Vauxhall service PHOTO's

Good point, and as such take that to them and present it in a calm none shouting mannor.

Working in a shop the customer who comes f-ing and blinding and shouting, doesn't exactly inspire bending over backwards, going the extra mile to help service...They get the bare minimum and bugger all else.

I guess you could explain it and tell them you understand shit happens and ask them to prepare a 100% discounted invoice for the work, so you have a receipt for it.

Oh believe me I will not be shouting or swearing when I go back in on Monday. I will be very cool calm and collected. Years of dealing subcontract suppliers in relation to quality issues has given the skills required to attain a satisfactory conclusion.

There are a couple minor issues that will also be raised, such as the previous owner informed them in Feb he wasn't trading it in for his new Vectra Diesel Estate and that we were the new owners and would they amend their records.

11th June booked car in for service and MOT and informed them that the address on the invoice was wrong.

Around the 15th, the dealer informs previous owner his car is due an MOT, he informs them he doesnt own it.

30th June 5pm informed by dealer car not ready waiting for parts.

2nd July 5pm Dealer phones previous owner to tell him his car is ready. Previous is very puzzled and tells them again he doesnt own the car.

2nd July 5:15pm Dealer telephones us and and says car wont be ready until Sat morning as the part they got was faulty and they had to order another one which they'll fit on Saturday morning and will telephone at 10am.

3rd July 11am My wife telephones dealer and gets told...oh yes your the one in for the head gasket. I'll find out when it will be ready..... We are just finishing it off. Give us an hour and I'll give you a bell.

3rd July 12:45pm we are thoroughly pissed off. The place closes at 1pm So we go down to the dealers and display our displeasure at the delay whilst paying for the work. Once again we tell them that the address is wrong on the invoice. They scribble it out with biro and promise to amend their records I ask them for the MOT failure sheet which they cant produce. Aparently it's in the Safe.

Neither the Service Manager or After Sales Director where available unfortunately to enable us to register our displeasure on the length of time taken for a simple job every service job..

On arriving home, and I regret not doing it at the garage. I popped the bonnet. The cylinder head bolts couldn't have been more prominant had they been chrome plated. On further inspection it appears the a new cylinder head gasket has been fitted along with a shiny new nut on the exhaust manifold. (difficult to photograph). Phoned my cousin who owned the car previously and he said the head bolts had never been changed from new. He also informed me about them telephoning him the night previous, and of the occaision they advised him about the pending MOT.

So it cant in reality be a supprise why I should see my arse over this lot.

If anyone knows the name and business address of the Quality Director for Vauxhall in the UK I would be very much oblidged and gratefull to anyone who would pass it on.

Again, I would not divulge who gave it to me.

- Fatsod snipped-for-privacy@fatsods.com

Yes it might have cost you a fortune, but I would argue that the cost of not admitting mistakes will in the long term cost you a lot more. For you would get a bad name in the local community and people would simply go elsewhere A customer who feels conned will feel that way for a very long time. They will also warn other people of the experience they had when dealing with you. I'd say that for every person that spits their dummy out, there will equally the same number of people who appreciate someone being honest.

We all understand that no-one deliberatly set out to do bad work. But as the saying goes 'Shit Happens'

So remember the next time your having an heart transplant and the surgeon leaves his step ladders and bucket in your chest I think you'd rather he were honest and owned up to his mistake before he stitched you up.

- Fatsod

Hello,

Why are you SO mad! If they have done something, then it seems they have put it right again. I took a car in and got it back smelling of burning because of oil over the engine. That was a cambelt change too. This is the problem with having computers rather than mechanics.

OH SHUT UP! What exactly do you want from the garage?

They made a mistake and have put it right as they should for no extra charge. I h> >

He's already told you, quite clearly.

Isuzu.

OMG, you're really getting worked up! I would love to be in the garage when you go back, just to have a laugh. You seem to be an old moaner, especially the way you seem to think you are always right and mentioning getting what you want all the time. Also having practice in that area. have you done this sort of thing before then? What are you going on about heart transplants for, is that something to do with the way you got the blue badge into the pictures? Maybe you could start flashing that about if it is for you and shouting discrimination and the world hates you or something at the same time as stamping your feet.

