Halfords charge €17.50 for Tube replacement.

eqwjewoiujqorj

Reading on the Rip Off Ireland that Halfords charged a young lad €17.50 for a puncture repair - or in this case for replacing the tube with a new one.


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79689118&posted=1#post79689118

I think 17.50 is rip-off.

It's only takes a few mins to replace a tube and a tube will cost Halfords next to nothing.

I'd say 10 euro max.

Rip off or not?

JRant

eqwjewoiujqorj wrote: »

Reading on the Rip Off Ireland that Halfords charged a young lad €17.50 for a puncture repair - or in this case for replacing the tube with a new one.


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79689118&posted=1#post79689118

I think 17.50 is rip-off.

It's only takes a few mins to replace a tube and a tube will cost Halfords next to nothing.

I'd say 10 euro max.

Rip off or not?

If it teaches the young lad to fix his own punctures in the future it'll be money well spent.

Dermot Illogical

eqwjewoiujqorj wrote: »

Reading on the Rip Off Ireland that Halfords charged a young lad €17.50 for a puncture repair - or in this case for replacing the tube with a new one.


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79689118&posted=1#post79689118

I think 17.50 is rip-off.

It's only takes a few mins to replace a tube and a tube will cost Halfords next to nothing.

I'd say 10 euro max.

Rip off or not?

Not. They're not a charity.

subway

i hate that forum, they use one definition of rip-off (that basically nothing comes under) and therefore every thread is full of pedants pointing out that if the price was on display its not a rip off.

for tube and fitting, its very very dear.
for tube and full inspection of the tyre, its pssibly worth it?
possibly one of those things thats dear just to put people off, I'm sure under SOGA, halfords are liable for a puncture that occurs due to bad fitting, not removing the debris, etc, etc and dont want that hasssle

petethedrummer

It is a rip off.

3 Lessons learned:
1. Ask for a price before work commences.
2. Learn to fix your own punctures.
3. Don't go to Halfords for repair work.

Plastik

I picked up a tube in the LBS the other day and it was €8. So €9.50 to remove the wheel, remove the tyre, remove the tube, refit tube, refit tyre, refit wheel. All standard stuff to most everybody on here, but not everybody generally. Maybe €5 to fit the tube would have been better value, but it's hardly a rip-off.

C-Shore

Depends on the tube that was put in.

A good tube will cost between 10 and 13 euro, and then labour would probably be for fifteen minutes so not overly expensive really.

As JRant said, it'll teach him to change a tube himself.

Mad Benny

subway wrote: »

i hate that forum, they use one definition of rip-off (that basically nothing comes under) and therefore every thread is full of pedants pointing out that if the price was on display its not a rip off.

hear hear

buffalo

I've gotten tubes replaced in LBS when I've been caught out on a commute. €17.50 to get me to work on time instead of 30-60mins late would be worth it. And yes, teaches you a lesson in always having a spare. Or getting a shorter commute.

€7-8 for a tube, €10 for express labour. Fair enough.

mitosis

I think it's fair enough. What price otherwise a long walk home in the rain? Or as another poster says, being late for work?

Halfords are a business. They exist to make money. Not to be nice. Not to help people. To make money.

Hungrycol

C-Shore wrote: »

Depends on the tube that was put in.

A good tube will cost between 10 and 13 euro, and then labour would probably be for fifteen minutes so not overly expensive really.

As JRant said, it'll teach him to change a tube himself.

Wowza. Big shop window?

€17 is expennie for a tube & fitting. Say tube is €5 (max price wholesale) then labour would be about €12, right? €12 for 10 mins work for one employee, that's €72 per hour! I'm in the wrong business folks.

Crow92

It costs 11 euro for maintenance and 6.49 for the tube. It is a bit more expensive than some other bike shops but it's the amount we're told to charge by head office so we don't have leeway with the charge as there is a code for each type or repair we do.
It is only a 5 minute job that is done on the spot 99% of the time but over 95% of customers who get it done don't mind paying. I even offer to show them how to do it for next time but a lot of people just prefer not to get their hands dirty.

Also if they had a bike care plan (around 25 quid for adults bike) the maintenance on repairs isn't charged which means it'd only be 6.49 for the replacement.

