After the debacle of the midnight website crash last night the message on the site this morning has changed to this rather enigmatic message:
Fix Your Bike Voucher Scheme
Thank you for your interest in the Fix Your Bike Voucher Scheme. There are no vouchers available right now. Vouchers are being released gradually to reflect the capacity of the bike repairers signed up to the scheme. More vouchers will be made available as soon as possible.
Make of that what you will. It's completely different to anything they've said before.
They are implying that they're releasing vouchers slowly to help the repairers.
Not, which would be more understandable (as the website crashed, one assumes, because too many of us tried at once), to help the customers.
The Halfords info on this does imply that customers need to choose their repairer when getting the voucher, and that people need to check repairer availability first (how?) so maybe that's what the message above is about.
Also worth noting, btw, that according to the current MSE weekly email, everyone needs to give "specific details of the bike you need fixing (eg, brand and colour)" when booking a voucher.
I'll bet many people struggling at midnight yesterday wouldn't have had that info to hand even if they'd got the website to load.
So it's probably worth making a note of your bone-shaker's details and keeping it handy.
Tried on the deadline as they must have known many would The site would not load, kept trying for an hour ,again at 4am and 6am ,no joy , 7.30 they said there were no more available right now,come back soon , another !!!!!! up If as someone says you have to choose the repairer ,as they are still signing up this is daft, I keep my bike 100 miles away from my home at a static caravan I spend most of my time at now retired , I would get far better value from a local private cycle shop than from the likes of Evans or Halfords
Live now , filled in the first bit, I am now waiting for a verification email so I can sign in and complete the application, is says this may take a little time , this little time in now three hours and no sign of it
Replies
This scheme is only available in England.
https://fixyourbikevoucherscheme.est.org.uk/
That was entirely predictable, wasn't it! I hope some people out there managed to get the vouchers!
Fix Your Bike Voucher Scheme
Thank you for your interest in the Fix Your Bike Voucher Scheme. There are no vouchers available right now. Vouchers are being released gradually to reflect the capacity of the bike repairers signed up to the scheme. More vouchers will be made available as soon as possible.
They are implying that they're releasing vouchers slowly to help the repairers.
Not, which would be more understandable (as the website crashed, one assumes, because too many of us tried at once), to help the customers.
The Halfords info on this does imply that customers need to choose their repairer when getting the voucher, and that people need to check repairer availability first (how?) so maybe that's what the message above is about.
But it would be helpful if they would tell us.
I'll bet many people struggling at midnight yesterday wouldn't have had that info to hand even if they'd got the website to load.
So it's probably worth making a note of your bone-shaker's details and keeping it handy.
If as someone says you have to choose the repairer ,as they are still signing up this is daft, I keep my bike 100 miles away from my home at a static caravan I spend most of my time at now retired , I would get far better value from a local private cycle shop than from the likes of Evans or Halfords
https://fixyourbikevoucherscheme.est.org.uk/