Halfords bike staff

2wheelsonit

Got a well known Halfords exclusive bike last week and i've just got to say if you know your way around a bike then you can get a good purchase here BUT for gods sake go over everthing before you ride it or take it to your local bike shop - I can't believe that certain stores run a business setting up/fixing bikes when they are so utterly useless at it - after the cert to say its been setup and tested steering headset loose - handle bars turn independently fixing/fittings loose such as gear levers/brake levers - reflectors. WIll i be back for the 6 week check - i think not WTF are they playing at think they need an undercover boss episode with a view to up the training and competency of the staff.

stubs

Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.

nicklouse

again it depends on which Halfords you go to. Just like which LBS you go to.

2wheelsonit

Yup supose your right but its a shame the staff are being let down by poor proceedures and managment

tommy-leg

I've heard this a lot

sandy hill

2wheelsonit wrote:

Got a well known Halfords exclusive bike last week and i've just got to say if you know your way around a bike then you can get a good purchase here BUT for gods sake go over everthing before you ride it or take it to your local bike shop - I can't believe that certain stores run a business setting up/fixing bikes when they are so utterly useless at it - after the cert to say its been setup and tested steering headset loose - handle bars turn independently fixing/fittings loose such as gear levers/brake levers - reflectors. WIll i be back for the 6 week check - i think not WTF are they playing at think they need an undercover boss episode with a view to up the training and competency of the staff.

Unfortunately the current boss gained all his cycling knowledge whilst working for Tesco.

tommy-leg

lool

.blitz

They're not all bad. A Halfords mechanic who was walking his dog stopped to help my mate fix his bike the other day.

Had quite a chat about Boardmans, Carreras, Voodoos etc, and how crap they are and everything

2wheelsonit

Has your mate made it home yet, you might want to backtrack he could be lying further up the road winded covered in bearings lol

not sure bout boardman and voodoo but the carreras seem to be making a good name for themselves when assembled correctly

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... n-12-45673

twonks

The good lady wife and I made a few trips to our local Halfords last week to sort out a bike for her on the C2W scheme.

The local store didn't have the bike she wanted, but the young guy serving in the Bike section could not have been more helpful. He rang round local stores, explained how there shipping betwen branches works (it doesn't lol) and went generally above and beyond expectation.

In the end he found a bike in a store 30 miles away and reserved it until we got there. Despite turning up at 19.50 and ten minutes to home time, the guy there was helpful beyond needs as well.

Ultimately the bike was too large and again to give him credit he knew instantly when she sat on it, and didn't want to sell us the bike.

Finding the correct bike resulted in a drive to another store 85 miles away, and again the staf were curteous and helpful.

So, all in all I can honestly say I was most suprised and refreshed that the 3 stores we dealt with all had good staff who wanted to help the customer.

2wheelsonit

ohh its not there lack of being helpful that lets them down iits the sham of a build and repair service that some stores offer (you know supposed bike mechanics - they have Jeff from the motorparts section building a bike and Enid the part time shelf stacker mending another and then some dedicated bike staff who would be more at home in KFC. I understand everyone has got to start somewhere but some stores are useless from the top down

waby1234

This is all old news - some are good, some are less good, some are pretty bad.

Nick Cod

It can be different from store to store. I kind of know what to expect from the bike department in the Winchester Halfords so I'm never too bothered and don't often ask for assistance unless there's something I want that is missing off of the shelf.

The issue is some of the bikes brands they have on offer like Boardman, GT and Voodoo are really decent bikes but the store is letting itself down with poor knowledge and workmanship

I know it's not the same for all of them but you hear about more bad incidents than good and as a friend once told me it's much easier to loose custom than keep it

waby1234

I think you'll always hear more about bad experiences than good - generally the majority of people will be happy to write or complain about something that wasn't so good.

I bought my Carrera from Halfords - the store built it, and then I checked it over myself and then popped it down to my LBS for a quick checkover (they charged me £10) which I was perfectly happy with. I'd suggest if you do buy a bike from Halfords it's worth doing for peace of mind.

The Rookie

Nick Cod wrote:

The issue is some of the bikes brands they have on offer like ..... GT

Not for a while now......

