Halfords impounding car

samuella_2

Hi,

Posting for a friend -
Only a week after passing an MOT, a friend went to Halfords for the winter car check. They told her that her brake pads were so worn they wouldn't let her drive away, then charged her nearly 200 pounds for new brake pads. Surely Halfords don't have the authority to impound a car - I think she has grounds for a major complaint? Any advice would be great thanks.

Ebe_Scrooge

Of course they don't have any right to impound the car. Yes, they could "strongly advise" against driving it, but they can't physically prevent you from leaving.


And £200 for brake pads ???? That's plain ridiculous - are you sure it was just pads ? If it was new pads and discs all round then I could believe it. I know Halfords have somewhat of a bad reputation on this board, but that's pushing it, even by their standards !

samuella_2

OK thanks just wanted to see if others agreed - I will encourage them to complain.

Rain_Shadow

Did they physically prevent her from getting into the car and driving away?
Or did they just say 'we really can't let you drive away in such a dangerous car'

Ebe_Scrooge

And whilst you're at it, get them to show you the "worn" pads that they replaced. It's not impossible for them to have worn out a week after the MOT - the test doesn't measure the thickness of the pads, only the efficiency of the brakes. So it's possible they were on the limit at the time of the test, but provided enough braking force to meet the requirements. But it's also possible that Halfords were trying it on

Strider590

I don't think they "impounded" the car, or even just wouldn't let her leave, but they've certainly used some emotional manipulation to sell goods/services. Disgraceful behaviour.......

For the record your much better off going to a local old school "under the arches" type garage where they value their customers. Fancy signs, comfy waiting rooms, free drinks and smooth talking staff, are not always a good thing. At my local garage there's no BS, they just fix your car.

Edwood_Woodwood

I had something similar with Halfords.

My car broke down with head gasket breakdown years ago and my warranty cover informed me to take to nearest Halfords for inspection.

Halfords went ahead and just repaired without any authorisation from me or the warranty company and wanted £1500 before releasing the car.

I refused, took them to court and won, the judge said the lien on the vehicle was unlawful and that they had to release it and Halfords also agreed to waive payment.

However, had I agreed to the repair then they would have been entitled to the lien on my vehicle until I had paid.

Strider590

There is a tendency for people to trust big names, chatty/friendly people, advertising, etc etc etc. Especially women, because they are social creatures.

Car that has a punctured tyre, we take the car to two different garages:

Garage A - Very chatty technician looks at the car, has a bit of a laugh with you, talks about the weather, says you need 4 tyres, new brakes all round, 2 new shocks and a full new exhaust system, says he'll do you a discount.

Total £1100

Garage B - Technician seems very quiet, he looks at the the car, moslty ignores you the whole time, then tells you it needs a new tyre and that your front brake pads are a bit low, he changes the tyre and hands you a quote for the brakes.

Total £60, with a quote for front pads for £150

Now it seems crazy when you write it down like this, but 90%+ of people will trust garage A, because the guy "seemed nice" and he gave you a "discount".

stator

Of course they can't impound your car but they could tip off the polic. If you think they are really serious and ripping you off then arrange your car to be towed to a trustworthy garage.

interstellaflyer

Oldest trick in the book, I had Charlie Browns try this one on me back in the mid 1990s, categorically stating they were by law not allowed to let the car off premises, its a bollox preasure sales technique aimed at people who they think are gullible enough to fall for it.

foxy-stoat

OP, what car was it and what work did they do for the £200?

Lets find out the competitive cost for the work they carried out first then work out if its worth learning for this and moving on or decide on further action.

I would never recommend Halfords but for folk who like a warm comfy waiting area and someone who wears a tie to speak/scare them about looking at their run of the mill car or paying £6 to change a headlight blub, then Halfords has a market.