Halfords you could not make it up.

foy

I tried to order a carrera vengeance online last night as the bike had been reduced from £250 to £200. I was unable to place an order as the website said the bike was unavailable for delivery or collection at any store. This morning the price has gone up to £270 and i am still unable to order online. This company is a laughing stock and is there anyone on here who works for halfords who can tell me what is going on please.

cooldad

Why don't you phone them and ask?
But just because I am bored, I went through the system, and it is available in Farnham.
So presumably limited stock left, and only at certain branches.
Seems reasonable to me.
I'd say the laughing stock is not Halfords.

foy

I have rang several stores and spoke to the manager in every store and not one can tell me why this has happened. Not too bothered anyway since i found out that you only get a 2 year frame warranty. Think you must be bored most of your daily life cooldad by how much time you spend on here.

rockmonkeysc

I think you're making it all up.

cooldad

What has happened?
Only certain stores have stock, and no warehouse stock for delivery - as it's a sale, 2011/12 model.

But as you're not bothered.....

cooldad

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I think you're making it all up.

I see what you did there.

rockmonkeysc

cooldad wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I think you're making it all up.

I see what you did there.

Someone had to.

oxocube1

foy wrote:

I tried to order a carrera vengeance online last night as the bike had been reduced from £250 to £200. I was unable to place an order as the website said the bike was unavailable for delivery or collection at any store. This morning the price has gone up to £270 and i am still unable to order online. This company is a laughing stock and is there anyone on here who works for halfords who can tell me what is going on please.

Simple really....

The current range of Carreras is finishing with a new range arriving imminently. All of the MTBs are going 650B and they are updating the colours. This is the reason why they are unavailable for delivery (our DC has none left in stock) but they are still on the website as some stores still have them left. If you ask nicely in store they may show you one of the updated ones in a box as they are in store warehouses already.

The new 2015 one is now on the website: click me

lbalony

foy wrote:

I tried to order a carrera vengeance online last night as the bike had been reduced from £250 to £200. I was unable to place an order as the website said the bike was unavailable for delivery or collection at any store. This morning the price has gone up to £270 and i am still unable to order online. This company is a laughing stock and is there anyone on here who works for halfords who can tell me what is going on please.

Was expecting a real good story of incompetence, like the ones I frustratingly usually end up muddled up in. Not that a sale bike is out of stock. Plus a quick search by someone else has located one? Should be more left though I agree. Who buys that sh!te.

2x10

Perhaps its just me but I dont ever seem to have any issues with Halfords, bikes or otherwise. I generally know what I want, and look at the available range. I dont expect miracles from their staff, generally youngsters starting out with , perhaps more enthusiasm than knowledge, but they do try. Never use their mechanics so cant comment there, I would assume that they are more in the realms of assemblers and component changers than fixers. Its a big chain store and if you want that personal touch go to the local bike shop.

Angus Young

2x10 wrote:

Perhaps its just me but I dont ever seem to have any issues with Halfords, bikes or otherwise. I generally know what I want, and look at the available range. I dont expect miracles from their staff, generally youngsters starting out with , perhaps more enthusiasm than knowledge, but they do try. Never use their mechanics so cant comment there, I would assume that they are more in the realms of assemblers and component changers than fixers. Its a big chain store and if you want that personal touch go to the local bike shop.

I suspect the number of Halfords Is Crap threads we get is just a reflection of their size. I'd guess their level of dissatisfaction, as a percentage, is no higher than many a LBS, it's just more visible. Visibility is also raised by silly threads like this with unjustified alarmist headlines along with a general snobbishness about a big chain that only sells bikes on the side.

paul_mck

well that backfired.

And I mean - ONLY a 2 year warranty on a 200 quid bike? simply scandalous.

welshkev

I blame wiggle

I also suggest writing a strongly worded letter to the daily mail!

foy

You also get the same 2 year warranty on a £1000 bike as well so maybe that is why their bikes are cheaper than the mainstream brands, as halfords do not expect the frames to last longer than 2 years.

Chunkers1980

What?

