Halfords Customer Service Issue

Digger01

Registered User
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3
Had purchased a Mountain bike for my young son's birth towards end of June.He

came home last week with the front wheel warped .I looked at the wheel and could see no damage on the rim or any damage to the spokes.So I decided to bring this into the Halford store where I purchased this , I was told that the wheel was damaged and was suggested it was damaged by a number of different ways by a staff member ranging from his friends standing on the wheels, to him doing "wheelies", at worst this bike was driven of street kurbs. I specifically purchased what I thought to be a durable mountain bike with front suspension. I was told by there staff member in store that it would be roughly 40 euro's to fix.

To add insult to injury I was given the bike back by a staff member with the brake assembly totally disconnected ,I only noticed this after leaving the store,so I returned and was left standing there,so I brought this issue to notice of a staff member ,and they didn't seem anyway concerned and left me standing there, so I walked out with my son's damaged unusable bike. I went on their customer chat and was told a store manager in Blanchardstown would call me back by midday today. Expectedly nobody has bother to contact me, says a lot about customer care or lack of it.

What options are open to me if I cannot engage with this store??
 
What make / model of bike is it? What tyre pressures was he running and how often did he check the pressure? Many of the cheaper rims will require the tyres to be inflated to 40+psi at all times to protect them from damage, and hitting sharp edges like kerbs or potholes is the most likely way a rim will get damaged.

If you're not happy with the response from the store, you're best bet is the Small Claims Court, but it's difficult to say whether you'll have success there. Manufacturing defects in rims are rare, and so in the vast majority of cases, issues such as this are caused by misuse (use of racks that hold the wheel only are a big problem) or poor maintenance.
 
A warped wheel suggests its gone of true, usually because one or more spokes become loose and the tension across the rim becomes unequally distributed leading to warping. Spokes can and do become loose over time and the cheaper the wheel, the more likely it is to happen unfortunately.
 
It is tough to blame a retailer, bikes are not tanks and cannot take the strain some young people put on them when they are out enjoying the spins,a warped wheel sounds like it was stressed too much, he had most of the summer period to be utilising it so it presumably has signs of use.
 
He

came home last week with the front wheel warped .I looked at the wheel and could see no damage on the rim or any damage to the spokes.So I decided to bring this into the Halford store where I purchased this , I was told that the wheel was damaged and was suggested it was damaged by a number of different ways by a staff member ranging from his friends standing on the wheels, to him doing "wheelies", at worst this bike was driven of street kurbs. I specifically purchased what I thought to be a durable mountain bike with front suspension. I was told by there staff member in store that it would be roughly 40 euro's to fix.
Are you for real ? You have no idea what your son has been doing for 4 months which could effectively have damaged all sorts. I'm amazed the people in the store didn't tell you to go an d take a hike rather than even entertaining you. And you moan about 40 euro which kind of says it all really.
 
A warped wheel suggests its gone of true, usually because one or more spokes become loose and the tension across the rim becomes unequally distributed leading to warping.
Yep, standard maintenance requirement like keeping tyre pressures to spec.
 
Elcato I think you have been over moderating, hope your not in the customer service industry, in my industry I always give the benefit
of the doubt to the customer... when I purchase a mountain bike I expect it to be fit for purpose...I think driving off curbs is a reasonable
expectation that a mountain bike is cable of this. Still no word from Halfords at all, not even a simple call to find out what my issue is..
It is not about the 40 euro...it is about me exercising my rights to have a warranty I paid for , to be honoured.
 
A warranty will not cover damage caused by the person using the bike in a manner it was not designed for, you seem to be having a hard time with this, the wheel was impacted in some severe way otherwise it would still be rolling along like my own mountain bike which is on its original wheels for more than 15 years.
 
when I purchase a mountain bike I expect it to be fit for purpose...I think driving off curbs is a reasonable
expectation that a mountain bike is cable of this. Still no word from Halfords at all, not even a simple call to find out what my issue is..
It is not about the 40 euro...it is about me exercising my rights to have a warranty I paid for , to be honoured.

You bought a kids bike five months ago which has taken a beating... how often have you maintained it over the past few months - checked air pressure, checked the wheels were true, checked for anything coming loose, adjusted the brakes and all the other stuff you need to do as a bike owner?

Your warranty covers defects in the original product, not issues due to a lack of maintaining the bike. Use this situation to teach your son how to maintain a bike. You do know how right?
 
I am not the greatest shopper, but I know one thing, if I am buying a decent bike (even for kids) I go to a bike shop as in a family owned bicycle outfit. You can't beat the experienced bike shop worker who knows 100% what he/she is doing. This beats the full-time student working part-time in the big stores. Think about it . . . . you'll see I'm right. I can't believe people put their lives and the lives of their kids in danger buying products built by inexperienced people. While I have always owned a bike, I remember back in the day purchasing my first serious bike in Harding's (in Cork, don't know where they are now). I got a sound bike, terrific service and felt safe. I'm not forgetting value for money either.

Last year, I rebuilt three adult bikes (from bikes recovered in skips). Literally, I checked every spoke, every nut, every bolt, each item of the chain, gears, saddle etc. There is much more involved than toddling down to the bigger stores where real bike building knowledge is scarce.
 
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Hello,
I have a lot of sympathy for the Digger01.
My 7 year old daughters rear axle cog sheered of the hub assembly, on an Apollo branded bike from Halfords.

The bike was almost new, and she simply doesn't have the strength to cause a sheer force to happen. She doesn't ever stand on the pedals as she's too afraid to

Took to Halfords, no joy at all, told to suck it up and buy a new wheel approximately 70euro. From memory bike cost 119euro.

In short the steel used in these bikes is of poor quality from China or India, and my advice would be to avoid their bicycles.

A friend very handy with tools, was amazed how the fault occurred, managed to spot weld the cog back in such a way that two years later the bike is still going with 2nd child.

Last Christmas we took Lepers advice and bought from a family shop a German bicycle which we expect will last a lifetime, and I think in the long run this represents value for money.

Fidel.
 
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when I purchase a mountain bike I expect it to be fit for purpose...I think driving off curbs is a reasonable expectation that a mountain bike is cable of this.

You still haven't confirmed the make/ model, tyre pressures and how often they were checked.
 
Even the best of bikes need a bit of assistance when riding up a curb, the best I can explain is by transferring the wait from the front wheel to the back and lifting the handle bars
 
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