Compensation offer from Privilege on CL500 repair fiasco

[Palfrem]

Some of you may have been following the debacle that was the "repair" of my CL 500 by Privilege and their preferred repairer, UK Assistance.

Just had a call from the insurance company customer relations department who wish to offer me £150.00 in compensation for my problems, i.e. £50 for each time it went back. £50 is the maximum amount they can offer apparently.

Bearing in mind it was gone for three months, is this enough do you think or should I ask for the road tax and insurance that was effectively wasted?

Should I decline the cash and try for a big discount on my renewal premium?

Never been in this position before, so your collected sage advice is welcome.

Thanks.

 

[tpwuk]

Take the money and then take SWMBO out for a nice meal in the VW!

 

[Shude]

Bearing in mind it was gone for three months, is this enough do you think or should I ask for the road tax and insurance that was effectively wasted?

Were you given free use of another car during this period?

 

[Dryce]

Never been in this position before, so your collected sage advice is welcome.

I would push them some more.

The pictures you put up several weeks ago with the bonnet and headlamp spacing out were disgraceful. But worse the onus was repeatedly on *you* to get them to fix an obvious botch up.

Ask them on the phone for the address of their CEO and tell them that you're going to send a log of how bad your experience was with the photographs.

Then compose a brief but detailed letter to said CEO with some photos and ask (a) does he/she think that the quality of the repair work undertaken by Privilege was acceptable and (b) why it was left to you to push repeatedly for remedy and (c) how this reflects on their company (d) what would be a reasonable gesture under the circumstances.

 

[A210AMG]

Try for more but "£50 is the maximum amount they can offer apparently" unless you make a big deal are you going to get more?

 

[Adam230K]

Take the money. Things could've been worse.

 

[Dryce]

Try for more but "£50 is the maximum amount they can offer apparently" unless you make a big deal are you going to get more?

Remind me not to use you as a negotiator.

Call center is just trying to put this to bed.

Don't try / don't get. Given the OP's experience you'd expect something more formal in the way of an apology from the company. The experience was sufficiently bad that it needs to be flagged to higher management. Especially given the sums invoiced by the repairer.

 

[A210AMG]

^ I completly agree,

Its how much does the op think its worth, how much hassle does he want.

So now he's having to contact the insurance over the car he sold and having to contact the garage about his new car that they are messing about with.

Sometimes its easier (not right I agree) to just accept if he is happy and move on...


lifes too short and talking to supervisors / head office / sending letters etc is all time I'm sure he would rather spend doing something else.


What does the OP think is fair?? only he know's if what they have offered isn't what he thinks and he is happy to fight the case go for it.

 

[Palfrem]

Shude - Yup! A brutal 1.4 Corsa

Mixed thoughts eh chaps.

I agree A210 - life is too short. I had a heart attack before Christmas and am now waiting a by-pass op so raisng the stress levels isn't ideal.

A bit of the old grumpy pre-coronary me thinks £50 per c**k-up is not enough though. All the same if I had to have time off work when it was returned.

I might put it up as a Poll!

 

[trapperjohn]

Due to the ticker missing a beat and a heavy op coming up (Best of Luck with that btw) I think I might just take the money so its done and dusted and out of the way.
I mean how much more are you going to get - boodles?
Others will disagree of course.

Take the dosh and donate it to the coronary unit at your hospital or another charity of your choice.

 

[Ade B]

Decide on your hourly rate and decide how much money you wish to spend pursuing it.

Come renewal take business elsewhere.

 

[davidjpowell]

Due to the ticker missing a beat and a heavy op coming up (Best of Luck with that btw) I think I might just take the money so its done and dusted and out of the way.
I mean how much more are you going to get - boodles?
Others will disagree of course.

Take the dosh and donate it to the coronary unit at your hospital or another charity of your choice.

I'm with you on this. Sometimes life is just too short.

My dad picked up an infection 20 years ago which lunched on a heart valve and had to make similar decisions about when and where to fight a battle... Cars gone, take the money and move on.

 

[jonnyboy]

Agreed, you've already moved on.
Might be worth a prod first though. Then at least you'd not be thinking....if only....

 

[Sparky 371]

never take their first offer- they are playing the game here

do as suggested and take it higher- or at least threaten to and you will magically see a bigger offer appear on the table

 

[crockers]

Haven't you now sold the car? If so take the money and move on - life is too short.

IMHO of course.

 

[ShinyF1]

I got £1000 out of them ten years back for their hopeless dealing with my car repair. I had to seriously hound them but eventually they agreed - get on their backs. My claim was all about the depreciation suffered because of the time the repairs took [as the car was for sale at the time of the original accident]

 

[horgantrevor]

Remind me not to use you as a negotiator.

Call center is just trying to put this to bed.

Don't try / don't get. Given the OP's experience you'd expect something more formal in the way of an apology from the company. The experience was sufficiently bad that it needs to be flagged to higher management. Especially given the sums invoiced by the repairer.

good point ask for more and tell them about insurance and road tax

 

[Rayny]

Personally I would just accept it, but the question for you is how was the £50 per incident offered to you ?
Was it "£50 per incident is the most that I can offer you"
If so, there may be a higher level of customer relations that you can speak to.

 

[st4]

Haven't you now sold the car? If so take the money and move on - life is too short.

IMHO of course.

Life is stressful enough. They dont have to offer any compensation, merely put the car right.

Take it, and move on from the sorry sage.

Lifes too short to stress out

 

[219]

£50 for each day over and above a 'reasonable' time for the repair would be a good place to start .

Assuming it would be reasonable to expect a repair to be carried out ( being generous here ) within two weeks , your car was away for a further 2-1/2 months ( say , 75 days ) , therefore I'd make an opening gambit that they owe you £50 x 75 for your trouble .

Of course , I wouldn't expect them to pay that , but you have to start somewhere ( just as they do with derisory offers for written off cars ) , and negotiate from there .

If the matter went to court , a settlement of £3750 for three months of trouble , loss of use , depreciation etc etc etc might not seem so extreme .

£50 may be 'the most they can offer' , but it is well below 'the least you can accept' .

Look on the negotiations as a game - and play for high stakes .