Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you formally complain about this?

141 replies

bluelid · 28/03/2023 16:05

Car was serviced on Thursday. Was picked up and taken to the garage (large, international manufacturer) and then dropped back the same afternoon.

Fast forward to this morning when I'm driving my 2yo DS to his nursery. Had to do a rather sharp brake, due to car in front suddenly stopping. Wasn't a full on emergency brake, but I was going at about 20mph and had to slow down quite rapidly.

DS is screaming in the back- I turn round and his car seat has flown forward and he is half in the footwell/ half pressed against the passenger seat!!

He has one of the seats that is secured with the seatbelt round the back- basically, I can only presume that the seat was unbuckled when it was serviced and not secured again. I definitely have not undone it and he is not capable of doing it himself.

No one me ruined the seat needed to be re-secured and it was just put back in place... which meant I wasn't even promoted to check. If it has been laid flat/ places back to front or something, I would have known it was loose!

Would you make a formal complaint based on this?

OP posts:
reluctantbrit · 28/03/2023 17:19

We always took the seat out when the car was in the garage.

For the baby one we had isofix, after that we periodically checked that the seatbelt was firm.

Original poster
bluelid · 28/03/2023 17:19

Thanks to everyone who has given balanced, informed advice.

I started this thread to gain perspective and I have that now.

I understand that it is my job to check the seat is secure (reassured to hear that others would have made the same mistake though!)

I won't be commenting anymore. Have a good evening everyone!

OP posts:
IVbumble · 28/03/2023 17:19

The garage that services my car won't move/remove any baby seats - if you want that seatbelt checked as part of the service you need to remove the seat before dropping off at the garage.

MsFannySqueers · 28/03/2023 17:20

I feel you should inform the garage just to prevent this happening to anyone else. It could have resulted in a serious accident. In an ideal world you would be checking the car seat and seat belt every trip. It would also be easy to assume the car seat was as you left it. I probably would have. My last experience of child car seats was a lump of polystyrene with a cover on it. The child was plonked on it and strapped in not ideal!

GG1986 · 28/03/2023 17:21

The last 6 MOT checks I've had, the car seat has not been moved and that seatbelt not tested and it is clearly marked on the certificate that it wasn't checked. So no idea why during a service they would remove the belt off the car seat and not tell you or simply lie the car seat down so its obvious. I wouldn't complain as such, but I would ring them and ask if car seat/seatbelts are usually removed during services and see what they say?

AitchPeeVee · 28/03/2023 17:21

Dacadactyl · 28/03/2023 17:14

@bluelid oh dont listen to half this lot...as if they heck check the car seat every time they use the car, if they know theyd not messed with it!
The garage shouldve made it clear that theyd unstrapped the seat by laying it down or something.

Of course I check every time! Really?

Fladdermus · 28/03/2023 17:26

It's never occurred to me to check the seat after a service or MOT. I'd definitely feed it back to them. It'd take them 2 seconds to let you know they've removed the seat. Which balanced against the consequences of someone not knowing to check seems like a worthwhile use of their time.

MamaBear7a · 28/03/2023 17:27

Just to add, I'd check your child safety locks as well. Mine were disengaged during an MOT once, only found out on a dual carriage way when the toddler managed to open it some how?!

JudgeRudy · 28/03/2023 17:27

bluelid · 28/03/2023 16:05

Car was serviced on Thursday. Was picked up and taken to the garage (large, international manufacturer) and then dropped back the same afternoon.

Fast forward to this morning when I'm driving my 2yo DS to his nursery. Had to do a rather sharp brake, due to car in front suddenly stopping. Wasn't a full on emergency brake, but I was going at about 20mph and had to slow down quite rapidly.

DS is screaming in the back- I turn round and his car seat has flown forward and he is half in the footwell/ half pressed against the passenger seat!!

He has one of the seats that is secured with the seatbelt round the back- basically, I can only presume that the seat was unbuckled when it was serviced and not secured again. I definitely have not undone it and he is not capable of doing it himself.

No one me ruined the seat needed to be re-secured and it was just put back in place... which meant I wasn't even promoted to check. If it has been laid flat/ places back to front or something, I would have known it was loose!

Would you make a formal complaint based on this?

How frightening. I think it might be an idea to inform the garage of what has occured. If the seat was where I left it I would have assumed it hadn't been 'tamperred 'with and was as l Ieft it. I'm sure me and OP aren't the only people to presume this.
I accept it's the driver's responsibility to check. This isn't about blame, it's about raising awareness.

