I cant use my Boat

Mycatisfat

Hello,
I have a Narrowboat, in july 2011,I sent in her starter motor to be refurbished, I could have bought a new one for a hundred pound but because it had a 13 teeth pinion it couldn't be replaced.
It was returned in September 2011, I left it on a shelf unti lI had completed her refit.I tried the starter only to hear clunking noises which should not happen.A friend and I opened it to discover bits had been inserted upside down resulting in damage.We had a spare and replaced the broken bits as they were generic and we had a spare starter.I didn't want to return it as they had demonstrated there incompetence.
Then we noticed that the very rare 13 teeth pinion had been replaced with an 11.
I phoned the company, the guy told me that he didnt repair it , another company did and he would check to see if they replaced said bit.They had changed it he said, but an 11 teeth will work .

I tried it again and still no luck, so I rang him again and this time he had completely changed tack.He said I had voided the warranty by opening and fixing there !!!! up, he also asked to see if my engine had been started by that motor, which it has as I bought her down from Walsall last year.Basically he'd been chatting to his lawyer, everything I claimed he just replied with"thats what you say".
I cant buy a new pinion , Its possible one could be machined with great expense, but they stole my bit, they told me to send it in, it cost £205 and now I cant move my boat.
What I would like is MY starter motor working , my money back,
and expense incurred. kind regards, thanx for looking

mattyprice4004

The most you would be entitled to is to be put back in the position you were before the work - either with a full refund and to be left with a broken starter or the work done as agreed.

What makes you think you're entitled to the item being repaired, a refund and expenses? You can't have them all.

Mycatisfat

It was sent in to be refurbished, it wasnt broken, they replaced it with something that is useless to me, I want my bit back that they stole and the money I paid to have it stollen, is that unreasonable, maybe asking for expenses incurred is too much so I understand what you are saying , I just want some advice and my boat moving.Its either fight or or get stitched up.
thanx for replying

mattyprice4004

Not a problem at all, I'll help as much as I can.

Firstly, of course if they've lost the part from yours and can't find it, they will need to replace the item for you.

The only issue you may encounter when pursuing this is that you've opened the replacement unit up - but the issue still stands you don't have what you started with.

In my eyes, they need to either sort out a working replacement for you, or give you a refund and your original, broken unit back. The 11 tooth gear certainly throws up some interesting questions though, I'd be interested to see what everyone else thinks of how the company should deal with that issue.

Mycatisfat

Many thanx Matty for even being interested ,
I must re-iterate, when I sent it in it worked fine, the starter cable terminal on the solenoid needed soldering and the brushes needed replacing, because the cost of getting this done was comparitable with a new unit I was going to replace it. However because it had 13 teeth this was not possible, they are not replaceable, it was on there advice that I sent it in .
So what I would like is my starter motor with 13 teeth without the replaced brushes and solanoid switch un-soldered and my money back the cost of this work locally will cost £50 not £205 they charged.
My last convo with them , they offered to have a look to see if it works,but it does work as I have had it fixed at my own expece the problem is the part wont mesh they have stolen it and they are calling my bluff, the only real way of proving this is when I put a 13 teeth on and start her.
Of course they could look at the inventory of work and hold there hands up but they have shown there cards and wont play ball.
thanx and kind regards

s_b

i appreciate you messed with your starter motor to get it going but it now puts you in a sticky
i would suggest you take them to court for theft of your pinion
i had a google because i suspected it was for a perkins diesel and indeed it is and as you say impossible to obtain now unless you drop lucky or pay very tasty prices via say ebay
i stopped having core refurbished a few years back because the good guys that knew how to skim and rebuild are mainly dead now

good luck and may you learn the world is full of thieves and liers

Mycatisfat

Your right on there sb,
this world is full of sh-theads , Ive found a company in preston that can machine this bit , but its gonna cost loads and I havnt got the cash and the obvious is why should I have to?
I didnt see a way out of this but now theres a glimmer of sunshine.
you see I cant start the engine untill this is sorted and that means I m immobile, stuck.
How do I take this company to court.
By the way its not full of sh-gtheads just to many for me to want to deal with.
love and peace

agrinnall

This is what you need to start a small claim:

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

Mycatisfat

agrinnall wrote: »

This is what you need to start a small
Thats just what is needed.
Should I confront said company with this course or go ahead and proceed with court action without attempt at mediation, this is why I suggested I be re-imbursed with costs as I am still going to have to plough ahead and fix my starter and then bill said company,
thanx for your interest.

Tina20

I don't have any advice, but I sympathise.
It was horrible when I couldn't use my boat, and even worse when I couldn't use my Learjet

halibut2209

If you go the court route, you must send them a Letter Before Action giving them a reasonable time to rectify the situation. 14 days is recommended. You need to show the court that you've given them the chance to put you back in the position you were at the start.