classic beginners mistake

[Scruffmonster]

I can't persuade my wife we need another unless I can find one that pops the toast instead of requiring you to pull it out.

Just remind her that direct mechanical goes wrong less, and is DIY'able if it ever does.

I have a temperature guage on my car that works 50% of the time. I also have a light on my dash that tells me that my ABS isn't working. My car runs fine, my brakes work. The things that check to see if anything is broken, is broken. I was quoted £250 to fix the broken thing. When I explained to the guy at Audi how ridiculous that concept was he couldnt understand the concept. The world has gone mad. It's actually cheaper to buy a tool to turn off the light that tells me something is broken, than to fix the sensors that think something is broken but dont understand that it is they themselves that are broken.

Read that off to her verbatim, if it confuses her as much as it did me, she'll drop the argos catalogue in your lap.

 

[stephyt]

In the past I have worked for Halfords for my sins and if you get the right person they will usually try to exceed your needs when resolving a problem. But you have to be persistent if you get the wrong person, the right person will see you as a customer for life and go the extra mile so play on that.
The fact you have put it into writing (email) means they will have a record and should follow it through to a positive conclusion.
I would be interested to hear what happens.

so do u think they will do something about it or flatly refuse? got a generic email back acknowledging the email and say will b in touch or the store manager might be in touch x

 

[Psyclist]

I'm astonished that a bike can be made at this price and still be profitable for the manufacturer.

They're made in China, very cheap bikes. Probably worth £30 all in, and weght around 17KG.

 

[Psyclist]

so do u think they will do something about it or flatly refuse? got a generic email back acknowledging the email and say will b in touch or the store manager might be in touch x

You should get a refund/exchange easily. If you don't, make a complaint.

Thinking ahead, if you do get a refund, how much will be your budget? What sort of bike will you want too?

 

[sidevalve]

I use a "trax" for fun and, well, it does what it says on the tin really. I've knocked it about all over the farm tracks and woody bridleways and it comes back for more. I found a lot of "better" bikes aint much lighter [even some rigid MTBs are a bit porky] untill you get to much higher prices. Put some slick [ie smooth] tyres on it [if the budget is tight and the milage is low check out E bay for "road/trail tyres], perhaps a size narrower then just go out and ride it, you wont win the tour de france but you can have some good fun.

 

[biggs682]

stephyt do you have any other bike sellers in your local area , if so go and talk to them and be honest 1 of them might do a deal with you on your mistaken purchase for a better suited machine .

why not look at pre owned macines loads around and lots of choice

 

[festival]

]so do u think they will do something about it or flatly refuse? got a generic email back acknowledging the email and say will b in touch or the store manager might be in touch x[/quote]

I would hope that the wheels are turning and having passed you email onto the store, the manager will now be expected to turn this around. In my experience they are not always that bright but they will be under pressure from HO to resolve any issues to the customers satisfaction.
Make sure he understands that you asked for guidance and help from staff who you assumed had enough expertise to help make the right choice ( even if you didn't and just bought the one you liked the look of ) and you feel let down.
Tell him you realize your budget was at the lower end but the issue is not about price its about the best product for you needs and all you want is something thats better suited.
They will be able to match you to a hybrid style bike and depending on your size it could be a gents but I wouldn't worry about that as they are sort of unisex looking.
They made the error in accepting an easy sale without taking the time to do the right by you, and they should put it right.
I have refused to sell a bike to a customer if it was wrong for them.
Of course you could demand a refund and go elsewhere but where are you going to get a bike for £100? the supermarkets and other cheapo bike sellers can be worse than halfords.
Hopefully you will get something easier to ride and do you for now, if you take to cycling you can move on to something better in time.

 

[stephyt]

have heard back from halfords sayin they may exchange at managers discretion after inspectin it for resale condition will copy n paste the email later when I get on me laptop x

 

[biggs682]

have heard back from halfords sayin they may exchange at managers discretion after inspectin it for resale condition will copy n paste the email later when I get on me laptop x

that might be a result

 

[stephyt]

Dear Mr. Turner,

Thank you for your email. I am sorry to note your comments regarding the bike not being suitable for your requirements.