I'd email Head Office if it's a chain as well as the garage itself. I don't think it would take much to either ensure the garage notify before and on collection or perhaps place the seat horizontally so it's obvious it has been removed. Of course it could be that it does say somewhere that it's your responsibility. Ask them to highlight this.
Thanks for warning.

YouJustDoYou · 28/03/2023 17:28

When my car was serviced they turned the headlight settings off and left it off - it had always been on auto before, so I didn't even think to check. Needless to say, left the brightly lit area I was in at night and didn't realise I had no headlights on until I got home. The man behind me was flashing his headlights at me non-stop and was tailgating and I was shaking so much from that I was too distracted to notice, only figured it out when I got home up the dark driveway.

MarvelMrs · 28/03/2023 17:28

I would say it was worth feeding back to the garage. Not complaining. The responsibility is yours alone to check after a service, any maintenance or MOT. However it is good practice for the garage to tell customers if a car seat is removed as part of a service so it might be worth letting them know what happened but making it very clear it isn’t a complaint. A complaint would be unreasonable.

forgeti · 28/03/2023 17:29

Honestly? No

it was a distressing incident but that doesn’t mean someone else is to blame. As the driver it is always your responsibility to make sure children are safely secured. Technically you should check before every journey that the car seat is secure. But especially after your car has been out of your possession. You not checking led to this happening I’m afraid

Fuctifin0 · 28/03/2023 17:30

No

EssentialGarage · 28/03/2023 17:32

We would never touch a car seat- on a MOT we would advise seat belt not checked due to car seat.

Justgorgeous · 28/03/2023 17:32

No. It’s on you.

2023Hope · 28/03/2023 17:37

Mouthfulofquiz · 28/03/2023 16:10

This is tricky - I’m not sure I would have checked as would have assumed they wouldn’t need to remove the seat. Maybe feed back to them that they should
tell people if they disconnect car seats. No need to complain but it would be good for the garage to be aware.

This.

whynotwhatknot · 28/03/2023 17:37

there was no rason for them to remove the seat on a service but i usually remove everything from the car so its not in their way

dizzydizzydizzy · 28/03/2023 17:37

TulipCat · 28/03/2023 16:10

I would mention it to them as feedback, ie better to leave the seat definitely not secured so the car owner knows to check. But it is your responsibility ultimately - your car, you driving it.

Yes, this.

piedbeauty · 28/03/2023 17:37

I'd contact the garage and ask why it was removed. Why did they need to do that? Perhaps they were checking the rear sealt belts?

And I'd tell them what happened and ask them to change their practice in future, so that they always mention to a customer that they have moved a car seat.

I don't think I'd have checked it either; I'd have assumed they didn't touch it. I'm glad your ds is OK.

WoeBeCome · 28/03/2023 17:39

I wouldn’t have thought to check. My garage won’t unbuckle seatbelts with car seats in. I would definitely ring them up. They should have put it back in lying down.

saraclara · 28/03/2023 17:40

The garage cannot assume that the parent will check. They should leave the car in a safe condition, and the car seat as they found it.

No other tradesperson would be allowed to say "well I assume that the customer would check that I hadn't made an error in an area of the house they didn't expect me to work on". Especially when it was something installed specifically for safety.

How about "well the customer should have checked that I didn't switch off the smoke alarm on the landing when i was fixing the cooker in the kitchen"?

viques · 28/03/2023 17:40

MarvelMrs · 28/03/2023 17:28

I would say it was worth feeding back to the garage. Not complaining. The responsibility is yours alone to check after a service, any maintenance or MOT. However it is good practice for the garage to tell customers if a car seat is removed as part of a service so it might be worth letting them know what happened but making it very clear it isn’t a complaint. A complaint would be unreasonable.

It would be really easy for a chain to supply their garages with warning or attention stickers to put on car seats reminding parents to check fittings because the seat has been removed. I think the OP should feed back to the garage and possibly to their head office if this is a company policy issue.

Dacadactyl · 28/03/2023 17:40

AitchPeeVee · 28/03/2023 17:21

Of course I check every time! Really?

Show quote history

Do you have an anxiety issue?

It wouldnt enter my head to check if I knew id not unstrapped it.

Shz · 28/03/2023 17:43

the security of a child’s carseat should be checked any time putting child in it but even more so after the car has been out of your possession. The responsibility to check is yours - even if an isofix seat

glad child is ok.

Neededanewuserhandle · 28/03/2023 17:44

No.