I need to get this rant off my chest!

Dropped my mountain bike into Halfords a week ago (Uk shop that does car parts and cycles/bike servicing). Paid for a full service to be done on the bike. Took it out for its first ride since the service last night; I get five minutes down the road and the chain completely splits in two!! If you paid for a service on your car and on the first drive afterwards your engine blew up, you'd be pretty annoyed.

On top of that the brakes I asked to be tightened were spongy as hell, and its a small point I know, but I had two new inner tubes and two new tires and there was a type cap missing on the back wheel.

So I rang Halfords and they basically didn't want to know. I asked them if the chain was checked and they didn't have an answer. I was basically speaking to an 18 year old, at the end of his shift who couldn't get me off the phone quick enough, and couldn't give two hoots about what had happened...they have my money so tough sh*t, on your bike, so to speak!

What the hell has happened to customer service these days?? Is this a UK only problem????

Sorry to hear about that...

But alas, it is a major problem in the USA. (Has been for years)-A lot of business care about your money not you. But there are good business that care-just have to find them.

You should phone them up again and if you arent getting the response you want talk to one of the managers. Make sure you are clear and determined and make notes of what they say, I would also suggest making some notes about the problems before you call them.

My Dad had to put his car in to the local Ford garage and was told the problem was a leaky oil pipe (we knew this already, due to the oil coming out!) and was told it should be ready in a couple days at the most. They then phoned up to say that it would be longer than that because they needed a part to be sent from Germany but they couldnt tell us when that would be or even roughly how long. After about a week my Dad phoned them up and they said that the part had come from Germany but it didnt fit. They admited they didnt know what part they needed and had taken a photo and sent it to a different garage and would phone us to let us know what was happening. About 3 days later they phoned at about 4pm to say the car was ready and we could pick it up then but they closed at 5pm, so they arranged that he could pick it up in the morning. When he got there at about 10am he paid and was about to drive out when a mechanic came up and said he had to wait because they hadnt put on the top engine cover. They drove it in and put on the top engine cover which took about 1/2 hour, which made my Dad late for work but he didnt say anything. As he was about to drive it away again a different mechanic came up and said they hadnt put on the bottom engine cover either. This took them another 1/2 hour to do, but again he didnt say anything because he just wanted to get away at that point.

2 days later when he was driving at about 70mph down the motorway the bottom cover of the engine fell off (3 of the 4 screws had fallen out). When the RAC person turned up he said that it would never happen if it had been put on correctly in the first.

When my Dad went back to the garage and told them what happened they just took the keys off him put it back on and gave him his keys back. They didnt telling him what they were doing or even apologise.

We are going to write a letter of complaint to them

[Edited 7/30/10 9:18am]

I brought a bike and a lock from them 8weeks ago...

....I took the lock back after a week as it didn't UNLOCK... told the manager that 'it was the best lock in the world'...'Fantastic' he said...'yea, cause it didn't unlock' he had a look on his face of smelling a really unpleasent fart. After going away for 5mins he then accused of lying and that these locks haven't been on sale for months. But after looking at my docket he asked if I wanted to swap it... I asked for my money and went somehwere else.

8 weeks on and my bikes warrenty has ended, now the bike is slowly falling to pieces...

PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM HALFORDS!!!

Right now my issue is with Sears in the US.

I bought a new clothes dryer on the 23rd of June.

I was doing laundry two weeks later, and the damn thing wasn't heating. I called and set up an appt. for maintenance... Someone was supposed to come between 1-5 on July 16th. NO ONE SHOWED.

I called and flipped out, and got another appt. for next Friday 1-5. NO ONE SHOWED.

I used less than savory language to describe how angry I was that time!!!

I have piles of laundry , and I sat for EIGHT HOURS waiting for someone.

I'm waiting again, for the 3rd Friday in a row.

If someone doesn't come this time, I'm dumping that damn dryer in the closest Sears parking lot and demanding my money back for the dryer AND the warranty.

Then I'm taking my money to somewhere who honors a warranty!