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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect the garage to pay for the curry?

73 replies

ab00 · 14/12/2013 19:38

We took our car (1 car family) to be serviced & mot'd on Thursday to the dealership where we originally bought it from as we have every year. Dh collected the car when it was ready yesterday lunch time. Today dh noticed a clunking sound when he went to fetch something. When we looked unset the car there is a long piece of very oily metal hanging down under the engine that is hitting the road & subsequently the engine when it goes over a bump. Dh wouldn't have noticed this on the 2 minute drive home yesterday as the road is flat.

As we are not mechanic's, haven't got a bloody clue what this is & don't want to risk causing an accident or damaging the car we aren't using it until the garage can fix it on Monday.

However we have not done this week's food shopping & the contents of the fridge looks like a bad set of ingredients from ready steady cook. As this is clearly poor service on the part of the garage, for which they charged £265 (not including the bloody parts) would I be unreasonable to expect them to pay for our takeaway tonight & the delivery charge for food shopping as compensation?

OP posts:
thenightsky · 14/12/2013 19:39

I'd be more worried about bits dropping off the car. Forget the bloody curry!

thenightsky · 14/12/2013 19:40

Sorry, but I'm feeling YABU

HMG83 · 14/12/2013 19:43

Yabab unreasonable.....Online shopping?

Trills · 14/12/2013 19:43

:o It would be nice if you could ask for that wouldn't it?

They should put it right at no cost, and give you a discount on the price you paid for not having fixed it right in the first place (or for having left something loose that should have been tightened).

I wouldn't phrase it quite as "paying for your curry", but you should get a discount that would probably cover the cost of the curry.

Szeli · 14/12/2013 19:46

Yabu. Your lack of food shopping isn't their concern - their shoddy workmanship however is so I'd focus on getting that sorted. If you like any money you get knocked off you can put in next weeks food budget

Sparklingbrook · 14/12/2013 19:46

Confused would love to be a fly on the wall at the garage when you ask for curry payment.

thefuturesnotourstosee · 14/12/2013 19:47

YABU. Maybe just maybe you'd get away with the delivery charge but set that against petrol ec. then even that seems unreasonable.

That said, I once had a business pay for a take away for me but that's because they forgot to deliver my oven the day they promised and they knew already our other oven was broken. When I asked what they were going to do about it they said to they'd give us £25 to off set the cost of a meal out or take away and just to submit the receipt and they'd give us cash. I didn't expect it though

comemulledwinewithmoi · 14/12/2013 19:48

Yabu. Is there a shop you can walk to? Bus? Helicopter?

Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 19:51

Not asking for them to pay for the shopping itself, just the delivery charge as thanks to their fuck up I'm unable to do the food shopping this weekend ad planned.
Won't phrase it quite so bluntly as 'pay for the curry' more 'due to not being able to use the car as a direct result of their poor workmanship we've incurred additional expenses & a huge amount of inconvenience over the weekend'

OP posts:
CookieLady · 14/12/2013 19:53

Op, youve made me laugh. Thank you. Grin

RedLondonBus · 14/12/2013 19:53

Yabu and grasping

Buzzardisnotina4birdroast · 14/12/2013 19:54

Sump guard at a guess. Wouldn't do any harm to pull it off. Your food supplies however are not their concern, but worth a chance Grin

livinginawinterwonderland · 14/12/2013 20:00

YABU! Yes, they didn't do a good job, but it's not their fault you haven't been food shopping Confused

MrsUptight · 14/12/2013 20:02

What's the delivery charge? About 2 quid? YABU and weird.

Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 20:08

Ok I've phrased my point badly.

My food supplier isn't their concern, nor is no doubt the huge amount of inconvenience & plan changing that this has also caused.

However the fact that I have paid the not insignificant sum of £265 for them to ensure that our family vehicle is in a safe, roadworthy condition, which they had over 24hrs to do while it was in their possession & has been returned to us with a piece of metal hanging out from under the engine absolutely is.

Unfortunately we aren't able to get to a shop tonight to get something for me & dh, otherwise we would. Fortunately I've got a few precooked meals in the freezer for dc's which they've had so are sorted. We can't do a full weekly shop without a car & although I'm taking the car straight to the garage Monday morning (as it's closed all weekend) we'd don't know when they'll fix it.

OP posts:
MrsUptight · 14/12/2013 20:14

Listen, your garage sound terrible but get over it! We;ve not had a car for FIVE YEARS and have managed to feed us all regularly and do shops. We ride bikes with rucksacks on!

Get a bus tomorrow.

RedLondonBus · 14/12/2013 20:16

Grow up op, seriously! Hmm

Pancakeflipper · 14/12/2013 20:17

Oh please ask them. And update us.

sykadelic15 · 14/12/2013 20:19

Yeah... you're BU.

Either ask for a hire/rental while they fix it this time (which if it is the guard is just a couple of bolts so really quick to fix) or some of your money back or both due to the inconvenience.

Food delivery... it's not their fault you decided to wait to get food.

FortyDoorsToNowhere · 14/12/2013 20:19

How do you think people without cars manage.

My mum has done the family shop for 33 years without a car and that was for a family of 10 at one point.

Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 20:22

So you would both be fine handing over £265 for a service only to find you'd paid for poor workmanship?

I've accepted that my original point was phrased incredibly badly. I appreciate that people manage fine without cars & I will too. However that doesn't change the fact they've massively ballsed up & caused inconvenience for us.

OP posts:
ThurlHoHoHow · 14/12/2013 20:25

YANBU to ask for some kind of compensation or money off another service because they performed a poor job.

However, as much as I admire your style, it's got nothing to do with the garage how or when you get your shopping. Lots of people manage without cars or online shopping, which I know is slightly beside the point, but it means that it's really unrelated to the garage.

So by all means tell them you expect some kind or recompense for the car not being serviced properly, but for the love of god don't mention either your shopping or takeaway or they will laugh you out of the garage

Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 20:25

Didn't choose to wait to get food, have had 2 ill children under 2 all week & an ill husband too. Food shopping wasn't a priority at the start of the week & wrongly assumed normal business would be resumed by now.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 14/12/2013 20:27

YY just ask for money off. have you got a local shop you could walk to? You don't need to do a weekly shop as you will have your car back on Monday.

expatinscotland · 14/12/2013 20:32

'So you would both be fine handing over £265 for a service only to find you'd paid for poor workmanship?'

No, I'd expect a partial refund and a courtesy car whilst they do the work, not for them to supply me with food or pay for my food.

Get out tomorrow, take a bus or walk and get some food.