Simon

chez_m356

.blitz wrote:

They're not all bad. A Halfords mechanic who was walking his dog stopped to help my mate fix his bike the other day.

Had quite a chat about Boardmans, Carreras, Voodoos etc, and how crap they are and everything

then he was obviously another halfords mong who knows nothing about bikes

The Rookie

LOL, true

Most the staff at my local Halfords cyclists, one races 4X, a memebr of my MTB club wors at another Halfords nearby, they aren't all bad, but like any national chain (like Evans) they aren't all good either!

Simon

Anonymous

Always used to say, Halfords are staffed by ex or rejected Dixons salesmen. They know even less about bikes than the nothing they knew about computers and gadgets.

But yeah, there are occasionally some more knowledgeable guys. Rare and still likely to flog you GT85 to spray all over your bike and chain to "oil" it. Still check the bike over after they've done their bit, do any suspension sag / set-up properly yourself, and check the fork is the right way round! . If the bike is a pre-build on display it might have been done properly by one of the senior or more experienced guys, or been delivered assembled.

Don't go at weekends either. Kids working there for peanuts or less and they don't know and don't care. Likewise with Evans, but they do have more people tucked away who do know a thing or two and their staff are all trained about bikes whereas in Halfords you may get the guy who knows about car stuff subbing for bikes.

That's not to say an independent LBS is always better. Some have excellent staff and mechanics who really know what they're doing. Some don't. Look for ones near trails and that are obviously frequented by locals on nice (but clearly properly used) bikes. Avoid those selling the £200 BSOs and commuter bikes (unless that's what you want).

Stu Coops

Never used them and wouldn't use them

Mccraque

Depends on who you get though. There's a couple of lads in my local Halfords who are knowledgeable and one built my Boardman Pro for me. and built it well. A year and a half of smashing it around and racing....it's all still true.

That said, I went in one day and some other TOOL was in there. I bought a chain and asked him to fit it as was empty and I was in my suit on the way to work. Rather than telling me he didnt know how, (i#d gone to look at tyres at this point - assuming it would be 30 second job) - I came back to find the full length chain - nothing removed...dangling onto the floor from the middle cog. When I explained his error, he got all shitty with me and pretty much threw me out telling me that he was only covering bikes as the usual guy was out. - Threw me out without charging too. I went home, shortened it and mended with a powerlink.

But it's not just Halfords. I've had seriously hammy work done from my local Evans - the last time the bike went back 3 times for the same issue (I've since learnt to do it myself) - and on one occassion they fitted me a lovely new cane creek headset. only for me to ride off out the shop, take the corner only to find that they'd not tightened the bloody thing.....

And another of my lbs's...generally good. although we have a theory that they all sit out the back smoking a bong at lunch and if your bike's up for the afternoon repair, you'd best check it very thoroughly.
:shock:

MTB noob

I have just been doing work experience at Halfords today and it totally depends on the store. The main reason why things may be loose is because they may have a wave of orders and you have 20 mins to make a bike so things may not get a proper look-over. Another reason is that they loosen off the parts of the bike because when it comes out of the factory, the bearings and crank are put to stupidly high pressure and risk of destroying the bearings or something. I always check the bike if it is working properly before i think about giving it to a customer.

GT_Dave

I too have suffered at the hands of Halfords, I had 2 seperate Boardman Team HT's with massive problems before abandoning ship, I then (For reasons unbeknown to anyone!) went to a different branch and purchased a Team FS which I had looked over by my local bike mechanic, he torqued the bolts correctly, aligned the wheels properly and tightened the lock on grips so that they actually locked! Since then the bike has been a dream!

I think that the best advice is that Halfords sell some real quality products but always get a real professional to check their work and dont bother with the free service or bike care plan.

The Rookie

GT_Dave wrote:

he torqued the bolts correctly, aligned the wheels properly and tightened the lock on grips so that they actually locked!

Most of which should have been done by Boardman and Halfords shouldn't have to do at PDI.....

Simon

craigw99

i treat halfords like tesco, they sell products at a good price but i dont expect a LBS level of service from a chain store
i got my team f/s and checked it over myself - a few things were loose/needing adjusted but no biggie - i would normally check my bike before i ride anyway. My expectations were low and they were met