Problems with replacement car - garage broke mine, any right to same size car?

blue_monkey_2

I took our car to the garage on Friday - it was driving fine but the open door alarm kept on going off intermittently (it has done this since we got it really). It is 8 months old and a 7 seater MPV. I went to the garage for something else and mentioned it to the guy who took a look and told me to book it in to be looked at.

The garage called me Friday and said there was a problem with the control box and a new one had to be ordered and that a hire car would be delivered on Monday. I said I needed a large car, they told me to take what was ordered and they would arrange another.

Today I have received.... a Golf! I called back and said it was too small and they told me I had to call another number which was Customer Services of the make of car. I was then told by Customer Services that I should have arranged a larger car, but they *might* be able to get me 'an estate' but that was it, I could not have a 7 seater. I know that National do 7 seaters because you can choose one on their website. They have not yet called me back.

To be honest I am really angry. We bought a new car so we had a decent sized car to go on holiday with, we paid £700 for a in car entertainment system so the kids would be occupied and so that my son had space on long journeys and to get my sons disability buggy into it. The buggy will not even go into this car - before even starting on the luggage I am going to need to take, there is no way the luggage will fit into this car to go on holiday.

I am also due to transport 6 people in the car over the course of the 6 week holidays and I cannot do that either and they told me they 'could not give me a car just to be able to run kids around'.

They have told me that it is unreasonable to expect a car of the same size - yet my car was fine when I drove it into the garage. To be honest, I want them to put the part back onto my car so I can take the car that we bought on holiday with us, and bring it back when the part arrives but my husband is going to speak to them about that tonight. They have clearly broken it otherwise they would not have given us the hire car. They told that the dials would not have been working but they were, I never had a problem with it. But why should this mean we have to be inconvenienced because of their incompetance? I've already had to re-arrange today and tomorrows arrangements as the people I was taking out will not fit into the car.

Does anyone know whether I can do anything to get a car of the same size please, or what I can do to sort it out. I am going there tonight to sort it out. Thanks.

Hintza

I started reading your thread thinking i was going to be unsympathetic. But it does sound as if you really do need a large car.

What time scale have you been given for repairs? Can they not sort it before you go on holiday?

I think you need to pop in and expalin why you need the size you do, but try and work with them initially.

Good luck

Zandoni

I'd be inclined to phone the car manufacturers head office, they always try to fob people off with small loan cars.

blue_monkey_2

Thanks for the reply. I called them this morning and said I would put up with the smaller car for now but then arrange a larger one if it gets close to the holiday as we had a couple of weeks to play with (next weekend) and she said 'best sort it out now in case it is not done'. Which did not leave me filled with confidence to be honest. They have not given any indication of the time it will be done in either as they do not have the part. My husband is coming with me tonight as I get the impression they are fobbing me off as I do not know the technical side. He fixes trucks so will know all the terms they are throwing at me. He is going to tell them to put the part back on and find out what problems the car will have with it on. It drove in fine, it should have been able to drive out fine and for them to order the part. They even told me the part that needed replacing before I took it in but it seems they might have tried to patch it up and fix it. Which is what my issue is, if they have broken it I do not see why we should be inconvenienced.

I did explain to them but they more or less said tough as they were lending me a car which made me see red and I don't see why we should have to leave the buggy at home just because of their mistake, it will make the holiday really hard as we are going to need it for him.

I also had 2 pairs of non-wired headphones for the entertainment centre that both broke, they tried to tell me it was because the kids had 'stamped on them...' as they have worn on a place where they get put in and out of the seat storage, however, since this has happened, they are replacing them free of charge 'under guarentee' (one that did not exist when I first took them in there.... hmmm).

I just want to be able to get my son and the stuff I need to take for him, on holiday, and it seems like I am asking for the earth. It's a good job we were not taking the dog as there would be no room for her at all. I did not know if there was anything I could quote, that's all. Thought there was no harm in asking here.

blue_monkey_2

Zandoni wrote: »

I'd be inclined to phone the car manufacturers head office, they always try to fob people off with small loan cars.

