Is it worth trying to get my money back?

[trainer]

Hi,

A few of you responded to my thread regarding issues I had with a battery drain.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/elec...n.html?highlight=comand+causing+battery+drain

The first diagnosis was that it was the Comand unit. The diagnosis cost over £220 and the garage were prepared to get me a new unit for £1500. I declined.

Since then the problem has reoccurred and resulted in me taking the car to an MB dealer today. The diagnosis was the passenger side seat controller.

Do I have a leg to stand on in going back to the first garage and asking for some money back. After all they got the diagnosis wrong and were prepared to sell me a new Comand on the back of that diagnosis.

 

[camerafodder]

I think I'd be giving it a go! How did they manage to charge £220 to seek out the source of the drain?

 

[trainer]

Labour at an extortionate rate. For some reason they decided to take out the comand unit which meant removing the dash.

 

[Adam230K]

It will be hard but i would give it a go. I've got my money back before for incorrect diagnosis and they even gave me a £50 'for my troubles'. Little do they know it cost me £150 to return the gearbox and get the correct part but hey at least i got something back!

 

[br0ke]

If you paid them £220 for a diagnosis and they got it wrong then I would visit them with proof of this and demand a full refund (+compensation for time wasted).
Trading standards sould be interested. As you have given them money then you entered into a contract which they failed to deliver upon.

I took my BMW into a main dealer as the wipers had failed. They quoted me £415 parts and £500 labour. I declined and bought a part for £3.50 which fixed the wipers. As I had not given them any money, there was no contract and trading standards would not help. The car was never back in a BMW garage and I will never have another one - all over this incident

 

[lynall]

Diagnosing any electrical fault can be a right sod and then some, i have seen trucks in our workshop for days with strange goings on.

I reckon you will have a job getting any money back, were they electrical experts or just convenient/cheap?.

Also they will say they fixed the fault and the seat controller is/was a new unrelated fault.



Lynall

 

[Ted]

As said, electrical faults can be interesting.
I was an time served auto electrician for a number of years -- I recall one fault on a truck (anyone remember the AEC ergomatic cab) where you could not turn off the headlights - they were both on at half brightness.
I had to change the starter motor to fix it!
Another thing is that most garage mechanics are now fitters. As an example, I could test an alternator and know that the regulator is faulty - a quick and cheap fix. If I worked in a garage, I would still change the alternator, as, if another part in the alternator failed a couple of weeks down the line, we would have an unhappy customer, I would lose whatever bonus I had made, the company would be out of pocket etc etc.
This may have similar to the case with the BMW wiper.
You really are between a rock and a hard place at times.

 

[Sp!ke]

I could test an alternator and know that the regulator is faulty - a quick and cheap fix. If I worked in a garage, I would still change the alternator, as, if another part in the alternator failed a couple of weeks down the line, we would have an unhappy customer, I would lose whatever bonus I had made

Thats shocking... why not advise the customer and let him decide whether to change the alternator or not?

 

[Ted]

To be fair Spike, this WAS thirty years ago, and it was not always possible to contact the customer. We were also working for what was IMHO a pretty bad employer, and there was little loyalty from any of the guys.
Another story - and I'm not proud to admit it, was when I did some additional work which was not on the job sheet, when asked why I had done it, I said that in my opinion it needed to be done to prevent further issues. I was told by the workshop foreman that I wasn't paid to think - just do what is on the job sheet.
Couple of weeks later a Jag came in with the alternator warning light glowing, and 'Adjust fan belt' on the work sheet.
I duly adjusted the fan belt (knowing that the alternator was faulty), and put on the worksheet 'Fan belt adjusted, alternator light still on'
The customer went mad. I was asked why I hadn't replaced the alternator, and I politely reminded the foreman (in front of the service manager) of our conversation, and pointed out my comments (which they had missed) on the jobsheet.

I would agree with your comment, Spike, but you have to remember this was the late seventies/early eighties, ir WAS a Leyland/JRT garage, (VERY badly managed IMHO - I could tell you some stories) and I was a rebel without a clue.

 

[trainer]

I dont believe the first garage fixed the fault as the Comand unit is fine. I will give it a go and report back

 

[trainer]

Hi all,

I went into the garage that did the initial diagnosis and had a chat with the service manager. I explained the situation regarding the fault reoccurring after his garage had supposedly identified it. I then showed him the diagnosis from MB. I let him take copies of both and asked him to think about what he might want to do.

I phoned a few days later and was asked to come in and pick up my full refund. I went in yesterday picked up my cheque from the service manager and without any fuss.

I am very impressed how without any kicking and screaming from my side they took the decision to refund. In my eyes they have rescued and bad situation and have come out looking good.

 

[Honey Bear]

Good to hear things came out well for you. lets hope this happens more often. I know I've been stung in a situation similar to this one. Never got my money back, but Rouge Traders (BBC) made a good job of letting everyone know what happened.

 

[abecketts]

you'll need something in writing from garage 2, question is will they give it, the invoice I doubt would be sufficient. Certainly give it a go.

 

[219]

Hi all,

I went into the garage that did the initial diagnosis and had a chat with the service manager. I explained the situation regarding the fault reoccurring after his garage had supposedly identified it. I then showed him the diagnosis from MB. I let him take copies of both and asked him to think about what he might want to do.

I phoned a few days later and was asked to come in and pick up my full refund. I went in yesterday picked up my cheque from the service manager and without any fuss.

I am very impressed how without any kicking and screaming from my side they took the decision to refund. In my eyes they have rescued and bad situation and have come out looking good.

Also shows the value of putting forward a complaint in a 'nice' way to begin with and not getting both sides entrenched in a dispute .

Often an opening gambit of 'asking nicely' will reap dividends .

 

[st13phil]

Also shows the value of putting forward a complaint in a 'nice' way to begin with and not getting both sides entrenched in a dispute .

Often an opening gambit of 'asking nicely' will reap dividends .

I absolutely, 100%, agree with that. I always try the softly, softly approach first and it generally works. In reality, there are very few places who actually set out with the intention of screwing up, so if you act reasonably you generally get a good response. People who go in with all guns blazing, shouting about their rights, raise hackles - it's basic human nature to respond to an attack with a counter attack - and generally have a harder time getting restitution.