Another P*SSED OFF Halfords customer

[Radar]

Evans Deansgate is one of the worst offenders - even if desperate for a part I would not go in.

Why? On more than one occassion I have been completely blanked by staff (who were standing behind the till, seemingly doing nothing, not answering the phone, not serving - as Grace Brothers would say "I'm free"), not even "I'm sorry be with you in a minute"

Went to purchase some Time ATAC cleats, "what's that? Why would we sell those?" Would it be possible to find out if you have any, or to ask someone who might know? "no"

Purchased some Time RXS cleats another time, bolts missing. "Not our problem sir"

I expect from a shop: staff who are curteous and polite. I also expect them to know the products that they sell. I don't expect them to know everything, but I do expect them to be honest - a simple "I'm not sure, if you wait I'll find someone who can help you" will keep my custom.

And they wonder why we purchase online? (Stock easily available, cheaper prices, usually next day free delivery, and courtesy - those little bags of Haribo, or energy drink samples are their way of showing customer care)

 

[ibbz]

Similar experience I have had in Evans Fulham and Wimbledon

And their phone service is also crap. Called serious stores asking if any of them were able to thread a steerer. Most DiDnt know that was possible, some tried to tell me to go for non threaded for various stupid reasons and NONE were able to actually do the job. Though they did keep me hanging on for a day, the head office workshop did, before some mechanic who was supposed to call me, after I much later and passing the buck got through to him, told me "sorry , no can do".
I went to Lock 7 bikes LBs in hackney who did it while I wait for not much at all.

Evans are more pompous halfords

 

[jimwise68]

Learn to do it yourself. You get so much more satisfaction and its actually quite simple a task. I only started lacing my own wheels as I couldnt find a bike store that would do it.

I've laced many many pairs of wheels now and if you do it systematically enough it doesnt need much truing at all.
First pair took me about 4 hours though but can now do a wheel in about 45 mins.

Halfords and Evans are box shifters and not specialists. I use them as and when i need to but will always try to use my local LBS first. Depends how impatient or desperate I am to get a certain part. As already mentioned, usually for boxes to send bikes out in the post.
Got a great relationship with my local LBS who doesnt mind searching in his odds and sods for the oldest/weirdest parts. I think he actually likes the challenge now.

 

[Rampage]

a very good friend of mine whom I trust implicitly is the manager/supervisor of the Deansgate Evans... and while I cannot vouch for other stores, I can say with absolute certainty that anything levied at Evans as a generalised sweeping statement, would NOT be tolerated at his store


G

Is that Tom?

I think all the Manchester Evans stores are excellent. The Chill Factoré one is massive. I took my old Klein in there once and spent a long time with one of the young staff converting it to V-brakes.
They price match CRC too, and they build all my wheels for me.
Only bad thing I can say about them is that an ex-member of their staff has deleted me from Facebook in the last week!