A READER called Valerie had what she describes as “a surreal experience” in Halfords in Kilkenny last week. “I looked at a bike two weeks ago for one of the kids. It was €152.99,” she writes.

“I spoke to one of the sales guys and he told me it was fine to come back in a few weeks and put a deposit on it. I went to Halfords today to put the deposit on the bike only now the price on it is €306. I spoke to two sales people who firstly tried to convince me that the bike was only new in stock and I couldn’t have seen it a few

weeks ago. This was until I showed them the pictures I had taken with my phone showing the same bike in their store priced at €152.99.”

Then she was told that for six weeks of the year Halfords’ stock has to be at full price and this was one of those times. “They wanted me to give them a deposit for the bike, telling me that the price would come down and I would pay the reduced price. No way was I handing over any money to them and I told them that.

“I also pointed out that if the bike was at a sale price two weeks ago then this should have been clearly displayed and I would have got the bike then.”

She says that even if the price is reduced before Christmas she won’t be buying it from them.

“I’m actually getting three bikes so it really is their loss, not that they seem to care anyway. Good to know that Rip Off Ireland is alive and well.”

She said that what has annoyed her most is that if she had not had a photo of the bike on her phone they would still be insisting that it was new stock and she couldn’t have seen it a few weeks ago.

“I’m mad because I had my heart set on this bike but they have lost my business and some of my friends who saw the post. But they are such a big company it’s not like they care. Rant over.”