Halfords: A Thank You!

Joe_Pineapples

New bike supplied without the steerer tube cut and star nut fitted.
"No problem" thinks I.
"I'll just pop into the local bike shop on the way home"

Shop 1. "Can you cut my steerer tube and fit this star nut please?"

A. "Sorry, we're really busy right now"

No problem. I'm not expecting anyone to down tools just for me, I just wondered if you had space to fit me in.
Onwards.

Shop 2. "Any chance you could cut my steerer tube and fit this star nut please?"

A. "Sorry mate, our mechanic is on holiday right now"

Bugger.

Shop 3. (Large Glasgow shop that rhymes with Jails) "I was hoping you could cut my steerer tube down and fit my star nut please? I have the steerer here, it's already measured and marked and I'll happily pay you real cash money!"

A. "Sorry mate, earliest we could do it would be a week today"

"A week today? Ffs, it'll only take 5 mins!" thinks I.

I head home in a foul mood.
Time passes.

Decide to give my local Halfords a try.

"Hi, I was wondering if you could cut down my steerer and fit my star nut please?"

A. "Aye, no bother" says the pimply ginger scallywag "give it here".

Literally 3 minutes later I'm holding my lower crown and steerer tube, trimmed and star nut fitted.
"Thanks mate, how much do I owe you?"

"Oh, don't worry about it" says ginge.

Thank you Halfords, you're not all bad.

supersonic

many jobs are 5 minute jobs, it is all about the time the staff has in any shop. If it is quiet, they might day. If there is a big back log of repairs, no chance, wait yer turn!

Joe_Pineapples

I know, but I'm a chancer...and I do have a cheeky wee grin!

BigShot

I can't understand the answer in shop #3.

Seriously, they are backed up so solidly that for the entire week every single 5-minute slot is accounted for?

I just don't see it.

Andy B

Thing is there is no such thing as a '5 minute job' in a busy shop when you have phones to answer, parts to order, customers to serve, parts to package, deliveries to sign for, emails to respond to...

We are fully booked up until next Tuesday & next week we have 1/3rd of our staff off on holidays

We do give customers who have bought a bike from us priority if we can. If you'd have turned up @ our shop you would have been told next week too, unless you brought biscuits/cake, then maybe we could have helped you out

Joe_Pineapples, Why was your new bike supplied with an uncut steerer & no SFN fitted?

Joe_Pineapples

Andy, the bike was indeed supplied with the steerer uncut.
No big deal I guess, maybe just a wee oversight.

Where are my stabilisers?

Dropping tools for a 5 minute walk in job get's you repeat business IMO. So, it looks like Halfords 1, LBS's 0 for Joe who likes pineapples!

I know shops are busy etc. but completing a small job, with good customer service, may well make a customer come back and next time he might need a bigger job done which = more money in the till. Plus the five minutes spent on the job, can be made up by working an exrta five minutes at the end of the day, or starting five minutes earlier the next morning.

I have high expectations

Joe_Pineapples

Can't stand pineapple TBH.

Anonymous

the old we're too busy to do a 5 minute job sketch :roll:

anyone would think lbs grease monkeys are the captains of british industry.

Where are my stabilisers?

Hmm, I assumed you loved them

Anonymous

Where are my stabilisers? wrote:

Dropping tools for a 5 minute walk in job get's you repeat business IMO. So, it looks like Halfords 1, LBS's 0 for Joe who likes pineapples!

I know shops are busy etc. but completing a small job, with good customer service, may well make a customer come back and next time he might need a bigger job done which = more money in the till. Plus the five minutes spent on the job, can be made up by working an exrta five minutes at the end of the day, or starting five minutes earlier the next morning.

I have high expectations

i agree completely with this. lets not forget, its just fixing bikes, not stripping a cyclinder head off of an engine.

supersonic

Not all five minute jobs turn out to be five minute jobs. If something goes wrong and it takes half an hour (not saying it will with a steerer), then a couple of booked in bikes might not get finished, then you have to ring the customer and tell them it's delayed.

I agree with Andy - we have both worked in busy bike shops and know exactly what the score is. There are generally no slots, just a stacked repair system.

Busy shops are busy shops, and when the mechanic is working his balls off to get through an already tight schedule, then you have to tell customers to leave it with them.

If it only takes 5 mins, DIY

The Northern Monkey

Andy B wrote:

Joe_Pineapples, Why was your new bike supplied with an uncut steerer & no SFN fitted?

I believe the forks have an adjustable crown.... meaning you can alter the wheelbase depending on how much steerer you like/want to use.

(taken from MBUK lol)

TowerRider

Agree with comment above re 5 min job gets you repeat business....

I actually decided to go with Evans after basically testing a few staff with what most would consider daft questions and also test purchases and exchange - the staff, including manager were perfect and I therefore purchased my bike and much gear (price matched) from them since.

If you havn't got enough staff then employ someone else or lose business of which you have no idea about!

Anonymous

supersonic wrote:

Not all five minute jobs turn out to be five minute jobs. If something goes wrong and it takes half an hour (not saying it will with a steerer), then a couple of booked in bikes might not get finished, then you have to ring the customer and tell them it's delayed.

I agree with Andy - we have both worked in busy bike shops and know exactly what the score is. There are generally no slots, just a stacked repair system.

Busy shops are busy shops, and when the mechanic is working his balls off to get through an already tight schedule, then you have to tell customers to leave it with them.

