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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To want to name and shame Britax and Halfords....Grrrrrr

73 replies

purplehonesty · 10/05/2011 21:21

Bought a car seat from Halfords online, the seat belt keeps slipping out of the clamp and the seat will not recline without you taking it out of the car, reclining it and then reinstalling. It did not say this online, what use is a seat you can't recline when bb falls asleep? The belts get stuck in the back of the seat every time you tighten them.
We drive 40 miles to Halfords this morning - they say its not their problem, phone Britax who say we can't exchange it, they will only repair it. We say its not fit for purpose as sold and we want another one, we are happy to pay extra. Halfords refuse, Britax say its not their problem how we get DS (20 months) home again without a seat.
We leave as manager refuses to budge (despite looking at seat and saying its not safe and that a lot of people have complained about it not reclining like it says). Manager says he will speak to his boss and call us. Nothing as yet.
I am livid at the manager and his very rude assistant and britax. Grr.

OP posts:

Original poster

purplehonesty · 10/05/2011 22:06

Mutt i hope you got the bike thing sorted, I am constantly amazed by how crap customer service is in so many shops!

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onadietcokebreak · 10/05/2011 22:07

When I rang my local store to complain about the wrong and unsafe I received I asked if the guy was trained the manager said I think so but he can't produce the certificate so Im not sure!

Take it back and demand refund.

How long you had it ?

ginmakesitallok · 10/05/2011 22:08

Halfords are shit. They once lost a halogen bulb in my car engine when changing it - had to take it to a dealer to get front bit of engine removed to get it out. Not car seat related but after the way they treated me and my car there's no way I'd trust them with a car seat for my child. Agree with what has been said before - under Sale of Good Act 1979 goods should be fit for purpose, car seat can't be fastened into car therefore it is not fit for purpose - your contract is with Halfords not Britax therefore Halfords should give you a refund. Don't leave the shop without one!!

sazm · 10/05/2011 22:11

the fact the description on the website is incorrect should be enough reason to return it,its a false description,and the seat is of no use to you. never mind the fact the buckle clamp isn't working!

Original poster

purplehonesty · 10/05/2011 22:13

Aye you're right, I will wait to hear from them tomorrow and then send now very cross DH back minus me and junior. I will print off the website description too.

Thanks all, knew I wasn't going mad!

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legal1 · 10/05/2011 22:25

From memory I was told that some Britax seats do not recline in all cars. For that reason we got a maxi cosi for my car.

300DisneyDollars · 10/05/2011 22:38

I meant to say that I've called my local trading standards about a similar not-fit-for-purpose problem and they dealt with it very well and advised the company that they had to refund me. Definitely worth a call.

pizzadelivery · 10/05/2011 22:41

Halfords were sexist, useless and wrong last time I went. That was just attempting to buy a headlight, wouldn't advise them for child safety tbh!
We refuse to use them anymore.
YANBU

huntersmum · 10/05/2011 23:57

I went in to Halfords today to buy some numberplates. I stood at the service counter for ages with a queue building up and no assistant in sight so I found the number on my mobile and rang the shop - my intention was to ask whoever answered the phone to get someone down to the service desk! The phone actually rang on the desk next to me so I was able to grab the Assistant who came to answer the phone. IME they are always pretty rubbish at customer service.

cece · 11/05/2011 00:03

Halfords are terrible. Poor customer service. Never shop there and haven't done for years.

nijinsky · 11/05/2011 00:04

Your contract might be with Halfords but under SOGA 79 you, as the consumer purchasing from a business, have the right to claim against whoever in the chain of supply you wish. So if it was more convenient for you to claim against Brittax, then you could do so. Obviously it is easier to claim against Halfords, but it means they cannot fob you off by saying only the manufacturer is liable.

Sue them in small claim - print off the forms from the internet and google your local court. Halfords will settle out of court. Its not worth their time or expense to fight it. Remember to add on your expenses.

bustersmummy · 11/05/2011 00:09

I took DD2's bike for a service to a local bike shop today.

Bought it in Halfords 6 months ago.

They assembled it.

DD2 always found it hard to ride.

The forks were on the wrong way round.

