LOL at Halfords

buder

rhext wrote:

Father Jack wrote:

So as long as you don't know what you're talking about, but earning a shed load of money that's all that matters?

:roll:

Wish I could make £120M a year without knowing what I'm talking about. All those people just walking through the door and handing them cash without them having to think about it at all. They must be a seriously lucky organisation. Or could it be that you simply don't understand their business model?

:roll:

Any Halfords Ive ever been into regarding bikes has been absolutely appalling. For me the lack of customer service and sheer incompetence by staff would mean I never by a bike from them regardless.

Carrera and Boardman are great bikes for the money and in the own right, however everything else that you would expect in the way of a purchase like this for me in the stores around me means its to much of a risk for the outlay.

Im not competent enough to just by the bike and rely on my own mechanical skills or would I be happy to spend money taking it to my LBS.

I would much prefer to support my LBS full stop

jhoyle

Father Jack wrote:

When it came to selling computers, yes. How can you be a good salesman if you haven't got the foggiest what you're advising the customer?

Question : Like a PC for internet, Word, priting
You : This £1500 quad core with SLI graphics is what you need

or

Question : I want a gaming PC
You : This Celeron with onboard graphics is what you need.

look, if you don't like the service in halfords, dont bloody shop there and stop whinging about it, nobody's forcing you to go in there, and the 'monkeys' that work there are usually happier when customers come in that appreciate the help they are recieving. and as for PC world, curry's etc, everyone i know that works there are extremely competent at what they do, and could easily tell you the difference between an sli machine for games and an athlon 2 for crawling round forums moaning about everything. if you're so brilliant there are hundreds of halfords stores all over the country looking for managers to run the bike sections due to a recent staff reshuffle, so why not try for one of those FULL TIME positions? who knows, maybe you'll even be able to fire the idiots that currently work there and hire properly trained mechanics?

T-Rekster

as already said they are successful because of their business model, they are not aiming at the serious cyclist but targeting kids and families mainly. How many couples with children this time of year are still struggling to shift the xmas pounds the weathers nice they see media images of families enjoying long rides out in the country, now where do we buy the bikes. well they didn't see a bike shop when they were down the high st on saturday but they did see an advert for halfords on the tv, they know where that is they bought a sofa or tv next door, its off to the retail park.

£600 and four bikes later, it's one stressful trip out worrying about the kids falling off realise its actually quite hard work and in the shed the bikes go.....does it matter if the bikes are shit or set up badly no not really lets be honest the vast majority of halfords bikes are sat gathering dust in garden sheds............oh and for halfords it gets better, 2 years later when the kids are a little older and they have forgotten how hard it all was someone has the bright idea of getting the old bikes out the shed, oh dear the tyres are flat, the brakes squeal and every bit of shiny metal is now rusty gold, the kids have outgrown their bikes, does dad know how to fix them...no, do they know where there local bike shop is.....no, guess what it's off to halfords where invariably another £600 is spent on four new bikes and so the cycle continues..pardon the pun...


You only know where your LBS is because either you live very near or as you became a more serious cyclist you made a point of finding it....

Thebigbee

Why would any self respecting bike owner take their bike to Halfords for anything?

Doesn't everyone have at least one LBS near them that only specialises in bikes and could offer them decent service and advice?

I have at least 10 within a 5 mile radius of where I live.

There are also numerous mobile mechanics that advertise on Gumtree near me.

One of whom I use for anything that it too specialised for me.

I have a Halfords within 2 miles of where I live.

I wouldn't even consider taking my bike to them....

Why did you - the OP?

father_jack

Why did you - the OP?

I didn't say I did.

mattshrops

Halfords and your lbs have 2 different target customers. if you want specialist knowledge you go to a specialist. general knowledge and cheaper goods aimed mainly at a leisure cyclist market-(as opposed to a keen obsessive roadie ) then you know where to go. to be fair to my local halfords yes they are kids but they try to help and are always happy to look stuff up if they dont know- i agree they should have someone with more experience there, but thats hardly the staffs fault. Ive just picked up some 2nd hand carbon tubs that need a couple of bits and pieces doing to them- needles to say theyre going to the lbs. horses for courses.

ShutUpLegs

Father Jack wrote:

Why did you - the OP?

I didn't say I did.

Has anyone read this thread?

Echoii

Surely having no job looks worse on a cv than having an 8 hours a week job..

father_jack

Echoii wrote:

Surely having no job looks worse on a cv than having an 8 hours a week job..

Say that 2.4 million times

Shotsaway

T-Rekster wrote:

How many couples with children this time of year are still struggling to shift the xmas pounds the weathers nice they see media images of families enjoying long rides out in the country, now where do we buy the bikes. well they didn't see a bike shop when they were down the high st on saturday but they did see an advert for halfords on the tv, its off to the retail park.

£600 and four bikes later, it's one stressful trip out worrying about the kids falling off realise its actually quite hard work and in the shed the bikes go. 2 years later when the kids are a little older and they have forgotten how hard it all was someone has the bright idea of getting the old bikes out the shed, oh dear the tyres are flat, the brakes squeal and every bit of shiny metal is now rusty gold, the kids have outgrown their bikes, does dad know how to fix them. it's off to halfords where invariably another £600 is spent on four new bikes and so the cycle continues..pardon the pun...

You've just described the current Halfords TV advert. Family buy bikes from Halfords. 2 years later they fall to bits. Family buy more bikes from Halfords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM_AyGlGUrY

rhext

Shotsaway wrote:

T-Rekster wrote:

How many couples with children this time of year are still struggling to shift the xmas pounds the weathers nice they see media images of families enjoying long rides out in the country, now where do we buy the bikes. well they didn't see a bike shop when they were down the high st on saturday but they did see an advert for halfords on the tv, its off to the retail park.

