A couple of months ago my Vauxhall Combo van refused to start when Iwas parked in the middle of nowhere. Road rescue got me started andtold me that the starter motor had failed and that I should drivedirectly to a garage where I could get it fixed, because I wouldn't beable to start under my own steam until it was fixed. I did and it was.Then last month the same happened again. I called out the garage whofixed it first time and they took the van away and fixed the problem.They said it was the 'contact switch' and my new starter motor neededreconditioning. A second bill has just arrived for £230.If I were to miss an underlying problem in my own work so the finishwork failed, then I would not expect the customer to pay for mymistake. I don't know much about vehicle mechanics so I am paying thegarage for their expertise and they want me to pay in full twice over.They have now told me that a failed contact switch is "quite a commonfault with Vauxhalls".Am I being unreasonable to expect a substantial discount on the secondbill?Anna -- ~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Pargeting, decorative and traditional / ^^ // lime plasterwork|______| 07976 649862

No, Go and slap the service manager.Explain it to him in a letter and ask for some satisfactory resolutionbefore you take action.I'm sure he'll buckle.Andy

Am I being ripped off ?

Aug 27, 2003 21 Replies

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Tom Burton 22 years ago

You are correct..... Most retailers offer refunds in the event you get home and simply do not like it.....

however they are not legally obliged to unless its faulty or unfit for purpose....

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Dave Plowman 22 years ago

I'd have thought this would have been obvious if it happened - the racket would be unbelievable, shortly followed by bits of starter and flywheel ring being shed all over the road - neither are designed for more than a few hundred revs for a very short while.

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