sir" - "no thanks, just browsing" - not a problem. But now I know (as I always did) that I am in a shop that attends to customers, and cares about making a sale. I also knew who to approach if I did need help.

Now, tell me John Lewis have got it all wrong! :roll:

Tim.s

But I wasn't in a supermarket was I? Its a completely different enviroment so your argument dosn't stand.

When I shop for expensive items I like to keep the upper hand, therefore maintaining a better position to get what I want not what they want to sell me.

If I approach them and ask for help it instantly puts me in a venerable position, its simple human nature. I have worked in a retail enviroment for many years and am more than qualified to assess the service I recieved, and it was poor.

bramstoker

Politeness and being "sold" something are 2 different things to me
Just seems a little petty to me? would you not buy from a shop just because you wernt sold a bike if they we £50 cheaper than the shop that fawned over you? Perhaps halfords is making buying a bike as simple as a loaf :twisted:

alfablue

bramstoker wrote:

Perhaps halfords is making buying a bike as simple as a loaf :twisted:

yes, I mean I usually take my supermarket loaf to an independent baker to reassemble it

Tim.s

Well no because in my experience they are letting potential customers walk out the door, thats a failure in any business.

At the end of the day its not just about the product or the price but being safe in the knowledge that your money is well spent. I want to know that if I change my mind or have a problem with it then im going to get good service and they didn't inspire that in me.

At the end of the day I bought the same bike for the same price elsewhere, my attitude was the same in both shops so the only variable was the shop itself.

bramstoker

Tim.s wrote:

When I shop for expensive items I like to keep the upper hand, therefore maintaining a better position to get what I want not what they want to sell me.

Shound more like physcological warefare than shopping :? Perhaps you like the company of a sales person talking to you, me i just go in get what i want as cheap as possible and get out. After all thats why we are on this board, to learn about and discuss bikes and bike related stuff.

alfablue

If I am buying a high value item I will frequently choose to pay more than the minimum in order to buy from a shop that I know will look after the customer if things go wrong - I certainly did when buying a bike last year, choosing my fantastic LBS rather than cheaper outlets. They offered me free accessories before I even asked, and they prepared the bike very well, and even tensioned the factory wheels, that have consequently remained true ever since. They also told me if I didn't get on with the bike I could bring it back after a few days and they would swap it. This level of service was a pleasant surprise to me, but I had already formed a very positive impression of the shop by the way the staff are always helpful and attentive without ever being pushy, even when I am buying low value items. First impressions count, and there are numerous shops I will not use after bad experiences, regardless of the price.

Consumerism is about choice, some consumers have very low expectations of service so will put up with it as if it is acceptable (perhaps it is a reflection of the lack of care and pride they take in their own jobs), others will expect better and will vote with their feet. Through this process some businesses manage to build a loyal customer base which then leads to further business through word of mouth and other forms of recommendation. I know if I owned a shop, which model of customer service I would choose.

rhext

I'm with tim.s. I don't want to be pestered, but I do like to be acknowledged. At least I then know who to talk to. And to be honest, if I were in a supermarket looking lost, or like I needed to ask a question, I'd kind of expect to be approached.

I hate going into these 'pile 'em high sell 'em cheap' places. There's nothing worse than having to hunt for staff when you've decided what you want to buy. And to have a couple sitting there doing nothing when you're interested in buying something is a massive retailing mistake in my view.

Contrast with Decathlon: within 30 seconds of showing up in the bike department 'can I help you sir?'. They're a 'pile 'em high sell 'em cheap' outfit, but somehow they seem to have staff at your elbow when you need them....why can't Halfords?

Tim.s

rhext wrote:

I'm with tim.s. I don't want to be pestered, but I do like to be acknowledged.

Yep, nail on the head there. Im not saying I want to be worshipped and pampered just treated like a valued customer.

The first rule of customer service is that the worst thing you can do is nothing, and thats what they did.

Now I dont know what thier figures are like but I work for an Automotive dealership with a turnover of over £10000 a day and i'd be very disappointed if my staff let £500 walk out the door. So if I cant afford to then how do they?

supersonic

A good saleman will show empathy and judge the situation - and went to greet them (which should always be done at somepoint). Then, from the response, move things on or let them browse.

Salsa

The employees who didn't take any notice of you were in the wrong, one thing we are always told to do is acknowledge customers by a friendly hello or at least eye contact & a friendly smile, so if they are not sure what they want they feel they can approach you, & if they do know what they want they don't feel ignored.
There was even a big company wide course focusing on this & other similar things only a few weeks ago so there's no real excuse, especially if they were standing about chatting.

rwalworth

It's not the norm, at our store we're seriously in shit if we let customers go out the door without being approached when looking at products. But the truth is our bike sales are going up and up so we're doing something right, and as I work in one of the top selling boardman stores in the country I can back you up with the fact if a customer isn't approached we wouldn't make half the sales we do. Shame on whichever store you went to, but don't judge every store by one.

bilbo164

Glenpro09
I take from your reply you work in Halfords and in your statement lies the problem with a shop like halfords....you are there because i dont want to do some fiddly little jobs like adjustment of gears. Some people take their bikes to Halfords for servicing etc because they can afford to not because they cant do it themselves...its like a baker saying to me go and bake your own bread because youve got flour at home..... :roll: