Carcraft guarantee problems

[SteffiLehmann]

Dear all

 

I have bought a car at Carcraft and it came with 12 months free warranty. VW 5 years old, 35000 mileage so very low. I drove 10000 miles since I bought it.

 

7 months down the line- there are faults within the gearbox.

 

RAC got the car back to Carcraft and they diagnosed and confirmed gearbox faults.

 

The gearbox got removed from the car and sent back for warranty inspection.

 

They asked an independent inspector to look at it who advised that the faults were due to wear and tear rather than mechanical faults.

 

Carcraft garage though insists that all gearbox problems are mechanical- not wear and tear.

 

Carcraft warranty department refused warranty claim but Carcraft garage disagrees.

 

Either way

- I don't have a car and think that it is a warranty claim as the gearbox is not a wear and tear item.

 

However- if it not a warranty claim then the garage has sold me a car with an existing fault- considering age and mileage of the car.

 

Any thoughts or advise??

 

Many thanks.

[dx100uk]

warranty is not the end of the matter

 

or p'haps the start.

 

any warranty is IN ADDITION

to you rights under sOGA..

 

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer1_cars_and_other_vehicles_e/cars_buying_a_secondhand_car_e.htm

 

http://www.oft.gov.uk/business-advice/treating-customers-fairly/sogahome/forcustomers

 

also we have linzi from carcraft onboard here

who normally does a splindid job ib resolving these issues

 

i'll send an alert to her

 

p'haps she will pop in tomorrow

 

dx

[SteffiLehmann]

Thank you so much. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

[oddjobbob]

CArcraft are just charlatans, they should be locked up.

 

A gearbox should NOT be worn out at 45000 miles, end of story.

 

Take them to court as quickly as you can.

[Guest Carcraft Customer Service Manager]

Hi allI just wanted to let you know that i am currently investigating this and as soon as i have all the facts i will respond.Many thanksLinzi

[Guest Carcraft Customer Service Manager]

Dear Miss *****

 

I have looked into the issues that you have raised above and fully investigated the claim.

 

The Drive Happy Claims Department regrettably declined your claim as the 5th gear main shaft bearing

had worn due to in service wear and deterioration rather than sudden mechanical failure.

 

In your Drive Happy booklet on page 10 it states:

 

Exclusions:

Normal wear and tear

 

It is essential that the terms and conditions of the Drive Happy Guarantee are carefully followed in order to provide an efficient service

and to provide value for money for all guarantee holders.

 

It is my opinion that on a strict application of the terms and conditions of the Drive Happy Guarantee,

the claims department were correct in declining your claim as the independent report showed that the 5th gear main shaft had worn.

 

This shows the parts were not subject to sudden mechanical failure.

 

However I have taken a broader view of the claim and the surrounding circumstances,

such as the timescale and mileage covered since purchase and the fact you have met Drive Happy Guarantee servicing requirements.

 

Taking these factors into account, I believe that it is appropriate to overturn the decision made by the Drive Happy Claims Department.

 

I have already spoken to the service centre at Chertsey Carcraft and explained the above to them, due to this they are going to go ahead with the repair.

 

They will keep you updated, but if you need to contact them you can do so on 0800 923 9402.

 

Thank you for contacting me via Consumer Action Group,

 

I hope you are satisfied with the outcome and the response I have provided.

 

Many thanks

 

Linzi

[crem]

The Drive Happy Claims Department regrettably declined your claim as the 5th gear main shaft bearing had worn due to in service wear and deterioration rather than sudden mechanical failure.

 

... which only goes further to demonstrate how after market warranties are a waste of money. 99% things that happen on a car are claimed to be "normal wear and tear" so they can duck the warranty payout!

