Spending my time playing with the cars so have dragged my Maserati out of the garage to recommission it. Last time I drove it at least one of the brakes was sticking on so I'm pulling all the calipers off and giving them a bit of TLC but am running out of brake fluid. My usual factors are closed so I looked on the Halfords website. I've also got a set of seals to overhaul the front calipers on the ex-plod so figured I could do them too and flush through the brake fluid. In which case I'm going to need quite a bit of DOT 4. £24.99 for 5 litres seemed pretty good so ordered it online for a click and collect. They confirmed the order by email and text but said not to go to the store until I had received a text telling me to. That was at 10 yesterday morning. Spent the day twiddling my thumbs waiting for the text, didn't arrive. Now, over 25 hours later, still no text. Anyone else tried to order stuff and had to wait days for it?
I ordered a bottle of oil Sunday before last.
It was for click and collect.
I didn't hear from them for a few hours (the email said collect from 1 hour) so I went there. I tried calling first but no one answered.
They said their IT system was overloaded and it wasn't sending any orders through. Asked me to come back the next day.
I couldn't make it on the Monday so I went Tuesday. The shop was closed with a handwritten notice saying the shop was closed due to illness.
I went back on Thursday and managed to get my oil.
I got a collection confirmation email (no text) on the Monday. I only found this as I was checking my Spam folder for something else.
Much better than ECP. They're only doing click and collect for essential workers that have ID.
Despite having retired, I hung on to the letter saying I'm a key worker and have used ECP (didn't get asked for any ID though). Standing in a queue in the car park for over an hour isn't my idea of fun which is why I decided to try Halfords.
I've been to Halfords Doncaster a couple of times during lockdown.
I did order/reserve stuff online but didn't wait for their email, just turned up at the store. A short que (7 mins), no customers allowed inside, a staff member sat at a desk with till at the entrance... told him what I wanted and he went off to get it from the normal shelves, scanned it at the til at the entrance, paid on card as normal. I was never asked if I'd reserved anything. Still haven't had a txt/email in reply to my reservation from weeks ago but that might be because their system noticed I'd already been and bought stuff I'd previously reserved.
I only really wanted some clay bars, polish and wax. But thought I'd better buy oil and ask for the other stuff as an aside or they might tell me to bugger off for just buying none essential stuff. You'll be OK on that front buying brake fluid though...
Last time I went to Euro Car Parts they said to take a letterhead next time as they'd only be serving trade customers and key workers. I have a kind of pseudo account with Euro Car Parts, I get everything at trade discount price but without actually having an account. Pretty obvious you're in the trade if you buy spark plugs in sets of 30+ lol.
i ordered brake fluid from ECP and it arrived to my front door the next day..
Not tried halfords,
StrangeRover wrote:
i ordered brake fluid from ECP and it arrived to my front door the next day..
Not tried halfords,
I tried click and collect at ECP after seeing several people on various Facebook groups complaining of 2 week+ delivery times. At the time the website was listing 9 day delivery.
Didn't want to wait that long!
I noticed the same thing with ECP. Had an email from them to say they were doing same day delivery but when I went online to order, same day delivery wasn't an option, only click and collect or 7-9 days. Maybe I didn't get the same day option as I didn't sign in but made the order as a guest? Just stopped for some lunch then I'll be visiting Halfords as I can't do any more without brake fluid.
If you're after car cleaning products, Bilt Hamber are selling online as normal (or they were a couple of weeks back). Quick delivery on the very best cleaning stuff.
All I will say is that Halfords (and ECP) need to take a few lessons from Screwfix, or even Argos! Turned up there to find a queue out, stood there for ages and it didn't move then eventually it did but very slowly. After an hour and 5 minutes it was my turn. Gave the order number and the girl then called someone to get it for me. Out of the staff that were in the store most seemed to be wandering around doing not a lot but possibly the slowest moving of them all finally wandered over with my 5 litres of brake fluid.
Now it appears that even if full lockdown is relaxed, social distancing is going to be with us for quite some time. Did a Click and collect order at Screwfix last week. Within 5 minutes I got a text to tell me my order was ready. Drove down there, no queue, just a table at the doorway. Guy asked me for the order number and he picked it up from a shelf just inside the door and put it on the table. Picked it up and went home. So why can't Halfords and ECP actually get the items you've ordered out ready so all you have to do is pick them up rather than waiting until you get there before getting them?
To be fair Screwfix have had the click'n collect business pretty sorted for some time. About the only change seems to be that you now wait outside and the collection pile is inside the front door rather than out back of the counter. Never known Halfords to actually have their act together in any sorted way. My experience has always been that if you can't find what you want on the shelves yourself its down to picking the least dozy looking floor guy or gal.
Opie oils keep insisting they are managing close to normal deliveries so I guess I'd go with them. I just wish they'd tone down the marketing E-Mail frequency.
Currently I'm playing motorbikes between gardening. A friend inherited an BMW R75/7 from a mate of his who had been sort of doing it up over the last decade. Now it sits on my lift whilst I figure out what bits got thrown away, what bits are wrong etc so we can sell it. Motorworks are hitting pretty much normal delivery times which is good as I have around £500 into it so far and would prefer to get it back sooner rather than later. Something of a revision course in how much I hate BMWs. "A cross between a Volkswagon and a motorcycle and an insult to both." I say the 350,000 home serviced miles or so between 2 Rs and 2 Ks makes for an honest and accurate opinion.
Was supposed to be getting on with fitting an electric waterpump and car alternator to the Norton once the planting season was done. Then that BMW arrived.
At least I seem to have pretty much sorted the cool down water leak on the P38.
Clive
I had the same issue with Halfords last week. Ordered a few things but didn't get the text.
Halfords advertise stuff on the website that they don't always stock in their local stores so you won't get the text message until it's been delivered to the store.
I ordered a 1/4" socket set, a rail of 3/8" deep sockets and a rail of 1/4" deep sockets. They didn't have the long 3/8" sockets so had to wait from Monday until Saturday for the text message telling me I could go and collect.
David.
Ordered click and collect from ecp yesterday just needed a exhaust clamp (63mm) managed an online discount and collected it when 1/2 and hour one person in front of me. would have gone local but looks like hey will not be opening again.