cycle to work scheme stitch up! help required

have been over it a bit now, the best way for me to get something not from or through halfords is to insist on something so odd or rare that they can't supply it.

maybe surly? i know they can't get marin, so maybe insist on one of those, although i don't really like them to much, well the modern ones anyway.

the employer chooses the bike shops .

my local halfords has more stuff then the the LBS .

I've done the scheme through Halfords. Basically Halfords can order the bike from anyone in the UK. If you see a bike in your LBS, you need to get them to talk to Halfords and set up an invoice; Halfords will order the bike and you collect it from your local Halfords and pay through the till there with your vouchers.

Drop me a PM if you need anymore info. I ordered a bike from Merlin Cycles and collected at my local Halfords with no problems at all

Isn't this just cutting off your nose to spite your face? You should get what you want, not just something that Halfords can't get hold of? Surly, Marin, I'd rather just ride the bikes I've got (no offence meant to any one)...

Push them to let you get what you want, for where you want to buy it from. After all the scheme is meant to encourage people to get on their bikes, not create a monoploy for Halfords.. cherrybomb is right, someone is stepping over the line forcing you to buy from halfords.

bear in mind you are probabely the only person in the entire plant who has a problem with this,everybody else would be delighted to get a bike for half price.i worked as a mechanic in halfords for 11 years and i can assure you i know EXACTLY how to build a bike i googled the scheme and it seems like a lot of chains offer the service,maybe contact one and ask them for details so you can give your bosses a comparison?

OrangeRetro":50kv9633 said:

someone is stepping over the line forcing you to buy from halfords.

Click to expand...

Setting up this scheme is a large administrative effort for the employer. The service halfords offers alleviates a lot of this burden. You may not like Halfords out of some misguided principle, but the service they provided our company (800 employees with nearly 200 entering the scheme) was excellant.

Halfords offer a dedicated department to handle your application and I found them to be very helpfull. I phoned on several occasions to discuss various options and they always answered quickly and made a genuine effort to help.

Don't knock the employer for using Halfords, they are doing it with very good reason.

i don't knock my employer for doing the scheme through halfrauds, in fact i understand why, and i don't generally worry about halfrauds but bearing in mind my past job i'd rather chuck the money at my old boss' shop, the main thing i'm pissed about was not being able to buy from where i want. just think that it is out of order. from what i can tell the admin for the whole thing is done by a company laughingly called "fairtrade" and they deal with halfrauds. the problem would be that if i have to go to halfrauds to get the ball rolling once i have my voucher for a grand and ask for what i want they will say yes we can get that, fine, but i don't want THEM to get it just because i'd rather buy elsewhere.

my arguments to them were:-

would rather buy off a local dealer
better choice and can try the bike before i buy
get sized correctly
wouldn't be ordering bike "blind"
better choice of accessories in the lbs
would be set up correctly (local halfords is really bad, their last mechanic walked out in disgust at the manager's stupid attitude to bike safety and set up, my old shop then employed him)
if there is warranty issue, it's easier to go back to a dealer as opposed back to halfords for a brand they don't do.

and thats without going into the consumer choice to buy where i want etc.

i'm sure most people at work don't give crap that it comes from halfords but i do care, i will flag wave for the LBS everytime, i don't expect everyone to agree with that and i know alot of people used mail order because they haven't always got access to a good LBS, but i have. but it's my choice and i think it is way out of order to be forced like this which is why i'm looking for the loopholes.

At the end of the day, if you can find a loop hole, use it, but don't go without just because you can't find an alternative to halfords..

I'm hoping my company will take up the scheme.. I fancy a Charge Duster... mmmm tange prestige... mmmm

Hate to put it this way, but Halfrauds and your employer are both taking it in the rear to get you a half price bike. Why would you want your local LBS to get reamed, when Halfrauds has volunteered?

Just take your business to the LBS for warranty and service work, and let them make some good money. Your LBS would come out better anyway.

Buy yourself the bike you always wanted.

i was thinking that (duster), they can get them. i gonna push for a marin from where i used to work so i can get them to pay my old shop then choose something i like. bit devious but sod it!

the shop gets 90% of the price of the bike so the shop doesn't do too badly. our attitude at the shop was 90% of something is better than 100% of nothing.