 

In your Drive Happy booklet on page 10 it states : Exclusions: Normal wear and tearIt is essential that the terms and conditions of the Drive Happy Guarantee are carefully followed in order to provide an efficient service and to provide value for money for all guarantee holders

this of course should be read as: In your Drive Happy booklet on page 10 it states : Exclusions: Normal wear and tearIt is essential that the terms and conditions of the Drive Happy Guarantee are as complex and specific as we can make them making it as hard as posible for a car owner to carefully follow them, in order to give us every possible chance of not needing to honour a claim.

[oddjobbob]

+1 to above.

 

Car Craft shouldn't be allowed to sell cars, they have so many complints against them it's untrue.

 

And, to Car Craft... the only dispute warranty claims you ever pay out on are the ones that end up on here.

Edited January 15, 2013 by citizenB

[sailor sam]

My opinion slightly differs from the previous two. Although I too am very skeptical about used car warranties, I don't think that Car Craft are doing anything different to what other car supermarket do on a daily basis. We see more regular complaints via Arnold Clark than Car Craft IMHO. But there is a noticeable difference between the two organisation here. The most recent cases which Linzi has dealt with, appear to have been done fairly and openly and this particular case is proof of that. Linzi should be commended for actually overturning the decision made by the warranty people who were sticking to their T & C's to the letter. Yes, this obviously went very much in favour of the OP but Linzi's explanation followed common sense by taking into account the OP's mileage and the fact the service plan had been maintained.

 

I would certainly expect that the OP will be most grateful to Linzi and perhaps even has their faith slightly restored in Car Craft. Pity that we cannot seem to get the same response from the Arnold Clark customer service rep.

[dw190]

Every credit to Linzi.

 

But as far as Drive Happy goes, to even suggest wear & tear on a VW gearbox with 45K on the clock is an insult. 450K and I would have said fair game.

[sailor sam]

Every credit to Linzi.

 

But as far as Drive Happy goes, to even suggest wear & tear on a VW gearbox with 45K on the clock is an insult. 450K and I would have said fair game.

 

Agreed. Again, obviously something Linzi took into account as well.

[MaisyMouse]

Every credit to Linzi.

 

But as far as Drive Happy goes, to even suggest wear & tear on a VW gearbox with 45K on the clock is an insult. 450K and I would have said fair game.

 

On older VW vehicles I would agree, not the newer models apparently.

[oddjobbob]

A Sam, Yes I agree fair play ot Linzi... however I wonder if it would have turned out this way if the original complaint hadnt appeared on here.

 

But a good result for the OP and quite right too

[Guest Carcraft Customer Service Manager]

A Sam, Yes I agree fair play ot Linzi... however I wonder if it would have turned out this way if the original complaint hadnt appeared on here.

 

But a good result for the OP and quite right too

 

Thank you for your comments, in relation to the above, all customers do have the opportunity to follow a review procedure if they are unhappy with the decision made by the claims department, so they do have other options, they don't just have to come on here.

[crem]

Thank you for your comments, in relation to the above, all customers do have the opportunity to follow a review procedure if they are unhappy with the decision made by the claims department, so they do have other options, they don't just have to come on here.

 

but I bet they are more successful taking this route!!

[Guest Carcraft Customer Service Manager]

Not necessarily

[dw190]

they don't just have to come on here

 

but I bet they are more successful taking this route

 

Not necessarily

 

But it Helps.

 

Once again. Every Credit to Yourself, keep up the good work and CCs reputation may take a turn for the better.

[Guest Carcraft Customer Service Manager]

But it Helps.

 

Once again. Every Credit to Yourself, keep up the good work and CCs reputation may take a turn for the better.

 

Thank you dw190

[SteffiLehmann]

Hello everyone

 

Sorry for this delayed response, but I did not get any further e-mail notifications that I received more replies to my thread.

 

Linzi- I assume you had seen my long letter of complaint stating all my rights regarding this warranty claim and referring to the sale of goods act.

I was at all times fully aware of wear and tear parts not being covered under the warranty- however a gear box is certainly not one of those. And to inform me that the internal fault of a gearbox can be wear and tear items, was like someone righty stated here, an insult. Gearbox faults are warranty claims full stop. If the internal fault was wear and tear-like the independent report stated- then this fault was present when I bought the car. I am sure that Carcraft knew these facts just like I did and that any court would have made a decision in my favour.

