Help I need some clarification.
The company I work for has started to carry out budget services that only include an oil and oil filter change and the car is checked over. No other parts are fitted including the sump plug. It is named as the dealership service not that brand so there should be no mistake that it is to the manufacturer's specifications.
But as a service advisor I have been asked to stamp the service books on the cars having these services as I would with a maufacturer's service, I am not comfortable with this so have been stamping them but hand writing that it is only and oil and filter service to which my boss has taken it that I am being "awkward" and told me "I am of no use to him as a service advisor if I am not willing to follow his command".
I would like to clarify if I in the wrong by marking it up this way in the service book or should I stick to my guns?
{Typo in header corrected}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 06/03/2009 at 00:40
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You are certainly right TK. But only you know whether you can afford to cross the fellow on such a matter. I would be looking for someone honest to work for if I were you. But it could be a long search.
I would add that service books stamped up to date all at once, sometimes very obviously so, are not unknown with the more ragged sort of secondhand car.
Edited by Lud on 05/03/2009 at 20:57
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I have also been asked to do things Im not happy with, and so far have kept my job.
I think a good idea, would be to have a word with the local trading standards - off the record - and NOT on company time/phone system - to see if your feelings are legally correct.
IF they are, then I think you would have a good case of wrongful dismissal if it came to that.
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TinyK, I think you are right but tread carefully - you could be out of a job. Seek advise for sure. This sounds wrong to me too.
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The way I see it is that you're being asked to commit fraud. An oil change is not a service, a service checks all the safety elements of the car, an oil change is just that an oil change.
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Blimey, what a position to be in TK.
Only you know just how safe your position is and whether you could obtain another similar job should things turn sour.
Times are bad and going to get considerably worse in my opinion for a good number of years, if not permanently, so tread carefully.
I understand how you feel, but if you are only stamping the service book without signing your own name then i'd be inclined to do as ordered.
You could always send your boss an innocent email pointing out that basic oil changes are being carried out and service books being wrongly stamped up and enquiring whether he is aware of it....this could be phrased politely as if you are raising something he is unaware of.
Then you have some evidence that you pointed out the discrepancy should anything drastic happen due to the lack of correct servicing
Sounds mercenary and it is, because management are very good at covering their own backsides, such instructions as you have been given will only ever be deniable verbal, take a leaf out of their book and get your own insurance.
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Are they charging for a full scheduled service -if so they commit fraud.
Additionally if any warranty work is required they are presenting a false service picture to the manufacturer -are they ripping them off as well on warranty stuff -it wouldn't be unknown.
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You could always send your boss an innocent email pointing out that basic oil changes are being carried out and service books being wrongly stamped up and enquiring whether he is aware of it....this could be phrased politely as if you are raising something he is unaware of.
If you email as evidence then BCC (blind carbon copy) a version to your personal email address and print the sent email.. If you BCC the other recipients won't know unless they have admin access to the email system. So delete the sent item too.
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Its the age old problem, do the right thing and get on your bosses wrong side or do as you are told and feel bad about it.Truth is if you walk away someone else will do the job as the boss wants it.
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we all have to draw the line somewhere
otherwise we would all end up being nazi prison guards cos we were ordered to
in your situtation i would have the matter reported to trading standards and maybe the local press anonomously or via a friend even the maker if there is a chance they will be getting warranty claims on cars which have not been serviced according to their schedule
do your best to keep it anonymous and look for another job
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Stamps ina service book are worthless without receipts for the work done. Any reasonable owner should keep both.
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Exactly and this is one of the main reasons I have walked away from a lot of traders. They bang on about the service history but all they have to show me is a bit of paper with random stamps on it. When there used to be such a thing as a private market we had receipts for all the work done on the cars we have bought. My dads car has a shoe box full of receipts dating back to 1997 and it was sold as part service history. However we lately discovered there was important bits missing but that is another story, e.g they hid bits.
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I still think the original poster needs to be careful about their job.
This is an example of why Mazda has digital service history.
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thats all well and good but most cars seem to fall out of the dealer network at 4 or 5 years old anyway. We have also never bothered with stamps, we have the receipts for all the history so who wants silly stamps. I had an argument with a trader about that once.
And it is all easy for us to say find a new job etc but its very difficult in the current climate and nobody will want to employ the OP if the word gets out. However I think it is a good idea for the OP to look for a new job and once they have found it there are ways of tipping people off :).
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This is an example of why Mazda has digital service history
Don't see what difference that makes - the record (for what it's worth, but that's another story) is being falsified. It purports to show that a full service has been done, and several people know that it hasn't. Ultimately the currency will be fully devalued when no-one places any value on a stamped (or digital) record.