@Hungrycol
I wish that was the case, barely above minimum wage working there and you don't get any of that money.

piston

I wouldn't necessarily consider it a rip-off. Halfords are there to make money, not operate a charity and I wouldn't imagine there is very much profit margin for the shops in most bike parts like tubes and brake blocks.

It also doesn't take into account the bike. Most are easy, but if you were presented with a rod braked roadster with chain case and hub gear, Halfords would certainly earn their €17.50!

Besides, if the lad wants to be a lazy ******* incapable of fixing a puncture, that's up to him. I learned to fix things myself when I was young simply because I had no money.

Lumen

It's obviously a very profitable line of business, as evidenced by the appearance of vast, glass-fronted Puncture Fixes Are Us shops on the high street of every town in Ireland.

dave2pvd

For an on-the-spot repair, I think it's very reasonable.

Hungrycol wrote: »

Wowza. Big shop window?

....tube is €5 (max price wholesale)

This is the retail, not wholesale market.

Hungrycol

dave2pvd wrote: »

For an on-the-spot repair, I think it's very reasonable.

This is the retail, not wholesale market.

What are you suggesting is reasonable, the tube for €13 or the rapair for €17?

€17.50 isn't reasonable for a tube replacement even if head office says so. Then again, from my experience, Halfords are known for being reasonably priced either.

Wouldn't it be cheaper for the customer to buy a can of Slime? Obviously not cheaper than than fixing it themselves...

Edit: I think Slime only helps prevents punctures not fixes them....

DirkVoodoo

We charged $25 for puncture repairs in Sydney: $10 for the tube (that was a cheap specialized tube which wholesale was about 2 to 4 dollars, not a fancy lightweight one which would cost anywhere from $15 to $20) and $15 for the labour.

People rarely batted an eyelid at it. If you think it's too expensive, which it was, learn to repair your own punctures and buy tubes online. No one was forced to do this, I liked to think of it as a tax on ignorance-laziness. Too ignorant to learn how to do it and too lazy to look at prices for tubes online.

$25 is about €21, mental!

Cool Mo D

Isn't €12-15 normal for a new tube and fitting? €17.50 is expensive, but not that bad.

DirkVoodoo

Cool Mo D wrote: »

Isn't €12-15 normal for a new tube and fitting? €17.50 is expensive, but not that bad.

You pay what you think is normal, if you consider it expensive, go elsewhere or do it yourself. Shops aren't obliged to go buy "normal" prices, as my own experience showed, you can charge what you like if people are willing to pay it.

Tenzor07

Apart from people expecting wholesale tube and labour costs, people should support there Local Bike shops over the Big Multiples like Halfrauds...

I know my LBS is around €5 cheaper for tube replacement...

dave2pvd

Hungrycol wrote: »

What are you suggesting is reasonable, the tube for €13 or the rapair for €17?

Firstly, pointing out the wholesale price of the tube (or any repair part) is irrelevant, IMO. The retail price is what counts.

What I find reasonable is the total price. Considering that immediate service of just about any kind usually gets charged at a premium, €17 is good value.

People are willing to pay for it. Therefore the price is acceptable to those people?

Perhaps it's market segmentation? Some of us would balk at paying that (me). To others, it's well worth it. Fair play to Halfords for going after that segment of the market. I can't help but admire a good business strategy.

(Note to Halfords: you also need to offer impulse purchase options like Stan's, Latex tubes, rim tape renewal, etc.).

Darkglasses

I think Rothar will fix a puncture for 10 euro, plus they give you a coffee while you wait?

Frankly, I'd happily do it for a friend for free, as I'm sure many would.

dave2pvd

Darkglasses wrote: »

I think Rothar will fix a puncture for 10 euro, plus they give you a coffee while you wait?

Frankly, I'd happily do it for a friend for free, as I'm sure many would.

Big deal. Isn't the wholesale price of a cup of coffee something like 50c?

Hungrycol

dave2pvd wrote: »

Firstly, pointing out the wholesale price of the tube (or any repair part) is irrelevant, IMO. The retail price is what counts.
.

I was illustrating what it costs the shop for it not the customer.

Crudely, wholesale price of the tube to Halfords, say, €5. Staff salary, say, €10 per hour, 10 minute job, = €1.67. Total cost €6.67.

@ Dirk, I don't know how to change the petrol in my car but I hope that the garage I go into doesn't charge ignorant tax and overcharge me. Them sounds like Celtic Tiger fighten talk! Maybe I hope for a life in a world of an honest pay for honest job.

dave2pvd

Hungrycol wrote: »

I was illustrating what it costs the shop for it not the customer.

