Dear Mr Halfords,
I hope that you are thoroughly ashamed of what you have done. As a result of what you did, I regret to inform you that i will, in fact, be suing you.
A couple of months ago, i came and i bought a bikr at halford’s. It was a purple bike, a children’s one. Now, the child that i bought it for has come to me, to say…
“My bike isn’t working. We’ve been to halfords about a million times to try and get it fixed, but nothing works.”
” What’s wrong with it?” I asked
Her reply was”… umm,… Well,… you see,… it isn’t working because it’s already had two flat tyres. Is there anything you can do?”
That little girl was 5 years old. She now has to get a new bike, according to her. AND I AM NOT HAPPY.
FIX IT.
before the same thing happens again.
Yours sincerely,
V.I.P
( Very Irritated Person)
2 flat tyres can be fixed easily!
Get your puncture repair kit out!
Purchased a Boardman bike from Halfords
I have just recovered from multiple ankle breaks and been off work for approx five months ,I thought the purchase of bike would help me get fit again,
The bike i purchased was a Boardman Comp not a bad spec, looking at the setup the gears had not even remotely been setup even though i had phoned up and arranged a time to pick up the assistant went off with the bike to sort this out and to put air in the tyres before this he asked me if i wanted to ride it around? the setup was alittle better nearly good enough to ride,
After a few days i had taken the bike out for my first ride, somthing just did not feel right i heard a clunking noise from the front end and the brakes rubbed even for a bikes brakes bedding in it was loud, as i leant foward to look the handle bars just dropped foward i found the bolts could be turned with fingers ,closer examination the whole head moved from side to side it was a death trap, I then decided to take it in to a local bike shop i wanted a new saddle and headstock fitted so i asked them to give the bike a check ,
they said after inspection no PDI checks had been done no grease applied ,front mech not secure ,bars loose, headstock not right ,Gears needed setting up , brakes needed sorting,rear cogs out of true,peddles not secure and no grease this cost me a £144.00
I later phoned to speak with the manager of the store,they said he would call me back so i left my number he did not bother to return my call.
I was told that the bike was only sold in stores that had boardman trained people these people did not have a clue,why should i buy a new bike put myself in danger and then have to pay to put it right ,
Why not let your reputation and branding get ruined by the the store you sell your bikes through Chris if you ever read this?
I am sure there are some good people in Halfords and these people must get frustrated with the shocking lack of customer care and it ruins your reputation.
I want a refund to cover my costs and i do not trust you to do any work on my bike,
So this bike is likely to be returned under trading standards i will be checking this out during the next few days.
Most of Halfords Employee’s do all they can for customers, but when we get customers coming in complaining about stuff they have done? That is your own fault. With bikes ‘ONLY THE FRAME IS COVERED’ thats means pedals, wheels, tyres, brakes. Have got nothing to do with us. Gladly we will check it if you have a bike care plan but if not then,, errr no!
Oh seriously sometimes it makes you wonder, every, single, customer will talk down to you and think that they know better. We are the trained ones, we know what were doing. Fair play newbee’s dont know too much but they all get trained one time or another.
Then you get the customers that walk in saying their sat nav doesnt work, its stuck on demo mode? No love, you’ve still got the piggin’ sticker display on?
It makes us soooo angry some times! We get whistled at, clicked at, shouted at to get our attention. We are not dogs ok!
Well” I got my mum a bike from Halfords,after 2 days things started going wrong with it,so I took it back to show that the 7 speed set was rockying side to side ,so the chain was doing the same.I was told all bikes are like this.I know this is not true,as I have had many bikes and spoke to any other bike shop.
I would never get another bike from Halfords and happy to share this info to anyone that asks me.
Halfords really need to look long and hard about where there bikes come from,as my mums bike as now 4 faults after less than 10 weeks.Faults wt gears ,wheels,not done one wear and tear,as my mum one takes very short trips to shops.
clive
Halfords has NO Customer care any more time us Britts got togather and stopped using them.
