Are Halfords any better than they used to be.

sloppyschleckonds

Halfords sell 3 million bikes, UKIP have no MP's and govern nothing.

arran77

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Halfords sell 3 million bikes, UKIP have no MP's and govern nothing.

I'm confused, how many bikes do UKIP sell and what's their customer service?

Matthewfalle

morstar wrote:

Lots of the usual bollox here. Halfords is a big box retailer, everything you get from a big box retailer, you get from halfords. If you want specialist service, go to a specialist and pay specialist prices. Big box retail is about convenience, a broad product range, branches everywhere, long opening hours and parking right outside. It's not my first choice of shop, but if I want to pick something up on the way home from work or on a Sunday, I have no qualms about going there.
Some staff are good, some just getting a pay cheque and a small number are plain rubbish. I can apply this rule to almost any big name retailer.
You can get a very good bike under £400. My daughters Giant cost £300 and is absolutely brilliant. She is 11, there is not a single aspect of the bike that has been economised on for the needs she has. It has been properly off road several times and she can ride it up cliffs it seems.
Two of my bikes, the commuter and mtb were £500 new around 8 years ago (not from Halfords) Probably about £700 in todays money. Both have performed brilliantly for 1,000 of miles with no upgrades beyond consumables. Bikes do not need to cost £1,000s of pounds. That is snobbery, pure and simple. I would however avoid Apollo having had apoor experience with my teenage son. I bought him cheap because he wrecks everything. The apollo didn't even put up a fight.

Halfords. They're boxy but they're good......

RideOnTime

Matthewfalle wrote:

Avenger197396 wrote:

You're right about them being big box however. Nothing wrong in that. My issue is that they advertise in specialist cycling magazines claiming they can provide services, products and a customer experience equal to more specialist retailers. In the majority of cases they can't. To me that's tantamount to dishonesty. Perhaps things will change. I don't think they will.

UKIP advertise saying that they are able to govern the country effectively. That's tantamount to dishonesty.

Are the UKIP therefore the Halfords of politics?

Are Halfords the UKIP of bike retail?

Matthewfalle

RideOnTime wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Avenger197396 wrote:

You're right about them being big box however. Nothing wrong in that. My issue is that they advertise in specialist cycling magazines claiming they can provide services, products and a customer experience equal to more specialist retailers. In the majority of cases they can't. To me that's tantamount to dishonesty. Perhaps things will change. I don't think they will.

UKIP advertise saying that they are able to govern the country effectively. That's tantamount to dishonesty.

Are the UKIP therefore the Halfords of politics?

Are Halfords the UKIP of bike retail?

I don't think they are racist enough to be.

Maybe the Lib Dem of bike retail: promise lots but you get very, very mixed results......

awavey

Avenger197396 wrote:

When I spoke to the guys in the shop they were on the whole apologetic but told me their stock systems ARE bollox and that the demand for basic services and a lack of staff mean that they can't provide the enhanced services that some of them aspire to and that Halfords pretends it can offer by way of its advertising. I have no problems with them advertising in the magazines we all read, it's their message that they are, at the moment, a viable alternative for the more "committed" cyclist which is false. They gave some plus points, price, geographical convenience and the majority of their products are of reasonable quality for the price but their stocking and service are key downs. IMO!

their stock system IS rubbish, they pretend to have all the benefits of online retailers with that reserve online and then instant pick up & collect instead, but whenever Ive searched for something, its never said sorry no its not in stock, simply I could pick it up within a week, well thats no use i can order it online from wiggle and have it delivered within the week, so whats the usp for Halfords in that instance.

Stevo_666

Matthewfalle wrote:

RideOnTime wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Avenger197396 wrote:

You're right about them being big box however. Nothing wrong in that. My issue is that they advertise in specialist cycling magazines claiming they can provide services, products and a customer experience equal to more specialist retailers. In the majority of cases they can't. To me that's tantamount to dishonesty. Perhaps things will change. I don't think they will.

UKIP advertise saying that they are able to govern the country effectively. That's tantamount to dishonesty.

Are the UKIP therefore the Halfords of politics?

Are Halfords the UKIP of bike retail?

I don't think they are racist enough to be.

Maybe the Lib Dem of bike retail: promise lots but you get very, very mixed results......

I think you're giving Halfords the benefit of the doubt there.

Avenger197396

Chris Boardman has sold the Boardman business to Halfords for approx £15m this week. He has retained a stake and all that but......

I wouldn't trust them to fix a puncture so his faith is touching.

