Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be very annoyed at Halfords

14 replies

charmedgirl · 23/06/2007 21:36

Hi All

I have been lurking for a while so please forgive one of my first posts being a rant

Bought DSs size 1 car seat last week. Got the Maxi Cosi Tobi as it has had good reviews. Halfords said it was OK for our car and fitted it for me.

Coincidentially, this week my mother went to a seminar on car seats as part of her work and the info she got suggested the seat did not fit our car. After a worrying week (we were on hols) I went back to Halfords today and saw the manager who confirmed it did not fit the car! The replaced it with one that did fit. However it was only after I threw a big strop that they offered anything more than a fairly small discount.

I can not believe that they sold me the original one in the first place and then did not bend over backwards to try and placate me when I did got back as they make such a big deal over their car seat fitting service.

I am so so annoyed!!!!

OP posts:
kslatts · 23/06/2007 21:41

YANBU, I would be furious.

catsmother · 23/06/2007 22:00

Of course you're not being unreasonable - your child's safety has been put at risk due to the ignorance and/or laziness of some Halfords' staff.

I am astonished that you had to "throw a strop" in order to acquire anything more than a small discount. As you say, the manager should have been bending over backwards to placate you, even if the properly suitable seat cost more than the one THEY had previously assured you would be safe for your car.

Methinks you should be writing to the CEO of Halfords about this. It is a vital issue after all, and if staff in that store aren't receiving the proper training (or are choosing not to implement it properly) than that's a matter of concern for any parent unfortunate enough to buy car seats in that store.

(Ian McLeod is the CEO of Halfords Group. This appears to be their head office: Icknield Street Drive
Washford West
Redditch
Worcestershire
B98 0DE )

I should think the local trading standards office would also be very interested in what happened.

musicianswidowAKAmumofmonsters · 23/06/2007 22:02

i may be wrong but watchdog may have done a thingon halfords and car seats too

musicianswidowAKAmumofmonsters · 23/06/2007 22:04

i just checked and i was mistaken, sorry for taht

TheArmadillo · 23/06/2007 22:06

They sold you an item that was unfit for the purpose it was sold for.

Therefore you are legally entitled to a replacement product that is suitable for the purpose.

Complain to their head office and suggest that their staff are retrained.

I would be and furious too.

Original poster
charmedgirl · 23/06/2007 22:56

Good idea to write to head office.

The new seat was actually cheaper than the original. Including a play tray it cost £145. I eventually paid £40, the original offer was that I paid £99.99. I have a totally unfounded suspicion that they would have let me drive away without any discount/refund as I had to prompt to return to the store when the new seat had been fitted.

The money, however is not the issue. At the start of the process the manager spoke of how proud he was of his store's reputation in the area for fitting car seats. By the end to get my discount I had to talk of how I would tell my friends of the problem and how I had spent the last week driving around with an unsafe seat!

OP posts:
Nemo2007 · 23/06/2007 22:58

It was which who did a review on the car fitting services and sadly most of the places they went failed

IAmADaddy · 24/06/2007 15:43

They aren't nicknamed HalFrauds for nothing...

wishingfourgotone · 24/06/2007 15:51

omg i got maxi cosi carseat, from halfords!
Can i ask what make car you got they fitted ours into Lreg fiesta, a cpl days later i noticed it wasnt in properly!

Original poster
charmedgirl · 24/06/2007 22:34

I have a 2001 Peugoet 206 5 door.

Apparently it is the height of the seat belt buckles in the back that is the problem. The seat should not move significantly from side to side and you should also fasten the harness and pull them forwards v hard as if the car had stopped suddenly. If the seat moves more than a little bit then there may be a problem.

OP posts:
jetjets · 24/06/2007 22:43

Message withdrawn

edam · 24/06/2007 22:54

Most councils have people who will check your car seat for you and show you how to fit it properly.

CG, do write to the chief exec, that store is shocking.

wishingfourgotone · 24/06/2007 23:21

mine is maxi cosi priori,the lad that fitted it into our car said the buckle was only just the correct size for the carseat he was quite good seemed he knew what he was doing tbh, we got new car had to change seat into new car myself wanted it checking asked in mothercare was told id need to produce my receipt, and i needed to go back to halfords! so ended up just dbl checking it myself an it moved less than when it was first fitted at halfords.

perpetuaphoenixfire · 24/06/2007 23:25

we got a seat from halfords, needed one ok with lapbelt and could only see one. guy came over and recommended one with a big tag on saying 'not suitable for use with lapbelt'. oh they always say that but they are fine he said. we took the one we saw, just wish there was somewhere else we could have gone. def wouldnt listen to one of their 'experts'

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread