Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
Pancakeflipper · 14/12/2013 20:33

I would not be fine having paid £265 for crap workmanship. But I wouldn't be expecting them to buy me a curry. I would expect them to correct the problem for free.

ThurlHoHoHow · 14/12/2013 20:34

It's shitty timing and it is one of those things that will seriously piss you off. Go tomorrow and get enough for a few days, and just stick with telling the garage how much inconvenience this has caused you.

Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 20:34

Thanks Thurl for seeing where I'm coming from. As I said in a previous post I won't word it like that but will word things in a much more matter of fact way.

OP posts:
Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 20:39

Thurl you're right, really shitty timing at the end of a very shitty week.

The original post was done in the heat of the moment with a '& I've got a good fucking mind to give them the receipt for this too'. Never the best way to approach this I know!

OP posts:
CoffeeTea103 · 14/12/2013 20:49

Yabu, but thanks for the laugh though.

Rebelwithoutapplause · 14/12/2013 20:52

Frankly it reads to me like you're trying to make a ridiculous drama out of an inconvenience.

You've been going there for years without problems, then a case of human error means a bolt was probably not screwed back correctly and worked loose, and suddenly your ill family is unable to cope, and the garage has to compensate you?. I noted your ill husband was well enough to go over and pick the car up yesterday, so he can't be all that sick - can't he just walk or get a bus to the shops or at least look after the kids while you go.

I've had mistakes made on jobs I've paid for in the past, and what I expect is that the company demonstrates good customer service by recognising the inconvenience and fixing it promptly.

It reads to me like you're looking for an angle, and coming on here to get you're approach "group validated"

Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 20:57

Rebel it's not like that at all & I'm sorry I've come across that way. As I said in a previous post my original post wasn't worded well & was written in the heat of the moment with a 'I've a good bloody mind to ask them to pay for this'.

OP posts:
Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 20:58

Which I accept is not the right approach

OP posts:
arethereanyleftatall · 14/12/2013 21:15

Do you know what ab00.? You are right. They have inconvenienced you and they have cost you money. They should pay. I would love it if they did. Unfortunately, they won't, cos it doesn't work like that. But it should. Good luck on Monday. I would go in calm, find out what the problem with car us first, and then if it's entirely their fault and fixable and they'll do it for free, then say ' not having a car this weekend has cost me £20. I would like thatvrefunded please.'

WaitMonkey · 14/12/2013 21:17

I though you where joking. It now appears you're not. In all honestly, I'm amazed. Hmm Confused Shock

RedLondonBus · 14/12/2013 21:19

It might have saved money but not using petrol..... Silver lining and all that

If you were that worried you wouldn't be driving it back to the garage in Monday would you?

Buzzardisnotina4birdroast · 14/12/2013 21:20

Actually OP I do think you have a point...not about the food but about some sort of compensation. Please tell me you didn't take it to a 'chain' garage because then I can have no sympathy with you?

pixiepotter · 14/12/2013 21:30

I think iot mioght be the splash guard which protects the engine when you go through puddles.They would have had to take it off to remove the oil.It just need 2 minutes on the ramps to tighten up teh screws

Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 21:35

Waitmonkey half serious, half joking but mainly just really pissed off with them & as I said in a previous post said in the tone of 'I've a good bloody mind to'. Obviously didn't make it clear in the original post

Red you're right on saving petrol! Wink Didn't actually say I'd be driving the car on Monday & I'm concerned enough, not being a mechanic myself, that I'm not prepared to drive around in it with 2 young dc's in it.

Buzzard rest assured it's not a big chain

OP posts:
RedLondonBus · 14/12/2013 21:39

Well one of you will be driving it, doesn't matter who! Fact is you consider it driveable/roadworthy

Justforlaughs · 14/12/2013 21:46

Did you ask for a courtesy car? I would have. I would also be asking for a free repair with an unveiled threat of bad publicity if it isn't fixed to my satisfaction tomorrow. I would also love to ask them to pay for the curry, but sadly think it might be a step too far. However, I am cheeky enough to do it Wink

Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 21:53

Justforlaughs I will be this time! Didn't bother Thursday as, like an idiot, fully expected to have it back in good working order with no bits dropping off! I like your style!

OP posts:
ThurlHoHoHow · 14/12/2013 21:53

I think I would have had a similar reaction - "ffs, now we've got to get a takeaway tonight and we can't do the shopping this weekend either."

Sadly not reasonable but actually, in the heat of irritation, understandable.

ToffeeOwnsTheSausage · 14/12/2013 21:56

YABU, entitled and rather silly.

RedLondonBus · 14/12/2013 21:59

Why didn't you ring the garage today as soon as you discovered it?

Original poster
ab00 · 14/12/2013 22:02

Red I did & was told the service department is closed at the weekend

OP posts:
ComposHat · 15/12/2013 11:33

Sstop moaning about the curry and concentrate on on getting the car fixed. Once they fixed it keep an eye out for a different garage for future work.

HyvaPaiva · 15/12/2013 17:36

Grin This has got to be a wind-up. It's utter nonsense!

smartiepantsgirl · 15/12/2013 17:46

Grrrr. This used to annoy the hell out of me in my past retail life. I've lost count of the number of times a customer would come in and build wanting 'compensation' in the form of a Chinese or Indian takeaway into their complaint.

So yes. Yadbu.

Sparklingbrook · 15/12/2013 17:49

I used to work in a bank. Some customers would tell us they charged £25 for them writing to us, like we did to them.