Halfords - Soton Winchester Road

“Warning: Your Safety at Risk - Read before choosing Halfords (Winchester Rd)!” I cannot stress enough the importance of reading my review about Halfords (Winchester Rd) for the sake of your safety and that of your children. I had made a booking for my partner's mountain bike, specifically for their touted 'Silver Service'—a service that Halfords claims includes a comprehensive 'Full Safety and 32 Point Bike Assessment.' Upon arriving at Halfords (Winchester Rd) for our scheduled and fully paid 'Silver Service,' we were met with discourteous and unprofessional behavior from two staff members at the bike service point. These individuals fell far short of the friendly and professional standard that Halfords purports to uphold. Shockingly, they admitted to not even checking their schedule for booked services. I had to explain to them the urgency of needing the bike for an upcoming biking event, forcing them to eventually make arrangements to honor our original booking and service the bike on time. After enduring an excruciating 3-hour wait, we were finally informed that our bike was ready for collection. However, I had immediately caught sight of the missing visor covers for the bike's gears. I promptly brought this issue to the attention of the disorganized staff, leading to further waiting until the visors were eventually returned to us. After wasting hours of our time, we left the store feeling utterly frustrated. The following day, my partner noticed that her seat was set too low. While attempting to make the necessary adjustments, we were shocked to discover that her rear light was now missing. Adding to our dismay, the chain stay cover was nowhere to be found, and it dawned on us that the entire drivetrain of the bike had not been cleaned and lubricated. As if these problems weren't enough, my partner also pointed out that her wheels were not rolling as smoothly as they should. Upon inspection, we found that all the brake pads (disc brakes) were making contact with and rubbing against the brake disc. These issues can only be attributed to either deliberate sabotage of her bike or sheer incompetence on the part of Halfords' staff when it comes to bike service and repair! The outcome of a £60 bike service has left me in utter disbelief. It took an extensive amount of time and effort to obtain a refund, and when we finally did, it came with an unapologetic apology. While they refunded us for the price of the service, they failed to compensate us for the missing lights and chain stay cover, the time we wasted, and the tremendous stress we endured. Shame on you, Halfords! Your lack of adequate staff training and disregard for customer safety is absolutely unacceptable. By providing unprofessional and unsafe bike services, you are not only compromising the lives of your customers but also their innocent children. I am genuinely struggling to comprehend and extremely infuriated that a multi-million-pound company can treat paying customers for services and goods in such an abysmal manner. It's time for Halfords to seriously reflect on their actions and make significant improvements.

I purchased an android auto headset from here over a month ago. Arranged to have it fitted about 10 days later. I turned up on the day, and the fitter discovered that the wrong wiring harness had been delivered. The correct one was ordered, and I was told that they would call me, when it arrived. I got the call a couple of weeks ago to say the correct fitting had arrived, and booking was made for today. When I arrived, the fitter stated that he was not certain that the correct harness had been supplied this time either. He started to fit the headset and sure enough it was the wrong part. I was not impressed that they told me this on the day, they had a couple of weeks where they could have called me and I would have taken the car in to them to check. I have wasted 2 days holiday hoping to have a new stereo fitted, and have been left disappointed. There have been other problems with this purchase, and I have had doubts about the service from the start, but was willing to carry on. Appalling communication from the start, and I sensed a couldn't care less attitude. Not the Halfords of old, but times change, for the worse unfortunately. The one star is for the immediate refund, no qualms there. 🙄

Considering that the products and service could be good, I gave two stars. However, I believe that the level of skill in communicating with customers is a capability that should be acquired or even purchased from factories that produce the same products they sell. My experience was really bad. Despite having lived in England for a long time, I could barely understand them when they spoke and interacted with me. I strongly suggest they study or take a language course to enhance their communication skills, avoiding the use of the local dialect. Additionally, I would like to mention that I am an English teacher with a certificate, yet I find myself in a multi-ethnic city. Furthermore, it's disappointing to note that I still encounter unqualified individuals in this context.