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Major Owen Penrhyndeudraeth - beware.
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spcustomer
Posts: 94 Forumite
in Gardening
Major Owen is a firm that deals in light earth-moving equipment, chainsaws, garden machines, small farm equipment and so on. They do machinery repairs, but they also sell certain makes and not others, and so have an incentive to steer you into buying something new when your existing equipment is perfectly OK.
Here is a complaint I submitted to Gwynedd (the local council) Trading Standards twice to no effect:
(start quote)
Major Owen in Penrhyndeudraeth sell and service various makes of garden and small farming machinery but not Ryobi.
In August 2013 I took my chainsaw to Major Owen for a repair. They gave me a receipt and told me that they would phone me when it was done but that, it being a Ryobi, parts would take a while to get. I accepted this and waited a while before asking them how they were doing with it. On various occasions they told me that they now knew which part was needed but had not yet got it. I asked them to show me as I do have the skills to repair such things and could search for the part. After some time it became apparent that I would have to wait about 3 weeks for that part, so I returned to Major Owen to find out how they were doing. They told me they had the part but had not yet put it back together. I asked them if they would complete the job, and at this point hinted that I had no intention of buying another one. I went away and about 3 weeks later came back, when they told me that they thought I was going to repair it myself. I explained that as they had dismantled it, it would be much better if they did it - especially as if any tiny part was missing I would be stuck. They said OK.
About three weeks later I returned and they told me (again) they thought I was going to repair it myself. This time I explained again that as they had dismantled it I did not immediately know how to reassemble it. Would they please assemble it? They agreed they would.
A while after that I asked if they could let me have my chainsaw and they told me it was not fixed yet. They had forgotten how to re-assemble it. The mechanic came out and tried a fresh apology and offered to work on it. It was now late November and I had my firewood rotting because I could not cut it up and stack it out of the weather. They said it would take a while and I asked if I would get it before next year. Probably, they said.
Looking around Major Owen's shop there is one peculiar display. It is a large collection of chainsaws of makes that they do not sell on a top shelf. As far as I know this collection never reduces. It is pretty obvious to me that these people in their boredom wait for people like me to come along and that gives them something to laugh about in an otherwise somewhat boring job. They could spin this out forever.
From my point of view the cost is measured in hundreds The amount of deterioration in my firewood by being left out in the rain for too long is not negligible, and various maintenance jobs have not been done. As far as I remember I may have had to pay someone to do one or two of them, but I have no receipts.
They had once phoned me in the summer, but only to tell me that they had had trouble getting a part and that it would be a while before it was fixed. They also sent me a bill for completing the job when they hadn't done so.
(end of quote)
At today's date (May 15, 2014) I have seen no sign of my chainsaw.
Gwynedd (the local council) Trading Standards did nothing at all about this, and so I must assume that they do not intend to do anything about it. Perhaps this is for masonic reasons.
There is not much I can do about this except warn everybody else to steer clear of these people - and I might get some action out of Gwynedd if I go to the MP..
Here is a complaint I submitted to Gwynedd (the local council) Trading Standards twice to no effect:
(start quote)
Major Owen in Penrhyndeudraeth sell and service various makes of garden and small farming machinery but not Ryobi.
In August 2013 I took my chainsaw to Major Owen for a repair. They gave me a receipt and told me that they would phone me when it was done but that, it being a Ryobi, parts would take a while to get. I accepted this and waited a while before asking them how they were doing with it. On various occasions they told me that they now knew which part was needed but had not yet got it. I asked them to show me as I do have the skills to repair such things and could search for the part. After some time it became apparent that I would have to wait about 3 weeks for that part, so I returned to Major Owen to find out how they were doing. They told me they had the part but had not yet put it back together. I asked them if they would complete the job, and at this point hinted that I had no intention of buying another one. I went away and about 3 weeks later came back, when they told me that they thought I was going to repair it myself. I explained that as they had dismantled it, it would be much better if they did it - especially as if any tiny part was missing I would be stuck. They said OK.
About three weeks later I returned and they told me (again) they thought I was going to repair it myself. This time I explained again that as they had dismantled it I did not immediately know how to reassemble it. Would they please assemble it? They agreed they would.
A while after that I asked if they could let me have my chainsaw and they told me it was not fixed yet. They had forgotten how to re-assemble it. The mechanic came out and tried a fresh apology and offered to work on it. It was now late November and I had my firewood rotting because I could not cut it up and stack it out of the weather. They said it would take a while and I asked if I would get it before next year. Probably, they said.
Looking around Major Owen's shop there is one peculiar display. It is a large collection of chainsaws of makes that they do not sell on a top shelf. As far as I know this collection never reduces. It is pretty obvious to me that these people in their boredom wait for people like me to come along and that gives them something to laugh about in an otherwise somewhat boring job. They could spin this out forever.
From my point of view the cost is measured in hundreds The amount of deterioration in my firewood by being left out in the rain for too long is not negligible, and various maintenance jobs have not been done. As far as I remember I may have had to pay someone to do one or two of them, but I have no receipts.
They had once phoned me in the summer, but only to tell me that they had had trouble getting a part and that it would be a while before it was fixed. They also sent me a bill for completing the job when they hadn't done so.
(end of quote)
At today's date (May 15, 2014) I have seen no sign of my chainsaw.
Gwynedd (the local council) Trading Standards did nothing at all about this, and so I must assume that they do not intend to do anything about it. Perhaps this is for masonic reasons.
There is not much I can do about this except warn everybody else to steer clear of these people - and I might get some action out of Gwynedd if I go to the MP..
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Comments
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Would help if you could take a working chainsaw to your MP.......
