Automatic Man Scam

cs3011

Im currently having an issue with the company Automatic Man, 64 Davis Rd, London W3 7SG. I dropped my car off in a working condition to enquire about a noise it makes while driving. I informed them that this will need to be a warranty fix and gave them all the details of my warranty. I did not at any point give them permission to carry out any work, simply to diagnose the issue. I called them a day later to find out what is wrong. Unfortunately the warranty did not cover the fix so I told them I would come and collect the car and cover for the diagnosis. Once at the garage, they told me they took apart the gearbox and that I have no choice but to pay £1540 + £300 Vat for the repair to be carried out! I did not at any point in time authorise them to take apart the gearbox in the first place. I asked them to use my original gearbox and replace it in the car and ill pay for labour, however he still refuses to do that! Surely if someone removes a gearbox, they can put it back. Im currently awaiting a response for CAB service. I would greatly appreciate anyones advice on the matter.

Regards

Chris

Confusedandneedhelp

Did you sign any documents when you dropped the car off?

if not, simply inform the garage that you will be collecting your car tomorrow, with the gear box replaced or you will be hiring a rental and using that until it's done, which they can then pay for in court.

Obviously check if you signed any authorisation first!!

Joe_Horner

One slight problem you may have is that you did authorise them to diagnose the issue. Depending on what the problem was, that may well have required dismantling the gearbox.

Gearbox faults like noise can be caused by a lot of things and even the best mechanics don't have x-ray vision. So, depending on how deep the problem is, they either have to dismantle far enough to find out or quote for "likely" problems that they can't be sure will cure it.

The trouble is, if they do that and then have to re-quote once it's stripped, someone will come on MSE accusing them of scamming.

Buzby

I can sympathise, but how would you expect them to diagnose a gearbox issue without looking at it? It sounds as though they either found the issue and fixed it or (more likely) sourced a guaranteed replacement - this requires your old one in exchange, so this will have been passed on to the refurbisher who will then take it apart fix the elements and have it in stock for the next call from a garage.

The fact you had a warranty is immaterial to them, as this is something between you and your insurer - and from past experience, most faults are excluded anyway.

If your plan was to get them to diagnose the fault, and have your insurer pay for the work, this would not work as most garages can only remove and replace with a working unit.

AdrianC

Joe_Horner wrote: »

One slight problem you may have is that you did authorise them to diagnose the issue. Depending on what the problem was, that may well have required dismantling the gearbox.

...and once it's apart, it'll more-than-likely require various new parts and a lot more time to put it back together again.

You say it's "warranty" - whose warranty, and did they give you the go-ahead to take the car to this particular garage? What do their Ts & Cs say, and why have they rejected the claim?

Joe_Horner

AdrianC wrote: »

...and once it's apart, it'll more-than-likely require various new parts and a lot more time to put it back together again.

Yes. I get this with watches. To fully diagnose a watch that's running but erratic, for example, you often have to strip it completely. Once it's in bits, if you reassemble with the original faulty parts there's a pretty good chance it won't run at all because it was just barely clinging to life already. At which point you get the blame for "breaking" it.

You've also invested probably 85% of the time that a complete overhaul would take - hours that you may as well have been sunning yourself o the beach if they're not charged for.

On the other hand, quote without stripping it and then find it needs an expensive part (some prestige brand watch parts can be upwards of £300 cost price for a single piece) and you're a scammer for trying to increase your quote, subject of your very own thread on MSE

Strider590

You can't diagnose a gearbox fault without taking it apart (at least partially) and it's a BIG job on modern cars.

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Yes. I get this with watches. To fully diagnose a watch that's running but erratic, for example, you often have to strip it completely. Once it's in bits, if you reassemble with the original faulty parts there's a pretty good chance it won't run at all because it was just barely clinging to life already. At which point you get the blame for "breaking" it.

Sounds like my experience with PC repairs when I ran my own business after redundancy in 2009.

You replace a broken CD drive and 2 days later the customer is complaining they have a virus (which has wiped everything) that wasn't there before you fixed the CD drive. They're then ranting about calling trading standards and BBC watchdog and calling "mates" to come round and "have a word".

So feeling backed into a corner, you take a look, extract the internet history from the damaged OS, only to find that their kid was looking at midget !!!!!! the day after you fixed it.

The response? "Our little Johnny wouldn't do something like that, it must have been hackers!!!!"

So you just think "why are there so many idiots?" and you vow never to work directly for Joe Public again.