£90 for a replacement Bulb at Halfords!

£90 for a replacement Bulb at Halfords!

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Discussion

Ray Luxury-Yacht

8,910 posts

215 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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Studio117 said:
Well done chap! It's good to hear my pessimistic emails didn't deter you!! thumbup
Lol, no, all taken on board...thanks for your input again...and nothing that I hadn't maybe guessed about already...and having been an active member on the UK Ambulance Forum for the past year, have heard similar stuff from serving Paras...

I'm a big boy, and I reckon I can cope with most of the challenges, distractions and bad points of the job potentially. All I can do is approach it professionally, give it a go, and see what happens, right?! biggrin

I may or may not be posting back on here in the Jobs section in a couple of years moaning and whinging, who knows?! Let's hope not....



Studio117

4,250 posts

190 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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beer

P2BS

3,589 posts

142 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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k-ink said:
I can't wait for Halfords to die. They have shocking service, staff and prices!
That'll be a half-dozen clearasil-shareholders from my local store back doing their A-levels when that happens. That's what gets me about Halfords staff - they haven't got a technical clue.

But as long as there's cycle to work schemes, I don't think Halfords will be folding anytime soon.

Back to the bulb thing - when Xenon bulbs first came out, you had to go to a dealer for a replacement bulb for the aforementioned huge prices. And they would only replace a pair at a time stating "they have to be matched, Sir". Yes, bulbs are now widely available on Ebay/Amazon now for reasonably good prices, but I wouldn't rate £20/pair as a long term investment. Stick with Osram or Philips imo.


Pints

18,444 posts

193 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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mybrainhurts said:
Not really. The likes of Halfords have higher overheads than online sellers, so their prices have to be higher.
That didn't stop Jessops, Comet and all the other high street stores going belly up.
I'm not suggesting Halfords are heading there just yet, but there's surely only so long you can get away with selling £90 light bulbs.

g3org3y

20,606 posts

190 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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k-ink said:
I can't wait for Halfords to die. They have shocking service, staff and prices!
Hope not. Knowing my luck they'll go under the weekend I really need something and Halfords would be the only place open/accessible!

Halfords cater for the mass market who know little about cars.

Want wipers - halfords
Want bulbs - halfords
Want a new stereo - halfords

It's the standard (and well known port of call). These aren't the chaps who bother with local motor factors or are even aware of the existence of ECP/GSF. It's also quite unlikely they'll be looking to buy car bits and pieces online. They will pay the premium for convenience.

Do I use Halfords - rarely. Their 3 for 2 on cleaning products offer is decent. I also have one of the Pro toolkit sets.

Not for the enthusiast (unless on a Sunday afternoon) but serves a purpose imo.

Edited by g3org3y on Sunday 24th February 06:32

SirTK

210 posts

134 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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Last time I went was for some number plates.

"Certainly sir, as long as it doesn't have a 5 in it 'cos we're out of 5s".

I kid you not. And yes, of course it has a 5 in it.

TK

corozin

2,680 posts

270 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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History repeats itself.

These prices and service are the way that HMV fell victim to the Internet. It's only a matter of time.

wemorgan

3,578 posts

177 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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On the plus side, I've found Halfords range of tools to be good.
ECP/GSF always seem to have a very small range in stock.

m8rky

2,090 posts

158 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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I think it will be as sad day when/if Halfords go bust.Their tools and various other stuff are quite good and although I have access to motor factors I still find a use for them for some bits and pieces.
They definately fill a niche for small repairs to the non enthusiast motorist so are probably contributing to road safety in a way.
Yes they charge more but so does the local cornershop compared to a supermarket.Convenience costs.

Pints

18,444 posts

193 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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corozin said:
History repeats itself.

These prices and service are the way that HMV fell victim to the Internet. It's only a matter of time.
Halfords are at least making an effort to diversify.

johnnyBv8

2,417 posts

190 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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I also think it would be a shame if Halfords went bust. I don't use them often, but when I do it's because of convenience....I want some paint, or I want a part without waiting for it to be delivered. It also brings back fond memories of when I first started driving and tinkering with cars!

I never understand the vitriol at pricing - if you don't like it, buy somewhere else rather than moaning. Halfords can charge what they want, just as you can buy what you want! £90 seems high for a bulb change, but I guess the model for these kind of services is that they don't sell the service as frequently as they could, but they make excellent margin on those that they do sell.


Edited by johnnyBv8 on Sunday 24th February 16:15

CraigyMc

16,307 posts

235 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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zeduffman said:
Unless they are preying on people who think Halfords must be cheaper than manufacturers without even checking.
They prey on people who don't think.

C

CraigyMc

16,307 posts

235 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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johnnyBv8 said:
I never understand the vitriol at pricing - if you don't like it, buy somewhere else rather than moaning.
Most people on here probably do buy elsewhere. The vitriol comes from the knowledge that most of the general populous are getting ripped off through ignorance.

I don't like payday loan firms either, and for basically the same reason.

C

Negative Creep

24,942 posts

226 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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P2BS said:
k-ink said:
I can't wait for Halfords to die. They have shocking service, staff and prices!
That'll be a half-dozen clearasil-shareholders from my local store back doing their A-levels when that happens. That's what gets me about Halfords staff - they haven't got a technical clue.
They receive next to no training and are paid minimum wage - whatever the profit margin, not much of it goes on staff wages or incentives

johnnyBv8

2,417 posts

190 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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CraigyMc said:
johnnyBv8 said:
I never understand the vitriol at pricing - if you don't like it, buy somewhere else rather than moaning.
Most people on here probably do buy elsewhere. The vitriol comes from the knowledge that most of the general populous are getting ripped off through ignorance.

I don't like payday loan firms either, and for basically the same reason.

C
Stupidity tax?! If people are too lazy to work out when they're being ripped off, then they can either afford to be or deserve to be!

OT, but I expect that a low proportion of people getting payday loans are doing so for necessary subsistence costs - food, pay electricity bills etc.

Edited by johnnyBv8 on Sunday 24th February 08:35

New POD

3,851 posts

149 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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k-ink said:
I can't wait for Halfords to die. They have shocking service, staff and prices!
But they are open after the indepentants have closed for the night

Daston

6,074 posts

202 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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Halfords aint going to die. As everyone has said the average shopper at halfords has no idea their stuff is over priced or they could get it cheaper online.

Same story with PC world the hardware the sell is a joke £20 for a USB mem stick? £90 for a low end PSU? And yet they are still going strong

AndyS2

869 posts

257 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
And with regard to your broken 'Professional' wrench - it has a lifetime guarantee, so instead of smacking it on the floor like a disgruntled gorilla, just take it back for a replacement unit...
The the lifetime warranty does not cover moving parts, check the small print.

Feirny

2,500 posts

146 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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P2BS said:
That's what gets me about Halfords staff - they haven't got a technical clue.
That's a fairly brash generalisation there. I could say something equally as daft about your occupation, maybe?

AndyS2 said:
The the lifetime warranty does not cover moving parts, check the small print.
They're fairly lax about that now, as it's more effort arguing with people over it or trying to sell a ratchet repair kit, you'll find most will just swap the item.

Pints

18,444 posts

193 months

Sunday 24th February 2013
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Feirny said:
P2BS said:
That's what gets me about Halfords staff - they haven't got a technical clue.
That's a fairly brash generalisation there. I could say something equally as daft about your occupation, maybe?
Brash generalisations are what PH is all about.