Scammed: paid for an MOT which was never done. Options?

Nasqueron

Are you 100% sure it wasn't done and just wasn't recorded? You're going purely on the back of the test not being recorded online that it wasn't done and they just took the money 

Could well be a mountain out of a molehill thing if you go in guns blazing accusing them of scamming, taking advantage of women etc then it turns out they did it and just made an error uploading it, you'll look pretty silly.

Mildly_Miffed

SouthLondonUser said:

She does remember paying more than £50, around £100, because she believed the bull* of this honest  gentleman who told her about the importance of also changing oil etc etc.

Umm, yes, maintaining a car IS important.

An MOT isn't maintenance. It's just a check to see that the car meets the minimum standard to be allowed on the road. The tester isn't ALLOWED to do any work to the car during the test, except for very basic things like adjust headlamp aim. He isn't even allowed to remove the wheels.

£50 would be very cheap for any kind of maintenance, even something as minimal as an oil change. The oil and filter would cost most of that amount. An hour's labour is easily going to be more than £50 plus VAT, on top of the parts.

If she ONLY paid £100, I'd suspect she just got a small service and misunderstood that she was getting the car tested.

SouthLondonUser

@Nasqueron @Mildly_Miffed

Yes, there exists a possibility that the test was done and that it wasn't recorded. She has, in fact, asked her partner to accompany her to the shop because she doesn't want to feel intimidated. However, the fact that the garage is currently not on the list of approved MOT centres is suspicious. Maybe it was approved 5 months ago and got taken off  very recently? Possible, yes, but the suspicion remains.

Also the fact that they charged her more than double a normal MOT because they made her believe it was good practice to do other checks at the same time as the MOT is not a good sign.  This has never happened to me but, again, just this month she called a couple of local garages to book the MOT and 2 told her the same thing.

It seems there is more than one person who tries to take advantage of female drivers.

Mildly_Miffed

SouthLondonUser said:

@Nasqueron @Mildly_Miffed

Yes, there exists a possibility that the test was done and that it wasn't recorded. She has, in fact, asked her partner to accompany her to the shop because she doesn't want to feel intimidated. However, the fact that the garage is currently not on the list of approved MOT centres is suspicious. Maybe it was approved 5 months ago and got taken off  very recently? Possible, yes, but the suspicion remains.

Also the fact that they charged her more than double a normal MOT because they made her believe it was good practice to do other checks at the same time as the MOT is not a good sign.  This has never happened to me but, again, just this month she called a couple of local garages to book the MOT and 2 told her the same thing.

It seems there is more than one person who tries to take advantage of female drivers.

No, there is no possibility a test was done and not recorded. The test is logged straight onto DVSA's computer systems.

Assuming your username indicates location, I suspect a game of Chinese whispers, and she got a £100 minimal service, not the MOT-and-nothing-else that she thought she was getting. Legalities aside, that's actually the better outcome for the long-term health of the car.

I'd treat this as a learning opportunity.
1. Make sure you understand what you're getting.
2. Get the MOT certificate when collecting the car.
3. An MOT is not maintenance, nor is it a substitute for it.

SouthLondonUser

"No, there is no possibility a test was done and not recorded. The test is logged straight onto DVSA's computer systems"

Thank you, I wasn't aware.

My guess is that the gentleman in question will say that he didn't perform an MOT, just some kind of service / oil change /  whatever, even though the lady is adamant she specifically requested an MOT. But I appreciate that, in the absence of a recording or a receipt, it's a case of his word vs hers.

Her mistake was being duped into thinking that an MOT could cost more if some other unspecified stuff was also done to the car at the same time.

jimjames

chrisw said:

They don't seem to hand out MOT certificates any more. I always check on the gov site whilst it's being done as I can't bear the suspense.

They should do. I've still received the paper copy of every MOT I have done, most recent in January

Grey_Critic

Did the garage issue an MOT certificate? If yes then she should contact the DVLA.

The days of hand written MOTs is long gone it is done online and the certidicate is printed out - in theory it os possible that a system glitch did not record it.

Hoenir

Was an invoice provided for the work undertaken that day? 

SteveJW

jimjames said:

chrisw said:

They don't seem to hand out MOT certificates any more. I always check on the gov site whilst it's being done as I can't bear the suspense.

They should do. I've still received the paper copy of every MOT I have done, most recent in January

From the DVSA website

Grey_Critic said:

Did the garage issue an MOT certificate? If yes then she should contact the DVLA.

The days of hand written MOTs is long gone it is done online and the certidicate is printed out - in theory it os possible that a system glitch did not record it.

MOT result	MOT certificate	Emissions test record
Pass with no defects or advisories	Recommend the customer can view the MOT test result and history online - provide a certificate if they ask for one.	Ask the customer if they want a paper record.
Pass with minor defects or advisories	Explain the defects or advisories and suggest the customer can view the MOT test result and history online - provide a certificate if they ask for one.	Ask the customer if they want a paper record.
Fail with emissions pass	Offer a paper certificate, but explain they do not need it if they intend to check the MOT test result online.	Ask the customer if they want a paper record.
Fail with emissions fail	Offer a paper certificate, but explain they do not need it if they intend to check the MOT test result online.	You must issue a paper emissions test record.

Apparently the DVSA is on a mission to save the planet by reducing the number of certificates printed off

WellKnownSid

SouthLondonUser said:

I also noticed another disturbing trend: a few garages she called started quoting crazy prices, like £140 for an MOT; when pressed, they came up with bull* like "but we always do an oil change with the MOT". It seems that quite a few honest gentlemen, when they hear a female voice on the phone, try their luck scamming her.

My son works in the motor trade.  Most drivers don't know one end of a car from another - 80% don't know the difference between an MoT and a service.  Even at a main dealer, cars will arrive with bald tyres down to the cords, brakes ground down to the metal, broken suspension that sounds like the Titanic scraping an iceberg - and they're just the things that should be obvious to a driver!

I suspect there is confusion in that she asked for a service - meaning an MoT - and got a service.  Had she asked for an MoT and been clear (few are) - then she would have had an opportunity to spot the mistake at drop off and on collection and questioned it there and then.

I understand the logic of encouraging an oil change at the same time - we have a friend who insists that an MoT is the service and all of his cars have been written off due to lack of oil.  His belief is that cars just blow up and that he's just been a bit unlucky.  He wrote a 17 plate off the other year and is now trying his best at destroying a 21 plate before the PCP is up.