Autoglass

NeverEnough

What a shower this bunch are! We have had 2 windscreen replacements in the past month in the family -first one was replaced by AA Windscreens no problem at all - made appointment, fitter arrived did his job and left, all as arranged.

Autoglass however seem to be the Fawlty Towers of the windscreen industry - it was a litany of errors from the beginning with them. They agreed an appointment time with me and told me their billing department would call prior to fitting to take the excess payment, no, I cannot call them, they will call me.

After the appointment time had started, I received a call from them,sounding very bored, telling me my "Renault Clio was not insured" - pointed out I had never owned a Clio ever. Seems the hapless individual who took the details couldn't be bothered to type up the details correctly even though I had given them more than once at his request - so my partner wasted a morning waiting in for them as that is not the vehicle I would normally use for commuting, so was left home for them to replace screen.

I raised a formal complaint and rescheduled the fitting for yesterday - fitter arrived with the correct make and model car windscreen albeit not the correct type, but it was acceptable. Then he shoved his mobile computing device under my partners nose and said she needed to accept the terms and conditions before he could fit the windscreen. So she asked him to show her the terms and conditions so she could have a quick read of them before signing -he refused, saying she could have a copy of them AFTER she signed acceptance of them! He then said he didn't carry a copy in the van as no-one else had ever asked to see them before signing they had read them! The T&C actually clearly state that the technician will provide a copy if requested.

More than an hour later, after many phone calls to and fro, the actual insurers (LV) high level complaints team became involved and the screen was fitted. The excess was also waived due to all their messups although £75 wasn't a lot in comparison with all the nonsense they caused - it was however welcome.

While happy to sign up to T&C I have read, I don't see why people should be bullied to sign up to something they have never been given the opportunity to check or read first!

I am astonished they are still in business. Apparently LV are having discussions with Autoglass management this week due to the huge level of customer complaints about their constant problems - they cannot get even the basics correct and also seem to think its ok to try to intimidate customers to sign they have read something which they have not seen. The sooner they go bust the better - disingenuous and inept bunch that they are. Hope their bonding agents work better than they do!

Anyone else have similar poor experiences with Autoglass?

Stoke

My views on Autoshit

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4539949

yas212

yep - marketing! They are also expensive. Unless it's major damage, you can often get their competitors to quote less than the insurance's excess.

NeverEnough

Our screens were definitely for replacement -if they had been chips for repair I would have had it done locally and not bothered with insurance repairs. They were each well over £75 in value, and the insurers -different ones for each car -stated if you did not use their approved glass company the maximum payment they would make would be £100, not really an acceptable option. Anyway, at least Autoglass waived the £75 excess, so it was just the aggravation of their hopelessly inept service that jarred!

dannyrst

This is what happens to companies now-a-days.

They start out small and build up a customer base of loyal customers who can't rate them highly enough. They then make it into the "big time" by gaining contracts to work with insurance companies and large company car fleets. This puts the pressure on having a low price based on speed of work completed and no doubt the fitters have a set number of jobs to get through, no doubt with bonuses based on being on time for appointments. People are hired on how quickly they can fit a windscreen as opposed to how well they can handle customers and interact with other people.

As long as the complaints don't reach a certain amount (5%? 8%?) then they are happy that they are doing a good enough job to keep the bosses pockets lined with enough money to pay for their mansions and numerous sports cars.

God forbid a company would be ethical and do things for the right reasons as opposed to doing things to make money.

AdrianC

You don't need to use the insurer's preferred company for 'screen replacement. You can get it done by anybody. You might need to pay up front and reclaim it, and there might be a slightly higher excess, but they will repay.

NeverEnough

AdrianC wrote: »

You don't need to use the insurer's preferred company for 'screen replacement. You can get it done by anybody. You might need to pay up front and reclaim it, and there might be a slightly higher excess, but they will repay.

Many insurers, including LV and ABC, who were insurers for the 2 cars in question, specify that unless you use "their" repairer for the glass replacement, they will only cover a maximum of £100 for the windscreen claim, which you then reclaim from them.

One of the two cars had a screen which cost over £400 so not really a great option unless keen on splashing cash unnecessarily. The excess on the other hand, was £75 in each case , the rest of the cost covered, so in the case of the car with the expensive screen, I paid £75 and insurance covered approx £325. If I had not gone with the insurers choice of glass company, I would have had to pay £300 for the screen, they would only have contributed £100.

Hobson's choice, really.

AdrianC

NeverEnough wrote: »

One of the two cars had a screen which cost over £400

£400 from an as-seen-on-TV is rarely anything close from a smaller, independent outfit.

But, if some insurers do restrict your choice like that, all the more reason to use an insurer who doesn't.

NeverEnough

Taken from dealer price list, not glass outfit as I was considering OEM screen, luckily this was the car the AA fitter did, anyway. it's swings and roundabouts I guess - I don't always take the cheapest insurance either, but checking who insurers use as "their" glass fitters is definitely a question to ask next renewal time if there are restrictive clauses about what they will and won't pay.

AdrianC

NeverEnough wrote: »

Taken from dealer price list

Ah. So half that from the same screen fitter who the dealer would probably farm it to.

londonTiger

they're complete !!!!!!. I needed my rear window replaced. they quoted me a base price, and then asked, does the rear window have heat wiring? me: yes. *tap tap tap*. Does the rear windscreen have brake light? me: yes. *tap tap tap*. Then added up the total to £230.

All rear windows have heat element on and with fitting you just have to connect the cable and you're done, Brake light is on the tailgate itself and shows through the glass, why the heck they would charge more for the break light I don't know.

They dont go by parts & labour cost, they ask these question just to make it appear like there's more work with the window heating and break light to pad up the cost.

In the end I got it fitted by a local indie by £130. The ususal price is £150 but I drove to the fitter to one of his clients places and he slashed the cost by £20 as it saved him a lot of time in driving through London traffic.