£300 bike, this worth a punt?
Discussion
deadtom said:
can't fathom why they would have undone the stem bolts to resolve the bottom bracket issue. That's very strange.
Though I'm not surprised they asked you those questions when they rang you, we always had to ask similar questions in that sort of situation aswell; standard procedure if you will.
sounds like you got unlucky with the service you got though, as most Halfords stores are fine, and some are very good.
That is what's really bugging me to, why would the have any need at all to go near the bars, unless it was don on purpose? Though I'm not surprised they asked you those questions when they rang you, we always had to ask similar questions in that sort of situation aswell; standard procedure if you will.
sounds like you got unlucky with the service you got though, as most Halfords stores are fine, and some are very good.
Nicko_12345 said:
OK thought I would update, this is the exact email I have sent to there complaints department this evening:
<snip>
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Meanwhile, today, i pulled the exact same model of bike out of its box, bolted the seat, wheels etc on, adjusted the gears (a bit of a pain, but nothing too difficult) and had a happy 16 year old riding away on his first MTB. A couple of hours' work including 2 of cups of tea.<snip>
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The missing part on the BB is a factory issue and i would be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on that, but the rest of your experience and the blatant attempt to blame you by asking where you had ridden and if you had attempted repairs, is totally unacceptable.
You're clearly a more patient man than i am. Even the presence of other customers wouldn't have stopped me from going ballistic.
all i can think of is that someone thought the bike was in for some other reason and got to work, before being told that its in for the bottom bracket and they forgot to do the stem back up.
while i can sympathise that sometimes things just get overlooked, I always check and double check the safety critical bits (stem, bars, brakes, wheels) on any bike I work on.
while i can sympathise that sometimes things just get overlooked, I always check and double check the safety critical bits (stem, bars, brakes, wheels) on any bike I work on.
MonkeyHanger said:
the blatant attempt to blame you by asking where you had ridden and if you had attempted repairs, is totally unacceptable.
I hated having to do it, but I often had to ask the same questions when i worked at Halfords, because sadly you would sometimes get people make a mess of repairs then try to claim it was our faultdeadtom said:
I hated having to do it, but I often had to ask the same questions when i worked at Halfords, because sadly you would sometimes get people make a mess of repairs then try to claim it was our fault
I understand that, but he must of said it 6 or 7 times and was very blatant about it, my boss came with me to bring the bike back (wouldn't fit in my car) and he walked off after the third time before he said something.deadtom said:
I hated having to do it, but I often had to ask the same questions when i worked at Halfords, because sadly you would sometimes get people make a mess of repairs then try to claim it was our fault
I don't doubt that at all, but asking where the bike has been ridden because there is mud on the tyres can only be an attempt to fob a customer off imho. Whilst the Vulcan is "only" a £380 bike, it is still marketed as an MTB and is more than up to riding off road. This isn't a £99 Apollo after all...I wonder if they would try the same trick with the more expensive Carreras, or the Boardmans etc...?
Reply:
Dear Mr ******
Thank you for your email.
I am sorry to note your comments regarding the service received in our Stoke on Trent Store. I would like to assure you that Halfords prides itself on offering a range of high quality products and services and any concerns expressed by our customers are treated very seriously.
I have logged your concern onto a central database and the information regarding your experience has been made available for the Area Managers to read. As our Store Manager is one hundred per cent responsible for the service in their Store, I have also made the information available for them to view. This method is proven to be very successful in highlighting any shortfalls to the Line Managers responsible. They are then able to take any action they feel necessary with the individuals concerned.
I understand your reluctance to return to the Store for the cycles six week check. You can return the cycle to any of our Halfords Stores for this check as long as you have your proof of purchase. The next nearest Store to your address is at Unit 6, Springfields Retail Park, Newcastle under Lyme 01782 712803.
I appreciate you taking the time to highlight this problem and I hope it hasn't deterred you from shopping with us again. It is only through feedback from our customers that we are able to identify areas where we are falling short of our customers’ expectations and can redress them.
Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Kind Regards
Dear Mr ******
Thank you for your email.
I am sorry to note your comments regarding the service received in our Stoke on Trent Store. I would like to assure you that Halfords prides itself on offering a range of high quality products and services and any concerns expressed by our customers are treated very seriously.
I have logged your concern onto a central database and the information regarding your experience has been made available for the Area Managers to read. As our Store Manager is one hundred per cent responsible for the service in their Store, I have also made the information available for them to view. This method is proven to be very successful in highlighting any shortfalls to the Line Managers responsible. They are then able to take any action they feel necessary with the individuals concerned.
I understand your reluctance to return to the Store for the cycles six week check. You can return the cycle to any of our Halfords Stores for this check as long as you have your proof of purchase. The next nearest Store to your address is at Unit 6, Springfields Retail Park, Newcastle under Lyme 01782 712803.
I appreciate you taking the time to highlight this problem and I hope it hasn't deterred you from shopping with us again. It is only through feedback from our customers that we are able to identify areas where we are falling short of our customers’ expectations and can redress them.
Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Kind Regards
- ***************
Edited by Nicko_12345 on Wednesday 11th April 20:50
mig25_foxbat2003 said:
They've managed to make a personalised e-mail sound like a stock response - quite a feat. Their attitude is rather apathetic to say the least. No attempt at empathy whatsoever.
Yes, quite difficult to do. One can only assume that the person in question writes a lot of apologies. BTW: I'd remove the person's name.
kingI got a similar response when complaining about the BB on my Boardman. In the end I gave up, and will sort it out by myself. I'll never buy another bike from Halfords again, and will never recommend them to anyone either. Its a shame that Boardman have such poor staff handling their kit because in the right hands, they would probably be a decent manufacturer.
Nicko_12345 said:
Is that a typo or does that bike really have 120mm of front travel and 190mm of rear. I quite fancy a go on one now.Gizmo! said:
You're a tolerant guy.
After the handlebar event I'd have been demanding compensation...
OP, sounds as though you had a bad experience. Unfortunately, some Halfords staff are imbeciles. I'm quite lucky to have a store with a good bikes department close to me. Bike looks pretty good though for it's money!
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