As I have said before - WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM THE GARAGE? You haven't answered that yet. The address changes on the computer could be down to YOUR fault, or that of your cousin. Did either of you inform the garage who the new owner was, did your relative not have the common sense to say, "I DO NOT OWN THE CAR" ? Unless you tell the garage they will not know as the DVLA don't send them an update and they are not psychic.

I hope the garage tells you to go away and find somewhere else to take the car. That'll teach you to be a persistant moaner. Get a hobby or something.

I must say I'm surprised by the somewhat hostile ( apart from the initial confirmation from Mr Cheerful ) that you has received.

If my engine had been rebuilt without my knowing, I would be bloody furious. You are absolutely right in insisting you were advised of the work and obtaining some record of continuing responsibility.

Would the critics be happy if they came along in the future to buy your car, and you in all sincerity, said nothing had been done ? That's not to mention the oil splashes everywhere which should have been removed before it left the workshop.

Of course mistakes happen, but if garages are to rebuild their poor reputation, they need to change the culture that has pervaded the industry for decades, of treating the customer like suckers.

E-mail address, hopefully self-explanatory Andy Pandy

THIS: "I took it to the main dealer because I THOUGHT I would get a quality job."

PLUS THIS: "I was prepared to a premium price to get a quality job. But all I got was fobbed of with waiting for parts."

MINUS: "I accept mistakes happen."

PLUS: "The fact is this dealer told bare face lies to protect the reputation of the garage."

MINUS: "I dont like LIARS."

PLUS: "It is NOT the first time this dealer has tried to con us."

EQUALS:

Oh well, mother dearest took her 3yo Astra to the Vauxhall dealer for its first MoT a couple of months ago. She won't go back again.

If you take a Vauxhall car to a Vauxhall garage then the garage sees that you want to pay the maximum possible price for the 'service' you will receive.

--Nick.

I Vauxhall employ mechanics or 'fitters'?

--Nick.

If you don't get any joy out of the garage then I would suggest asking them for the address of the Quality Director, it would give them some idea of what might happen.

Out of interest, are you going to mention about the oil splattered all over the front of the car/window? They may possibly say that they left the oil filler cap off by mistake, I suppose.

--Nick.

It's more that Britain is a bit shit than the British motor trade industry.

--Nick.

Mistakes happen.

Retail: Wrong colour product Product swapped.

Commercial: 30,000 plugs sent, wrong shape All replaced. Government: Sums didn't add up DESTROY! END OF WORLS!

Medical: Heart transplant, bypass undertaken. Kidney arrives in box instead of heart. Bit of a bugger really. But mistakes happen, it's just that they're more annoying than others sometimes.

--Nick.

While everyone seems to be moaniing and complaining about the owner, I think in this country, we don't complain enough. Fair enough, the problem has been rectified, but as said before the work carries no guarantee whatsoever - and that is what's pissing him off. We all want good customer service, and after all you wouldn't expect this behavior from a main dealer. Just my 2p worth.

Steve.

All I can say is good on fat sod for not letting people tread all over him!. How some can call him a moaner i do not know?

I mean if it states that any work that is done undocumented will have no garanttee I think I would like them to admit it too and to give me a receipt of some sort for the work they had done to fix the cockups

Theese are cars your talking about remember and the bills dont come cheap.

But surely his point is that he knew from the experience of others, the consequences of the job not been done correctly.

After all, that's why he made the decision to take it to a main Vauxhall garage, and was prepared pay extra to have the job 'professionally' carried out, i.e.to 'avoid' the very thing that allegedly happened!

If Vauxhall themselves can't do, what after all with the correct tools should be a relatively straight forward job, then who can?

You idiot.

I agree that the heads been off and its probably due to a c*ck up in the timing but if it was my car the questions to asked would be:-

1 Why was'nt it valeted to get rid of the oil stains ( were the wipers replaced or is the wind screen smearing in the wet) 2 looking at the photo i can see a blue dot ( possibly instant gasket w2hich should not be needed on a head gasket ) 3 HOW LONG IS THIS WORK ON YOUR CAR GAURANTEED FOR . At the very least i agree that you should have a full and honest explanation as well as an in depth writen letter or job sheet to attach to the cars service book for when it comes to be sold in the future.