It is always disheartening to hear of situations where our customers experience inconvenience and feel let down. I wish to assure you that Halfords endeavours to maintain a good relationship and will always seek to use customer responses as a way of improving our customer service.

Bike exchanges are down to the Store Manager's discretion and are subject to the bike being inspected. This is mainly due to exchanged items need to be in a re saleable condition.

Please either call in to the Cramlington Store or contact them on 01670 730201, where they will be happy to assist you further.

I do apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Kind regards;


Sue Madeley
Customer Service Advisor

^^^^^^ the email I received ^^^^^ although I'm not "mr" lmao well not last time I checked anyways

 

[HovR]

Hopefully they will exchange or refund you! Keep us informed.

If you do go looking for a new bike, be sure to look for one with no suspension. A £99 rigid bike will be MUCH better than a £99 full suspension bike.

Cheaper full suspension bikes tend to have ridiculous amounts of tubing to be strong enough to cope with the odd stresses that full suspension adds to the frame - And all of this adds weight.

Another thing to note is that mens/unisex style frames will generally speaking be lighter than women's step-through frames. This is because step through frames will naturally want to "fold in half" due to the geometry of the frame, and hence are made out of thicker/heavier tubing.

If £99 is your max budget, then something like this will be better than a full-susser, although it is made of lower end steel, which tends to be quite heavy. (Still not as heavy as full suspension though).

The more you can spend, the better.

 

[stephyt]

Hopefully they will exchange or refund you! Keep us informed.

If you do go looking for a new bike, be sure to look for one with no suspension. A £99 rigid bike will be MUCH better than a £99 full suspension bike.

Cheaper full suspension bikes tend to have ridiculous amounts of tubing to be strong enough to cope with the odd stresses that full suspension adds to the frame - And all of this adds weight.

Another thing to note is that mens/unisex style frames will generally speaking be lighter than women's step-through frames. This is because step through frames will naturally want to "fold in half" due to the geometry of the frame, and hence are made out of thicker/heavier tubing.

If £99 is your max budget, then something like this will be better than a full-susser, although it is made of lower end steel, which tends to be quite heavy. (Still not as heavy as full suspension though).

The more you can spend, the better.

thanx for the info.

not sure what to do as for gettin a refund or exchange gunna have to talk to sumone instore and go from there I can maybe stretch to abt £140 now. don't mind havin a men's or unisex bike so long as it fits lol

 

[Psyclist]

thanx for the info.

not sure what to do as for gettin a refund or exchange gunna have to talk to sumone instore and go from there I can maybe stretch to abt £140 now. don't mind havin a men's or unisex bike so long as it fits lol

I'd go for this if you can exchange and got to £140, Or if you can stretch a little further, this should do.

If you can get cash back, I'd go elsewhere and buy used on eBay, and pay by Paypal (Goods option)

This way, you can get your money back if the bike is buggered. Best idea is to buy off of people with good feedback too.

You'd be surprised what you can get for £140 used compared to Halfords cheap made bikes.

 

[annedonnelly]

thanx for the info.

not sure what to do as for gettin a refund or exchange gunna have to talk to sumone instore and go from there I can maybe stretch to abt £140 now. don't mind havin a men's or unisex bike so long as it fits lol

Steph,

Halfords returns policy says that you can return goods within 28 days with receipt & packaging. Not sure if that includes bikes but definitely worth asking.

Have you talked to the people you're doing the ride with - if some of them are keen cyclists they may know of a second hand bike that would suit you. Or Recyke Y Bike in Byker refurbish old bikes and sell them second hand.

 

[stephyt]

@kenetic uk ... I don't have eBay anymore quite like the first one u put a link to
this bike is only gunna last me maybe till end of the year gunna save up and get one from my lbs
I'm off up the shops soon so will pop on to halfords have a word with someone .