Shall always be known as halfruds which is what it is.burnie Nixon
sat nav TomTOM battery will not hold charge and they will not exchange the law is the law get it right you frudsters….
Just celebrating a year of getting nowhere with Halfords. Having 2 store managers agreeing that the bike they sold me is unfit for purpose is not enough for Customer Services. They refuse to exchange the bike but instead want to fit a £58 part to it which won’t fix the problem and even worse according to another manager is not safe!
Halfords obviously think they are too big a company to take customer retention seriously.
Perhaps they ought to think about Woolworths etc who also thought they were indispensable to the high street. ,
Hi you are 100% in what you have wrote,my mums bike started going wrong after 2 days and Halfords wd not do any thing and said all there bikes are the same,I would never buy a bike there.
clive
HELL YEAH B17! as a women (who is a trained mechanic, and has been for 5 years) I get “oi” and “come here” or clicked at for people to get my attention, maybe if people where to have MANNERS and realise just because im in uniform and work here does not mean you treat me like a dog! maybe if they try “excuse me” or “are you busy” they would receive the same politeness and customer service they expect! Customers are quick enough to make a complaint, but dont even say thank you when a member of staff is outside in the pissing rain fitting your bloody car battery! And as for refunds maybe if people kept PROOF OF PURCHASE WHICH THE LAW STATES IN THE SALES OF GOODS ACT 1979 and was polite to us we could do something about it, but why put our head on the line for a rude customer who thinks nothing more about you than shit on the street!!
I bought an apollo phaze 20″ and as soon as I rode out, BEARINGS!!! rear wheel bearings damaged, had to get them replaced but it took halfords 3 days for this! the gears were not aligned and I knew they slipped just a bit but one day I was on the road, gears slipped while’st I were pedaling and straight onto the road I go with a car swerving past me and I was there with cuts, bruises, injured ribs, frozen knee, injured back, neck, shoulder……
….. so I went back there and I had to go in and out for 2 weeks without any work being done, same thing happens: come back tommorow, untill one day they actually started doing it and they told me to come back in at closing time or just before, and they should’ve had the bike ready and inspected 30 mins before this but only a front wheel was replaced!
I came back the next day to find the gears were still a potential hazard so I went back and after some speaking, they agreed to give me a replacement bike in exchange for my defective one and when I came out with that, FLAT TYRE!! On the way home there was a Kwik fit centre so they pumped it up for me (with thanks to them) and they showed me that the air machine said it had only 10 PSI in the rear tyre, I have now around 50 PSI in the tyre and will be cycling to school shortly, so lets hope there is still at least a bit of air in the tyres!! Otherwise it trading standards, a solicitor and citizen’s advice!!
Hi” my mums bike started going wrong after 2 days,if you want a bike,best to go to a bike shop, ha ha
No way after buying my mum a bike at HALFORDS would buy another.
i will be leting people know not to go to halford as i left a bike over then when i went to pick it up it hadnt been kept so then they didnt know which bike it was. so when i checked thought it looked small so said i will bring child in to make sure it was the right one. they told me only one left so be quick so asked the price so could bring the money in they told me 99.99 i said ok then went next day they asked for 108 said no 99.99 wouldnt gave me it at that price so will have a sad little girl xmas day.
I work for HALFORDS and most of the staff dont care because HALFORDS treat their staff badly and only employ part time. Plus a lot customers talk to the staff like servants. Respect will breed respect and disrespect will do the same.
Purchased a bike 2 weeks ago. 3 flat tires, one pedal falling off later and i am pissed. Don’t tell me this is coincidence the bike is a piece of shit. Looking forward to my battle with halfords I am a law student and intend to be given a full refund or sue the shit out of them. I payed for it to be fit together properly and it’s falling apart. Dangerous.
I bought a Boardman Hybrid Comp from Halfords in late December 2013.
After doing 2,500 miles on it the bottom bracket was starting to fail and needed replacing.
I took my bike to the nearest repair shop which was Decathlon on the 29th Aug`13.
