Surcharges on parts

[Oak2]

Hi

 

Question - surcharges on car and van parts is it a legal requirement to pass the refund money back to the customer? The example being if a garage purchases the parts from a parts outlet and then hands your old part back to the parts outlet receives a refund on the parts. Should the customer get that refund?

 

If any one has information about this please pass on

 

Oak

[sailor sam]

Wouldn't of thought so unless the customer is prevented from making the choice to purchase direct themselves in some way.

[blackknight]

Its either that or pay more money for the parts!!

[crem]

The arguement the garage would usually use in this case is that the anticipated refund they were getting was taken into account when giving you the original price.

[Conniff]

As above, the costs are calculated using the refund.

 

If, however, the part was sold as 'exchange' and a surcharge applied because you didn't have the old one with you, then yes, you should expect that surcharge to be refunded when you take the used part to the factor.

[CarsOrBikes]

I don't know if its a legal requirement, but if the garage is charging full price for the part then adding the surcharge to it as if the surcharge part hasn't been or isn't going to be returned that is naughty!

 

The surcharge should be qualified by the repairer ie if the part is not broken or damaged and is resuseable core material they should credit the surcharge element prior to invoicing you, and take on the responsibility of waiting for reimbursement themselves, this also serves as incentive to actually return the part rather than bin it, or allow mischeivous technicians to collect and sell, or the garage themselves of course.

 

A customer should never have to claim it. Most factor supplied parts can still be credited the surcharges, and still discounted to the customers.

 

It won't have to show on the invoice as a credit necessarily, but the price charged should obviously not appear higher than the single part retail value (indicating the surcharge was added to the part cost)

 

only my2p

[michael1703]

Depending how big the surcharge is the garage might not bother.

 

If they have to box up the item and get it to a post office or a courier etc then it might not be financially viable to do so

 

Also, you only get the surcharge if the item you sent back is suitable for reconditioning, if the item replaced wasnt reconditionable then thats another reason

[crem]

I know many years ago when my dad would change alternators on cars, he would get the "new" (reconditioned) alternator from the shop with the surcharge added, but this was clearly noted to be refunded to the customer when they handed in the old alternator. This covers the shop for if the customer failed to bring the old alternator back after they swapped it. Without the "carrot" of the refund, there'd be no incentive for the customer to bother taking the old one bakc.

[traffer]

The garage should put the price of an "exchange" item as the net price, that is, less the "surcharge" on the returned item.

However:

1. Some customers do not believe an exchange item is as good as new

2. Some garages may quote the gross price and pocket the surcharge.

 

Speaking form experience in the remanufacturing industry, then an exchange item will have been properly rebuilt and any worn parts replaced or refurbished, and fully deserving of a 12 month warranty. In fact, refurbished starter motors and alternators were tested to "new" standards.

 

On the other hand some "new" items from spurious sources have been proven to be vastly inferior to a reconditioned item, both in terms of performance and durability. Personally I would choose a respected brand reconditioned item over spurious new item.

[heliosuk]

Good post Traffer, especially with explosion of Chinesium material made parts that seem to find their way into the market these days.

[traffer]

Thank you Helios,

Yes, a friend of mine picked up a bargain as the owner had given up with a bad starting problem, haivng replaced both battery and fitted a "new" starter. This was replaced with a remanufactured unit. Problem solved.