Halfords named worst UK retailer

[scr8pdo]

One thing I will say though is that the trade card is worth its weight in gold, and their tools and even there own products like oil etc are top quality stuff, if you can get a Halfords trade card GET ONE! they save an absolute, absolute fortune, also at the till, they give you 2 reciepts, one trade and one retail

For example a set of front brake pads for my old Golf was about £20 odd but with the trade card cost something silly like £6! seriously

[Spike1918]

Yep I know

[GMad]

Ever since they were kind enough to give me a Trade Card, I have used them for consumable items, batteries, bulbs, filters and the like and always found them (the staff) to be fine.
But then some believe that Volvo drivers smell of p1ss and biscuits and wear beige, another one I don't listen to..

[LJD]

If i was running the company , i would sack all the staff and start again. Using the "Sears" (USA) type approach to staffing . Good old boys in the tools etc who know bloody everything about tools . I find older staff in shops far superior .

I think Halfords have never tried to employ good staff ,they seem to have only looked for idiots

[LJD]

Originally Posted by GMad

Ever since they were kind enough to give me a Trade Card, I have used them for consumable items, batteries, bulbs, filters and the like and always found them (the staff) to be fine.
But then some believe that Volvo drivers smell of p1ss and biscuits and wear beige, another one I don't listen to..

£5.00 for instant business cards and a few invoices printed off the net got me one !

[Marty Dolomite]

I find that the customer service aspect varies from store to store, we have five halfords within a few miles and one of them has a young guy (about 19-21) who is really into his classic minis and owns a few so is good to speak to about generalcar stuff and knew what i meant when I asked about balljoints for a Dolomite (which they used to sell), and in the same store there are a few 'deer in the headlight' types if asked anthing not ripspeed related.
I do shop at Halfords for tools and service items as it can be cheaper with a trade card.
Earlier this year i urgently needed a dizzy cap for the 740, my normal supplier didn't have one, the trade place said 'tomorrow' and to my amazment Halfords had one in stock, the cap and rotor arm cost less than at the trade place due to their price match scheme (trade only).

In general I would never advice anyone to shop at Halfords unless they know what they want and what the part looks like.

[Axionknight]

Originally Posted by LJD

If i was running the company , i would sack all the staff and start again. Using the "Sears" (USA) type approach to staffing . Good old boys in the tools etc who know bloody everything about tools . I find older staff in shops far superior .

I think Halfords have never tried to employ good staff ,they seem to have only looked for idiots

Cos' they are cheaper. In this age driven by profit and the bottom line, customer service is no longer a firms highest priority, the banks and share holders are the ones who these companies answer to and they only care about one thing...... And if that means having some crater faced tit whose vehicular experience stops at fitting a green cone air filter to his saxo/corsa...... So be it.

[Marty Dolomite]

Originally Posted by LJD

If i was running the company , i would sack all the staff and start again. Using the "Sears" (USA) type approach to staffing . Good old boys in the tools etc who know bloody everything about tools . I find older staff in shops far superior .

I think Halfords have never tried to employ good staff ,they seem to have only looked for idiots

Companies like B&Q have done the same so you get an old boy who used to be an electrician in the electrical dept and as a rule I find the older generation do actually want to work and help rather than feel as so they are being forced to do so just so they can buy the lastest fad thing for their corsa.

*grumpy old(ish) bloke mode off*

[andy_d]

the halfrauds trade card IS plastic gold
i Really dont mind paying the Trade prices for the bulbs and other consumables
as for parts for car,, err no main dealers or the local motor factors
oil if its on offer,screen wash too (unless aldi/lidl had some in and i stocked up)
Some car cleaning stuff when theres a 3 for 2 (and the 3 for 2 beats the trade card prices,,,)
tools With the trade card are ok, i Do like the "bust it we replace it" feature,,and so far so good they Have
Ditto the battery i had for them for the 940,, replaced it @ 4 years old no questions asked,5 year warranty >win ,, its powering the S40 now,, as i got it replaced a month before the 940 decided to have the Gremlins under the bonnet + in the wireing looms + Fuse boards + relays,,

Advice ?? yes if its "where have you moved X to",, owt else dont be silly

[LankyTim]

Our local Halfords is useless, on the other hand I went to one in Cornwall when my 1986 Audi 100 broke down after I broke the rotor arm by putting it back on wonky. The guy knew exactly what type of arm I needed, even though the dizzy was from an Audi 80, not a 100.

How do I get a trade card, when i'm not strictly trade? I do a bit of home mechanics for friends and family, plus buy and sell the odd car, but that's it.