To Inflate, Or Not To Inflate?

So I call at Evans Holborn on my way home, which I've always found to be the most helpful and friendly branch, to inflate both tyres with the pump outside. I succeed in doing nothing but deflating both. Baffled, I go inside and explain sheepishly that I cannot pump them up.

Lad there tells me they always leave old and useless pumps outside for customer use. What's the point? He has a go, and more air pours out. None will go in. He goes to get another customer pump, and the same thing happens; my tyres are now completely flat. By now another rider turns up and tries the first pump on his tyres - same result. It's not until the employee gets a brand new, tagged, for sale pump off the shelf that we're able to inflate our tyres. There's also now a queue of cyclists waiting.

Hardly the end of the world, but to knowingly leave useless items for our free use is utterly pointless and self-defeating. I point this out to the employee very nicely, and he agrees. Fact is, they know they're doing it, but will they change?

So you are bitching at length about a glitch in a free service?

Unbelievable.

Buy a pump, freeloader...