Unfortunately they hadn`t got a suitable replacement and said they were willing to fit one if I was to order a BB. So, I tried contacting Halfords on line to order the BB ( FSA power drive 68 x 113 8420 ).
They had none in stock. I resorted to searching many many other stockists on line but to no avail. All enquiries led to “out of stock”
Finally I took my bike to my local Halfords dealer who told me that their suppliers were currently “out of stock” but that they should be receiving the FSA BB after the 30th Sept.
By the time my bike is repaired and roadworthy I estimate that almost 6 weeks will have elapsed.
Lucky I don`t rely on my bike for work.
I think perhaps that Halfords should contact their suppliers and have a few harsh words with them as this is not doing their reputation any favours. When I do purchase another bike I don`t think I`ll be getting it from Halfords.
Eh???……You are blaming Halfords for a supplier problem that even other bike shops couldn’t get hold of?
i purchased a chris boardman team 29er which i have had for under 6 mnths and it is now back in the shop awaiting its 3rd bottom bracket ive had problems with halfords before but decided to try again as i liked look of the 29er …my mistake ! also i feel that some of the staff who deal with bikes there are quite rude and try to talk you as if you havent a clue ? but i am a fully trained bike mechanic so i know what i am talking about …i also have lots of people who ask my advice on what bike to get and where to purchase it from so as you can imagine i will not be recomending halfords nor will i be using halfords again myself . Its all very frustrating as when your bike is back in workshop your not out riding …
Hi, have a bike, wanted to increase the torque when pedaling in top gear (make it harder/go faster) now I understand the concept of the cogs (larger front crank/smaller rear) I explained that I wanted a faster set up the the guy in store and he advised me that he would get it looked at and come back with a quote, I was quoted 125 quid to upgrade the crank, rear cassette and “rear shifter” so picked it up, was assured it’ll be a marked improvement, so I paid and left, got home took bike out and on the flat got into top gear (21st gear) and my legs were still going like a train and the bike and I were pottering along like a snail, I’m not an elite athlete so didn’t expect that as for going downhill!!! I may as well take my feet off the pedals, basically they replaced a perfectly working set up with a cheaper alternative with no change in performance, so 125 quid for nothing…… I asked for my parts back but they “had thrown them in the bin, but could dig it out if I want them that bad” so I said yeah but when I collected them only front crank and cassette were returned everything else was just forgotten about, I asked where it was and was answered with blank faces, shrugging shoulders and a whole load of shuffling around and looking at feet…… Cheers for wasting 125 quid of my money….. Glad you think its perfectly acceptable to charge people that and deliver a totally dog s*** service…….
I have a Specialized Sirrus Sport hybrid that I bought from a friend,2009-2010 model i think.I wanted her ‘spruced’ up so took her to Halfords for a ‘full’ service.I told them that if anything needed changing then change it as I wanted the bike back in top condition.They kept the bike for 3 days and charged me £146 as they’d changed the rear cassette and chain plus put on a pair of end bars that i had asked for.They also told me that they provided a cleaning service for my bike so I asked for that to be done as well.It wasn’t done.On my first ride out,within minutes the chain had come off so i put it back on and continued (i am by no means a bike expert or mechanic,just someone who wants to get into a bit of riding).Literally minutes later,whilst pulling away from a set of traffic lights,the right crank arm snapped in two and gashed my ankle resulting in a hospital visit and 3 stitches in my ankle.Halfords deny any wrong doing despite ticking on the service sheet that they had a)checked both pedals for wear and tear and b)tightened both crank arms to manufacturers torque settings (i suspect that they had maybe overtightened them but they deny this).They still currently have my bike and claim that an independent assessor will look into the case and decide if they are at fault.My argument is that if there was any problem with with the crank arms (stress cracks etc) why was it not detected during the service before it caused me injury.I must add that on all the occasions that I’d rode the bike before giving her to Halfords I’d experienced no problems,i just wanted her tidied up a bit.All I would like from Halfords is for them to replace the damaged part.Am I wrong or being unreasonable?.What do others think?.I would appreciate any input so please feel free to reply
Wish I had read these comments before I made bike purchase for my son. Mountain bike bought Christmas 2014 now had four repairs – each time alleged by Halfords that it was impact damage caused by my 15 year old son! It is a mountain bike and should therefore be fit for purpose!
