HELP- I've been conned by a mechanic!! What do I do??

Nadders01

HI Guys,

Recently my head gasket blew. I had a few quotes and chose the cheapest, which was recommended by a friend.
The garage took 10days longer than estimated, original quote was £400,..the actual bill was £700!!!:mad:
After I got over the utter shock and upset of this, I found that the car was NOT fixed. The car was stalling and juddering when idol.

I returned the car and complained. The mechanic took 3 days to diagnose that he couldn't fix it and that I should go to Suzuki.

No refund, No apology, No fixed car.:mad:

I've had the problem diagnosed and I have been quoted an additional £230 to fix it.
What can I do? How can I get my money back? I paid him part card and part cash. Please HELP??!!:mad:

goldspanners

did you get any receipts?

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

Firstly a quote is just a quote.

If the mechanic genuinely did 700 worth of work as instructed then I dont see you have been conned. Its simply a case that it needed a bit more work also they didnt have the equipment to complete.

Mechanics can only diagnose and do their best. Its impossible to know everytime the intriquicies of every fault and repair in advance. this is especially the case with issues like gasket failure as often its caused by other issues which are only determined during repair.

bryanb

LinasPilibaitisisbatman wrote: »

Firstly a quote is just a quote.

It is and it should be the full amount charged unless he informs you differently before extra work.
Perhaps you were thinking of an estimate?

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

Entirely depends on what was agreed.

If the OP just told him to fix the car then he wouldnt have to requote continually as the bill changed

mikey72

No, a quote isn't an estimate. It's a cost to do the job, not an indication. And if it nearly doubles, and dosen't actually deliver either, as the car wan't fixed, I think there is scope for comeback.

Horace

Contact trading standards - as the car obviously hasnt been fixed. Also you can ask the RAC to look it over (I think they may charge for this though) to see if the work has been done or not.

If the mechanic was any good then he would normally guarantee his work and if the part fails then he would replace it free of charge (most of the mechanics I know do this and when my dad was a mechanic he used to do the same).

Premier_2

I suspect the OP means the garage gave an estimate of £400 rather than a quote (fixed price) of £400 to repair the car.

However, any reasonable garage would not go significantly over the estimated figure without first gaining the approval of the customer. Otherwise what is the point of an estimate other than to tempt in customers by giving unrealistically low quotes.

The fact the garage originally accepted the vehicle for repair but was not able to repair the vehicle in the end (although seems to admit that another person could i.e. a Suzuki garage) speaks volumes about their competency levels.

I would seek advice from consumer direct, the CAB or even obtain your own legal advice regarding getting your money back.

Btw, you probably shouldn't need to take the vehicle to a Suzuki dealer (who will probably be expensive) for repair, but if you don't, pick a more competent and reliable garage next time.

Silk

Nadders01 wrote: »

The garage took 10days longer than estimated, original quote was £400,..the actual bill was £700!!!:mad:

Did they explain what the extra was for and why it took longer ???
Perhaps they were waiting for parts or perhaps there was further problems discovered when the engine was stripped ???

After I got over the utter shock and upset of this, I found that the car was NOT fixed. The car was stalling and juddering when idol.

When you say it was "not fixed" are you saying they did not fix the head gasket or is this another problem ???

I've had the problem diagnosed and I have been quoted an additional £230 to fix it.

What is the new problem that has been diagnosed and who diagnosed it ?

sandraroffey

RAC are brilliant in siutations like this. i used them in one instance and the inspection costs - cant remeber how much - but worth every penny. got my money back too for the purchase of the car.xxx

mintster

Just as an indication my headgasket went on my corsa - also ended up replacing waterpump and radiator at the same time - cost was around £700. Car was never the same (as is usually the case).