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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Beware the kwikfit guys

31 replies

jnnfr · 12/04/2020 23:47

My mother in law, visited the Kwikfit at Goole, East Yorks on 25 September 2019. She is in her 70s. She was charged £333.71 for 4 tyres on a Citreon C3 that gets little use. There was a £63.96 charge for a 'Tyre fitting' Package and a charge of £49.95 for adjustment. She also found that loose change was missing from inside the car after her visit. I complained to Kwikfit as soon as I found out but left it till recently due to a family illness.

I recently received a response from the ‘Master Manager Kwik-Fit Northern Division’ who explained the invoice and gave the following sage advice:

“Poor alignment has an effect on tyre wear and fuel economy to an extent dependent on the deviation from tolerances.”

The ‘Master Manger’ then went on to say that they had all of the invoices and the person that worked on the car was no longer employed there so the missisng coints not be investigated. He stated:
“I am not aware of any incidents of a similar nature in this centre during all the time that I have been the overseeing manager and would reassure you of my confidence in the current team that work in this location.”

I made it clear that neither myself or a number of family and friends will be using their services again as we believe that my mother in law was taken advantage of due to her age and gender, she feels violated.

OP posts:
bloated1977 · 12/04/2020 23:56

This was 7 months ago!

WorraLiberty · 12/04/2020 23:59

I have no idea whether that price is reasonable or not as I don't drive.

However, if she felt they stole money from her, she should've called the police.

I don't see what Kwikfit could do about that?

BeenThereDone · 13/04/2020 00:00

Yabu to have left it so long. Company policy would dictate 3 months or similar for redress. 7 months is taking the piss

brownandpurple · 13/04/2020 00:00

🤣

ilikebigbuttsandicannotlie · 13/04/2020 00:02

They’re a rip off who try and take people for a ride by exploiting when someone doesn’t know much about cars. Halfords on the other hand are lovely and would never do that.

anyoneforbingo · 13/04/2020 00:03

I went to a Kwikfit last year as there was an horrendous metal grinding noise.. I was dreading what they were going to tell me thinking I need a new exhaust or something. It was a bracket that had come loose. He fixed it, it took 10 minutes and he didn't charge me a penny. He could very easily have ripped me off and told me anything, I wouldn't have known, but he was brilliant.

It's not always the brand, as with any thing, it's usually individual people that give a brand a bad name. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, however my experience was the total opposite of kwikfit.

ScorpionQueen · 13/04/2020 00:04

They are absolute cowboys and best avoided.

KillerofMen · 13/04/2020 00:05

My husband took our two cars for servicing at Kwik fit one year. It cost about £1200. A bill that was unprecedentedly high. I shudder every time I drive past.

bloated1977 · 13/04/2020 00:07

Halfords wanted to charge me £450 for my 4 new tyres. Kwik Fit charged me about £250 from memory. Why have you waited so long to deal with it?

slashlover · 13/04/2020 00:31

I just googled Citroen C3 tyres and a quick search shows tyres priced from £30 to £84 so you'd need to know the make and model of tyres, it's probably going to cost more instore. Of course they are going to charge for fitting and alignment as those are services and I would assume that you would want a 70+ person to have the safety provisions.

Not sure what you expect them to do after 7 months about the money, there will be no CCTV after this amount of time so no proof either way.

Did she get an estimate before the work was done and did she agree to it? Also, what exactly is your complaint? That they can't investigate loose change after 7 months or that they charged her for work?

SharonasCorona · 13/04/2020 00:34

YABU. My local Kwik-Fit is fab.

You get what you pay for. What brand were the tyres?

I bought new Continentale tyres at £80 each (with alignment).

Previously to that I bought new £50 tyres from another place and I had to replace 3 tyres within a year.

Longdistance · 13/04/2020 00:37

The KwikFit’s I’ve been to have been really good. They’ve been really helpful with all I’ve asked, even when my tyre pressure was dodgy, they didn’t charge me.
Aren’t KwikFit’s franchises? Am I thinking of something else?

wonderstuff · 13/04/2020 00:43

My local kwikfit is great. Been there for quite a few tyres and a couple of mots, never paid over the odds, always polite and friendly.

jnnfr · 13/04/2020 13:36

hi all, thanks for the responses. You're right, I should explain a few things. I complained about the cost and the missing coins at the time. Their manager did attempt to phone but we missed each other. We had a family illness that meant I put it on the back burner, I contacted them again at the end of Feb this year. I received the response and was dissapointed to say the least. I have used that Kwikfit a lot in the past as have other family members. The service has been good. We have a good idea how much is reasonable to pay for tyres. The price paid seems excessive for the how much the car is used. The recent response stated that the person that worked on the care is no longer there so it cannot be investigated although, as stated, I pointed it out at the time. I suppose we don't feel that our concerns were taken seriously.

OP posts:
Macncheeseballs · 13/04/2020 13:39

I thought kwik fit were famous for 'add ons' , I don't trust em

SharonasCorona · 13/04/2020 13:46

The price paid seems excessive for the how much the car is used.

How often the car is used is irrelevant to the cost of tyres and fitting, unless you’re saying new tyres weren’t necessary? Was £337 the total cost? What brand were the tyres?

Windyatthebeach · 13/04/2020 13:48

They are a bunch of pirates imo...

UnfinishedSymphon · 13/04/2020 13:52

I had an issue with my car whilst working away near Preston, took my car to Kwik Fit nearby and the guy fixed the issue and wouldn't charge me. They aren't all bad

WhentheRabbitsWentWild · 13/04/2020 13:54

I drove to a Kwikfit once for something or other
When told the cost I drove the hell out again

SharonasCorona · 13/04/2020 13:54

There is one guy at my local Kwik fit who is brilliant. I would trust him with my car any day. Been going there for years.

onanothertrain · 13/04/2020 13:59

My local kwikfit are great. YABU to tar them all with the same brush and for doing nothing for months. IME they are upfront about charges before doing any work and you are offered the option of alignment, it's not compulsory.

RunningNinja79 · 13/04/2020 14:13

I thought kwik fit were famous for 'add ons' , I don't trust em

I'm like that will all the main garages. I refuse to go anywhere apart from the small local garage that's a couple of miles away from me in the next village (rural location).

I suspect main dealership garages to be worse though. Of course I could be wrong.

pizzicato · 13/04/2020 14:14

Before I take my car in anywhere now I strip it of anything valuable. I still fume at the time many years ago when I went into a dealership in Warrington to look at their cars. They took my car round the back to give me a price for mine and it wasn't until I got home that I realised someone had stolen £20 out of the ash tray pot that I kept for emergencies. Regarding Kwik Fit, I went in to get a price for 2 tyres only to be told they all had to be the same tread so I would need 4 !! Didn't fall for that one. My local ATS is great. After a service at my main dealership who told me that my tyres were worn, ATS took a look and said they weren't and phoned them up and gave them a mouthful.

zsazsajuju · 13/04/2020 14:18

My local Kwik fit has always been fab. Why did she need all four Tyres replaced at once?

edwinbear · 13/04/2020 14:25

Sounds about right for replacing and fitting 4 new tyres. There’s no such thing as special cheap tyres for cars that don’t get driven much Confused