 

Anyway- out of the blue and with no written response to my letter- I had a phone call from Carcraft Friday evening and I collected my car. I was never informed that they had actually repaired my car this week. I asked for a report and details of what work had actually been done, new parts etc. Surprise surprise no written documents available. I was also not surprised that no apologies were given.

So unfortunately, this is not the end of this for me and I will have to seek further legal advise. I had major difficulties - being a Community Nurse!- getting to work and being able to carry out my work. Of course, emotional stress is not measurable. I did not have a car for a month!

 

I did at least expect a letter responding to my letter, an apology, a full report of what has been done to my car and how Carcraft intends to facilitate compensation.

 

Will keep everyone posted.

 

So to summarise- seek legal advise, use this website and contact citizens advise bureau. They all will be able to direct you to the right directions. I was so scared and worried because I believed what Carcraft told me. Do your research and speak to people who know about consumer issues and you will soon find out that you are not alone and that most likely you are in the right and by writing a letter, they will realise that they can not mess with you. If anyone needs assistance with a similar problem, please contact me and I am happy to help or show the letter I wrote.

[neil harris]

Dear Sir/Madam

Please accept this letter as a appeal to Drive Happy Guarantees decision to deny coverage of the repairs to my airbag on my Renault scenic reg NL60 ZBZ. It is my understanding based on the information supplied by car craft leeds that it was denied because my first service was late.

My service was due before the end of September2014, but I believed it was due by the end of October. I phoned Car Craft on the 27th october to book my car in for its service and told them about the airbag light being on. The next available appointment that they had was on the 12th November at 3.30pm. I took my car in and waited for approximately 2 hours, when the representative shouted for me I asked about the airbag light to which he replied that I would have to rebook as they did not have time to look at it, which I then did for the 19th November at 8.00am.

I dropped my car off and awaited a phone call. When Car Craft rang they said that I would need a new airbag and they would put the claim through to Drive Happy and wait for the answer before they did anything on my car.

The next day a representative phoned me and I was informed that the requested claim had been denied due to the service being late. I then informed them I would ring you myself. When I rang I spoke to a lady who mentioned that there is a month leeway/1000 miles on the due date of the service. Which upset me more as if Car Craft had had a available appointment before the end of October for the service, then you would have processed the claim without any problems. I then went on to say that I would cancel the Drive Happy Guarantee as I am paying £2000 for something that was not doing as it was originally purchased for(under pressure I might add). The lady then said that it was not possible to cancel it. I then ended that call as I was not getting anywhere and all it was doing was upsetting me more.

I then phoned Car Craft and arranged to pick my car up that evening. When I arrived at Leeds I explained to the reps there what had happened and then one of them said that there was a month leeway. Again this started to upset me so I left to get my car, which when I went outside wasn't there I went back in and the guy said he would get it brought round. Which a mechanic did , but as he did he was looking very puzzled so I approached and informed him it was my car, to which he replied that there was bits hanging off it. When I asked what he meant he said the air bag had fallen out while bringing the car round. He said he was going inside to find out what was happening. He explained to his college what had happend and said that he wasn't happy for me to drive away with it in a dangerous condition. I was informed that even if the airbag was still fastened in place on the car it was unsafe to drive, and the airbag could go off by itself at anytime( incorrect I might add , renault say it doesn't go off at all when there is a fault) I then had to leave my car yet again and arrange to collect it the following day when it had been returned to a drivable state.the airbag reconnected to the steering wheel that should never have been taken off in the first place ,.

 

I would appreciate your quick response as my car is booked in for Mot on the 20th december.

 

has anybody any thoughts on the outcome

[neil harris]

sorry forgot to add it was the leeds branch

[dx100uk]

you need to start a new thread

 

 

of your own.