Garage trouble five years on

lucyw

OK I don't know if anyone can help but five or six years ago I took my sister's Morris Traveller to a garage in - no, I won't identify the town because this is not about naming and shaming- to get some wood repaired. I paid upfront. I borrowed a car from the garage and later, bought that car from him because after a year or so, my sister's car wasn't ready (my sister lives in the States - she gave me the car to use and look after). I had to get rid of the car I'd bought from the garage after another year or so because it was so expensive on petrol and the engine was big so tax, etc, was a crippler (I'm a PhD student and struggling to raise a family). To cut a long story short, over the last year, my husband and I have contacted the garage periodically and each time we get the same response, it's nearly ready, give me another couple of weeks, oh, so and so is on holiday, give me another couple of weeks. Today I called again. Last week my husband called - today I said we needed the car back next week. Can't do. Had some problems. I went down there a couple of months ago. Garage is about fifty miles away and we don't have much money. I'm really, really scared - don't know what to do to get out of this situation. Oh, yes, and the garage owner said he needs more money from us to finish the car... help, please. My husband has not wanted me to get anyone else involved but I'm so fed up and stressed about this.

dudara

Post split out and moved to a new thread.

MidlandsM

Lucy, did the garage give you a fixed price to repair the car?

I take it, its a woody morris traveller?

Going Forward

That's one big, tightly spaced paragraph.

Has the garage had the car for last 5 years? Have you physically even seen it since?

It's going to be messy, your word against theirs etc. nothing in writing I presume.

If it were me, I'd be inclined to have 'my six large brothers ' accompanying me on my next visit.

dudara

Going Forward Boards does not condone violence.

dudara

Going Forward

dudara wrote: »

Going Forward Boards does not condone violence.

dudara

Of course, nor did I.:)

I once accompanied a friend in a similar situation. They were over a similar barrel. I had to assume the persona of a mute observer, and take notes "in a professional capacity".

The OP needs to ascertain whether the car is even there still, sounds like it's been sold or scrapped.

They should ask to see and take a photograph of it and the work, to send on to her sister.

Her "brothers" could be suited, carrying a briefcase, or wearing a yellow bib with clipboard. Her "brothers" may appear to the garage proprietor as someone not to mess with, such as Revenue, DSP, HSA, motor insurance, who knows? Nothing needs to be said. A sombre look will suffice.

The person is simply a friend of the OP's if questions are asked. A lady friend could fill the role either.

(Six would be a bit much admittedly, one would do.)

The garage owner is then left wondering who he is dealing with.
If he is shady as he sounds, he may wish to deflect any further unwanted attention and just get the job sorted.

MidlandsM

Going Forward wrote: »

Of course, nor did I.:)

I once accompanied a friend in a similar situation. They were over a similar barrel. I had to assume the persona of a mute observer, and take notes "in a professional capacity".

The OP needs to ascertain whether the car is even there still, sounds like it's been sold or scrapped.

They should ask to see and take a photograph of it and the work, to send on to her sister.

Her "brothers" could be suited, carrying a briefcase, or wearing a yellow bib with clipboard. Her "brothers" may appear to the garage proprietor as someone not to mess with, such as Revenue, DSP, HSA, motor insurance, who knows? Nothing needs to be said. A sombre look will suffice.

The person is simply a friend of the OP's if questions are asked. A lady friend could fill the role either.

(Six would be a bit much admittedly, one would do.)

The garage owner is then left wondering who he is dealing with.
If he is shady as he sounds, he may wish to deflect any further unwanted attention and just get the job sorted.

LOL ..what a load of ol' bollox......:P.

Kristopherus

MidlandsM wrote: »

LOL ..what a load of ol' bollox......:P.

The kettle calling................;)

OP, get the car out of that garage. Next time either of you call to that garage, have a helper or other family member with you . Also have a trailer with ramps. Load your woodie onto the trailer and get it out of there. You are being conned big time.

lakill Farm

send me a pm and if I can help for free I will

MidlandsM

lakill Farm wrote: »

send me a pm and if I can help for free I will

what? are you gonna dress up like one of the blue's brothers and tag along with a clip board.......LOL

boards.ie at its finest here......
walter mitty land

Going Forward

MidlandsM wrote: »

what? are you gonna dress up like one of the blue's brothers and tag along with a clip board.......LOL

boards.ie at its finest here......
walter mitty land

You're not completely at ease with the idea of someone wearing a suit are you?

Thats ok.

mgbgt1978

MidlandsM wrote: »

what? are you gonna dress up like one of the blue's brothers and tag along with a clip board.......LOL

boards.ie at its finest here......
walter mitty land

It's not you that's holding the Minor hostage, is it ????

If not, what would you do ?

lucyw

I'm not great at Boards, really, am I? Please forgive me. I came here to do something else and out of curiosity, looked up what I'd posted. How kind you all are. Men in suits, eh? Probably not but I really appreciate that beneath the potential threat, there's a genuine concern that justice needs to be restored.

The situation now is more complicated. I don't think it's fair to the garage to go into too much detail. Suffice to say that the car is still there, is probably as finished as it will ever be, and that tragedy struck the family - not, I hasten to add, through any of my doing. This means I'm now dealing with a different person and I want to be sensitive to the circumstances, but I now believe we will have the car returned to us in a few weeks, or rather, we can go and get it in a few weeks.

Thanks again for your suggestions. On the whole, I think there's great collective intelligence here, and that heartens me.

greasepalm

no one told me the cia are onboard:eek:

VeVeX

lucyw wrote: »

I'm not great at Boards, really, am I? Please forgive me. I came here to do something else and out of curiosity, looked up what I'd posted. How kind you all are. Men in suits, eh? Probably not but I really appreciate that beneath the potential threat, there's a genuine concern that justice needs to be restored.

The situation now is more complicated. I don't think it's fair to the garage to go into too much detail. Suffice to say that the car is still there, is probably as finished as it will ever be, and that tragedy struck the family - not, I hasten to add, through any of my doing. This means I'm now dealing with a different person and I want to be sensitive to the circumstances, but I now believe we will have the car returned to us in a few weeks, or rather, we can go and get it in a few weeks.

Thanks again for your suggestions. On the whole, I think there's great collective intelligence here, and that heartens me.

I might be crazy but after 6-7 years of excuses I suspect the garage are pulling your leg.

Get a tow truck, go to the garage and get your car back, its that simple.

irish gent

To My understanding he gave you a price So you stick with that .I have worked over the years on old restores a pain I know. But this guy needs to stop asking for more money ...

lucyw

I'll let you all know the final outcome in a few weeks. We were in touch just before Christmas. We will contact them again today and arrange pickup.

Slippin Jimmy

This has to be one of the most bizarre posts I have ever read on boards. How in gods name has the car been there 5/6 years?

lucyw

More, Dufff-Man, I'm afraid. Bizarre? Maybe. It's one of those weird situations that develop over the years. Do you have family? Do you know how sometimes situations in families develop, over the years, maybe between siblings or even intergenerationally? You don't realise it's happening: you say to yourself, yes, I know, this is crazy, but somehow I have to keep things together. The thing just keeps going. No-one is getting hurt (anyhow, the car is better of in a garage than at home outside where it will just rot). I don't really expect you to understand, but at least you might appreciate that context is almost always more complex than a first glance suggests.

I will keep you posted.