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Tue 2 Jul 2013 12:42

Vivaro - problem with Mr Clutch - rk660

Here is a copy of the complaint email I sent to the managing director of MR CLUTCH
Dear Mr ......

I unfortunately find myself writing to you as your company has let me down with the work carried out...then proceeded to explain the poor workmanship as a known fault...and then when I have complained I have received nothing but a dead end where the franchisee has the last say and his word is better than mine....effectively calling me a liar.

I have tried to reason with Sarah from the complaints department but her answer is basically get stuffed as we have policies and whatever the franchise owner says is law and you as a company have no power over them leaving me in the wind with no way getting satisfaction.

Effectively she is saying the franchise can behave as it pleases with no control. This is not how a franchise works!...you are responsible for their behaviour and level of service.

I was sent away from your garage in Wimbledon with a £500 clutch that does not work properly with the explanation that the fault may or may not go away and it was a Vauxhall design fault known by everybody???...the van is un-driveable!...when I returned the van to the mechanic and explained that I called 3 garages and the Vauxhall dealer to verify his claim and that they had all said that he talking nonsense and trying to explain away mr clutches poor workmanship...to which he replied and I quote "Vauxhall don't know anything, I have been doing this for 20 years"... implying they are now lying...everybody is in the wrong but the garage it seems!

When I brought this poor service to Sarah's attention she has been of no help and has defended the company without listening to me....she also claims that she has no authority over the franchisee and therefore I beg the question ...WHY BOTHER WITH A COMPLAINTS DEPARTMENT THAT CANNOT DO ANYTHING as they have no power....

I expect you will investigate this complaint and for the sake of your company get a leash on your franchises and resolve my situation by fixing my clutch properly without lies and by accepting responsibility for poor service and workmanship.

Edited by Avant on 03/07/2013 at 01:10

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Tue 2 Jul 2013 14:45

Vivaro - Mr clutch is terrible - TeeCee

Ah yes, "Mr Clutch".

The kings of cheap third-party components and that old trick of just banging in a new friction plate and reusing the cover / release bearing, in the expectation of that lasting long enough to get out of their warranty period.

Put it this way, given a choice of only the two, I'd go to Kwik-Fit.....

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Tue 2 Jul 2013 15:47

Vivaro - Mr clutch is terrible - FP

Going further off-topic, I would endorse Kwik-Fit on the basis of their replacement of my Focus alternator a couple of years back, which I had little choice about, as they were the first place I got to when I limped off the motorway after several miles of not charging the battery, miles from home. I'm not generally a fan of these sorts of places and it's not the first time I've heard bad news about Mr Clutch.

Edited by FP on 02/07/2013 at 15:48

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Tue 2 Jul 2013 18:38

Vivaro - Mr clutch is terrible - Happy Blue!

I was surprised recently when I read a number of good reports about Mr Clutch. I remember dealing with them in a professional capacity about 20 years ago and the publicity about them at the time was fairly poor. I had heard no reason why they should have magically improved so that they could now be classed as recommended.

Having said that, there will always be good and bad staff in every large organisation. What it needs is someone to take the firm to the small claims court enough times that they will be forced to improve their service.

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Tue 2 Jul 2013 20:31

Vivaro - Mr clutch is terrible - gordonbennet

I wonder if a Mr Clutch spokesperson will reply to this, will be interesting but breath not held.

Thats if the thread stays up of course, hope it does.

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Wed 3 Jul 2013 01:03

Vivaro - Mr clutch is terrible - Avant

Yes, with a bit of editing. We would welcome a response from Mr (or indeed Ms) Clutch.

But I'll also let HJ know and let him decide if this level of naming and shaming is acceptable. With certain comments removed I personally think it is.

It's probably true that if the branch is a franchise, head office don't have direct control except for cancelling the franchise arrangement in case of breah of contract: but for the sake of the company's good name you would have thought that they would at least promise to investigate.

Edited by Avant on 03/07/2013 at 01:15

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Wed 3 Jul 2013 08:05

Vivaro - Mr clutch is terrible, - oldroverboy.

I towed a dutch tourist into a "Mr Clutch" a few years ago,

it was the Gloucester branch, saturday lunchtime, obviously no delivery service available, but it was a volvo 440 i think that used a renault engine (correct me if i am wrong), but they said the equivalent drive plate would fit (it did) and were as helpful as can be. They said, go and visit gloucester a bit, come back, and the car was fixed.

Franchises all depend on the management at that franchise, some of you have read complaints about national tyres, but my personal experience has always been good. Kwik fit when i have used them for tyre changes and exhausts and emergency work, (exhaust fallen off mgzt, re-attached free of charge!)

But, now my cars are under manufacturers warranty, I am happy to pay for dealer franchised servicing.

For the OP with the clutch problem, get it fixed at a Vauxhall dealer, get evidence that the parts are perhaps not as expected and/or poor workmanship and take the to the small claims court, won' t cost that much.

Edited by oldroverboy. on 03/07/2013 at 08:07

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