Fix Your Bike Vouchers - Halfords Made It Worse

one_dull_guy

I took my son's bike into Halfords with my voucher for the Governments Fix Your Bike Scheme. They took the voucher before starting work but when I went to pick up the bike, they had made it worse. There were a couple of issues with the gears not working that I told them about, but after their 'work' none of the gears worked. The paperwork that they gave me when I picked it up read 'I did the best I could'. I took the bike back upon realising the problem, and they've taken it in again to try and repair it, but I get the impression that they don't hold out much hope, and even mentioned about ordering parts which they're planning on charging me for.

I'm sure there's something in the Sale Of Goods Act that would help me, but can anyone advise me on what to do please? I get the feeling they're going to give me the bike back in the current condition and tell me there's nothing more they can do. At least it was rideable before; it's just dangerous now. 

Keep_pedalling

If the gear shifting is that serious then the bike’s drive train is seriously knackered and should have new rear sprockets and a chain fitted as minimum. If you have only asked thenm to adjust it then they won’t be able to fix it, which is why they hav said new parts required.

How often does the bike get a new chain, and how long has it been running on the original sprockets? 

Aylesbury_Duck

one_dull_guy said:

I took my son's bike into Halfords with my voucher for the Governments Fix Your Bike Scheme. They took the voucher before starting work but when I went to pick up the bike, they had made it worse. There were a couple of issues with the gears not working that I told them about, but after their 'work' none of the gears worked. The paperwork that they gave me when I picked it up read 'I did the best I could'. I took the bike back upon realising the problem, and they've taken it in again to try and repair it, but I get the impression that they don't hold out much hope, and even mentioned about ordering parts which they're planning on charging me for.

I'm sure there's something in the Sale Of Goods Act that would help me, but can anyone advise me on what to do please? I get the feeling they're going to give me the bike back in the current condition and tell me there's nothing more they can do. At least it was rideable before; it's just dangerous now. 

If "none of the gears work", how is it dangerous?  It won't actually go anywhere if none of the gears work.

It sounds like it may have been in such a mechanical state beforehand that it was impossible to fix without new parts.  How old is the bike and how often do you service it or get it serviced?  Groupsets wear over time, especially if not looked after, and no amount of fiddling is going to make worn cogs, a worn chain, stretched or corroded cables work properly.

What are the terms of the voucher?  

Edited to add: I appreciated the irony of your post in the context of your signature...

one_dull_guy

On assessment, Halfords told me that the bike only needed a brake and gear service, and a new chain. The services involved replacing the cables and tuning the fittings. When I took the bike in, I couldn't get the chain onto the front outer ring, and the chain went over the top of the rear outer ring. When I got it back, the chain wouldn't move off of the front inner ring, and the chain slipped (wouldn't sit on any of the dog teeth) on every rear cog. This meant that if you put any pressure on the pedals, you'd end up going over the handlebars as the chain slipped over the gear. 

Aylesbury_Duck

one_dull_guy said:

On assessment, Halfords told me that the bike only needed a brake and gear service, and a new chain. The services involved replacing the cables and tuning the fittings. When I took the bike in, I couldn't get the chain onto the front outer ring, and the chain went over the top of the rear outer ring. When I got it back, the chain wouldn't move off of the front inner ring, and the chain slipped (wouldn't sit on any of the dog teeth) on every rear cog. This meant that if you put any pressure on the pedals, you'd end up going over the handlebars as the chain slipped over the gear. 

Sounds like the derailleur needed adjusting because the cable was not pulling the front derailleur far enough over and the rear cable was pulling the derailleur too far over.  That's a relatively easy adjustment if the cables were in decent condition.

And no, you wouldn't end up going over the handlebars if the chain didn't engage with the rear sprocket.  It sounds like they haven't adjusted the new gear cables correctly and they've perhaps fitted a new chain that's incompatible with the rear cassette (or the rear cassette is badly worn and won't engage with the chain), but hyperbolic what-ifs don't add anything to your complaint.  You'd simply put pressure on the pedal and it would slip.  No going-over-the-handlebars or grave personal danger.