This is a version of my complaint to halfrauds all I wanted was a working bicycle pump.
Today I purchased a few cycling items from your store in central Milton Keynes, I arrived to buy a cycle pump and noticed that there was a three for two offer on ALL pumps lights, locks and water bottles. I confirmed that this offer included ANY pumps lights and locks with one of your employees and chose to buy a lock, a some lights and a package containing another lock a water bottle and a pump. I walked down stairs to the till and after scanning the items I was informed politely that the bike lights I had chosen( priced at £20) were probably not included in the three for the price of two offer, I was surprised that this was the case but none the less I returned upstairs to ask the staff member working in the cycling section what the situation was. He confirmed that the lights I had chosen were probably not included so I chose some different lights priced at £23.99 and then went down stairs again to pay only to have the same issue with the scanning of the items not registering the three for two offer. At this point the till operative who seemed very understanding decided to consult the manager who then made arrangements to allow me to purchase the items at three for two as advertised.
It would appear that all would be fine except for one major issue, the package containing the water bottle, lock and pump had in place of the pump a silly piece of plastic in the approximate shape of a bicycle pump, while I can accept the poor quality of the other items included in the kit are reflected on the price I would at least expect an item advertised as a cycle pump to have some vague ability to pump up the tyres of a cycle. Luckily for me I decided to check that the plastic pump shaped object worked. After trying to attach it to the valve of my cycle I watched as it drained all the air form my tyre. Cut to 45 minutes later and it became apparent that the plastic pump shaped object could inflate the tyres to approximately .5 of a PSI before the air escaping was greater in volume than the air entering through the pump. I decided to counter act this by pumping the plastic pump shaped object even faster only to have it come apart into three separate pieces. I hope you can understand that this was a less than satisfactory performance given that the primary use of a bicycle pump, was as far as I knew, to pump up the tyres on a bike.
You may be wandering at this point why I did not just remove the lights water bottle and pump bracket I had just spent some time fixing to my bike, and then return to the store with my receipt, announce my dissatisfaction with the faulty products and demand a refund for all the items I purchased ? The answer lies on the fact that my receipt does not contain any mention of the value bike kit containing a pump, lock and water bottle, in order to meet their obligation of the three for two offer, the receipt had the cheapest item deleted , as it happens the cheapest item was the package containing the plastic pump shaped object hence my receipt showing the £65.00 sterling I spent in search of a simple bicycle pump, has no mention of a bicycle pump on it. While I don't doubt that the staff working today will remember me walking up and down stairs in search of a competent cycle staff member who understood the special offers available, I really have wasted a vast amount of time already on search of a simple working bicycle pump. The closest I have got is a plastic pump shaped object that deflated my bike tyres. As you can imagine I have no interest in a replacement pump shaped object , I just want a device that pumps up my tyres, would that be so hard to find ? My receipt number is ........ I hope this is enough information for you to to investigate and prepare a method by which Halfords can move mountains and supply me with the miracle of a working bicycle pump.
I would like to add that the person who operated the till was very well mannered and polite and seemed to understand my frustration with the problems I had obtaining the advertised special offer, perhaps you could get him to teach some other staff members the value of good customer service.
Regards
Today I purchased a few cycling items from your store in central Milton Keynes, I arrived to buy a cycle pump and noticed that there was a three for two offer on ALL pumps lights, locks and water bottles. I confirmed that this offer included ANY pumps lights and locks with one of your employees and chose to buy a lock, a some lights and a package containing another lock a water bottle and a pump. I walked down stairs to the till and after scanning the items I was informed politely that the bike lights I had chosen( priced at £20) were probably not included in the three for the price of two offer, I was surprised that this was the case but none the less I returned upstairs to ask the staff member working in the cycling section what the situation was. He confirmed that the lights I had chosen were probably not included so I chose some different lights priced at £23.99 and then went down stairs again to pay only to have the same issue with the scanning of the items not registering the three for two offer. At this point the till operative who seemed very understanding decided to consult the manager who then made arrangements to allow me to purchase the items at three for two as advertised.
It would appear that all would be fine except for one major issue, the package containing the water bottle, lock and pump had in place of the pump a silly piece of plastic in the approximate shape of a bicycle pump, while I can accept the poor quality of the other items included in the kit are reflected on the price I would at least expect an item advertised as a cycle pump to have some vague ability to pump up the tyres of a cycle. Luckily for me I decided to check that the plastic pump shaped object worked. After trying to attach it to the valve of my cycle I watched as it drained all the air form my tyre. Cut to 45 minutes later and it became apparent that the plastic pump shaped object could inflate the tyres to approximately .5 of a PSI before the air escaping was greater in volume than the air entering through the pump. I decided to counter act this by pumping the plastic pump shaped object even faster only to have it come apart into three separate pieces. I hope you can understand that this was a less than satisfactory performance given that the primary use of a bicycle pump, was as far as I knew, to pump up the tyres on a bike.
You may be wandering at this point why I did not just remove the lights water bottle and pump bracket I had just spent some time fixing to my bike, and then return to the store with my receipt, announce my dissatisfaction with the faulty products and demand a refund for all the items I purchased ? The answer lies on the fact that my receipt does not contain any mention of the value bike kit containing a pump, lock and water bottle, in order to meet their obligation of the three for two offer, the receipt had the cheapest item deleted , as it happens the cheapest item was the package containing the plastic pump shaped object hence my receipt showing the £65.00 sterling I spent in search of a simple bicycle pump, has no mention of a bicycle pump on it. While I don't doubt that the staff working today will remember me walking up and down stairs in search of a competent cycle staff member who understood the special offers available, I really have wasted a vast amount of time already on search of a simple working bicycle pump. The closest I have got is a plastic pump shaped object that deflated my bike tyres. As you can imagine I have no interest in a replacement pump shaped object , I just want a device that pumps up my tyres, would that be so hard to find ? My receipt number is ........ I hope this is enough information for you to to investigate and prepare a method by which Halfords can move mountains and supply me with the miracle of a working bicycle pump.
I would like to add that the person who operated the till was very well mannered and polite and seemed to understand my frustration with the problems I had obtaining the advertised special offer, perhaps you could get him to teach some other staff members the value of good customer service.
Regards