DD1's bike needed new gear shifters because the ones on the bike (again bought from halfords) had failed.

They are a pile of crap.

psisedriteoff · 11/05/2011 08:06

Halford are shit

My DS wanted a greenmachine a few years back for his birthday

Went o0n halfords website, none in our local store, but had one in the next towns store

I went to the store in my town, asked to purchase one, would pay for it there, and would they get it sent down from neighboring store, they told me I could not do that, and if I wanted it, I would have to travel there myself

I know they regularly has a delivery from the other store, so would not of harmed to have chucked in the back of the van
Bastards
I would not have bothered travel the 30 miles to the other store, but DS really wanted one

WorrisomeHeart · 11/05/2011 09:43

Hi all
Just out of interest, if Halfords are rubbish and I'm constantly hearing bad things about Mothercare, where should we go to get a stage 2 carseat fitted? We bought our MaxiCosi cabriofix online because I knew it would fit, but am worried about the next stage because it's so much bigger and last so much longer, I really want to get it right.

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 11/05/2011 09:56

My local Halfords (both branches) are very good for car stuff. I've never felt patronised nor have I been oversold anything. I also like that they'll fit wipers and bulbs for a couple of quid. I accept these aren't difficult tasks, but I'm cackhanded - if I pick up parts for less money on the Internet, they sit in my boot for months.

This is car stuff though - I wouldn't bother going to them for bikes - you need a proper bike shop for that. I'm surprised they're crap at carseats though.

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 11/05/2011 10:00

Meant to add I've been really surprised at how good Halfords has been. They get a bad rap on motoring forums (obviously) and as stores with a male bent, I tended to lump them in with certain electrical retailers who were, not so long ago, absysmal.

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 11/05/2011 10:14

or abysmal even

thederkinsdame · 11/05/2011 11:05

Hmm, last week, I was in HF getting a refund. I watched a woman task for help as she couldn't reassmble the straps on the seat. The guy assembled them, wrongly. I pointed it out to the guy serving me, who shrugged and said he's mention it. Five minutes later I turned round to see they'd walked out the store with wrongly assembled car seat, nothing said.

thederkinsdame · 11/05/2011 11:06

Should add that my DS grw out of his stage 0 seat at 5 months. Halfords tried to sell me a forward facing car seat for him so I left and went somewhere else.

sazm · 11/05/2011 14:48

thederkinsdame - the problem with that is that unfortunately,theres so many people who would have gone on their advise and bought a forward facing one :(

ginnybag · 11/05/2011 14:51

I have a Britax Prince, as it's one of about two seats in the whole world that fit our car!

The seatbelt clamp does slip, slightly, after a few hours of use, but not to the point of me being able to move the seat, even when I give it the beans. Since I regulary check the seat , and would do this in any event, I don't see it as a problem. If it's slipping more than that, it's faulty. As a short term fix, have you tried it on the other side - so that the seat belt passes through the other side clip? That should tell you quite quickly if the seat is faulty, or just not compatable with your car's seat belts!

It doesn't recline in place, however, but because it's only safe in one position in our car in any case, that's not an issue.

I didn't - and wouldn't - have bought it from Halfords, however. Or John Lewis Trafford Centre, who don't have a flipping clue and thought I should forward face my tiny-but-tall 7 month old, despite me going in specifically to ask about second stage rear facers!

LoopyLoopsBettyBoops · 11/05/2011 14:53

YANBU but why did you jeopardise your child's safety by driving them such a long distance in a faulty car seat? You say that both you and DH went to complain? Why?

Original poster

purplehonesty · 11/05/2011 19:50

Yes Loopy when you look at it like that it does seem strange that we all went to Halfords, its not like we're so desperate for a day out that we have to wander the aisles of car shops....
We had to go to the big smoke for a hospital appointment for DS and I wanted DH to be there so it was all done in the one journey.
The main reason we took it back was the recline function and the seat belts getting stuck in the back (huge pain in ass), I thought maybe we were doing something wrong as we had to keep putting the seatbelt back in and re-tightening at the start of every journey. It was the manager who told us the clamp was actually faulty.

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