I booked and paid for a new battery for my car and included the fitting option as my battery was perilously close to giving out completely. I choose the Halfords Christchurch store as I intended to have a coffee and do some shopping while I waited, as it's a retail park. When booking I was asked to input my registration number so the right battery could be found for my vehicle and the store could be ready. Five minutes after leaving the store after handing over my keys, a Halfords staff member found me having a coffee and informed me my car was on a 'don't fit list',because it had to go through a shutdown procedure which they can't do and this would mean going to a Halfords auto centre. I asked if I could just drive over as it was only a mile or so away but no, I had to book an appointment with the auto centre. The staff were friendly enough but didn't seem overly bothered that they now had ?104 of my money but I had neither a battery or an appointment to get one. Surely. If a car is on a 'don't fit list' for stores it should flag up on the website to the user that they must book in to an auto centre and not a store! To make matters worse the refund doesn't go back on the card instantly. This meant having to try and find a further ?109 to book in at an auto centre.This is the same website that let me pay for a Saturday MOT earlier this year when the chosen auto centre doesn't have any MOT testers working on a Saturday and never has! Again, shouldn't the website flag this up to the user? Here too I was left having to book into one of Halfords competitors and pay a Saturday premium after having to find more money as the Halfords refund doesn't go straight back on to the card. Never again Halfords!