Have you written to them, giving them 21 days to return the saw to the condition it was in when you gave it to them? Going in leaves no paper trail, writing clearly does.0 -
Would help if you could take a working chainsaw to your MP.......
Have you written to them, giving them 21 days to return the saw to the condition it was in when you gave it to them? Going in leaves no paper trail, writing clearly does.
I would love to take a chainsaw to my MP - it would cost him an arm and a leg:eek::rotfl:0 -
I'm sure you have a valid complaint, but in the meanwhile you could have picked up a cheap electric saw and dealt with that wood.
It's quite useful having a second machine. Mine is mostly fixed to a Portek saw bench so that I can use it one-handed, which speeds things up considerably.
Although I don't expect it to last a long time, it cut all my logs this winter.
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Does it work on politicians?0
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Actually agree with Dafty here. Make everything in writing.
Guess you had better start by compiling a Diary of Events in writing and attach that to the first letter you give them.
Think in terms of Recorded Delivery for letters.
Someone elsewhere on the Forum used the tactic of complaining about the relevant firm on Facebook (making sure they knew she was doing so I believe?) and that worked pretty fast.
I've found Councils in some parts of the country are so s..l...o...w, to say the least, that I do wonder at times if its deliberate. I'm finding some work-arounds to deal with my own (new) Council as I really struggle with how on earth they manage to be so slow that they never ever respond to anything if they can possibly help it it seems.
I think some Councils here are very impoverished compared to what I'm used to and I suspect Council money is sometimes spent on non-Council related expenditure (such as trips/socials for old people) and it maybe leaves not enough money for standard Council expenditure (ie dealing with facilities we all require and that are Council business to cover the cost of - such as Trading Standards).
Good luck.
(NB: It wouldn't have crossed my mind either to have in a 2nd chainsaw to allow for local firms' slowness. I would have just thought "The speed things are normally done at is (insert London speed)" and been waiting for them to do what they promised.0 -
The government has removed responsibility for providing civil advice from local council trading standards services and instead pays Citizen's Advice to provide consumer advice on civil matters. If there are suspected criminal offences or if a civil matter includes a significant amount of loss to consumers, particularly vulnerable consumers, then the matter may be taken up by trading standards. If this is a one-off complaint by a complainant who seemingly has his mental faculties then TS simply will not have the resources or remit to deal with it. If OP has a problem with that then he should write to his MP and ask them to support the current Early Day Motion calling for cuts to Trading Standards to stop and for the government to properly recognise and fund the work we do. (hurry though signatures need to be in by the end of this parliamentary session, which is next week I believe)
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/1290
Poor service is not itself a criminal matter for trading standards to investigate. OP should call the citizens advice consumer helpline and follow their advice as to how to deal with this issue - they will probably tell him to send a letter by recorded delivery setting a timescale for them to deliver what he wants (presumably the chainsaw fixed and returned or perhaps a new chainsaw if that isn't possible?). If you search this forum for 'letter before action' you'll find templates.
Be aware that if you do seek redress through the civil courts you are unlikely to be compensated for the loss of your firewood as you could have mitigated the loss by hiring a chainsaw to cut it.Common sense?...There's nothing common about sense!0 -
browneyedbazzi wrote: »
Be aware that if you do seek redress through the civil courts you are unlikely to be compensated for the loss of your firewood as you could have mitigated the loss by hiring a chainsaw to cut it.
Or buying a second, as I suggested.
I think the OP is an occasional user, rather than dependent.
If dependent, they should be using a better brand than Ryobi!0 -
moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »Actually agree with Dafty here.
Golly, I must be wrong then, I withdraw all the above advice...
:D:D
moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »Think in terms of Recorded Delivery for letters.
Please don't. Businesses that are on the edge will simply reject them, and it's cost you more money. Should it go to Court, sending from two Post Offices (ask for the free receipt of posting) costs just two stamps, and is deemed legally delivered.
Ahhhh... normality restored, discord with MITSTMmoneyistooshorttomention wrote: »Someone elsewhere on the Forum used the tactic of complaining about the relevant firm on Facebook (making sure they knew she was doing so I believe?) and that worked pretty fast.
Just be warned you need to be darned careful what you write, or you may be up before the Beak yourself. Oh, and you need to be careful what anyone else writes, as well. It would not be my preferred approach with a small Co, inflammatory with little result. Maybe with a national or multinational, where HR Departments sweat over Company Image....moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »I've found Councils in some parts of the country are so s..l...o...w, to say the least, that I do wonder at times if its deliberate. I'm finding some work-arounds to deal with my own (new) Council as I really struggle with how on earth they manage to be so slow that they never ever respond to anything if they can possibly help it it seems.
I think some Councils here are very impoverished compared to what I'm used to and I suspect Council money is sometimes spent on non-Council related expenditure (such as trips/socials for old people) and it maybe leaves not enough money for standard Council expenditure (ie dealing with facilities we all require and that are Council business to cover the cost of - such as Trading Standards).
As b-e-b below, Trading Standards is no longer an access point for consumers, you have to go through [URL="http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/"]Citizen's Advice[/URL]moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »Good luck.
Oh no, we agree on something again. Is it too early for my Vodka, Nurse?
moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »(NB: It wouldn't have crossed my mind either to have in a 2nd chainsaw to allow for local firms' slowness. I would have just thought "The speed things are normally done at is (insert London speed)" and been waiting for them to do what they promised.
Arrr, we baint be loik therm folk, we be local shops for local people.... 0 -
...and me, I'd like a brandy please. Your round in the tafarn is it then Dafty?:rotfl::beer:0
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