Dissatisfied with garage’s work done on my car

lolalola

I’ll try to keep this brief!
My car failed the NCT on two points - passenger door wouldn’t open, and drivers window wasn’t working. Took it in to my local garage, and ended up being billed €700 😬 - 300 in labour, new lock and window mechanism. They insisted on telling me that they hated doing the work - it was time consuming, very laborious and messy, etc.
The garage themselves took it on for the re-test for me, and it passed.
After driving the car home, I tried opening the passenger door. Would not open.
I returned to the garage, where they then proceeded to dodge the issue with a bunch of other excuses as to why the door wouldn’t open (it was fine yesterday, you must be unlocking it too much, maybe the key is dodgy, etc)
Eventually the door opened - they seemed satisfied at that, and scurried away.

So, the passenger door will eventually open. Eventually. This to me is a joke.
Where do I stand on this? Can I ask for a refund or insist they do the job again but actually properly this time?

whippet

So they quoted for work, did the work and fixed the problem .. and you want a refund ?

KaneToad

whippet wrote: »

So they quoted for work, did the work and fixed the problem .. and you want a refund ?

Doesn't sound like they fully fixed the problem. If it were my door, I'd be wanting it to open every time. Not just some of the time...

VonZan

whippet wrote: »

So they quoted for work, did the work and fixed the problem .. and you want a refund ?

I think you need to re-read the OP. Clearly the fix on the door wasn't sufficient.

whippet

From reading the OP it seems the door is working after going back to them

Sonny noggs

whippet wrote: »

So they quoted for work, did the work and fixed the problem .. and you want a refund ?

Trolling?

daheff

Send them a formal complaint and outline what you see as the problem and solution. Take it from there

OldMrBrennan83

whippet wrote: »

So they quoted for work, did the work and fixed the problem .. and you want a refund ?

Are you for real? The door they "fixed" isn't working properly.

Car99

€700 , what car is it and what exactly did they replace? Was it a main dealer garage?

whippet

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

Are you for real? The door they "fixed" isn't working properly.

According to the OP - on my reading the door eventually opened after being back to the service centre

‘Eventually the door opened - they seemed satisfied at that, and scurried away.

So, the passenger door will eventually open. Eventually. This to me is a joke.’

So .. can the OP confirm if the door now works properly after the garage had a second go at it or is it still not opening properly.

If it is the latter .. of course he has a grievance and can choose to pursue it .. if it’s the former the work was eventually done as agreed and he can just choose not to deal with them again

Wheety

whippet wrote: »

According to the OP - on my reading the door eventually opened after being back to the service centre

‘Eventually the door opened - they seemed satisfied at that, and scurried away.

So, the passenger door will eventually open. Eventually. This to me is a joke.’

So .. can the OP confirm if the door now works properly after the garage had a second go at it or is it still not opening properly.

If it is the latter .. of course he has a grievance and can choose to pursue it .. if it’s the former the work was eventually done as agreed and he can just choose not to deal with them again

Reads to me like it'll eventually open, if you keep trying.

h2005

whippet wrote: »

According to the OP - on my reading the door eventually opened after being back to the service centre

‘Eventually the door opened - they seemed satisfied at that, and scurried away.

So, the passenger door will eventually open. Eventually. This to me is a joke.’

So .. can the OP confirm if the door now works properly after the garage had a second go at it or is it still not opening properly.

If it is the latter .. of course he has a grievance and can choose to pursue it .. if it’s the former the work was eventually done as agreed and he can just choose not to deal with them again

Nobody is this thick?

punisher5112

€700 is an absolute rip off.

whippet

h2005 wrote: »

Nobody is this thick?

You’d be surprised

K.Flyer

Wheety wrote: »

Reads to me like it'll eventually open, if you keep trying.

It should open first time, every time.

punisher5112

Cars on fire..... Door doesn't open ah well I'll sit here and keep trying till it does....

Wheety

K.Flyer wrote: »

It should open first time, every time.

I know.

lolalola

whippet wrote: »

So they quoted for work, did the work and fixed the problem .. and you want a refund ?

Err, no. Please re-read the post. They haven't fixed the door. It doesn't open. Not to get all existential, but it's not a door if it doesn't open.

lolalola

Car99 wrote: »

€700 , what car is it and what exactly did they replace? Was it a main dealer garage?

No, but a large enough local mechanic here in County Cork

lolalola

punisher5112 wrote: »

€700 is an absolute rip off.

Yeah, I was mortified to be fair.

To clarify for everyone here - the door will eventually open, but only after MANY attempts.
When I took it back to the garage to voice my concerns, they suggested that the door 'needs time to settle' (!).
I've tried the door again this morning after giving it time to 'settle', and it will now not open from the inside.

lolalola

daheff wrote: »

Send them a formal complaint and outline what you see as the problem and solution. Take it from there

In writing you mean? I went to the Citizens Advice yesterday - they suggested that I go back in to them on Tuesday (after the bank holiday), and tell them that I want it fixed so that the door will open correctly, and for free. If they don't agree to this, then I should make an application to the small claims court. I've never had to do anything like that before, so no idea on how long that kind of thing takes to get resolved, but if I have to do this to get it resolved then I will.

