Kwik Fit Car Servicing

They have a habit of inflating to the pressure written on the tyre sidewall, its quite common for the inflatures to be out of calibration too

If that's all they did wrong, be very thankful. I wouldn't trust them to just check my tyre pressures, much less do a service.

You will get a much better service (pun intended) by finding a small local garage with a decent reputation. Ask around friends and neighbours. Consider trying to find someone who is mobile; that way, you get to actually talk to the man with the spanners, and can watch him at work. They will often have an arrangement with someone who does all their MOT work, so the MOT station won't rip you off.

Chris

Several years ago QF changed an exhaust on a van i owned couldnt undo the manifold bolts to took an oxyasetelene torch to it buckling the head and putting a hole through the engine

said it came in like that

Heh! Did they also spray the shockers with WD40 and tell you they needed replacing?

You don't have to ask around too much to find plenty of horror stories.

I really struggle to understand how they are still in business. They've gone through a number of changes of ownership, but it seems like they continue to operate at a loss.

Chris

No they did say they needed replacing though(they were less than a month old at the time)

Its a marketing trick , they own several of the other fast fit centres too plus they produce tyres and exhausts themselves , they make money from selling insurance and finance.

Just like some of the window companies the products they sell are just a means to sell you credit

I'm just puzzled at the amount of money they have lost their various owners, whilst not changing the way they operate. From Wikipedia:

"Sir Tom Farmer opened the first Kwik Fit centre in McDonald Road, Edinburgh, in 1971."

"In 1999, Farmer sold the company to the Ford Motor Company for US $1.6b. A decision by Ford to concentrate on its core business led to the sale of Kwik Fit in 2002 to CVC Capital Partners. In 2005, Kwik Fit was sold for £800m to PAI Partners, a leading French-based private equity firm . In May 2010, it was announced that PAI Partners have put the company up for sale for £200m. At the end of 2009 the company had £811m of net debt.

They are now owned by ITOCHU"

Look at the debt they take on though , the owners borrow against the business then sell it on

You will also find within the figures at the bought out several of the other sheds and set up apple autocentres, the other tyre companies do run at a profit.

They are also continually expanding feeding the expansion with more debt, the shareholders still recieve dividends and thats what its all about.

The banks finance these business because they own shares within them and make interest on the monies borrowed

Its a very intwined money go round

I take many of them with a pinch of salt. I've only really used my local one for punctures, etc, and found them ok. I took a wheel off the old Rover into them with a slow puncture and they didn't charge - said it was just the rim leaking and they cleaned it up. Re-balanced it too.

Both the Cambridge ones seem fine,

The last time I went there, the "fitter" pushed a screwdriver under the wheel trim of my Focus and broke a lump of it off. He then disappeared with the broken off piece, and someone else took over. Luckily, I was watching through the window. When I told the manager, he denied it had happened, and said it must already have been broken. It was so broken, it couldn't be refitted however.

What made it worse was that they declined when I had offered to remove the trims for them, because I sensed what might happen.

I stood my ground; they wouldn't go to the Ford dealer 200 yards away and get a trim. They told me to go myself, and they would pay. When I returned 10 minutes later with the receipt, they said I would have to submit it head office.

I parked my locked car across their bays, and refused to move until they coughed up, which they did.

When I wrote to head office to complain, they sent me a 10UKP voucher as an apology. I had already decided I'd sooner walk than ever use them again, so I gave the voucher to my step-daughter. They refused to honour it!

Chris

Steve,

The did the same to me - only the fitter in the Kwik Fit depot who said that had only changed the two front ones about two months previously, and when I told that to the manager, showing him the receipt (that was luckily still in the glove compartment) and told him that he had better f*****g replace them then under warranty , he 'shot' off to see the fitter - and when he came back rather red-faced, he said that there had been a 'mistake' .

That was in 1988 and I have never used them since.

All great fun.

En el artículo , Chris Whelan escribió:

In other words, it was sold to a bunch of asset-strippers, who then sold it to another. Those asset-strippers flogged off anything that wasn't nailed down, borrowed as much money as the banks would lend them, creamed off the profits, then flogged off the firm as quickly as they could before it went bust.

Yep, I can't see how that can keep happening forever.

What also surprises me is that the local branch is always busy, yet there are two well-established independent tyre companies within three miles that are always cheaper, and provide a much better service.

I know that a lot of company car drivers are tied to them, but I can't understand anyone else using them.

Chris

At over 800million in debt they are one of the companies that the banks wont allow to fail , they will do a debt to equity deal , so the banks will eventually own the loins share of the business

The independants cant afford tv advertisement campaigns

On Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:07:54 +0000, Chris Whelan stammered:

They told my brother all 4 shocks on his Citroen BX needed replacing.

Aided by the way that the UK tax system works, of course. The interest in the borrowings can be offset against the profit, so making a zero (or close to zero) tax bill. So making this huge borrowing 'a good idea'. One of the most evil business models around.

There's a group on facebook called "Kwik Fit - the worst corporate reputation in the UK"

I'm really surprised they haven't been able to close it down!

En el artículo , Mike P escribió:

:-) and what did he say?

kwikfit replaced a front tyre, the alloy wheel has a locking wheel nut. now one year down the line, the tyre needs replacement again, but using correct key, no tyre shop or garage can undo the said locking wheel nut off this wheel!!!