Free car servicing not being honoured

arrond

Hi,

I purchased a new car two years ago (Dacia) and the vehicle came with two year's free servicing.

I have just had my second service done at the main dealer (Who sold the car and did the first year service). It was when I had the service done that I dug through my emails to see if I did indeed have free serving included with the purchase (I couldn't 100% recall).

I also checked my bank statement for the previous year, and I had actually paid for the first year service. Both I and the dealer had not realised it should have been free at the time.

When I had my second service, I mentioned this and was told I would need to contact Dacia to have the first year refunded (apparently it had happened previously).

Dacia are now being difficult and saying that the dealer cannot claim back the first-year cost from them now, as it has been too long, and that the dealer would have to refund me (as a 'gesture of goodwill').

Where do I stand on this? Surely the free servicing is part of the contract of purchasing the car, so it isn't my problem and Dacia should just either refund me or reimburse the dealer (who can then refund me)? I realise that it is in part my own fault for forgetting about the free servicing, so do I just have to accept being out of pocket?

AdrianC

You bought two things - a car, and a servicing pack.

What do the Ts & Cs of the servicing pack say about reclaiming the cost of a service that you voluntarily paid for separately?

Reclaiming after a few weeks or even a month or so is a very different situation to reclaiming after a year.

arrond

Actually I didn't purchase a service pack separately (or pay for it, voluntarily or otherwise). It was simply an offer included with the car purchase (that the first two services would be free).

DoaM

What does your sales invoice (for the car purchase) actually say?

arrond

I don't have it to hand, but I presume it mentions the free servicing (I will check later). It certainly doesn't include details about me needing to do anything to be eligible for it, or a time limit on when it can be 'claimed', as obviously, the servicing is done annually.

In my mind, it is simply a case of the dealer incorrectly overcharging me (granted I could have noticed but I didn't). Any issue with them not being able to claim back the cost from Dacia, isn't really my problem, as this will be something agreed between those two parties, not myself?

Clearly, if the dealer had given me the service for free, and then forgotten to reclaim from Dacia, that would be nothing to do with me either. I certainly wouldn't then be expected to pay the dealer back for their mistake.

Aylesbury_Duck

We're all guessing until you can lay your hands on the invoice/agreement/contract and tell us what it says.

AdrianC

arrond wrote: »

Actually I didn't purchase a service pack separately (or pay for it, voluntarily or otherwise). It was simply an offer included with the car purchase (that the first two services would be free).

That doesn't affect it being two separate things. One was just thrown in with no separate charge.

You then didn't use it when your service was due.

Think of it as a pair of vouchers. When you had the first service, you forgot to hand the voucher over, and paid instead.
When you had the second service, you found the vouchers and realised that you'd not used it first time.

arrond

Think of it as a pair of vouchers. When you had the first service, you forgot to hand the voucher over, and paid instead.
When you had the second service, you found the vouchers and realised that you'd not used it first time.

Except for the fact that I had no physical vouchers, or any requirement to 'do' anything to be eligible. It was the dealer that should have known the details of how much to (not) charge me for my servicing?

At the end of the day, my servicing was meant to be included (As part of my vehicle purchase) and wasn't. So surely the purchase contract has been broken, unless they specifically mention somewhere that I personally have to 'claim' it within a certain time period?

AdrianC

That's quite the assumption. I strongly suspect the documentation puts the onus on you to say "I've got a service plan". Even if it doesn't explicitly, you had the opportunity to remind them.

BoGoF

You are the one that needs to demonstrate your entitlement to a free service. My 2 free services are clearly stated on the sales invoice that I take with me at service time.

Aylesbury_Duck

arrond wrote: »

Except for the fact that I had no physical vouchers, or any requirement to 'do' anything to be eligible. It was the dealer that should have known the details of how much to (not) charge me for my servicing?

You don't know that for certain because in your own words, you "couldn't 100% recall" and you don't have the agreement to hand. There's no point trying to convince any of us what you're entitled to and what Dacia or the dealer should be doing until you have checked the agreement to see what you and they are bound to do to take advantage of the offer.