Am I entitled to a refund?

chambey

I left my car into a garage about 2 weeks ago to get a problem with the electrics fixed (warning lights on and speedometer not working), The first time I left it in they said that the wires were corroded and that there was a cover missing which protects the cable so it was likely to happen again. I was charged 220 euro for this, the problem was solved for about 2 days. I brought it back into them, they had it for 3 days, then called me said that they had tried a few more things but they thought that there was some internal damage to the abs system and that they were going on holidays and wouldnt have time to fix it so basically come and collect the car.........

So basically in the space of 2 weeks I was charged 220 euro and no car fixed, I am going to get the car fixed with another garage as I really dont think these guys know what they are talking about........

Am I entitled to a refund? even a part refund and how do I go about getting it?

Seth Brundle

You had a problem, left it with someone who temporarily fixed it and the problem (as advised) returned again.
Seems like you have no comeback as you got exactly what you paid for!

chambey

220 euro for 2 days? I wasnt told that when I was told the problem would come back..............

crosstownk

chambey wrote:

The first time I left it in they said that the wires were corroded and that there was a cover missing which protects the cable so it was likely to happen again. I was charged 220 euro for this

It seems that the more or less told you that the problem may not have been repaired and charged you for their time. Did you not ask "What if the problem arises again"? Did they replace the cover that protects the wiring to try and prevent it happening again?

I'd agree with kbannon - I doubt you'll get any money back. You best bet is to stick with the same garage and try to argue your case - they may carry out the next repairs bearing in mind that you already paid €220 for a previous repair attempt, but you'll have to argue the case - whether or not you successful will really depend on the attitude of the garage. You are much more likely to get a reduced price on the next repair rather than money back. Basically they spent x amount of hours your car, gave you a diagnosis and charged you the appropriate amount of labour.

chambey

About the cover - he said that he would look into getting a second hand cover for it - he also said that he thought it would last a while even without the cover ( longer than 2 days anyways).

I did leave it back to them to get it fixed in the hope that they would give me some money off the price of how much it takes to fix it but they had it in for monday - wednesday, did nothing with it and now they are going on holiday. I need to get the car fixed as I want to sell it, so thats why I am getting another garage to fix it.

I know that the chances of refund are slight, but I was just wondering if anyone else had any similar experiences, I am going to end up paying another 300 -400 euro by the looks of it to get it fixed.

Thanks for the advice!

crosstownk

Getting money back form a garage is like trying to get blood out of a stone. It can be done, but it usually involves a long, arduous, uphill struggle.

Best of luck.

mickjohnlong

chambey wrote:

I did leave it back to them to get it fixed in the hope that they would give me some money off the price of how much it takes to fix it but they had it in for monday - wednesday, did nothing with it and now they are going on holiday. I need to get the car fixed as I want to sell it, so thats why I am getting another garage to fix it.

they gave you the car back cos they were going on holiday and didnt want it sitting there while they were away they probley didnt do anything to it cos they were too busy and only took it off you cos they thought they would get it done before they went away bring it back to them when they are back and leave it with them

Mr.Diagnostic

I dont think there is any hard and fast rule on this. The Garage will have trading terms and conditions. These terms and conditions can vary from Garage to Garage.
It is up to both the Garage and the customer to make sure the customer is aware of these terms. Most garages will charge for time spent looking for a fault. Some faults can be difficult to find and as such estimates are not possible. This fault may be one of those but if so it is up to the Garage to keep the customer informed as the job progresses so there are no nasty surprises as regards the invoice.
I can understand a customer not being happy to pay a few hours labour when the fault is not fixed but if the customer has agreed to pay for those hours in advance there is no arguement.
It can happen that a Garage could have problems due to lack of knowledge/info/equipment on the particular system with the fault. In a case like that it is only fair for the labour bill to be reduced to what it would have been if they were properly equiped. It is not right for customers to be billed to be guinney pigs.
The problem as I see it is that some Garages attempt work that they are unable to do. That does not do them or the customer any good. I am not saying that this is the case here, it could be a bastard fault.

What type of car is this?

chambey

Car is a renault megane coupe......

I had asked at the start if they thought they could fix it after an initial assessment and they said that there shouldnt be any problem given I gave them time to do it, I also told them that it was likely to be a big job enough and that I had been advised (by a renault dealer) that there might be some damage to the electrics in the abs system. I think they thought it might have been an easy job, charge 220 euro for it would be ok. I think that when they realised it was going to be a big job they didnt really want to do it... They would have had time from monday - sat (before they went on hols) to order parts etc if need be, but they didnt really try as far as I can see, as he told me to collect the car on wed.