No, long warranties lead to admin hassle, and therefore cost.

Any manufacturing defects will be noticed and fail in the first 2 years in ~99% of cases.

Halfords' frames are build in the same factories by the same machines as your mainstream brands.

cooldad

Clutching at straws?

foy

Where is your proof that 99% of frames if they had a manufacturing defect would fail within 2 years. If that is the case then, there would be very little expense to halfords to give a lifetime warranty as only 1 in every hundred that failed would be outside the 2 year warranty period. That totally negates your point about hassle and expense. They quite clearly have no faith in their product.

paul_mck

dead horse: could you quit flogging me please?

sale bike, not in stock. seriously whats the beef here?

Chunkers1980

Why wouldn't they fail within 2 years? Because they do not have anything wrong with them for their intended use. Go any longer and you open yourself up to it not just covering consumer rights but to having to deem if a 2 year plus old frame has failed because a. it wasn't made properly or b. because some numpty took a £20 frame down a downhill track and expected it to function properly after. If you can't prove there was nothing wrong with the frame and it was used for its intended purpose then you'd have to provide a new frame with the same warranty AND swap all the parts over at some cost - with this price of bike you get into the why not just send them a whole new one territory as it'll be cheaper and better for the customer than transferring all the parts over and having a same year frame with all the correct fitments.

There are more reasons, you just seem very like you want the world from a £20 frame and don't see it from their side.

They offer a warranty to satisfy your consumers rights and more and like I said will bring to the fore most manufacturing defects in that time.

CitizenLee

Do any of the bikes Halfords sell come with more than 2 year warranty?

Buy a Specialized or something if you want lifetime.

rockmonkeysc

Material or manufacturing faults show up relatively quickly. Most of my work involves anylising failure modes of critical safety equipment and nearly all material or manufacturing defects show up within the first few uses.
Lifetime warranties are not common and lifetime is defined as the life of the frame so it's extremely vague as to what you actually get.
I had no worries about spending £3.5k on a bike with a 2 year warranty.

arthur_scrimshaw

Bathtub curve

Chunkers1980

Indeed Arthur. What's being said is you get to the bottom of the 'bathtub' well before 2 years kicks in with intended use.

stuisnew

lbalony wrote:

Was expecting a real good story of incompetence, like the ones I frustratingly usually end up muddled up in. Not that a sale bike is out of stock

This.

Bike is out of stock, ridiculous title to thread.

Two year warranty isn't long but they're not the only ones. And if you look hard enough on here there are good news stories from them helping people outside of warranty.

The Rookie

I think Halfords did him a favour but stopping him buying something he thinks is a mountain bike and isn't, can we get the title changed to well done Halfords!

fridgehq

I thought you said it was 650b ??? or have they got the wheel size or fork incorrect.

OVERVIEW
Approximate Weight (KG):
Exact Frame Size:
Forks: SUNTOUR XCT-DS 27.5 1.1/8 Steerer
Frame Material: Alloy
Front Brake: TEKTRO NOVELA, BLACK MECHANICAL DISC BRAKE - 160mm Rotor
Geometry:
Number of Gears: 24
Rear Brake: TEKTRO NOVELA, BLACK MECHANICAL DISC BRAKE - 160mm Rotor
Wheel Size: 26"
DETAILED SPECS

paul.skibum

The new model is 650b

ilovedirt

foy wrote:

Where is your proof that 99% of frames if they had a manufacturing defect would fail within 2 years. If that is the case then, there would be very little expense to halfords to give a lifetime warranty as only 1 in every hundred that failed would be outside the 2 year warranty period. That totally negates your point about hassle and expense. They quite clearly have no faith in their product.

Are you serious?

cooldad

Just to be petty and pedantic, my two strongest points, Halfords don't offer the warranty, the manufacturer does.

drlodge

I just can't work out whether this thread is right handed or left handed, it certainly has no point.

foy

So according to you then cooldad if i buy a sony tv at pc world and it has a manufacturing defect i take it back to sony then. Your contract is with the retailer and not the manufacturer, what planet do you live on?