Jump to content

Halfords terrible service


Paul H

Recommended Posts

Ordered a web exclusive on line . New Compressor . Website said free delivery , but on checkout added £50 delivery charge 😨Changed the order to collection from store and the £50 disappeared . 5 days and a collection time advised together with a “tracker” which said on the way to shop . Collection time went and no collection confirmation text received so rang , held on hold for 10mins and no problems as goods were ready for collection . Asked why I hadn’t received text . Silence then I’ll check with the shop . 10 mins later , the shop will ring you sir only to hear goods were out of stock , though still for sale on the website . 
I wrote a stinker on Trustpilot and had a reply from Halfrauds as they wanted more info to investigate and to confirm my complaint was genuine . Lesson learnt keep away and take my business where it would be appreciated . If Halfrauds reply I’ll update this post 

Paul 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, Paul H said:

Ordered a web exclusive on line . New Compressor . Website said free delivery , but on checkout added £50 delivery charge 😨Changed the order to collection from store and the £50 disappeared . 5 days and a collection time advised together with a “tracker” which said on the way to shop . Collection time went and no collection confirmation text received so rang , held on hold for 10mins and no problems as goods were ready for collection . Asked why I hadn’t received text . Silence then I’ll check with the shop . 10 mins later , the shop will ring you sir only to hear goods were out of stock , though still for sale on the website . 
I wrote a stinker on Trustpilot and had a reply from Halfrauds as they wanted more info to investigate and to confirm my complaint was genuine . Lesson learnt keep away and take my business where it would be appreciated . If Halfrauds reply I’ll update this post 

Paul 

I do not trust 'Trustpilot'. Made an investment in 2014 due their rave reviews and came unstuck with a Ponzi Scheme. Lost over £10k! That's probabbly why Halfrauds questioned your review. Hope that you get satisfaction soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Electronic stock systems seem to generate problems for multiple businesses - particularly those with a significant number of stores and stock held both in store and centrally warehoused. Clearly something has gone wrong in this instance, but does it warrant a keyboard warrior moment? No business gets it right all the time, so how they apologise and react is key, no matter how frustrating it can be. This matter remains unresolved, so surely the 'terrible service' headline is premature?

@Wagger - I'm with you on Trustpilot and all other review sites. Generally only filled in by people with a gripe, or people connected with the company. The general satisfied customer doesn't bother, so they are not a true reflect of the business.

Gully

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Gully said:

Electronic stock systems seem to generate problems for multiple businesses

Only as reliable as the people that update them, any system is subject to human error.

About a month ago I placed an order for some stuff all but 1 item in stock. The other was something they only bought in when an order was placed - this was made clear on the site - and a delivery date of 10 days later was given. After I placed the order I received a mail to say that their supplier was out of stock, ok happens, they asked if I wanted to wait 6 weeks for it to come in or accept that they sourced it elsewhere at a surcharge of 20€ ( their price was 53€) I said it wasn't urgent so would wait.

They 'found' one with a another rival company and I got it within the week at no extra. that is good customer service.

I know it was from a competitor as it has their name stamped into the metal base plate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Wagger said:

I do not trust 'Trustpilot'. Made an investment in 2014 due their rave reviews and came unstuck with a Ponzi Scheme. Lost over £10k! That's probabbly why Halfrauds questioned your review. Hope that you get satisfaction soon.

I am very wary of any kind of online reviews; particularly in this current climate where anything that someone takes a dislike to can be subject to distortion or vindictive comment. An author friend of mine had a book repeatedly given an online Amazon rating of 'zero' by certain disaffected persons over here, who disagreed with his politics. A hotel I checked out had a rating of 1 given by a customer - hotel was great, food great, service great but it rained when she was there.

Halfords I tend to avoid, due to having wider choice of motor factors over here, but a few years back when they were selling off sets of Imperial spanners, I travelled nine miles to a branch (Newry) only to find they were out of stock, despite what the website said, but they checked and found another set almost twenty miles away (Craigavon). I drove there and.... out of stock. A work colleague eventually got me a set in Belfast.

I'm afraid to leave bad reviews for some things as when I left a very good review of apartments in Greece on Tripadvisor, the owner phoned me at home to thank me...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always believe that mistakes happen, but the art of a true 'professional' is how you put it right. As for my recent sa!e at Halfrauds, superb technology. Ordered online, auto discount of voucher, email and text confirmation of order. Email and text when ready for collection, about half an hour later. But.....when I called to collect, no-one on the till, no-one watching the till, waited 5 minutes for someone to spot me, store like the Marie Celeste. Not good but not worth making a fuss.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reviews: Which magazine examined this matter a couple of years and the critique was devastating. Across a number of review platforms they found about a third of all reviews were faked, fraudelent, paid for, or written by machines.

Now I know I really should get out more (!) but consider the Wickes Website for a bit of direct evidence. If 'drill' is entered as a search term then of the 479 items that are returned ALL are rated as 5 stars. Now repeat with the search term <brush>: of 160 products 5 star reviews are awarded to..............160 items.

Rant over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Halfords offer no questions guarantee on tools, that I have used and works - manager took a ratchet wrench out of a large set to replace the one I had mullered (through misuse, but shsh!)   The bike security U-lock I bought for new bike jammed!   The bike guy offered repayment, replacement or upgrade ( for the price difference) with no quibbles at all.   Plus the 'Trade' discount - I always go to Halfords for tools, consumables and non- marque specific parts.

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Halfords tools and their other products I have always found to be really excellent.

However, one of the  worst retail experiences  I have ever had involved a tyre fitting at a branch of Halfords in the north of England where  a fitter falsely claimed I had not given him the locking wheel nut necessary to do the job. ( I most  definitely had)It  was a bare faced lie.Perhaps he damaged it-I really have no idea, because I never saw it again after giving it to him.

Long story - but it was resolved to my satisfaction.The manager was very diplomatic and reasonable.It cost them a visit with my car to a main dealer, removal of locked nuts , supply of new locking nuts etc.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another "serial offender" is Kwik-Fit. Tyre fitter, swore blind the scratches on SWMBO`s car where there when checked in. We knew better, eventually after much discussion with the area manager we got it rectified, not the first time either, tried to sell her a new battery for the last car (out of warranty), when the issue was a failed alternator (still in warranty). I could tell him how it happened, the fitter rolled the wheel past the car and the rim caught the (painted) valence. Seen them do it before.

As for locking nuts, hers never come out of the glove box. No point, in my view,  If they want the wheels they have to get into the locked car anyway.

Pete

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My last Skoda had locking nuts for the wheels but when I collected the new one, back in 2017, and got it home I went through the boot and the 'tool kit' no locking nut remover. Went to the dealer and was told they don't fit them any more as just about every new car as alloys so people don't steal them and anyway thieves get round the locking nut system. Felt such a idiot, I hadn't even removed the plastic caps on the wheel nuts and seen there wasn't a locking nut.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, JohnD said:

Halfords offer no questions guarantee on tools, that I have used and works - manager took a ratchet wrench out of a large set to replace the one I had mullered (through misuse, but shsh!)   The bike security U-lock I bought for new bike jammed!   The bike guy offered repayment, replacement or upgrade ( for the price difference) with no quibbles at all.   Plus the 'Trade' discount - I always go to Halfords for tools, consumables and non- marque specific parts.

John

I've had similar positive experiences with tools from Halfords, good quality, excellent guarantee and decent prices with trade card discount. I also use Halfords for batteries, again reasonable prices with a trade card.

Nigel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Halfrauds....what a bunch of ******s. About 15 years ago I was given as a pressie a socket set made by them, but the ones with a lifetime warranty and yes, they are very good indeed. However, when the ratchet gave up the ghost I took it back to my local branch only to be told but someone aged maybe 18 that they will not replace without a receipt. I informed him it was a present and he said ask whoever gave it to me for said receipt. Who keeps one for 15 years?? I did point that out and he said 'I do'. My reply was 'do you have one for your Action Man then?' I will never go there again. Also heard horror stories about their tyre and MOT stations.

