Nationwide AutoCentre- Avoid

backfoot

I felt compelled to report a very poor experience with Nationwide Autocentres.

We needed an MOT on our son's car and were using them for the second year principally because we had taken out an MOT Guarantee with them.

Last year's experience wasn't brilliant and very expensive but I put that down to our inital purchase error with the car.

This year started with their telephone reminder about the MOT and 'their' special offer of a discounted MOT price.A week later later I rang to book in, and no one recognises this offer not even the Manager.I must have dreamt it up......He advises an online booking to acheive 10% off.So we try that and it doesn't exist!! Ring back and another person tells us there is no such offer but if we have an RAC,Matalan or Tesco card there is a discount.:rolleyes:

Anyway the car fails on a most marginal basis of slight windscreen damage.There is also a bulb not working in the front headlamp.They can't repair or replace the windscreen and I have to press them to look at the bulb( it has come loose). I am told I need to pay a retest fee of
£27 because the vehicle will have to leave the premises !! So they can't do the repair and charge you to look at it when someone else has replaced it.Mmmmm:eek:

Eventually he saw sense and waived the charge but not without extraordinary attitude and disdain.The bulb resettling cost £11 and you are left feeling a might irritated.

As for the guarantee it naturally doesn't cover any of the problems we are told, including an indicator relay failure a couple of days before the MOT.

So in summary,avoid NA and their MOT Guarantee like the plague unless you like your Customer Service served up with misinformation, pedantic Inspectors and Service staff who appear to have been trained at the Reggie Kray Charm School.:rotfl:

swiftnick

Sorry to hear this, It's garages like this that give the motor trade a bad reputation. I work at an indepent garage and we wouldn't dream of treating our customers like this.

hewhoisnotintheknow

i dont really see a problem other than the admin error

Keith

You've been lucky if all they tried to bill you for was fitting a new bulb and a retest.

worried_jim

I thought it was common knowledge to avoid chain auto centres and stick to family garages that care about repeat customers.

hewhoisnotintheknow

was the bulb out when you checked it before taking it in?

backfoot

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

i dont really see a problem other than the admin error

My report was just a precis of the issue.It is hard to convey the lack of empathy with the customer throughout the whole episode. From telephone manner,ignoring facts through to having to challenge the obvious.

I used to watch training films by John Cleese about how not to give Customer Service . This was a full repeat with extra venom thrown in.

You obviously want to take issue without knowing or experiencing any of the actual facts or circumstances.I repeat for those that want to listen,that Nationwide are best avoided by a long distance.

steveo3002

it gets posted on here fairly often about nationwide...best avoided

backfoot

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

was the bulb out when you checked it before taking it in?

Very good. You got me.:A

It wasn't apparent to us no otherwise we would have spotted it.

I think the point is that such a minor problem could have been been rectified with ease by a supportive organisation. Instead we get issued with a failure notice and no offer to resolve the issue. Instead of an easy win for the outfit with a simple goodwill gesture, some repeat business ( a possible service) is lost.

It literally took the mechanic a minute to rectify it. Seems pretty steep at £11 but obviously it was a penalty charge for being such a henious crime.

Monkeeboy

Sorry to hear you had bad service. I have just MOT'd both of our cars at Nationwide in Gateshead and had excellent service - I would certainly recommend them. My oldest car is a 9 year old Toyota - it failed as the number plate had split from the backing - I should have spotted how bad it was! This is the only time it has failed. I have had it MOT'd at Nationwide every year with only one exception. The cost of the MOT and plate £39 - still less than the maximum MOT cost.

I got my MOT for half price using the autotrader offer and with this you can book online - it was simple and no hassle.

It just goes to show though that the quality of service at big chains is varied.

hewhoisnotintheknow

backfoot wrote: »

You obviously want to take issue without knowing or experiencing any of the actual facts or circumstances.I repeat for those that want to listen,that Nationwide are best avoided by a long distance.

why dont yoyu tell me all the facts then?