Shut Up Legs
Down Under Member
Perhaps he made an honest mistake in replying to a very old post. I've made that mistake a few times. @nikkiss : please don't let the above responses put you off participating in this forum.
Last edited:
Bad experience with LBS - Dare I goto Halfords
- Thread starter splreece
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Perhaps @nikkiss did make an honest mistake or three and for myself I am looking for respect and consideration in the form of an explanation.
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
Yes, that much is obvious, it's a reasonable mistake for a newbie in particular to make (I've done the same). I don't see why anyone is owed an "explanation".
+1
yeah I didn't see well the date of the post.
david k
Hi
- Location
- North West
I've bought a few bikes from Halfords and my service has been excellent, even when having bottom crank problems they took it back several times and ordered an upgraded part eventually and never charged me a penny
Couple that my Local bike shop priced my up £180 worth of needed upgrades when asking for a service, I got some but not all, the bottom crank they swore needed changing was still going strong 2,000 miles further and still great when I sold it
I've never been back that bike shop and always share that story locally. It took him about 30 seconds to diagnose all these 'faults' requiring an upgrade , it's simply theft as far as I'm concerned
Shops still going
david k
Hi
- Location
- North West
Me neither!
One thing that has impressed me with Halfords is the free fitting they have done when I bought a new wheel for the cheap hybrid they fitted the flywheel off old wheel onto it free and then later when I decided a new flywheel was needed they took the old one off and put the new one on free. Just wondering if it works with stuff ordered online for collection.
Last edited:
vickster
Legendary Member
Nope. I’ve had to pay to have pedals fitted. Although as is often so with Halfords, the stores are very variable in the service offered or not
iateyoubutler
Guest
I dont do Halfords, not going to go there........
I used to have 3 LBS`s, one was literally across the road and very helpful -- they shut up shop. The next closest was a husband and wife effort - she was the rudest woman I have ever met, I won`t go back there on principle. Number 3 which is 5 miles away "would rather be selling expensive bikes than help me with a repair", p*ss off then!!
I now regularly go to a shop that I went to years ago, it`s a 40 mile round trip, but they always bend over backwards to help, if they can`t they`ll tell me somebody who will, and they are happy to take my money. I always buy them doughnuts and they always make me a cuppa, a winner all round which is why I`m loyal to them
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
That's it any shop is as good as its staff,my lbs once forgot to service my bike when I was on hols got back and it's at the back untouched and Halfords fitted me in on short notice for another repair
BurningLegs
Guru
I think the reason we keep getting threads resurrected is because of the new “similar threads” feature after the recent update. That feature displays threads that match keywords regardless of age, so I think people are understandably clicking through to those threads and engaging which bumps the threads up.
No need to get snotty with people who might post on an old thread in my opinion. If you don’t want to participate in resurrected threads, then don’t. Simple...
No need to get snotty with people who might post on an old thread in my opinion. If you don’t want to participate in resurrected threads, then don’t. Simple...
And does it matter if it's still relevant to the thread, the alternative is some one starting a new thread and then no doubt some one complaining such a thread already exists, a no win situation either way.
Last edited:
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
You get this nonsense in so many fields. Maybe in all fields?
Guitar shop, years ago, where I was told "you don't want to buy that one, buy this one" (it was a foot pedal selling for several hundred pounds where the one I wanted was £28 iirc) - I mean what the hell? Do they just treat everyone that walks in and looks a bit "green" as a potential mug?
I've had the same in bike shops - one told me the whole drive train needed changing and happily quoted me a fortune, the next shop made a small adjustment to my bike - while I watched - and the bike was fine afterwards for over a year. I finally had to replace the chain & cassette, but you have to do that every so often anyway.
Whether a shop sells you the expensive version of an item or a cheaper option, the thing you buy absolutely has to be "fit for purpose". It has to do what it is supposed to do. This is non negotiable.
A shop selling "cheap" stuff and then refusing to service it, and worse still blaming you for being stupid enough to buy it, is outrageous.
Guitar shop, years ago, where I was told "you don't want to buy that one, buy this one" (it was a foot pedal selling for several hundred pounds where the one I wanted was £28 iirc) - I mean what the hell? Do they just treat everyone that walks in and looks a bit "green" as a potential mug?
I've had the same in bike shops - one told me the whole drive train needed changing and happily quoted me a fortune, the next shop made a small adjustment to my bike - while I watched - and the bike was fine afterwards for over a year. I finally had to replace the chain & cassette, but you have to do that every so often anyway.
Whether a shop sells you the expensive version of an item or a cheaper option, the thing you buy absolutely has to be "fit for purpose". It has to do what it is supposed to do. This is non negotiable.
A shop selling "cheap" stuff and then refusing to service it, and worse still blaming you for being stupid enough to buy it, is outrageous.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
There's charlatans in every walk of life, for whom ripping off customers is their standard business model.
Personally, I am of the mindset to do as much of everything myself as possible, and cut the conmen out of the loop. I really can't be bothered with trying to bite my tongue when someone is trying to BS me into believing I need to give them a load of money to do something that doesn't really need doing, or I can easily do myself to at least as high a standard as them.
There is also the time and loss of use factor. If I was to take a bike to a LBS, I would have to spend time taking it, get home again by some other method, do without it whilst in dock, then make another special journey to collect it when done. It's far easier just to keep an eye on the overall condition of my bikes, and do small adjustments and lubrications as and when it becomes apparent they need doing. If you make a habit of doing little tweaks before or after each ride, then the bike should never even get to the state of needing multiple major jobs doing to it because a pre or post ride lookover will sort out 99% of potential issues before they become a problem.
Some people who don't like getting their hands dirty probably spend more on LBS servicing/repairs over the course of a year than I spend maintaining my cars. I have a similar dislike of the BS and rip-off antics of many franchised car dealers too.
Personally, I am of the mindset to do as much of everything myself as possible, and cut the conmen out of the loop. I really can't be bothered with trying to bite my tongue when someone is trying to BS me into believing I need to give them a load of money to do something that doesn't really need doing, or I can easily do myself to at least as high a standard as them.
There is also the time and loss of use factor. If I was to take a bike to a LBS, I would have to spend time taking it, get home again by some other method, do without it whilst in dock, then make another special journey to collect it when done. It's far easier just to keep an eye on the overall condition of my bikes, and do small adjustments and lubrications as and when it becomes apparent they need doing. If you make a habit of doing little tweaks before or after each ride, then the bike should never even get to the state of needing multiple major jobs doing to it because a pre or post ride lookover will sort out 99% of potential issues before they become a problem.
Some people who don't like getting their hands dirty probably spend more on LBS servicing/repairs over the course of a year than I spend maintaining my cars. I have a similar dislike of the BS and rip-off antics of many franchised car dealers too.
