Garage carrying out work without authority

[QwertyIan]

Hi,

wifes car went in for standard service.

booked it in, agreed price, droped it off, no problem.

 

came back to pick it up and they handed me a bill for 4 new tyres!

 

I told them it did not need the new tyres, the old ones where within the legal limit, and even if one or more of them was not ,they had no right to remove them.

 

They claimed they tried to call but couldnt get hold of me ( absolute lie, my phone was on all day)

 

I refused to pay for them and they refused to release the car.

 

After much agro and a physical confrontation, i finally got the car back.

The garage are claiming to be suing me for not paying for the 4 tyres but ive heard nothing in 3 days and I think they are bluffing me.

4 tyres i didnt need or want.

 

Where do i stand?

BTW, i asked them to return the old tyres but they claim they couldnt as they had been disposed off.

 

If they had not given me the keys, where would I have stood?

 

Has anyone else ever fallen for this trick?

[Conniff]

If they had not given me the keys, where would I have stood?

 

The same place as another poster, at the bus stop. Sorry Ian, couldn't resist that.

 

So do I take it that you have got the use of your car ?

 

Did they set any conditions on giving you back the keys?

Have you been properly billed for the tyres?

[QwertyIan]

they gave me a bill after giving me the keys which i ripped up in their face and walked out.

 

i have had no contact since.

 

can you post a link to the other person who suffered this trick? its disgraceful.

[raydetinu]

I pressume you did pay for the work you did ask them to do?

As for the tyres you were right not to pay and I think they realised they were on a sticky wicket and let you take it; I suppose they could of just put the old ones back on again ( in fact surprised they did not do that ).

[QwertyIan]

yes.

when i dropped of the car i paid for the service.

on my return i expect to pick up the keys, no more.

They also had a look at a few things but as the car was in warranty there was no issue.

 

i guess new tyres/exhaust/brakes are the only thing they can try it on with.

 

Utter ****.

 

i think they didnt want to put the old ones on because it was getting late and I was refusing to leave the show room.

[raydetinu]

I doubt you will hear anymore then.

some you win! well done.

[MARTIN3030]

St.Helens Council have an approved garage scheme,and those whose names are on that list are expected to follow good practice,codes and standards.

If they can be shown not to have been doing this,then they are in breach of CPUT 2008,as they would be also for failing to uphold and codes of practice to other trade organisations they might be subscribed to.

Maybe worth looking at that.

Edited July 20, 2011 by MARTIN3030

[heliosuk]

I'd be a bit careful as to how you handle this, 3 days to hear nothing is not a long time these days. The crux will lie in what the signed job card says or what you said when handing over the car and how it could be interpreted.

In any event, as you have not paid for the tyres you don't own them so far from what Ray suggests that some you win, you could potentially end up with an expensive bill. The fact that you "ripped up" the bill "in their face" and subsequent use of calling them "utter ****" suggests to me that you were threatening and in those circumstances I always instructed my staff to just release the car and management will take care of the issue through the proper process and channels.

 

If there was any ambiguity as to the instructions then what should have happened is that you allow them to change the tyres back or even if close to closing time arrange a suitable appointment to have them changed without taking too long. The longer you leave it the more likely they will persuit you and the greater the cost. Afterall you are benefitting from their new parts at the moment which you have no entitlement to.

[QwertyIan]

well, i didnt 'lose it' until; after an hour of trying to be diplomatic didnt work.

 

I asked them time and time again to go and put the old ones back on and they refused claiming they hasd been taken off site.

 

fortunatly, i have an email i sent them enquiring about how much was it for a service.

i have their reply with the price and my further reply that if they serviced it, if they could also look at some warranty issues (suspension arm).

My email stated at the end 'only the warranty issue and service need addressing'.

 

 

There was no mention of tyres or doing any extra work.

 

In the past, even when I have had company cars the garage has always paid me the courtesy of phoning before carrying out any further works they considered neccessary.

 

they didny make any attempt to contact, my phone recieved no calls at all on the day, so there was no potential for them to find my phone engaged.

 

furthermore, im convinced the tyres where legal - its a 2 and a half year old car which has only done 24,000 miles.

I had them balanced in march and the guy said they where fine.

[heliosuk]

I'd have a bit of a problem with being convinced about the tyres being OK at 24K miles in this day and age. Generally now, believe it or not, most are rated to 18,000 only.

 

However in your case I'd be inclined to send the garage a letter stating that you wish to resolve the issue by having your original tyres back or based on pro rata general wear limits you will pay a price less the amount you think reasonable wear based on the same tyre average purchased price from 3 seperate dealers.

Note that if they do not respond within 14 days then you reserve your right to keep the tyres etc. You need the legal bods on here to look at it but I don't see too much difference between asking a company to collect an item from home within a certain time and you keeping them.

[MARTIN3030]

Yes,I agree with the above.

You need to take control of the situation and put something in writing.

Then if they do pursue this further,you will be able to show that you have tried to sort things out.

If it ends up with a small claims action.a Judge would be looking at all the evidence on the table from both sides.

I find it strange that the garage disposed of the old tires so quickly,and that you were not shown them.

[burlyb]

havent heard of this one but did know about the old oil can and suspension damper trick where by mechanics squirt 3in1 oil so it trickles down the damper and they call you in under the ramps to show you the 'Faulty damper'

[burlyb]

I did have a run in years back when I went to pick up my Isuzu truck at the local dealership and they tried to rip me off for almost £600.00 for a quoted service of £180.00 they said that I owed for a set of wind deflectors 'i'd paid for them 10 months before' and also £300.00 as an extra payment on to top deck to the pick up bed 'also paid for 10 months before' so I said no I will NOT be paying for those items and that if they insisted I pay the revised bill then i will sue them for 4 new doors and a completely new pick up bed due to the holes thet had drilled in it to secure the items listed that were fitted and PAID for some 10 months before:-x I then went on to raise my voice even more to say that the garage relied on the little elderly and or timmid people 'some where waiting to pay their bills' who they rip off at then £52.00 per hour costs and supply sundry items that are endless...well not me MR ...they reverted back to the £180.00 and asked if I would be happier paying that so I said NO i'd much prefer it to be £140 or under 'inc VAT' and that was what they charged me in the end...I think they wanted me to leave ha ha ha...never ever went back I found a great one man band mechanic to do all my work now at £15.00 per hour:-) and above all I trust him:whoo:

Edited August 20, 2011 by burlyb

[Conniff]

I wouldn't class £52 per hour as rip off, I would call that a bargain. You have to take into consideration all the other running costs of a business and the wages of those that are not productive.

 

£15 per hour, won't even cover the basic bills of water, electricity, business rates and his own wages, (assuming he owns the building and has no rent or mortgage to pay).

[burlyb]

hes a very good mechanic and £15.00 is mates rates...you wouldnt get the same rate

[Conniff]

To be honest, there is no such thing as 'mates rates', it's something said to make you think your getting some kind of special deal.

[burlyb]

you dont have mates that charge you less for things ? thats sad...rest assured I DO and maybe it's due to we go back to the early 70's as great mates and there are mates rates if you have good mates and advice from him is always free despite you're inputs and semi put downs you dont know everything

[Conniff]

Excuse me burlyb, I am putting no one down, I am talking from more years of experience than you have been on the planet. Now if you wish to continue along this line, then may I suggest that you open a thread of your own and we don't continue to post off topic on someone elses thread.