Alex

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the reply I got from Halfords . So you can buy an item and you’re not told it’s out of stock until you try and collect or it doesn’t turn up . Then you get no apology just can we try again . I think not 

Paul 

servlet.ImageServer?id=015w0000004C8ka&oid=00D200000000CMz
 
Case reference 17182021 

Dear Paul, 

Thanks for confirming your contact details. 
 
Items will stay up on the website when we are due to get more stock. Items are only removed when it is discontinued. 
 
If you still want the item, I can take a look and see when the item will be returning?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Piglet said:

Also heard horror stories about their tyre and MOT stations.

I've used a Halfords MOT station once (well, technically, my brother did) and the tester was so incompetent that we aborted the test. He was refusing to test it because it had a fly-off handbrake and therefore wasn't a road car. We pointed out that, being a Mk2 Spitfire, it left the factory with that handbrake and therefore was perfectly road legal and no obstacle to being tested. He insisted that he would have to phone the ministry (this was a bank holiday weekend so that wouldn't happen until the Tuesday) to check the rules.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to them once for a litre of paint, the young guy mixing it hadn't a clue (Triumph White code 19)

After mixing a drop of yellow and a drop of black into a very small amount of base colour he presented me with a little plastic bottle, like a 20ml touch-up tin. I probably still have it, it was nowhere even close to the proper colour. Not his fault, he was stuck on the counter with very little training. It's very noticeable that over the years their stands for welding equipment and tools have shrunk while the displays of rubber mats, child seats and in-car music stuff has expanded - they no longer cater for enthusiasts but for busy parents who haven't time to change a light bulb. Just reflecting modern times!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry and surprised to hear of Piglet's difficulty getting Halfords to honour their guarantee!

Untrained MoT inspectors?  Halfords are not the only ones to hire them.  I took my Vitesse to another chain, KwikFit, for an MoT.      When I returned, the inspector said that he was very sorry, he could not complete the test, because the centre didn't have the right equipment for a Four Wheel Drive Vehicle!   

His tyrefitter 'colleagues' behind him were corpseing with laughter, clearly they had misinformed him.      He made no charge for the incomplete test, and I didn't correct him but went elsewhere, permanently.

John

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Slightly confused why Piglet is so outraged that Halfords wanted a receipt, a receipt that the guarantee has for as long as I can remember been a stated requirement for their guarantee and sonething I think I've always been told "Make sure you keep your receipt for the guarantee." when I've made a purchase.

Bought a new battery a couple of months back and when I said "No" to their email address requet it was stated "You'll have to keep hold of the paper receipt then, in case you need to claim on the guarantee.".

And after 18 years... Think I'd have said I'd had more than my money's worth out of a ratchet!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thermal till receipts not only fade with time, they turn black with heat (as Doug noticed when he left one in a pair of trousers that got laundered), they also don't like sticky tape which used to bleach the writing, so don't tape them to a larger sheet of paper for ease of finding in the future unless you avoid the writing with the tape. The sale of goods act used to say that any proof of purchase could be used to claim on a guarantee, that's a credit card/bank statement of transaction or similar. I don't know if this is still the same.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My understanding those can act as a receipt, goes back to when people wrote cheques. Also lifetime guarantees are the lifetime of the person who brought it not the linked to the tools, so if you buy second hand tools that you know have a life time guarantee and the original receipt tech ideally you are not covered.

Interestingly I had a long guarantee on a battery from Halford if failed and when I took it back had to accept another battery with a shorter guarantee, as they had stopped stocking the longer guarantee ones.Graham

Graham

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suspect it depends on the Operative?. I took a paint kit back to a Branch in Hull, it was several shades away from the quoted colour. The youngster on the counter just scanned it and refunded it back to the credit card, I had the receipt but he never looked at it.

Pete

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...