K.Flyer

Definitely a case of poor workmanship, did you get a receipt?
You shouldn't have to put up with shoddy work or service, especially at those prices. Bring it back to them, ask to speak with the manager and try to (calmly but assertively) point out that the repair has not been done properly and that you want it fixed or a refund.
If you still get no satisfaction, then I think its the small claims court for you.

lolalola

Thanks

I did get a receipt, so that’s something at least. Yeah, I’ll give them a chance to rectify it and if they don’t want to, then I think small claims is the only way to go here

K.Flyer wrote: »

Definitely a case of poor workmanship, did you get a receipt?
You shouldn't have to put up with shoddy work or service, especially at those prices. Bring it back to them, ask to speak with the manager and try to (calmly but assertively) point out that the repair has not been done properly and that you want it fixed or a refund.
If you still get no satisfaction, then I think its the small claims court for you.

punisher5112

I would guess they sprayed some wd40 and walked away
... That be €400 please then ah sure bang another €300 on for the craic

monkeysnapper

Absolutly SHOCKING !!!

follow the advice given , go back and if it's not dealt with then just go down the small claims direction...

700!!!!!!! I got a full head gasket ,waterpump , belt , done for just a little over that !!!!!

lolalola

Yep! I’d expected maybe 2-300 tops

monkeysnapper wrote: »

Absolutly SHOCKING !!!

follow the advice given , go back and if it's not dealt with then just go down the small claims direction...

700!!!!!!! I got a full head gasket ,waterpump , belt , done for just a little over that !!!!!

lolalola

lolalola wrote: »

Yep! I’d expected maybe 2-300 tops

Here’s the bill

AndrewJRenko

lolalola wrote: »

In writing you mean? I went to the Citizens Advice yesterday - they suggested that I go back in to them on Tuesday (after the bank holiday), and tell them that I want it fixed so that the door will open correctly, and for free. If they don't agree to this, then I should make an application to the small claims court. I've never had to do anything like that before, so no idea on how long that kind of thing takes to get resolved, but if I have to do this to get it resolved then I will.

This advice is technically correct, but it really is the last resort. You may well be able to negotiate a better solution, by pushing and pushing them. Check are they part of SIMI and follow the complaints process. Find out the owners of the business and put your complaint to them in writing. Put factual review on their FB page. You have other options before you take legal action. And even if you win, you have no guarantee of getting your money in the end.


Find a good trustworthy local garage and build a relationship over time.

swarlb

Generally speaking, fitting a door lock and window reg is a pretty straight forward job. Some cars are easier than others, older Land Rover Discovery's needed most of the door to come apart to fit a lock, and could take several hours, cars like a Fiat Punto could be done in 30 mins.
If the window reg was visibly broken it's an easy fix, replace with an new one and away you go.
The door lock is a different thing, as in was the 'lock' the problem in the first place. In many instances, it's the handle that operates the lock that could be the problem. As in, they replaced a perfectly good lock with another perfectly good lock, and did not source the actual problem.
I'm not saying they did this, but it could be the issue.
Regardless, having a garage complain that they didn't like doing the work is a bit like a fireman complaining he hates putting out fires... IT'S THEIR JOB, and if they don't like it, they should consider a different career. You are the one paying for their expertise, which in this instance, was virtually worthless.
Don't 'demand' anything off them, but simply explain that you want them to fix what you paid for, no 'settle in' period, just for it to work properly.
What type of car is it ?

lolalola

It’s a 2009 Mini Cooper. There was a lot of huffing and puffing over the job, but like you say - this is what they do for a living and they didn’t have to take the work if they thought they were incapable.
My gut feeling on this is that they’ve not addressed the actual issue with the door - instead they’ve ordered a new lock and assumed that would resolve things.
The passenger door stopped opening a few months ago - I couldn’t open it from the inside or outside of the car.

I think what’s bothering me the most here is that they’ve tried to distance themselves from the problem, and instead are trying to blame me or he car. I was given numerous explanations as to what could be causing this - I’m using the wrong key, I shouldn’t be unlocking the car with the window open, I’ve been locking and unlocking the door too many times. Ridiculous stuff.

swarlb wrote: »

Generally speaking, fitting a door lock and window reg is a pretty straight forward job. Some cars are easier than others, older Land Rover Discovery's needed most of the door to come apart to fit a lock, and could take several hours, cars like a Fiat Punto could be done in 30 mins.
If the window reg was visibly broken it's an easy fix, replace with an new one and away you go.
The door lock is a different thing, as in was the 'lock' the problem in the first place. In many instances, it's the handle that operates the lock that could be the problem. As in, they replaced a perfectly good lock with another perfectly good lock, and did not source the actual problem.
I'm not saying they did this, but it could be the issue.
Regardless, having a garage complain that they didn't like doing the work is a bit like a fireman complaining he hates putting out fires... IT'S THEIR JOB, and if they don't like it, they should consider a different career. You are the one paying for their expertise, which in this instance, was virtually worthless.
Don't 'demand' anything off them, but simply explain that you want them to fix what you paid for, no 'settle in' period, just for it to work properly.
What type of car is it ?