Cycling UK Forum

philg wrote:Into Taunton and LBS#1 closed on Sundays, great; LBS#2 sympathetic but informed me (a touch haughtily I thought) that their bike carriers are guaranteed for life so they don't carry spares.

Were any of them LBS's called Ralph Coleman?

LondonBikeCommuter wrote:

philg wrote:Into Taunton and LBS#1 closed on Sundays, great; LBS#2 sympathetic but informed me (a touch haughtily I thought) that their bike carriers are guaranteed for life so they don't carry spares.

Were any of them LBS's called Ralph Coleman?

#2
I won't be too hard on them though as have used them before OK, and (more importantly) overheard one of their sales force giving good (impartial) advice to a prospective bike buyer.

Went in with a puncture and they wanted a fortune. They eventually let me do it if I bought an inner tube. Spoke to them about buying a folder for possible touring with a trailer. To be fair the guy said I would be cycling from one branch to the other to get it fixed. I ended up buying one second hand and he was right.

I know this is an old post and probably dead but I had to write....

Noticing the frame was actually decent on my second hand Apollo Transition I stripped the bugger. Thorn cranks and rings, Schwalbe tyres, Brookes saddle. Shimano wheels, v-brakes, rear cassette and bottom bracket (a new bike with cup and cone bearings!), SRAM chain and a Super Tourist DX rack.

I'm now into Dahon money but this bike is the dogs nuts! Evans do a 24 hour test ride on the Brompton 3 speed round my way and it's nowhere near as good as my Halfords thingummy. That was £880.

I can imagine the Halfords buyer getting the best possible frame for their folder then adding all the cheapest components and totally ruining the bike. Apologies for this wee bit of indulgence but I had to tell someone!

I recently picked up my new Boardman cyclocross bike from a local store. From a customer service perspective, the store was great. They didn't have my frame size on the shop floor, but had a partially built bike put together to try for size. Even better, they gave me 20% off. Superb.
However, this is my second bike from Halfords, and I was fully expecting a few surprises. On getting the bike home for a good 'fettle', I found:
Stem front plate tightened off-centre (top of clamp no threads showing, bottom about 5mm).
Ahead bolt too tight.
Saddle clamp bolts loose.
Both disc brakes completely off centre, binding constantly.
Disc rotor bolts RIDICULOUSLY over-tightened (needed a torx bit in mole grips to loosen!)
Crank bolts nowhere near torqued properly.
Not a sign of grease where there really should be, or chain lube.

And the best bits...?
Pedals hand tight (or should I say loose?)
Front wheel q.r. loose.

Thank goodness I don't trust anyone to set up my bikes. Who knows what would have happened to a customer with no mechanical skills.

Milfred Cubicle wrote:Disc rotor bolts RIDICULOUSLY over-tightened (needed a torx bit in mole grips to loosen!)

You are supposed to put them on with strong loctite so it won't be that easy to remove them.

On Sunday I placed an order for a HG50 cassette and PC850 chain using Halfords "click and collect" service. Delivery to the store was scheduled to be available for pick up from Wednesday after 1pm. Convenient for collection after work, better than waiting in for a delivery from CRC.

A text arrived confirming the order was received and promising further contact. By Wednesday there had been no follow up text so I decided to go straight home after work to check e-mails. Other than an e-mail offering a 10% discount on my next order there was nothing. I checked on-line which showed my order needed to be collected by Saturday.

On Thursday I set about some maintenance on the bike and discovered I needed a new BB. The 10% discount sprang to mind. I toyed with the idea of re-ordering the cassette and chain at 10% discount and simply not picking up the "click and collect", instead I made up the free "home delivery" price with some more PC850 chains.

To my complete amazement I received texts and e-mails that my "home delivery" order had been placed and also dispatched for delivery on Friday. I would receive a confirmed one hour delivery slot some time Friday morning.

On Friday I was passing the Halfords store so popped in for the "click and collect", explaining that I had not had any confirmation that the items were available. Their computer said my order was there. They couldn't find the order where it should have been, nor anywhere else. They started looking for the parts from stock and were ready to provide a PC870 as a free upgrade but could only find a lower quality cassette.

Another Halfords staff member appeared who found the cassette and shortly after the chain that I had ordered. "Click and collect" had taken 15 frustrating minutes but I did have what I'd ordered, although I'd now missed out on the free upgrade.

Back home I waited for my "home delivery". 15 minutes after the delivery window had passed I logged on and took a look at the tracking info. Apparently my delivery had been made an hour earlier and the package was signed for.

I await a response to my e-mail to try and discover exactly where it has been delivered to, all I know is that I don't have it. I'll report back in due course.

Whilst waiting a response either from Halfords or the courier a neighbour has called round with the package. I was in at the delivery time, there was no card through the door, there was no suggestion on the tracking information that an alternate delivery address had been used.

I have informed both Halfords and their courier that the delivery issue is resolved.

Odd but it's a happy ending.

Hi

I purchased a new bike at the end of this September from Halfords in Newport Gwent. The bike was a Boardman MX Sport a bike that was recommended to me. I purchased it to keep fit and lose weight and it cost me £500.

A few days ago I noticed it was now £400 which stated the original price of £500. As someone who is wary of whether bargains are true or not I phoned up Halfords to find out the price history.

As I suspected I found out the bike was originally £375 2 weeks before it for £500 and dropped to £400 3 weeks after. There customer service agent also told me that there stores can sell the same bike at different prices, my bike was sent from another store. They also told me they have a price comparison that lasts for 7 days but who is going to bother to look & compare prices after they purchased a bike from them.

I am going to spend the next week putting pressure on Halfords to see if they’ll give me some sort of refund because I feel cheated it’s worth a go.

Anyway whether I’m successful or not I would advice anyone to be careful when purchasing a bike from them, phone up their customer service first to find out the price history you might save yourself some money.

Best to wait a few weeks if possible and compare prices next time

Businesses are so crafty now with prices, pack sizes etc

Because it cost you, you have probably understood and learned better than if someone else had just told and warned you. That has been my experience at least

I’ll see what consumer advice say tomorrow, it’s clear the artificial price of £500 was a tactic to give the impression £400 is a bargain, I also suspect the £375 earlier price they never sold many.

They give a 7 days comparison price but that’s not long. They won’t be getting my custom or recommendation in future if that’s how they want to treat customers. I don’t have £100 to throw away.

Cyril Haearn wrote:.................Businesses are so crafty now with prices, pack sizes ..................

Absolutely true - wherever you look - and the bigger the business the craftier - and in my opinion, more crooked.

If it was a 'Boardman' or other brand unique to Halfords, how are you going to compare?

I think the Carrera and Voodoo bikes at Halfords are great value even at their full price but getting the best price is a nuisance having to wait until its at a low price. The Carrera Subway 1 was £230 a few weeks ago but back at £300 now. Probably will be in the January sales at £200-250. Pricing can go up as well as down though. Many times I've regretted not buying something because I delayed and the price permanently went up however with Halfords they consistently having inconsistent prices, they love to offer big discounts. It's the same at many retailers just more annoying at Halfords as bikes are high value items.