# "Evans=good, Halfords=bad" - it's official!



## jay clock (21 May 2012)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...er-service-lack-staff-damning-new-survey.html

Not been to Evans lately but the cycle section of Halfords certainly has generally poor service from my experience. The only redeeming feature is occasional 3for2 offers that render items like tubes a bit of a bargain


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## Monsieur (21 May 2012)

Total crock - depends on which branch, when etc....
Halfords yesterday were excellent for me - went to M&S last week and gave up after waiting for 10 minutes in the slowest queue in the world.
Surveys need to say who they asked, when they were asked, sex of survey-ists etc...

At least the daily mail link took me to some rather nice photos of a very fetching young lady called Tulisha(?) - some pop star I believe


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## subaqua (21 May 2012)

http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=halfords+&word2=evans


google fight confirms


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## redcard (21 May 2012)

Monsieur said:


> Total crock - depends on which branch, when etc....


 
Yes. That's why they came top.


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## derrick (21 May 2012)

I can't beleive people go back to halfords a second time, once was enough for me.


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## Psycolist (21 May 2012)

The only reason I visit Halfords is to see if any so called "weekend staff " have been let loose with a pricing gun, if you get my drift.


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## musa (21 May 2012)

Ive made friends at the one behind my house, so hey can't complain (well you can)


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## brand (2 Sep 2014)

Chain snapped in the middle of nowhere (on the Pennines somewhere). Pitch black could see a town at the bottom of the hill. free wheeled down, came across a Halfords and they kept the store opened till the mechanic put a new chain on.
I think there Carrera bikes are okay and good value for money. Don't shop there much as they don't stock much in Louth. Also I try to avoid chain stores anyway. There is a good bike shop in Louth which just moved to bigger premises. Unlike Halfords they can order something and it will be there next day. Seem to have much more staff now. Still no idea what I would have have done that night. Can never slag them down after that.


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## Brandane (2 Sep 2014)

In my experience, it is "Evans bad, Halfords worse" as a general rule; but like monsieur says, there are variations between branches, and even between staff in the same branch.


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## Freds Dad (2 Sep 2014)

LBS = better


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## jdtate101 (2 Sep 2014)

I'll only use Evans and Halfords if it's convenient at the time and all I'm shopping for is Brand items, like tubes, gels or lubes etc... Anything that might require some larger financial outlay or a conversation, then it's LBS or I'll do the research online and Wiggle it.


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## Drago (2 Sep 2014)

Evans is great. Test ride a bike there then buy it cheaper from Wiggle!


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## Learnincurve (2 Sep 2014)

It all depends on if you get the young man who cares or the useless one.


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## lesley_x (2 Sep 2014)

I have always had exemplary service from Evans and my LBS are overpriced and obnoxious. My LBS servicing was awful and I had to pay again to get another shop to put it right. 

It's a shame really.

Although I do agree about halfords.


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## Brandane (2 Sep 2014)

lesley_x said:


> I have always had exemplary service from Evans and my LBS are overpriced and obnoxious. My LBS servicing was awful and I had to pay again to get another shop to put it right.
> 
> It's a shame really.
> 
> Although I do agree about halfords.


Name and shame! 
Was it the one I was in today; starts with a D and ends in another name for beers? (My favourite bike shop BTW but I know others have different opinions of them).
They have a very nice blue Surly LHT with 26" wheels, reduced from £1000 to £850 . I settled for a pair of mudguards instead .


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## MontyVeda (2 Sep 2014)

Is someone taking a Daily Mail article seriously???


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## paul04 (2 Sep 2014)

There is a Halfords on the same retail park where I work, so I do call in for parts for the bikes, never had a problem, nice friendly staff.


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## Brandane (2 Sep 2014)

paul04 said:


> There is a Halfords on the same retail park where I work, so I do call in for parts for the bikes, never had a problem, nice friendly staff.


They are usually fine for that. Just don't ask them to arrange the "parts" into a "bike".


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## Drago (2 Sep 2014)

Back when I was responsible for our forces bikes we had our service contract with Halfords, against my advice. One bike went away for new BB bearings and came back with both cranks pointing in the same direction. Nuff said.


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## jay clock (2 Sep 2014)

brand said:


> Chain snapped in the middle of nowhere (on the Pennines somewhere). Pitch black could see a town at the bottom of the hill. free wheeled down, came across a Halfords and they kept the store opened till the mechanic put a new chain on.
> I think there Carrera bikes are okay and good value for money. Don't shop there much as they don't stock much in Louth. Also I try to avoid chain stores anyway. There is a good bike shop in Louth which just moved to bigger premises. Unlike Halfords they can order something and it will be there next day. Seem to have much more staff now. Still no idea what I would have have done that night. Can never slag them down after that.


