I'd go for completely incompetent! I received a letter from Moorcroft debt recovery today......If I was made of weak stuff it may worry me.......I'm looking forward to abusing these guys According to their letter I may be prosecuted and fined £1000, My vehicle may be clamped (I presume the one I don't own) Or it may be impounded and destroyed......I'm shaking in my boots. Not too sure how to proceed....Do I answer the door naked and invite them in? or polish a huge ornamental sword while talking to them....

So in summary you weren't in the union and now all the union members get £2-3k more than you? Sounds like a good result!!

A lot of money involved? I use TT and the largest bill I've had is £20.....did I mention I'm a miser! It seems an easy thing to clear up on the phone.....Try customer services or the help forum Talktalk forums

A good result for you! Will it stay on your record "and" be in effect for 12mths or just on your record? It's an entirely normal thing for a final written warning to be given (usually for gross misconduct when it's the only alternative to dismissal) as stated earlier it will be in the company handbook (I'm assuming they are large enough a concern to have one) Don't worry about it...and if you feel strongly enough about it in the coming months "vote with your feet" All the best and join a union.

The right to representation is for you to assert....Can you post copies of the invitation letters (edit your/their details out) for appraisal?

What about my questions! I may make a claim of racism if you don't answer..... A manager should know the procedure and be able to offer their own defence in a case like this.....Maybe you could claim a lack of training led to your not knowing how to make your defence......By your own words you appear to refute the claim of racism as it is just your opinion with no evidence. Is the internal investigation still ongoing or have the Police been involved?

Only the jokers who know not what they speak of.

It sounds like you aren't having much fun! I take everything you've said as being gospel...so here are my thoughts. The practice of deflection and transference of fault ie claiming physical assault falsely...Very hard to defend against....And a classic attribute of kids....Why then after a physical assault by a male upon a female were the Police not called? Did they not follow company procedure to the letter? I'm assuming that you as a manager would have seen the company handbook and undertaken disciplinary actions in line with your position within the company? 3 days notice to attend an investigation meeting seems fair enough, My policy is an immediate investigation...While it's fresh in everyone's mind.....Nobody loses a job at an investigative meeting...Usually the problem is solved or gets progressed to full disciplinary. Who made the details general knowledge? the accuser or co conspirators/management? You mention in a post Who did the same the group of employees or the employer?.....After witnessing that you should maybe have joined a union. My opinion (for what it's worth) is that you "could" make a claim of constructive dismissal after your treatment (if it was indeed contrary to company policy) placed you in an untenable position, I see no reason to suspect race being an issue or primary reason for your treatment and in fact abhor it being bandied about without evidence...If however it's true then screw them into the ground and start your own business on the compensation.

Sounds like a good and fair result! With a decent garage (unscrupulous maybe ) "everything" is warranty lol

Interest rates were cut only a few days ago, Should help a few out? I was rather hoping there wouldn't be a bail out of the banks....Being an anarchist is such a joy! Having seen a recession before and feeling the pinch a little too means I know it won't be so much fun. My mortgage repayments went down again and my house is worth less...So is the next house I choose to buy, Credit crunch/recession call em what they like...People suffer the same fate as the banks...."gamble" that they will be able to squeeze through with stretched finances borrow here borrow there.....Doomed! Unsustainable is the word for it. "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" As mother says, Hopefully house prices will drop to the level where people can "afford to buy" rather than the current ethos of "Manage to borrow"

Best of luck khasar..I mean that, My advice is bite your tongue in the preliminary meeting and if invited to attend a formal disciplinary meeting take a union rep in with you. Then after receiving your final written warning....Look for a job (always easier to look from a position of employment) at an "honest" company, By which I mean somewhere with the balls to just dismiss on the spot rather than going the route of mentally torturing the employee into leaving as "they can't take it any more" I gave up being an employee many moons ago after issues such as you're having now..........."I want rid of X as I dont get on with him/her...How can I push him/her through the door" Check the staff turnover at your next job too! If you aren't in a union see what the CAB can do to help, Remember to be honest too....that way you get to be self righteous and indignant

You have to think it through a little further.....My Phone My vehicle My time...Travelling for the parts in My vehicle while I pay them and then travelling out to fit the parts and charging their "customer" = I may as well employ the competition...Probably they'd be more conscientious...Or even conscious!... For those who don't understand business.....It's the equivalent of paying the window cleaner to clean your neighbours house windows.

Time to leave....I'd sack you in the morning. As far as the tribunal goes...who cares! You win you get your back pay...you lose...you get nothing. As an example employee takes phone call on company phone which I pay the bill for...mention of parts needed and discussion of labour charge......then discovery that it's a personal call....Sacked. I don't pay people to be in competition with me!

It's a premium rate to me....If it started with it's area code it would be free....And if it started 0845 it would be cheaper....Which in my book makes it a premium rate.

One of the facts is that nothing is perfect and a head gasket "has" to fail sometime.....Personally I'd check the bill to see if I was charged for an antifreeze change (then I'd take them to small claims court if they had and find out if they know engines and their job) as obviously they hadn't purged the air out correctly .....You would maybe task an independent engineer to ascertain what went wrong.

Don't worry...the DVLA will sell them all they have on you

I'll agree with you entirely on the above points..... Working on WRC cars is great fun! till the kiddies come along and wives tend to not want you gadding off around the world having fun

"Honda" and engine failure.....In the same sentence? A diesel engine by virtue of it's design (unless the governor is faulty) cannot be overreved...You would need to select the wrong gear to exceed the engine makers conservative limit. A pound to a penny some filthy little scrote in the garage thrashed the pants off it on the way to the garage and missed 5th and got 3rd!

How could they cause the head gasket to fail? By his own admission the OP states "it was very low on coolant" ie not "empty" just very low, I fail to see any case for negligence or incorrect servicing. The only reasons I can see is if the garage had changed the antifreeze and not "bled" the system correctly....which can cause localised overheating and head gasket failure, Or that the vehicle had never had antifreeze in it's system from new and electrolytic corrosion had "eaten" the all important sealing surface....... £3000 seems a little harsh! Is that for a complete new engine?

I doubt whether he's applied for it.....DVLA came for me.

I can't see it...He had the tear off "New keeper" slip......It took me 3 years to get the V5C in my name so....I think they are slightly inefficient...or is that incompetent

The garage is incompetent! Was there an engine management light on? If not scanning for a fault code would have been fruitless, A single machine SEA or any of the others would have diagnosed the fault from the KV readouts.....Usual practice after having 2 "joeys" scratch their heads for hours is to pass the cost onto the customer. From the OP I take it that it was an easy diagnosis and that it had been a quiet day for the garage...Someone has to pay eh!

I've just realised that probably thousands of people each year just pay these monkeys the £40 to avoid any "hassle".......or risk of the double "penalty" (My wife would have paid up straight away) Myself I just can't face giving these monkeys a "purpose".... I'm wondering if I could get this escalated (if it ever gets to a court date) to a higher court? One thing that sticks in my craw is the premium rate number I keep being given.......How can it be fair to charge over and above the national rate to phone a government agency? I read Johns case with interest Foolishgirl A good and fair result!!!

The dealer broke the golden rule....He wanted to be greedy and instead of unloading the car at auction with zero risk to himself he sold it to you! Hopefully you will be offered a refund.

It sounds like you entered into an agreement ie the garage ordered the part and after it duly arrived you made a mutual appointment for it to be fitted.....