Crudely, wholesale price of the tube to Halfords, say, €5. Staff salary, say, €10 per hour, 10 minute job, = €1.67. Total cost €6.67.

@ Dirk, I don't know how to change the petrol in my car but I hope that the garage I go into doesn't charge ignorant tax and overcharge me. Them sounds like Celtic Tiger fighten talk! Maybe I hope for a life in a world of an honest pay for honest job.

Where's the markup on the tube? Why would they sell it at zero margin??

Where is the adder for overheads (rent/mtg, electricity, maintenance, taxes, interest, tea, biscuits,.............................)?

Chips Lovell

Hungrycol wrote: »

€12 for 10 mins work for one employee, that's €72 per hour! I'm in the wrong business folks.

You can't calculate it like that. If the employee had a queue of people waiting for punctures to be done and he was doing it all day every day, then maybe, but in this instance, that work is small percentage of what he'd do in a hour, let alone a day.

Fan

dave2pvd wrote: »

Where's the markup on the tube? Why would they sell it at zero margin??

Where is the adder for overheads (rent/mtg, electricity, maintenance, taxes, interest, tea, biscuits,.............................)?

+insurance

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056184497

Hungrycol

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

You can't calculate it like that. If the employee had a queue of people waiting for punctures to be done and he was doing it all day every day, then maybe, but in this instance, that work is small percentage of what he'd do in a hour, let alone a day.

I can if I want... and I want

smacl

Hungrycol wrote: »

Crudely, wholesale price of the tube to Halfords, say, €5. Staff salary, say, €10 per hour, 10 minute job, = €1.67. Total cost €6.67.

Where's the rent, commercial rates, public liability insurance, employers PRSI contribution, light, heat, the wages of the fellow salesman who hasn't sold anything today, the wages of the guy who's out sick or on holiday this week, etc... Having run a small business myself and been an employer for the last 25 years, I don't see anyone retiring early on puncture repair sales, even at €17.50 a pop.

As for the guy running you LBS, my guess is that in many cases it's a labour of love. Personally, I'd hate to be involved in the bike retail sector right now, even with the B2W scheme. Worst that can happen to you as an employee is to lose your job. Get your name on a commercial lease agreement and a few loan guarantees and the fun really starts.

DirkVoodoo

Honest pay for an honest job might work if you are Huckleberry Finn, if you want to make money then "charge whatever people are willing to pay" is the way to go.

You can't say that you would charge nothing for a friend, Halfords are not your friend and their only reason for being is to make money for their owners. If they weren't making money out of their tube-changing business and saw this as a major source of income, I'm sure they would review their pricing strategy. I'm guessing it's an annoyance, it takes up workshop time, maybe it even takes time from someone who is meant to be selling bikes. If it takes 15 minutes for a tube to be changes (from receiving wheel to printing final receipt) and that time could have been better invested in selling a Boardman road bike (> €1000 RRP, shifting stock and > maybe €300 profit), then that is the real cost to Halfords.

Costs aren't always totally transparent and I think the price reflects the fact that Halfords probably don't give a **** about punctures. Yeah, we'll repair it, but we don't like it so you're going to pay a lot for it.

C3PO

Personally I don't think it's a rip-off - people seem to expect bike shops to work for no profit! Having said that I'd hate to part with €17.50 to have a tube replaced but if I did ask somebody else to do it for me I would expect to pay €15-€20 for the privilege!

studiorat

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

If it takes 15 minutes for a tube to be changes (from receiving wheel to printing final receipt) and that time could have been better invested in selling a Boardman road bike (> €1000 RRP, shifting stock and > maybe €300 profit), then that is the real cost to Halfords.

That's a bit like saying you saved €2.00 by cycling home instead getting the bus. Only to find out that you could have saved €22 by cycling home instead of getting a Taxi.

Tenzor07

studiorat wrote: »

That's a bit like saying you saved €2.00 by cycling home instead getting the bus. Only to find out that you could have saved €22 by cycling home instead of getting a Taxi.

Yea, I mean for a car, the cost of 2 litres of petrol €3.20, vs. equivalent journey in taxi €23.20! :rolleyes:

DirkVoodoo

studiorat wrote: »

That's a bit like saying you saved €2.00 by cycling home instead getting the bus. Only to find out that you could have saved €22 by cycling home instead of getting a Taxi.