I like the chain store joke.....

My LBS also offer to order stuff in. Isn't that just Wiggling it for me, plus I have to go back to the shop to collect?


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## lesley_x (2 Sep 2014)

Brandane said:


> Name and shame!
> Was it the one I was in today; starts with a D and ends in another name for beers? (My favourite bike shop BTW but I know others have different opinions of them).
> They have a very nice blue Surly LHT with 26" wheels, reduced from £1000 to £850 . I settled for a pair of mudguards instead .



I used to really like said bike shop you mention that rhymes with ales and have bought several bikes from them but in the past year for me it's gone downhill. It's one of my fave shops to go browse but the staff have let me down.

I put my secteur in for service with them and explicitly asked them to have a look at the gears. When I picked it up and paid the gearing was worse. I cut my losses and evans serviced it (paid again) and it came out from them like a new bike.

The TCX they sold me last septemberish has had headset issues already and when it was in getting fixed they lost it. Eventually traced it, had been taken to their warehouse and returned to stock?! The lad who sold me the bike was very attentive and tbh if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have bought. He put a lot of effort into fitting the bike, even after I had bought it and had issues. 

I don't find them particularly approachable and get the impression you have to be one of the lads to be acknowledged by their staff. When I went in with my mum to buy a bike for her it was a total and absolute joke. Said to the guy we were looking for a decent alu hybrid with carbon or steel rigid fork and reasonably thin tyres. The guy had obviously seen two women come in, and that my mum was older and instantly tried to push us into this big steel step through monstrosity with front suspension and springy saddle. I mean obviously every over 60 women needs something with a basket on the front right? He was so pushy we walked out and over to Alpine bikes who sold my mum a lovely Trek hybrid, exactly what we wanted. She test rode, they did the safety check there and then and left within the hour with a happy mum who is really enjoying cycling now and has seen great health improvements. 

Evans on the other hand have been invaluable over the past year with getting me set up clipless and servicing etc. They are always friendly and chatty no matter who I speak to.


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## Brandane (2 Sep 2014)

lesley_x said:


> I used to really like said bike shop you mention that rhymes with ales and have bought several bikes from them but in the past year for me it's gone downhill. It's one of my fave shops to go browse but the staff have let me down.
> 
> I put my secteur in for service with them and explicitly asked them to have a look at the gears. When I picked it up and paid the gearing was worse. I cut my losses and evans serviced it (paid again) and it came out from them like a new bike.
> 
> ...



That is a shame, as Dales used to have great customer service. Funny you should mention that, as today I was drooling over the Surly LHT for a good 10 minutes but nobody came over and tried to twist my arm. Perhaps a good thing from my bank balance's POV .

Great to hear that your mum got sorted out with a bike she likes, and even better that she is making good use of it and reaping the benefits .


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## lesley_x (2 Sep 2014)

Brandane said:


> That is a shame, as Dales used to have great customer service. Funny you should mention that, as today I was drooling over the Surly LHT for a good 10 minutes but nobody came over and tried to twist my arm. Perhaps a good thing from my bank balance's POV .
> 
> Great to hear that your mum got sorted out with a bike she likes, and even better that she is making good use of it and reaping the benefits .



I bought my first bike from them and had nothing but praise for them but I don't know if the staff have changed or what? Or with them opening two new shops I've noticed the boss seemed to be spending a lot of time in the EK shop and maybe Glasgow is suffering for it? Losing my TCX was the final straw I think haha. 

It's a shame as they have a lovely shop with looooovely bikes but I don't know I could buy again from there after buying my TCX from them and the service I've received with that.


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## brand (3 Sep 2014)

Drago said:


> Back when I was responsible for our forces bikes we had our service contract with Halfords, against my advice. One bike went away for new BB bearings and came back with both cranks pointing in the same direction. Nuff said.


What army uses bikes? I am not going to say it....I am not going to say it......I am not.. I am not.. Dads army? Sorry just couldn't help myself.


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## brand (3 Sep 2014)

jay clock said:


> I like the chain store joke.....
> 
> My LBS also offer to order stuff in. Isn't that just Wiggling it for me, plus I have to go back to the shop to collect?


Nobody else did!
All I am hearing on this thread is about local bike shops, yet everyone is talking about big companies not local shops. I go to my local bike shop for repairs and advice, one smells of pot the other doesn't. If I happen to be in the area I give wacky backy man my business. Sometimes he lets me down but he always sorts it out. Now, 2 of my bikes are Rolhoff equipped so neither will be getting much work from me. But they are both local 6 or 8 miles away. Are all these big name companies local to you lot?


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## Road_Runner (3 Sep 2014)

I personally am not keen on Evans cycles for any form of product advice. I've heard quite a lot of utter crap from quite a few of them and don't trust their advice anymore. 

I hate Halfords for cycling. Not only do they sell awful bikes, but they offer complete crap advice and can't put a bike together to save their life. I walked in their store on the first day that they released the new Carrera TDF (completely by accident).....it was advertised at half price. After a conversation with an employee for a while, i managed to get the person to admit that the bike was indeed only worth the half price and that the full price was over inflated as a selling con.

I say support the local bike shop as much as possible!


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## brand (3 Sep 2014)

Road_Runner said:


> I
> I say support the local bike shop as much as possible!


You will probably save money if you are not good at repairs. For a start off you will buy the right part!


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## Simontm (4 Sep 2014)

Evans is as bad as Halfords' reputation if based on my recent experience. 

Took the bike in for service on Saturday - the plastic guard on the cassette was driving me mad with its squeaking.

Day later - still squeaking, in fact it was now constant... 

This morning, my back brake seized up and the LBS I took the bike into said someone at Evans had set the left calliper of the back brake on a higher tension spring than the right which caused it to slam the pad into the rim and lock. 

LBS spent 10 minutes rebuilding my brake. 

In addition, my 78 year old father came back from the same Evans with a 27 geared hybrid for his one mile morning cycle to his coffee shop. Tried to persuade him to take it back but I think he felt foolish.


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## vickster (4 Sep 2014)

I use Evans for kit as it's easy and they have a wide choice (also in the more generous sizes  ). Usually, I buy online, get delivered or collect in store, return in store. 

I have had them do some maintenance bits, fix a puncture (£5 with disc brakes and M+ tyres, a bargain). They fitted a rack too and a pair of wheels I bought from them. I had a long 'discussion' about why they were trying to charge me for fitting when their website clearly stated free fitting for wheels - I realise it's quite a lot of work but then don't offer the service, I would have gladly paid £25 or whatever it was. 

I wouldn't choose to buy a bike from them though, a friend recently did as they had the bike she wanted at the price she wanted to pay, seems to be ok - although it did need adjusting during her test ride.

For servicing, I'd prefer to use a small local shop than a chain

Halfords, just for stuff on special like inner tubes. Again, it's easy


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## vickster (4 Sep 2014)

[QUOTE 3261625, member: 259"]You get more middle class people in Evans. Some of the people I've seen in Halfords probably have manual jobs.[/QUOTE]
Stone them!


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## brand (4 Sep 2014)

[QUOTE 3261625, member: 259"]You get more middle class people in Evans. Some of the people I've seen in Halfords probably have manual jobs.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, as I am working class scum I will avoid it.


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## threebikesmcginty (4 Sep 2014)

brand said:


> Thanks, as I am working class scum I will avoid it.



He'll have you on 'ignore' if you're working class.


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## nappadang (4 Sep 2014)

Not read the whole thread but Evans are not a shining example of stunning customer service. 
They (Metro Centre branch) made me wait best part of 3 weeks for a warranty issue because they were busy selling Xmas bikes.


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## Drago (4 Sep 2014)

What about Wiggle? I only eve used them for the first time last week and they're yanking my chain.


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## Cubist (4 Sep 2014)

brand said:


> What army uses bikes? I am not going to say it....I am not going to say it......I am not.. I am not.. Dads army? Sorry just couldn't help myself.


Missing apostrophe shocker. 

He meant his _force's bikes_.


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## brand (4 Sep 2014)

Cubist said:


> Missing apostrophe shocker.
> 
> He meant his _force's bikes_.


Yeah, not really answering my question though but as it wasn't only said humourously, I was expecting an answer. There you go spelling and grammar to correct!


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## Cubist (4 Sep 2014)

No, I think you are missing the point. Drago is a cop. 


brand said:


> Yeah, not really answering my question though but as it was only said humourously, I was expecting an answer. There you go spelling and grammar to correct!


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## brand (5 Sep 2014)

Cubist said:


> No, I think you are missing the point. Drago is a cop.


Arhh got you now, didn't know he was a ***. Didn't like him before now I de**** him!!


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## brand (5 Sep 2014)

[QUOTE 3263401, member: 259"]This thread just gets weirder by the hour![/QUOTE]
It does! you working class hating **** 
I forgot what this thread was about...not that I care!


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