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I read with interest Countrydude's thread "Get to know your rights as a buyer of online products and services". I am hoping someone can give me some consumer advice on the ongoing problem I am having with a well known national franchise company that has delivered poor quality repairs to my car.
I recently sent the car in to have two stone chips (one with a dent) in the bonnet repaired and paint imperfections in the nearside front wing (caused by a previous bodyshop) to be repaired. When I went to collect the car later on that day, the front wing was even worse (huge amounts or orange peal, dead paint and a masking tape join line were evident). The bonnet, however, was even more of a problem - score marks in the paint where the dent had been filled, grit in the paint, obvious orange peel, paint inconsistences and lacquer that did not blend in. It looked like a disaster zone covering over half of the bonnet's surface area. Even worse, when they removed the protective masking tape from the bumper, lacquer had seaped through and some spots of the orignal factory paint had lifted.
The chap said he could not charge me for the repairs. Instead he has suggested that either I pay to have the whole lot done myself (which will cost in excess of £500) and forget about the invoice, or that he will get the repairs done (bonnet and front wing only) by his local bodyshop and I will pay just the cost of the original invoice. Well, it sounded good, but I decided to get quotes from alternative reputable bodyshops who I know can deliver a high quality job. I submitted these invoices to him although he is refusing to pay the difference of £220 between the revised cost of one reputable bodyshop and the original invoice he made out to me. He says it is too expensive, even though I have shown goodwill and excluded the cost of repainting the bumper.
However, each of the bodyshops I have spoken to will need the car for at least three days (that is 10 hours labour at a minimum of £28 per/hour, plus cost of materials (£160) and VAT on top of that). I have visited the local bodyshop he uses and they have said the same thing in terms of labour time and the amount of work that needs to be done, although I was not satisfied with the quality of work on the cars I saw.
Clearly I have no faith in the quality of work he will sanction via this local bodyshop for what he reckons will be less than £220, and he says that if I am unhappy with the quality of work his chosen bodyshop will deliver, then that is a different matter. In other words, it is no longer his responsibility. This will obviously be a tricky situation as the original contract would be between the chap who had originally failed to deliver acceptable quality repairwork and the bodyshop he appointed, not between me and the bodyshop where I would have some recourse, should the repairs not be to a satisfactory standard.
The head office of this franchise company has been informed by me of what has happened, the independent quotes have been submitted, together with the details of alternative quotes. But they are not taking an active interest or showing godwill by offering to pay the difference between the original invoice and the cheapest quote I have received from a reputable bodyshop. The quality of workmanship is important to me as I also use the cars for car shows.
Any advice on the way forward?
(Sorry for the length of this thread, I have condensed it down as much as possible!)
I recently sent the car in to have two stone chips (one with a dent) in the bonnet repaired and paint imperfections in the nearside front wing (caused by a previous bodyshop) to be repaired. When I went to collect the car later on that day, the front wing was even worse (huge amounts or orange peal, dead paint and a masking tape join line were evident). The bonnet, however, was even more of a problem - score marks in the paint where the dent had been filled, grit in the paint, obvious orange peel, paint inconsistences and lacquer that did not blend in. It looked like a disaster zone covering over half of the bonnet's surface area. Even worse, when they removed the protective masking tape from the bumper, lacquer had seaped through and some spots of the orignal factory paint had lifted.
The chap said he could not charge me for the repairs. Instead he has suggested that either I pay to have the whole lot done myself (which will cost in excess of £500) and forget about the invoice, or that he will get the repairs done (bonnet and front wing only) by his local bodyshop and I will pay just the cost of the original invoice. Well, it sounded good, but I decided to get quotes from alternative reputable bodyshops who I know can deliver a high quality job. I submitted these invoices to him although he is refusing to pay the difference of £220 between the revised cost of one reputable bodyshop and the original invoice he made out to me. He says it is too expensive, even though I have shown goodwill and excluded the cost of repainting the bumper.
However, each of the bodyshops I have spoken to will need the car for at least three days (that is 10 hours labour at a minimum of £28 per/hour, plus cost of materials (£160) and VAT on top of that). I have visited the local bodyshop he uses and they have said the same thing in terms of labour time and the amount of work that needs to be done, although I was not satisfied with the quality of work on the cars I saw.
Clearly I have no faith in the quality of work he will sanction via this local bodyshop for what he reckons will be less than £220, and he says that if I am unhappy with the quality of work his chosen bodyshop will deliver, then that is a different matter. In other words, it is no longer his responsibility. This will obviously be a tricky situation as the original contract would be between the chap who had originally failed to deliver acceptable quality repairwork and the bodyshop he appointed, not between me and the bodyshop where I would have some recourse, should the repairs not be to a satisfactory standard.
The head office of this franchise company has been informed by me of what has happened, the independent quotes have been submitted, together with the details of alternative quotes. But they are not taking an active interest or showing godwill by offering to pay the difference between the original invoice and the cheapest quote I have received from a reputable bodyshop. The quality of workmanship is important to me as I also use the cars for car shows.
Any advice on the way forward?
(Sorry for the length of this thread, I have condensed it down as much as possible!)
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