Would you formally complain about this?

[bluelid]

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?

No I wouldn’t check the car seat every time. I would check after a service and MOT. Imagine if the mechanics had to figure out how to put back every make model of kids car seat. They’d be faffing around with them for ages. Like others have said, sometimes they don’t check the seatbelts if holding in a child’s seat.

I perhaps wouldn't complain but would certainly pop in and mention it to the Service Manager. Like you I wouldn't have thought to check. Not sure what service would be checking seat belts tbh.

WTF, this is a rude reply. I also check every time, also check my teens are strapped in albeit using words.

Kid could have done it, anything could have loosened it.

No, you are responsible to check the seatbelt every time regardless of you leaving it as is on leaving the car. You never know what could happen and it’s what is keeping your child safe.

@bluelid You should flag it to the garage: you might save a life! I’m glad your child was ok xx

Oh, come on now! Unbuckling a car seat and leaving it place (so it looks secure), is absolutely reckless. I'd be livid. The child could have been killed. I would 100% be raising a serious complaint.

@saraclara the garage is not legally liable if the driver doesn’t check the car seat. OP is. Therefore they don’t bear any responsibility here as the onus is not on them, which is why they won’t necessarily check. They’re so far removed from the incident now especially that car isn’t in their possession. What’s to stop them saying they secured the car seat and OP must have the removed it and replaced it incorrectly? There is no way to prove 3rd party fault here

No.

Absolutely. You move or disconnect a safety item? Then you make it very clear that you've done so.

Our garage cleans inside and out as part of a service - did they perhaps remove it so they could clean the back seats?

If it’s a big enough sticker they will see it!

I wouldn’t have thought to check but I will now!

I'm with this. Bizarre to remove it. Even more bizarre not to replace properly. What else did they remove and not replace properly... a wheel?

I always check the little windows to confirm it’s clicked in properly are green, so yes I’d say I look every time.

I did, when my DC were car-seat ages.

100% this! They should have made it clear.

No. How rude! Are you mentally unwell? 🙄

Lol at people getting upset at my comment.

How rude yourself.
Since when has being rude been linked with being mentally unwell? With the added roll eye?

I wouldn't complain but I likely wouldn't go back there or at least I'd know in future to check afterwards.

Any garage my car has been in say they do not touch the car seats, so I agree with you that they shouldn't have touched the seatbelt. Even when ur car is getting an mot they don't touch them or ask you to remove the seat to check or anything.

I don't check each time and agree I would expect them to make it very clear they have done something with the child seats.

Reminds me of a service I had and it was clear they had something to the base (you know you click the newborn seat onto it) as the alarm sounded as it hadn't been correctly put back in

Sounds like they've been using your car and had need to remove the seat to fit people in