Yes, you are right. This is who is fobbing me off, not the garage itself to be fair.

I called them back already, I am going to keep on calling until they deal with it. Someone is calling me this afternoon as 'larger cars are harder to get hold of' (or maybe cost more to loan...!!). It's going to be a long afternoon, LOL.

Judas

It is very unlikely that anywhere in your contract or terms it states the right to a replacement car whilst undergoing a repair therefore they are right in that they can give you pretty much what they want.

You can appeal to their better nature but a golf or estate as a courtesy car is pretty generous already when most give a 1.0l corsa or similar.

Of course if you have a term to a replacement car of the same size your covered otherwise you are not and unless the repair drags on etc I cant imagine legally you have the right to compensation for hiring one yourself.

smcaul

Whatever they do must not cause you "significant inconvenience" Which from the sounds of, by supplying you with a smaller vehicle would cause that. I would be inclined to tell them to supply a larger vehicle that is sufficient for your needs or you will be hiring one that does suit your requirements and then sue them via the small claims court process for the hire charges. Don't mess around with this, or they will keep stringing you on for days - give them the two choices and do not compromise.

Judas

smcaul wrote: »

Whatever they do must not cause you "significant inconvenience" Which from the sounds of, by supplying you with a smaller vehicle would cause that. I would be inclined to tell them to supply a larger vehicle that is sufficient for your needs or you will be hiring one that does suit your requirements and then sue them via the small claims court process for the hire charges. Don't mess around with this, or they will keep stringing you on for days - give them the two choices and do not compromise.

And how exactly does the OP enforce if it they dont agree? I dont really think they would win at a small claims court unless the repair dragged on.

Having to cope with a slightly smaller car for 2 or 3 days isnt significant and is forseeable that cars break down occasionally; furthermore as it was a fault of this nature the OP could have planned the repair better.

blue_monkey_2

Well, I called them up again and they are delivering a larger car to me later on today, so that is great news.

Judas, I disagree, when the car went in it was running fine, there was no 'fault' and nor could it have been forseen that they would call me and say 'your car is no longer functioning, have a Golf instead'. In fact I've had a smaller car for the weekend and once hubby is in the car the kids cannot even get their legs in front of them when they are in the back seat it is that small. The car worked when it went in, the central locking would not work and the door open alarm occasionally did not work - in fact, the problem the guy told me to bring itself in for had rectified itself again. Had they not touched it, or had just ordered the part they guy said it needed, then the car would still be functioning now.

And it is not just for a few days, nor is it a slightly smaller car. It is for at least 2 1/2 weeks because the part is coming from abroad and I cannot even get my sons disability buggy inside the car we have been delivered. Are we supposed to just cancel days out and the holiday because the company broke our car?

And what if we had 5 children? Was we supposed to do nothing, not even shop, because the car was broken? People do not buy 7 seater cars for no reason - they cost more than 5 seater versions.

I have no idea what the contract says tbh, it is under warranty and the book is in the car which is in the garage. I went in there to get my son blue badge but did not even think about the books. I would have assumed that you get given a car to suit your needs if the garage breaks your car, not the smallest option and thank myself lucky I got a car - I might as well not have it if I cannot actually go anywhere in it. The garage KNOW they have c ocked up and this is why they have got us a hire car for the duration.

Fingers crossed all is sorted, however, I still want to know exactly when I'll be getting my car back and hubby is going to find that out tonight.

blue_monkey_2

Also to say that when the car is booked in to be looked at they do give you a courtesy car for the duration if you request it. Not sure if this makes any difference, but it is not the garage that is giving me the car, it is the manufacturer.

Having written that I am now wondering if this is a known problem and the garage has been told not to let me drive it.

Hintza

Why can't they get the part? There must be new ones around that they could piulfer the part from in the meantime.