No, it's more like the Taxi driver giving someone a lift from the airport to Darndale only to find out that next in line were 4 americans looking to head to some place called Moneygall.

Cha-ching!

The shorter distance is like the tube, it represents a poor return for the "business" and so gets penalized accordingly.

Darkglasses

If I was all set to shell out for a Boardman, I probably wouldn't give up on the idea as soon as the first salesperson I saw was busy.

DirkVoodoo

Darkglasses wrote: »

If I was all set to shell out for a Boardman, I probably wouldn't give up on the idea as soon as the first salesperson I saw was busy.

You're misunderstanding my point, Halfords want to sell bike and accessories by the bucket load. Their service plans are designed to reinforce this by securing cash up front and ensuring sales of more of their parts/accessories.

They are not an LBS repair shop who want people to come in, sip coffee and talk about team tactics in the tour.

Surely this makes their puncture repair pricing more sensible now? In woolys we were told "punctures, point them downstairs where they get told by a mechanic its 25 dollars, no negotiation and they can go off and buy a coffee somewhere while they build bikes for customers, carry out overpriced repairs on a backlog of bikes and the sales staff can go on selling overpriced accessories to the masses". Having a line of people out the shop looking for cheap puncture repairs would not have been encouraged.

It's a reasonably quick and straightforward job, so if you can extort money, why not? It's not a polio vaccination, there aren't any moral qualms about it. Halfords staff aren't making people puncture to get them in the shop. If people don't like the price, they don't pay.

tippgod

i work in a bike shop in a small town and if the bike was originally purchased in the shop then its charged the cost of the tube ($6) or if not then $10

heard customers stories about getting charged $26 for a simple brake cable inner changed from Halfords

AltAccount

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ACArticleDisplay?mpe_id=69370&articleId=789410&msg=&cm_cr=No+Campaign-_-Web+Activity-_-ie-03-werepair-_-PRODCAT_ESPOTRIGHT_212427-_-We+service+and+repair+bikes&catalogId=15551&categoryId=246199&evtype=CpgnClick&intv_id=11356&langId=-1&storeId=11101&ddkey=http:ClickInfo

Tyres and Wheels Puncture Repair - tyre and/or tube replacement €10.99 Wheel spindle/bearing replacement/re-grease - €17.99 Wheel truing (subject to wheel condition) - €13.99 Wheel assembly (with tyre and tube) and fitting - €24.99 Wheel build/spoke replacement (per wheel) - €30.99 Slime service - €5.99

Gears Gear adjustment (with existing cable) - €6.99 Gear service (including replacement inner cables) - €22.99 Gear cable - replace and adjust (single) - €12.99 Chain fitting - €9.99 Front mech fit / Rear mech fit - from €18.99 Bottom bracket service or replacement - €24.99 Crank set replacement - from €15.99

Brakes Brake adjustment (with existing cable) - €6.99 Brake service - cable type (including replacement inner cables) - €21.99 Hydraulic disc brake service each (replace fluid and bleed system) - €30.99 Brake cable (single) - replace and adjust - €10.99 Brake blocks - fit and adjust (front or rear) - €6.99 Fit new free-wheel or cassette (wheel only) - €9.99

General Jobs Pedal replacement (pair) - €5.99 Headset or fork replacement - €24.99 Headset service - €14.99 Handlebar replacement - €14.99 Suspension fork fitting (Free if purchased from Halfords) - €24.99

Prices don't seem too unreasonable

kumate_champ07

Lumen wrote: »

It's obviously a very profitable line of business, as evidenced by the appearance of vast, glass-fronted Puncture Fixes Are Us shops on the high street of every town in Ireland.

thats a pretty good business idea, a puncture repair stand, like those mobile hotdog stands. sometimes I wonder if theres a a conspiracy to place broken glass in city centre areas near bike shops. they all take turns at the weekend smashing bottles on the road or pay kids to do it. Im joking of course. I did get a puncture a few meters away from a bike shop 1 time tho

Hermy

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

No, it's more like the Taxi driver giving someone a lift from the airport to Darndale only to find out that next in line were 4 americans looking to head to some place called Moneygall.

When things were busier the short trips were more profitable provided you got enough of them.