apologise in advance for the long post...
I\'m going to try and be as calm as possible, because right now, I am fuming.
My clutch is playing up on my car, so I took it back to the garage I had it done at to have it looked at/fixed (it\'s 4 months and 5000 miles under a 2 year/20000 miles warranty).
I took it back in on the 4th October (last Monday) and I was told that they would need to make a few phone calls and to get back in touch with them later on.
I rang them up to find out what to do and was told to bring it in on Thursday (7th October), which I did.
When I took it in they said it should be sorted next day and they would ring me. They called me and said it had been fixed but wouldn\'t say what had been done, just that a mech had looked at it and it was \'OK now\'.
I went to pick it up and was told that the gearbox had come off and they had \'sorted it\'. It was EXACTLY the same to drive as when I took it in, plus now it had a squeak which wasn\'t there before.
I looked at it properly when I got home and the gearbox hadn\'t been touched.
It went back on Saturday morning with a few stern words and the garage promised once again to \'sort it\'.
It was there all weekend and I rang on Monday 11th October to find out the status and was told that the part was in and it was next on the ramps, and that it would be finished by that evening/Tuesday (12th October) afternoon.
I heard nothing all today and was passing on my way home so I dropped in to see how it was going, just as one of the mechanics got into it, started it from cold and proceeded to rev the engine until it hit the limiter.
He then went off for a mini joyride of his own (unbeknown to him that I was the owner and was watching).
I started to get a bit annoyed at that point and had a few more stern words with someone there who promised to deal with the mechanic and apologised.
I then spoke to the mechanic who was dealing with it, who informed me that he couldn\'t get a clutch for it for at least another two days (funny how they got one in less than a day when it was done first time) and advised me to take it home and call him in the morning to remind him to phone the motor
parts place to order a new clutch.
I parked it outside the garage to come back and pick it up later, only to find a scratch down one side, which was obviously fresh, and most definitely was NOT there when it was dropped off.
I called the mech out who was dealing with it and he just shrugged and said, \"what do you want me to do?\"
After explaining that I was becoming a bit frustrated with the situation, the fella turned his back and walked off.
I followed and an argument ensued in which I asked if they had a solicitor.
They have and when I said that they\'d be hearing from mine, the mechanic said \"You can\'t do anything, I know where you live. ha ha ha ha\"
What is my best course of action??
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Hire your own nasties.....
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Sounds like a definate case for legal advice if you've got a nightmare case like this. One course might be to go to a reputable garage for a second opinion and to have the faults put right then sue the butt off the cowboy outfit.
From what you say, it doesn't sound like a reasonable approach is going to have any effect.
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Itching powder in his overalls!
I would write a formal complaint to the service manager and give the garage one further opportunity to fix the problem with the clutch. If they fail to do so to your satisfaction tell them you will get a quote from another garage for the work. Also tell them they have to pay for the damage to the car. Again get a quote in writing and say how much you are claiming from them. Also report the threat made by the mechanic to the police if they don't play ball at all. Take them to the small claims court if they don't pay up.
Talk to your local trading standards and see what they have to say first thing tomorrow. They'll be able to give you advice on what to write in the letter and how to go about enforcing your rights.
Most importantly of all don't get angry and start shouting and making empty threats as it will get you nowhere. Be nice even if you feel like wringing their necks as it will get you a lot further than appearing to be Mr Angry.
teabelly
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Is this part of a chain?
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Cheers for your replies!
I'm just so wound up over this, it's unbelievable.
I'm going to go to the garage tomorrow to remind the mechanic to order the parts and to bridge the gap which appeared when he threatened me this evening.
Then I'm going to get a quote from a dent/scratch repair dude to repair the scratch.
When (or if) the clutch comes in, I will take the car there myself and have them do it, while I wait with a good book.
I wouldn't trust them with it for even half an hour now, let alone the 4 hours they reckon it'll take to change the clutch.
It's not a chain, it's a local clutch/gearbox 'specialist'.
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bobdabilda,
Not sure if this site will help or not.
www.lawontheweb.co.uk/
ps, thanks for not mentioning the garage's name. It saves myself or the other moderators having to remove it later.
DD.
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ps, thanks for not mentioning the garage's name. It saves myself or the other moderators having to remove it later. DD.
I think if he mentioned the garage name the swear filter would pick it up anyway.
My sympathies are all I can offer above the advice that's gone before.
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Well, as of this morning, I have a new clutch and a working Alfa once more.
/sarcasm on
And it only took them nearly two weeks.
/sarcasm off
Now, what do I do about this scratch?
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If they deny doing it, I should think it would be a difficult one to prove. Whether it is worth fighting depends really on the cost of repair.
How deep is the scratch, is it T-Cuttable, or down to the primer/metal?
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I would get a 2nd opinion on the standard of repair if you can for free or cheap.
Get a quote for the scratch and suggest they cough up.
Report your story to Trading Standards.
Don't go near them again.
H
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