If it only takes 5 mins, DIY

i appreciate how busy workshops work, i spent most of my career managing the maintenance of a fleet of heavy plant equipment. i know that a 5 minute job can turn into something else but in this case it could only take a maximum of 5 minutes even if it was your first go at chopping a steerer and fitting a SFN.

Andy B

So they should just stop working on a customer's bike who may have spent thousands of pounds in their shop for someone who hasn't spent a penny in their shop, just in case they might come back for them to fit something else they bought from elsewhere.... I think not. Join the queue, or learn to DIY

A busy LBS will be busy for a reason, that reason being good service to their loyal customer base, nothing to do with how many staff you have as the trade has major peaks & troughs in repairs & sales. You could have a dozen staff & still be at full tilt at this time of year, then in the major troughs you'd be overstaffed & losing money, plus you'd need a massive workshop to have more mechanics, not many LBS have the space for more than 3 or 4 mechanics & workstands. It's a balancing act of getting the right number of staff to cope on average through the year or you would not be in business for long.

Where are my stabilisers? I was working in the shop from 8.30am to 11.15 pm yesterday along with the gaffer & other mechanic, does that come up to your high expectations

Anonymous

Andy B wrote:

So they should just stop working on a customer's bike who may have spent thousands of pounds in their shop for someone who hasn't spent a penny in their shop, just in case they might come back for them to fit something else they bought from elsewhere....

yes

biff55

sheepsteeth wrote:

Andy B wrote:

So they should just stop working on a customer's bike who may have spent thousands of pounds in their shop for someone who hasn't spent a penny in their shop, just in case they might come back for them to fit something else they bought from elsewhere....

yes

blister pus

biff55 wrote:

sheepsteeth wrote:

Andy B wrote:

So they should just stop working on a customer's bike who may have spent thousands of pounds in their shop for someone who hasn't spent a penny in their shop, just in case they might come back for them to fit something else they bought from elsewhere....

yes

it's right though. for a literal 5 minute job and to make someone's day - yes, show some flexibility and CS ffs. it's not like a punter wants it done for nowt.

DaveHudson

Where are my stabilisers? wrote:

Dropping tools for a 5 minute walk in job get's you repeat business IMO. So, it looks like Halfords 1, LBS's 0 for Joe who likes pineapples!

I know shops are busy etc. but completing a small job, with good customer service, may well make a customer come back and next time he might need a bigger job done which = more money in the till. Plus the five minutes spent on the job, can be made up by working an exrta five minutes at the end of the day, or starting five minutes earlier the next morning.

I have high expectations

We try to fit in quick jobs as much as we can, keeps the customers happy and the bigger jobs are hardly effected by the delay.

I normally use the "I'll just take a quick look and see what it needs" if I think it's a 5 minute fix then if it looks worse than previously thought I have a get out plan.

I sorted a set of MPH hydraulic brakes on a giant yesterday in two minutes, came in with the wheels locked and solid levers. I remembered that I had a similar case last year so just cracked the bleed screw on each side and all was good. Customer was chuffed to bits and left £5 tip. We shall see him again.

Anonymous

DaveHudson wrote:

Where are my stabilisers? wrote:

Dropping tools for a 5 minute walk in job get's you repeat business IMO. So, it looks like Halfords 1, LBS's 0 for Joe who likes pineapples!

I know shops are busy etc. but completing a small job, with good customer service, may well make a customer come back and next time he might need a bigger job done which = more money in the till. Plus the five minutes spent on the job, can be made up by working an exrta five minutes at the end of the day, or starting five minutes earlier the next morning.

I have high expectations

We try to fit in quick jobs as much as we can, keeps the customers happy and the bigger jobs are hardly effected by the delay.

I normally use the "I'll just take a quick look and see what it needs" if I think it's a 5 minute fix then if it looks worse than previously thought I have a get out plan.

I sorted a set of MPH hydraulic brakes on a giant yesterday in two minutes, came in with the wheels locked and solid levers. I remembered that I had a similar case last year so just cracked the bleed screw on each side and all was good. Customer was chuffed to bits and left £5 tip. We shall see him again.

i obviously know nothing about anything but this seems like the best attitude.

Andy B

I may have worded my previous posts quite strongly & I'm not saying that all small jobs will not get done there & then, but when a shop is busy you will probably have to wait your turn, which is what has happened in the OP's instance

supersonic

Yes it is all about how busy you are, which is what I said straight away. If it is a bit lax, sure, you can take this stuff in maybe, If you are booked up to the hilt, no chance. The 'have you go 5 mins, this is easy' is a contracdiction, as you'd just do it yourself. I doubt you could drive up to many car garages with a fan belt in your hands, and ask them to drop what you are doing so they can fit it. Unless they were dead - which is the point.

Barteos

...

Where are my stabilisers?

Davehudson's got it right - Take a quick look i.e. give the impression that you give a toss about their custom, and either do the job (if practical) or say sorry I'll have to book it in etc.

Having been on both sides of the counter (not in a bike shop), my experience is, the customer is quite often wrong, but you have to give them the individual attention to keep them happy... I think they call it going the extra mile (or some BS :roll: )! The customer doesn't want to hear how busy you are and that you're busting your ass, they just want you to sort out their problem.

Andy B - Good effort, expectations met, did you get a Tea break?

Turrican

Well Joe if i lived near you you could of brought it to me i would done it for yers for small fee hehe, nah couple quid mate

Anonymous

i have all of the kit required to chop a steerer and fit a sfn, anyone in kent who needs it doing can come and see me, i'll do it for free. even if im busy doing something else other than teaching.