Matthewfalle

Much like me and any LBS who haven't won over my confidence.

morstar

Avenger197396 wrote:

Chris Boardman has sold the Boardman business to Halfords for approx £15m this week. He has retained a stake and all that but......

I wouldn't trust them to fix a puncture so his faith is touching.

But if the business model doesn't change then it's just an investor who will want a return.
If the parent company starts meddling, can get messy.
Business I work for was sold to a large PLC a couple of years before I joined by a private owner. The PLC facilitated growth and structural improvements at no small cost and is also the only reason we survived the recession. Sold to management buy out earlier this year at great profit but at aa time right for all concerned.
Being owned can be a good thing and helped our business but being sold came at the right time as they no longer wanted to invest.

Bozman

Halfords bike mechanics are at my wife's school today teaching the children bike maintenance and they asked the wife to bring her bike in so they could show the children what to do.
That bike is in perfect working order, no rattles, no rubs, no squeaks and all 27 gears shift perfectly......... will it ever be the same again?

Matthewfalle

Is your wife still at school? Sheeeesh, now that's what I call marrying young.

ilovegrace

In Halfords defense ,I bought a Sportfull spring L/S top (rated best buy in CP) a 4 star rated Sportfull S/S jersey on buy for 3 for 2 with a schwalbe tyre thrown in for £43.
This is tried on in the shop, no postage , no returns , service was good as well .Whats not to like about that ?
regards
Mark

Matthewfalle

ilovegrace wrote:

In Halfords defense ,I bought a Sportfull spring L/S top (rated best buy in CP) a 4 star rated Sportfull S/S jersey on buy for 3 for 2 with a schwalbe tyre thrown in for £43.
This is tried on in the shop, no postage , no returns , service was good as well .Whats not to like about that ?
regards
Mark

Any pics of Halfords' girls' norks?

Bucksspeedyboy

I think the thing with Halfords is that the service and expertise varies depending on the store. I recently had to buy a new bike after my LBS said it would take £450 to fix my old bike ! I decided to go for a Boardman as they had good reviews and I got 10 percent off the price from membership of British Cycling. I had no problems at all and found the service was fine. Then when it had to go back for its free '6 week check' that was done fine also. I have now done a good few 100 miles on the bike and it's great.

That said, I wouldn't take my bike to the other branch of Halfords that is actually nearer to me, I've found the service there less than great. But I also don't buy into the eulogising of local bike shops that seems to go on here. I have two large LBS near here that I go to occasionally; I don't find them particularly helpful, friendly or forthcoming with advice, but mainly concerned with selling me expensive stuff as quickly as they can.

Matthewfalle

As above - top post.

lapavoni10

I have used the one in Woking a few times and they are just fine.
Ordered a campag 11s chain and 11-25 cassette at midday online (was not in store), picked it up after 1pm the next day.

Tried doing the same at Evans, stuff did not turn up when stated and was wrong when I picked it up. Also, when you order online and its not in the store, its 3 to 5 days.

I know what you are going to say...go to and support a proper LBS, but Halfords is closer and do the best price.

Matthewfalle

What if the LBS isn't as efficient as your local Halfords though? Cut off nose to spite face ? Nah.

Anyway, by going to your local Halfords you are still spending money locally and keeping the local spotty dork who lives next door in a job - doesn't matter whether it's that "Primi" cycles that has been batted around air your local Halfords, keeping the local guys in a job is what it's all about.

Monkeypump

madasahattersley wrote:

Anyway, that's going to be my last reply to this topic.

madasahattersley wrote:

Oh FFS get off my back you utter tool :roll:

Just popped back to throw some insults around because someone disagrees with you? Nice work.

Matthewfalle

Sorry? Having a valid, backed up verbose balanced viewpoint is now "trolling"?

I'm sorry if you don't like Halfords and that anyone who does is beneath you, but some people actually manage to find them pretty alright. We don't all feel the need to go to "Primi" cycles or the equivalent in order to justify our cycling egos.

How was Italy by the way? Went well the day?

Matthewfalle

madasahattersley wrote:

It's a good thing I'm p!ssed as a fart and st0ned as a donkey otherwise I might give a reaction to your constant baiting. I'm sure you know it's "PRIMO" cycles cos nobody's ever written "Primi" and it doesn't make any sense, and I'm sure you know full f@cking well how Italy went for me now leave me alone and shop and Halfords I could not give a single t0ss less.

Oh. So Italy didn't go well then?

As an aside, how stoned can a donkey get? Is it on a measurable scale (such as earth tremors) or is it on "carrots eaten during munchies period"?