I've had positive experiences with Halfords in general; I usually find they have good ranges for what they offer, I like their convenient locations and opening hours, and I can generally be sure of getting what I want. Unfortunately that comes with a caveat when it comes to their Airside Swords Branch.
Yes, they have what I wanted and it's for a reasonable and competitive price...unfortunately I had to actually LEAVE the store to find that out.
A few months ago I needed a button cell battery and after I'd combed electronics stores all over Dublin looking for the particular type I eventually found it practically on my doorstep at Halfords. Great price, no fuss. I was a happy customer.
So when I needed a different type of button cell battery recently I cut out the running around and went straight to Halfords in Swords on my way home from work. The experience was not quite so positive.
I checked the battery display but couldn't find what I was looking for so I asked a Sales Assistant if this was the only selection of batteries in store or if there was any way of checking if they stock that particular model of battery. Her 'assistance' consisted of checking the rack I had already looked at and to shrug that it wasn't there. She asked a colleague who was wandering by if there was anything he could do, I told him the type of battery, he asked what it was for(does that even make a difference? you either stock it or you don't) and when I said it was for a heart rate monitor he looked at me like I was crazy (but kept his rude/disinterested/condescending tone) and said they wouldn't have something like that here. Fair enough, I accepted the fact that I was probably just going to have to order it online.
It was disappointing that I couldn't get what I was after...until of course I tried to find an online store to order the product and Halfords came up as carrying it. Not just that, but I could verify which of their stores had it in stock and reserve it and they'd have it ready for me within an hour and 'Lo and behold Swords had it in stock.
Needless to say this was more than disappointing. I can check whether they carry a product from my home but they can't check it in their own store? This seems unlikely to me. But my problem obviously isn't so much that they didn't have what I wanted but that the staff I had the misfortune of dealing with were poorly trained, deliberately unhelpful and rude. I don't think this is necessarily representative of the whole store but it was my experience and definitely undermines an otherwise positive impression of this particular branch and Halfords overall. read more