[Closed] C'mon Halfords, don't let me down...

Call me a cynic, but I don't think this thread is done yet

same here.

make sure you check new frame over with a tooth comb, and what the warranty is actually with this one, a new 3 year or is it continued from last one.

Cheezpleez - I'm on the same page. But trying to stay positive, don't want to worry over nothing

Skeetsgb - Other than marks, I'd be hard pressed to know what I was looking for. Good tip on the warranty clarification though.

a tooth comb

😆 clearly a cycle maintenance tool I need to own!

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(fine toothed comb)

Skeets hasn't seen a comb of any description years! 😀

Am I the only one wondering why anybody would buy a bike from Halfords in the first place?

Probably. Boardman bikes are great VFM bikes, but only available at Halfords. Plus C2W schemes etc.

I would have no issue buying from Halfords. Wouldn't let them build it, tho.

mrvear - let's not get all snobby about Halfords. The boardman is good entry level mountain bike for somebody getting interested in the sport and Halfords provide a recognisable store front for people being unwilling to shop online or feel intimated by the LBS environment.

mrvear - Member
Am I the only one wondering why anybody would buy a bike from Halfords in the first place?

Probably

Am I the only one wondering why anybody would buy a bike from Halfords in the first place?

Not many other places sell well speced full suss trail bikes for less than a £1000

mrvear - Member

Am I the only one wondering why anybody would buy a bike from Halfords in the first place?

Yeah because this is the first cracked/snapped/broken MTB issue we've seen on the forum.... The fact that within 3 days they've arranged a replacement frame gives them a MASSIVE thumbs up from me.

mrvear - Member
Am I the only one wondering why anybody would buy a bike from Halfords in the first place?

Because orange is So enduro/this year?

Or possibly because it's a good product at a good price which happens to be sold at a large chain store which employs a significant number of monkeys but for all its failings is accessible, national and usually helpfuland actually wants to sell you a bike for less than a grand without sneering at you the same as if you just ordered two glasses of water and a side salad to share in a Michelin star restaurant like a lot of LBSs do.

Sure I'd check my kit over if I bought it at Halfords (odd, auto text wants to make that read halfwits) but I'd do the same anywhere tbh, I've had enough Monday kit from places with better reputations to know the error of trusting anyone else implicitly with something which hurts lots when it goes wrong.

I've no issues with Halfords or boardman bikes. Boardman bikes for the money cannot be beaten imo. Excellent geometry, great spec and nice features such as smooth welds make them stand out from their competition.

I fancy a 29er hard tail as a second bike for long mynd type rides and the 29er pro is at the top of the list.

As far as Halfords go, big chains like this don't feel the pinch at swapping frames or spending labour resource swapping over components etc for warranty jobs so just sort the customer out. Yes they may have monkeys but go above them and they will bend over backwards to help. Less cash rich lbs in my experience act with their own profit in mind and some times means as a customer we get a pretty hard time while they see if you can be fobbed off

It's a storming rebuke!

Unbelievable scenes Jeff!

*Chants* Halfords, Halfords, Halfords....

eightyeight - Member

mrvear - let's not get all snobby about Halfords. The boardman is good entry level mountain bike

No it's not, it's an excellent midrange mountain bike. Way above entry level, don't put your bike down!

Fair enough. I am just not keen on the big chain stores when there are still good and honest bike shops knocking about. I gues it depends where you live and whats available to you.

Great bike and a great result.

Not being snobby, and in my experience its the less cash rich LBS that have to offer the best customer service etc to stay afloat.

I guess it depends where you live and whats available to you.

Good lord, please do not mention the devil (Dave Hinde) on here again!! 😯

I would imagine that like many warranties, the replacement will not have a new warranty but will continue on the old one. Basically if your original warranty is about to run out it still will, not be extended. Quite common.

*Update Klaxon*

Rang Halfords this afternoon.

After checking with the technician they are still waiting on the frame from their supplier - I did think the two days quoted to me last week was mighty quick.

The chap said he would chase and call me back to give me an idea on how long it could take.

Nothing yet.

I would chip in that halfords whilst maybe not a technically minded as your LBS they do try. I found a Gore Phantom II on their website for £80 a few years back and called my local store where it was supposed to be in stock. Turned out they one (singular) in the whole chain, in Southhampton and they were delisting it. My store is Stirling, they tracked it down and got it sent up to me the next day!

*Update Klaxon*

This thread may soon have run it's course....

I rang today (I didn't get the call back on Monday...), but alas, good news, the frame has arrived!

A helpful chap said he will hopefully build it today. He asked if I wanted a 'Gold Service' which, annoyingly, I turned down before asking if it was free.

I'm expecting a new frame, so the only thing that can go wrong now I guess is if they've just botched a repair on the old one....

Now, who's interested in a Boardman FS frame? I've heard they're absolutely bomb-proof....

What on earth is a Gold Service?

What on earth is a Gold Service?

They use lotion and....oh hang on, I think it's just 'works' - breaks, forks, transmission etc.

I was like, no ta let's see what it looks like first!

What, the fella *breaks* your forks and transmission and stuff?

Doh. I meant brakes (though I have a feeling you already knew that)

sorry 🙂

Well this thread has turned out to be a massive anticlimax.

Sorry Molgrips, that's what happens when you don't order the 'Gold Service'

I work in a Halfords and we seem to be the only store that doesn't adhere to the gold/silver/bronze service tree. We do what is asked/required, don't overcharge and often won't charge for small stuff.
There are many of us with formal qualifications (Cytech etc) and they recently paid out for the top 50 stores to do a cycle technician training course at a training centre they set up. Only a pilot scheme so not fully accredited yet but we are assured it was more thorough than Cytech 2 + wheelbuilding.

One thing i would ask of you is IF you have an issue with Halfords service, deal with it instore with the manager first, as any complaint lodged via customer services just gets shunted back to the store manager to deal with anyway.

TL;DR don't bother with gold/silver/bronze service, chances are all same.

Thanks Houndslow, very interesting.

I have actually been dealing with the store manager. I think if things got silly I'd try and contact Rob Swyer, I know he's a big cheerleader for customer service.

All in all things have been (pretty much) spot on so far.

I knew it was too good to be true.

Took my bike into Evans for them to have a quick look at it.

- There is substantial play in the frame where the bearings haven't been tightened
- The wrong hardware has been used to re-attach the shock to the frame which is causing some vertical movement
- They have routed the reverb cable hose by cable tying it to the shock (a moving part!) which has caused a horrible kink. There is now some movement when you sit on the saddle - difficult to prove it wasn't there before, but trust me, it wasn't.

Ahhhhhhhhh. Kill me.

C'mon Halfords, don't let me down...

😆

There is now some movement when you sit on the saddle - difficult to prove it wasn't there before, but trust me, it wasn't.

confused,

1) are you suggesting a kinked fluid-carrying hose has caused wear in the keyways inside the post that restrict rotational movement?

2) You trust Evans to second-guess work done at Halfords?

[img] [/img]

Crashtest monkey.

1) No, I'm not suggesting the two are related, only that before there wasn't any movement and now there is. The hose bodge is a separate issue.

2) Yes. There is objectively play in the frame and, having taken a before picture of reverb set up, there is no room for interpretation that the hose has been reattached and threaded in a manner which would lead to future malfunction.

Never had anything but good service from Evans tbh.

Should've got the gold service...

Should've got the gold service...

Word.

Unfortunately this is exactly what happened to my brothers bike (see my earlier post) - the halfords bike 'technicians' hadn't reattached the rear triangle properly and ended up with lateral play in the pivots. He kept taking it back for them to sort but the muppets had obviously not put a bush in properly or something and just kept trying to tighten the pivot bolts back up to no avail. He ended up with a whole new bike eventually.

You (and he) would have been better off just getting the new frame off them and building it up yourself.