Halfords nightmare

Scoobs222 · 11 May 2019 at 4:11PM

I took my ebike (non halfords) for a inner tube replacement on the rear wheel. Cut a story short they messed it up and ended ripping the motor wires in effect killing it. The good thing is halfords have accepted liability but they are going about it awkwardly. I asked for a like for like electric bike as a replacementwhile mines being fixed, as I have a 11 miles round trip to work and back and it's uphill but they said they will give me a non electric bike and will pay me for my travel costs for a week only (as they offered me a non electric bike. But my point is I'm unfit and can't ride 11 miles after a hard nights work! All they keep doing is fobbing me off with "well we offered you a bike but you didn't want it so nothing else we can do" they don't seem to understand the part where I said I'm not fit enough to cycle uphill at that distance, that's the only reason why I got an electric in the first place! They're still trying to fix it but I am not being covered for my costs according to them. Where do I stand here?:beer:

worried_jim · 11 May 2019 at 4:30PM

Never take your car to Halfrauds- have now added bikes to the list.

Xbigman · 12 May 2019 at 11:38PM

There's very little you can do against Halfords in these circumstances. Their token offer of a loan bike has probably met any obligations they might have had. You also need to look at it from their perspective. I'd be surprised if many Halfords shops had Ebikes to loan out.
If you incur any expenses then keep a record and send Halfords a complaint and ask for your expenses to be covered but I don't think they will be under any real obligation to pay you.

For the future you might want to consider how you will get to work if your bike breaks down, is damaged or stolen. These things happen to bikes all the time.

I also have to say that anyone reliant on a bike/ebike for transport really should learn some basic maintenance. It's not that hard to change a tyre. If nothing else you avoid Halfords inflated prices.

Darren

Aretnap · 13 May 2019 at 10:01AM

Xbigman wrote: »

There's very little you can do against Halfords in these circumstances. Their token offer of a loan bike has probably met any obligations they might have had.

Where there's an obligation to cover the costs of a replacement (which on the face of it there is; Halfords have damaged the OP's bike and as a result he has lost the use of it for a period), the obligation is generally to provide a like for like replacement, ie another eBike.

You also need to look at it from their perspective. I'd be surprised if many Halfords shops had Ebikes to loan out.

In which case the OP's alternative is to hire an eBike from a local bike hire shop, and ask Halfords to reimburse him for the cost. If they don't do that then it's a question of how far he wants to push the issue, but I suspect he would have a good chance of winning if he took it to the small claims court.

Scoobs222 · 15 May 2019 at 2:04PM

I know the basics Datrends but it's a Chinese ebike with very awkward to get to wiring for the motor. And thanks for the advice guys, I think I might have to take it to a small claims court. I can't be out of pocket for their mistake that's just silly but that is what halfords want me to do!!

Manxman_in_exile · 15 May 2019 at 5:15PM

How long is it going to take to fix? Your OP suggests they've just(?) cut or ripped some wires for the motor.

A simple fix?

Lioness_Twinkletoes · 17 May 2019 at 2:32PM

Xbigman wrote: »

I also have to say that anyone reliant on a bike/ebike for transport really should learn some basic maintenance. It's not that hard to change a tyre. If nothing else you avoid Halfords inflated prices.

Agree with the rest of the post, but not this. A puncture on an E-bike is not a simple fix due to the location of the motor. That said, I used a fabulous company who offer a mobile service. Cheaper than Halfords and they travelled to my location.

Scoobs222 · 20 May 2019 at 4:46AM

Nope, new motor needed to be ordered and connections soldered on. Being a Chinese bike the parts are not that easy to get hold of

CarolynRach · 20 May 2019 at 2:30PM

Definitely shop around for other bike shops that do e-bike servicing and repairs for the next time. I mean, hopefully there won't be a next time but all bikes do need some sort of TLC every now and then.
I'm a big advocate of using a local bike shop but not sure if you have one near you.

Brand_X · 24 May 2019 at 11:28PM

Unless Halfords guaranteed a "ready by" date they are not really obliged to provide you with anything.

If it's one of those cheap bought-on-ebay e-bikes of unknown provenance and origin, it's going to come with a risk of mechanical gremlins. I woud not take a bike to Halfords for repair; some of their mechanics are good, some of them are bad, some of them are sub-human. Always a craps-shoot with Halfords, and they aren't cheap either.

It could be an excellent e-bike for all I know, but I would sympathize with Halfords if the bike has strange unexpected problems to deal with.

Mr_Singleton · 25 May 2019 at 11:48AM

My 6 week old 7 series BMW got rear ended while I was at a set of lights. The insurance company gave me a 'like for like' replacement while my car was repaired. Would I have accepted a Nissan Micra????? No! I can't see that your situation is any different other than Halfords think that they can get away with fobbing you off.

I'd hire an ebike and sent Halfords the bill.

Halfords nightmare

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