Edited by Andrew-T on 05/03/2009 at 23:42
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A main dealer will not create false records one would hope. Only a main dealer for Mazda will access to the digital records. Which then means only a main franchised dealer can service the car....
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Only a main dealer for Mazda will access to the digital records. Which then means only a main franchised dealer can service the car....
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and THAT is THE reason for digital records!
keeps the cars away from 'nasty' indies and in the 'fantastic' dealer network.....
Edited by the swiss tony on 06/03/2009 at 05:29
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Hold on. Nothing untoward is happening here.
Assuming the customer is paying a cheaper rate, and the company is not pretending to be a main dealer with a false name in the stamp, then this is all perfectly legal and above board.
what happens when my car goes into a main dealer? it gets an oil and filter change and an inspection. So what the difference here?
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It gets an oil and filter change and an inspection.
If that is all the manufacturer's service schedule calls for, clearly there is no problem. The implication in the OP seemed to be otherwise?
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Lots of small garages pay no attention to the servicing requirements anyway.
e.g. if every 30k service calls for new plugs, and every 40k service calls for a cambelt, brake fluid change...
it is perfectly possible that the service at 40k will get new plugs anyway, but nothing else apart from oil & filter.
And a standard 12k service involves little more than an oil change anyway.
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Bad practice.
A service stamp should be backed up with details of work carried out, its no use without it, but if its being used as a service history to help inflate the price of the car without having had the corect work carried out its potentially fraud.
This, in the position you are in, is an ideal case for being a member of a trade union.
Tread carefully, its your job, income, lifestyle that is at stake; but I aglad to see you standing up for what is right; dealer or indie !
Contact your union if you are a member, or trading standards if not !
I hope you stand your ground; but I fully understand if you dont't !
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This also applies in part to franchised dealers, although in recent years they have woken up to the increased profitability of sticking to the service schedule (eg, Fiat advise change of cabin filter each year, east to do and big mark up on filter).
One reason that I do DIY service once cars are out of warranty. Then I know that the required work has been done.
When I come to sell, at trade-in dealers are really not too bothered about service history.
Privately, the exellent condition my cars are in and my extensive knowledge of work done and service schedule is worth much more to the buyer than a stamped book.
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Nothing untoward is happening here.
The OP seemed to be saying that the boss wanted to stamp these skimpy dealer services in the book as if they were manufacturer's scheduled services, AE. Perhaps you are right though and there usually isn't much difference. The implication was that in this case there is a difference though.
I have a fairly strong impression that most owners don't really know what a 'service' is, and don't much care as long as the car keeps going and the cost is kept down. And that last is really the point here. The OP's boss has identified a market among his customers for a low-cost lick-and-a-promise service instead of a more costly professional fettle and tweak. But they - the customers - want the service book to look good when they sell the jalopy on... people here faff about this sort of thing all the time.
Perhaps if the boss had gently explained that, rather than going red in the face and talking about his commands, this thread wouldn't exist...
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... this thread wouldn't exist... >>
I did wonder if this thread was as a result of this post:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=72505&...e
I say so only because it seems a coincidence that TinyK joined the Backroom just to ask his question and has then gone quiet.
Unless of course the BiB have been round and put him behind bars for conspiracy or somesuch in this alleged fraudulent practice. ;-)
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Does your "budget service" differ very materially from a "maufacturer's service"? Can't you come to some arrangement whereby he takes responsibility in an accountable way?
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As other have said, be careful here. It's a sad fact that sometimes you can be too honest and this costs you. Doesn't make it right but it's the real world.
If you feel strong enough about this, I would continue doing what your employer asks as it is open to debate as to whether it could be proven illegal. It won't be easy but look for and hopefully secure another job and then hand in your notice and leave. That way you leave with a good ref and without causing yourself loads of grief.
I'm not saying this is right but sometimes you have to be realistic.
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It's your integrity that's at stack here TinyK, do the honest thing and let the manager do the worrying. Stamp/write in the service book what's actually been done.
When someone buys a car they can and should request printouts of all service records to check the actual work carried out for any given vehicle. Cross check the information with the service book and if any of the information is inconsistent or has been falsified then the garage/dealership/company and/or personnel can be in serious trouble.
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I don't think this garage is unique.
I believe that if you have a basic service at Ford Rapid Fit, you get a stamp in the book.
From the rapid fit website "The Ford Value Service is for vehicles over three years old. While not as comprehensive as a scheduled service, it offers a range of checks especially for older vehicles, for just £99. "
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