Crap garages

jeannieblue

Lord_Lardington wrote: »

Wherever I've lived there always seems to be a good honest, down to earth local garage doing good work.

Its franchised dealerships that have attempted to remove the shirt from my back. I'm not just talking about their labour rates either; I'm talking straightforward dishonesty.

Example: One dealer attempted to tell me that I needed 4 new brake disks ... brake disks they themselves had already replaced a mere 4 months earlier.

They hadn't even checked to see if I'd been booked in before. Since I hadn't been rallying in the 4 months since the replacement I queried the need for more new disks and they immediately backed off. It made me wonder if the disks had really needed replacing the first time around.

Sadly that is getting more and more common.

I've recently learnt that alot of dealerships - ones that are owned by huge companies - not so much the smaller ones - have to reach 'targets' at the end of each month. In other words, its no good if it is all straight forward servicing, no problems, or it's a quiet spell - they have to reach those targets or else. I guess that could force them in to being dishonest. Its not an excuse, but makes you wonder.

Sometimes in bigger organisations, they just really don't care - customers are figures, not humans.

People can get ripped off in all walks of life - not just by cowboy garages. Thankfullly, the British people are beginning to get pee'd off and doing something about it for once!

Apparently, I heard third or fourth hand, that the Americans are fuming as in some States, petrol (gas to them) is costing them around $3 a gallon - I'd be well happy with that.

anewman

millymollymandy2K7 wrote: »

Surely if I requested the labour charges to be listed they are obliged to do so??

Not "obliged" to that I know of - you're not going to be able to choose not to pay the labour costs anyway.

jeannieblue

millymollymandy2K7 wrote: »

I normaly use a small local garage which is fairly cheap as no big show rooms etc and minimal overheads. I recently had the misfortune to have car problems while in another town on a Sunday. in order to get car home (I only have roadside break down cover) I had no option but to go to Kwik Fit. although this was - as I expected - rather overpriced, my main complaint about it was I couldn't get a break down of parts and labour costs on invoice. This is seemingly down to the fact that when the part is selected the computer automatically adds labour cost. So I have no idea how much they charged for the parts and how much for labour - just a combined cost.
Surely if I requested the labour charges to be listed they are obliged to do so??

I would say that its not the staff's fault - the idiots in charge that set up their computer system - which would suit them to 'hide' the cost of the parts etc.

They probably have no idea what the parts costs - and have only instructions on what buttons to push for what etc. Management in control etc.

I don't know this for certain - its an assumption. (I'm often wrong )

millymollymandy2K7

anewman wrote: »

Not "obliged" to that I know of - you're not going to be able to choose not to pay the labour costs anyway.

I just wanted to know what the labour charges were to ensure I wasn't effectively being charged for the same labour twice - due to the computer automatically adding labour cost on to parts eg being charged twice for taking off the same wheel to fit each part etc.

millymollymandy2K7

jeannieblue wrote: »

I would say that its not the staff's fault - the idiots in charge that set up their computer system - which would suit them to 'hide' the cost of the parts etc.
QUOTE]

Yeah I didn't mean to sound like I thought the staff were incompetent I do think it is a company issue rather than individual members of staff. I did also mention this when I got a "satisfaction call" from their call centre the following day.

jeannieblue

Who knows with Kwik fit - probably overcharged you - another of my assumptions

Lord_Lardington

anewman wrote: »

Then you can pressure them into doing it free since they "needed" doing. Would have loved to see their faces.

You're absolutely right, I wish I'd had the wit at the time. I did make it clear that I wouldn't be going there again and that for as long as there's breath in my body I would be relating my negative experience everytime I discussed car dealers with anyone.

I have discharged my duty once more.

By the way, it was an Audi dealer (someone is currently rubbishing their labour charges on another thread).

Conor_3

millymollymandy2K7 wrote: »

I just wanted to know what the labour charges were to ensure I wasn't effectively being charged for the same labour twice - due to the computer automatically adding labour cost on to parts eg being charged twice for taking off the same wheel to fit each part etc.

And you do right to ask because this happens a lot. Take for example asking to have a a camshaft oil seal done when you've booked it in for a cambelt. The time quoted for labour for changing the oil seal would be roughly the same as doing a cambelt change because, apart from prising the seal out and tapping in a new one, it's the same procedure.

Sadly, because service centre receptionists aren't required to have any mechanical knowledge whatsoever and having tits'n'teeth is a far higher requirement, they don't know that it's just a cambelt change with an extra 2 minutes to swap the seal. The computer says it is 1.5hrs labour to change a belt and 1.5hrs labour to change a camshaft seal so they book it out as 3hrs labour plus the cost of the parts. If it had been booked in by a mechanic, you'd just have been charged 1.5hrs labour.

Hope that explains it.

jeannieblue

Steady on Conor......

But at least I go and ask our guys what's involved - and don't charge twice for the same job!! But then our computer system is such that parts and labour are listed separately. They write the parts down and the time they spent doing the whole job. Its then invoiced - its simple and not ripping anyone off.

Conor_3

Sadly main dealers tend not to be set up that way.