£600 and four bikes later, it's one stressful trip out worrying about the kids falling off realise its actually quite hard work and in the shed the bikes go. 2 years later when the kids are a little older and they have forgotten how hard it all was someone has the bright idea of getting the old bikes out the shed, oh dear the tyres are flat, the brakes squeal and every bit of shiny metal is now rusty gold, the kids have outgrown their bikes, does dad know how to fix them. it's off to halfords where invariably another £600 is spent on four new bikes and so the cycle continues..pardon the pun...

You've just described the current Halfords TV advert. Family buy bikes from Halfords. 2 years later they fall to bits. Family buy more bikes from Halfords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM_AyGlGUrY

This is pretty much my point. It's not a business model I'd be proud to run, I'm not a fan of Halfords, but to conclude that they're idiots/numpties needlessly insults their staff, and seriously under-estimates their management.

Ollieda

I guess there's an element of personal pride here though, when I worked at a major high street retailer than offered only the minimum of training I took it upon myself to learn about my products so I could help customers, but that's who I am. Plenty of other people there who just wanted to keep their heads down, avoid customers and get their wages. Personal preference really.

Due to an insurance payout i'm basically being forced to used halfords to buy my replacement bike (had to buy instore and the choice was halfords or evans, evans being 40 miles away). So far my experience has been brilliant. Went last week to have a look and dispite mentioning it was for commuting, exclusively on roads, I was shown a full sus mtb. Maybe they just needed the sales figures lol. Going back today to pick up my order, lets see how things go.

buder

rhext wrote:

Shotsaway wrote:

T-Rekster wrote:

How many couples with children this time of year are still struggling to shift the xmas pounds the weathers nice they see media images of families enjoying long rides out in the country, now where do we buy the bikes. well they didn't see a bike shop when they were down the high st on saturday but they did see an advert for halfords on the tv, its off to the retail park.

£600 and four bikes later, it's one stressful trip out worrying about the kids falling off realise its actually quite hard work and in the shed the bikes go. 2 years later when the kids are a little older and they have forgotten how hard it all was someone has the bright idea of getting the old bikes out the shed, oh dear the tyres are flat, the brakes squeal and every bit of shiny metal is now rusty gold, the kids have outgrown their bikes, does dad know how to fix them. it's off to halfords where invariably another £600 is spent on four new bikes and so the cycle continues..pardon the pun...

You've just described the current Halfords TV advert. Family buy bikes from Halfords. 2 years later they fall to bits. Family buy more bikes from Halfords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM_AyGlGUrY

This is pretty much my point. It's not a business model I'd be proud to run, I'm not a fan of Halfords, but to conclude that they're idiots/numpties needlessly insults their staff, and seriously under-estimates their management.

Sorry but they are !! in every Halfords ive ever been to and I dont take pleasure in saying that but quite frankly they are absolutely shocking.

Also what management ?? tried speaking to one once he didnt have a clue absolute pathetic example of management I have ever seen.

I know a few ex employees that left you should hear a few of their stories about Halfords "business model"

Pizzarepairman

I've experienced shocking service and elitism in quite a few LBS. You can't get served because you don't have the right clothes/hair/bike/whatever.

Equally, I have had mixed fortunes in Halfords.

Neither have left me with an overwhelming urge to spread words of doom about either Halfords or LBS.

This whole thing seems to be more about different sorts of people than anything else. Some tolerant, some not so tolerant.

Thebigbee

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Father Jack wrote:

Why did you - the OP?

I didn't say I did.

Has anyone read this thread?

Yes I read the OP and is says "checkout my question" what question? Then goes on to slate Halfords, which I am all for.

I think this should be renamed "Halfords are shite - let's abuse them"

In all honesty I don't get the point of this thread but I am thick. I work in Bikehut.

father_jack

btw if I did work there would take me 2 hours building a bike, would strip it down regrease and relube everything. Suppose management wouldn't want that, just bung it together in 20 minutes, next bike.

I'd refuse to build a bike at such speed, also not to remove BB out to regrease and also other copper grease for other bolts

Pseudonym

Father Jack wrote:

btw if I did work there would take me 2 hours building a bike, would strip it down regrease and relube everything. Suppose management wouldn't want that, just bung it together in 20 minutes, next bike.

I'd refuse to build a bike at such speed, also not to remove BB out to regrease and also other copper grease for other bolts

someone as clever as you should really think about starting their own business...

jhoyle

if it takes you 2 hours to strip and regrease a bike i have no idea what you must be doing, but wasting time seems to be a lot of it

MountainMonster

You people need to grow a pair. Have a problem with the company so bad, write to head office, not to a forum of members. Acting like women, just talk talk talk and no action.

2 options in these situations:

Go there.

Or don't.

father_jack

jhoyle wrote:

if it takes you 2 hours to strip and regrease a bike i have no idea what you must be doing, but wasting time seems to be a lot of it

Lots of cups of tea :P And since it's my bike don't go fast.

jhoyle

Father Jack wrote:

jhoyle wrote:

if it takes you 2 hours to strip and regrease a bike i have no idea what you must be doing, but wasting time seems to be a lot of it

Lots of cups of tea :P And since it's my bike don't go fast.

fair do's, when we do it it usually takes half an hour but we have to get orders out on time or customers won't be happy, and it doesnt help when the company has decided that if you order a bike at half past 9 the night before the bike fairies will have it ready for you by 12 o'clock the next day, regardless of whatever else needs done in the shop and how many customers might actually come into the store to view bikes