His friends ride the same trails and no damage to their bikes – not bought from Halfords I might add.
Halfords are selling sub-standard bikes – and customer satisfaction appears to be bottom of their list.
I would never buy another bike from this retailer. Please think before you buy – go to a reputable dealer – I have wasted £500 – don’t make the same mistake!
I used to work for Halfords it’s idiots like you who’s son mid treat the bike and expect Halfords to put it right!! As a bike shop owner bikes are returned or try to, because they have be dropped and the crank arm damaged etc. Look after your bike and maintain it. Tacke some responsibility for your actions and not to blame the shop!!!
I have a Boardman Hybrid Team, I got it through the bike to work scheme form the Mile End branch of Halfords. A few things went wrong, but the staff there were good and got it sorted. For 2 years it was fantastic and I was very happy.
Then I moved to Milton Keynes.
After getting a simple service that took a week it wasn’t right, making knocking noises. I was told it needed a new bottom bracket. I was supposed to be taking part in a charity race the following week so I just booked it in. A week and no phone call later I went in and was told the part was in and not fitted. I then had to wait till the last moment to pick it up. When I left I had to go straight to the event and on setting off I felt something wrong and took it to the event mechanic, he thought at first the bottom bracket needed tightening up, but on closer inspection turned out that the mechanic at Halfords had clearly ordered the wrong one and bodged it in, using parts of the original one and removing bits of the new one. The result was my bike was a “death trap”
Luckily, the site mechanic had a spare bottom bracket and fitted it making my bike rideable, but he said he’d never seen a botched job as bad as that and “nobody who knows bikes would do that”.
Halfords had essentially sent into a race with a bike that was not only unfit for purpose but very dangerous. I’m off in tonight to arguer my case with the manager, I have the left over parts of the botched job, video of the mechanic fixing it and several receipts.
Thanks for this Melinda. I’ve been at home for the past 10 years, and while I’ve had many moments of feeling isolated and unused, I wouldn’t trade a moment of what I gained.With the economy as is, I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay home, but I am forever grateful for the time I’ve had to simply live my life without the constraints and pressures of punching a clock.On a side note, we launched Esther tonight, and I had the girls fill out a survey with their top 3 things. I’m going to review them and perhaps do a similar post to thnip.eace~elasie
I was rather disappointed by halfords in bromsgrove as I had saved to get a Chris boardman hybrid bike and after taking it home realised I couldn’t get the seat post in, took it back to be told it needs grease to get it in ?? After a struggle from the bike hut I was told to sit on the bike to realise my feet don’t reach the floor, I measured myself in halfords and measured at 5ft 6″ and went with the 49cm bike as this was suited to 5ft 5″ so thought this would be ok, I was told by halfords bike hut staff to get a pipe cutter and cut the seat post down ?? I told them I am not going to cut the bike seat and they agreed to do it so I left the bike with them, I was told to return the following day and ask for the assistant manager, no body knew anything about my bike or why I was told to ask for the assistant manager , I was then told that someone had repeatedly tried to contact me several times to tell me my bike wasn’t ready , poor communication from halfords staff and still do not believe a seat post needs that much force to get it into the bike frame, the week earlier I bought a carrera woman’s bike for my wife in halfords in selly oak and had great service from there, I understand things go wrong with new bikes but just unhappy with the poor communication from the halfords staff.
I hope the person that built my son boardman MTB comp bike is happy with there self as my son Christmas is wasted due to the pedal falling off his new bike it had to go back and now when all his friends are out on there new bikes he is inside upset as a new bike needs to be ordered after paying 519.20 pounds for a bike a expect it to run perfect I will not be buying anything from this store again the service is shocking