halfords: crap service! Choice phrases for complaint?

[John the Monkey]

Love or hate Halfords, the cycle industry would be f**cked without them.

All the work required to put the setup of the bikes right, presumably...?

 

[Hilldodger]

And the fact that they still sell 25% of all bikes and accessories in the UK and have a huge advertising/sposorship budget.

If Halfords closed tomorrow the cycling trade wouldn't be able to cope.

They've been the UK's largest cycle retailer since 1934 and were the first to open a chain of shops across the country selling parts and accessories....so love um or hate um, they must being doing something right.

 

[Riding in Circles]

Why didn't you just go to B&Q like everybody else? Or do you actually believe that Halfrauds cable cutters are special "bicycle" cable cutters for special "bicycle" cables?

 

[Riding in Circles]

Love or hate Halfords, the cycle industry would be f**cked without them.

Bull.

 

[Mr Pig]

Bull.

Agree. If Halfords shut people would just buy bikes in other shops.

But let's be honest. The crap in JJB Sports makes Halford's bikes look like the ones in the Olympics!

 

[dodgy]

Agree. If Halfords shut people would just buy bikes in other shops.

But let's be honest. The crap in JJB Sports makes Halford's bikes look like the ones in the Olympics!

Halfords bikes were the ones in the Olympics Nicole Cooke rode a Boardman.

 

[Hilldodger]

Agree. If Halfords shut people would just buy bikes in other shops.

Bullshit

You think bike shops could just pick up a 25% increase in trade?

It would take months for shops to increase staffing, stock, storage, cash flow etc just to cope.

And then there would be supply chain problems

 

[Danny]

Great letter, send it.

However I'm a bit surprised to find you shopping at Halfords in the first place. I would have thought that you would have seen them as being on par with Aldi.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

if our local halfords shut down, my lbs would struggle as they make a good few quid from fixing halfords' mistakes.

 

[Saddle bum]

Seriously, cable cutters are the one tool you really must go for quality, which is abit of a bugger really as thay don't get used all that aften.

I know you were stiffed on a Saturday night, (bad planning?) but considering the cost, it would be cheaper to let your LBS do the job.

 

[Mr Pig]

Bullshit. You think bike shops could just pick up a 25% increase in trade?

Across the lot of them, no problem.

You're not just talking about little specialised bike shops. Places like JJB Sports, LIDL, supermarkets, loads of places would sell more bikes at the bottom end of the market, which is where most of Halfords trade is anyway. Specialised bike shops probably wouldn't sell anything like 25% more, and even if they did I'm sure they'd soon gear up for it. Maybe not all of them, but some would and would grow. I've never heard of a shop going under because they're selling too much!

I don't know what you're talking about, 'supply chain'. It's all made in Taiwan crap. The same manufactures would just ship their bikes to different retailers but you can bet your backside that if someone in this country wants to buy a bike someone else in this country will figure out a way to sell them it pretty quickly. It doesn't matter how big Halfords is. If they shut up shop others would fill the gap.

 

[Smeggers]

Across the lot of them, no problem.

You're not just talking about little specialised bike shops. Places like JJB Sports, LIDL, supermarkets, loads of places would sell more bikes at the bottom end of the market, which is where most of Halfords trade is anyway. Specialised bike shops probably wouldn't sell anything like 25% more, and even if they did I'm sure they'd soon gear up for it. Maybe not all of them, but some would and would grow. I've never heard of a shop going under because they're selling too much!

.

Your forgetting about Halfords ability to 'create a market need' (as any big national does).

Collective LBS do not have the same marketing clout, so even if it was logistically possible, sales would still be down.

 

[Hilldodger]

Across the lot of them, no problem.

You're not just talking about little specialised bike shops. Places like JJB Sports, LIDL, supermarkets, loads of places would sell more bikes at the bottom end of the market, which is where most of Halfords trade is anyway. Specialised bike shops probably wouldn't sell anything like 25% more, and even if they did I'm sure they'd soon gear up for it. Maybe not all of them, but some would and would grow. I've never heard of a shop going under because they're selling too much!

I don't know what you're talking about, 'supply chain'. It's all made in Taiwan crap. The same manufactures would just ship their bikes to different retailers but you can bet your backside that if someone in this country wants to buy a bike someone else in this country will figure out a way to sell them it pretty quickly. It doesn't matter how big Halfords is. If they shut up shop others would fill the gap.

In the end they would but it would take weeks if not months.

Supply chain IE wholesalers. I know ours wouldn't cope with a sudden massive increase - it would take them months to gear up.

And, as someone who runs a specialist bike shop and a community cycling resource, I know we couldn't cope and neither could most of the bike shops in Leicester. Again, it would take us months to have the added capacity.

 

[goo_mason]

I don't think your letter's forceful enough, Bonj !

They're good at losing things - they lost the wheel they got me to return to them for a rebuild, and then thought the way to get around the problem was to ignore any phonecalls and emails from me asking why it was taking so long (they promised a one-week turnaround, and it turned into almost 8). I think they thought I might just give up and forget I was a wheel short if they left it long enough. And this was their Head Office too, not just the Saturday boys at the local store...

 

[Mr Phoebus]

It's a crack, I'm back yeah standing
On the rooftops shouting out,
Baby I'm ready to go ...