Called dishonest at car dealership! What redress?

[needsnewartsyinsta]

I damaged my car a few weeks ago hitting the front bumper and needed the front camera push back into place which required the bumper to be removed.

I got a quote for my local garage and also a quote from the dealership, as the dealership quoted £165 to do the repair as opposed to £150 at the independent garage - they said it's a quick job but they do charge a minimum of 1 hours labour for any job, I decided to go with the dealership as it would be £15 more and my car is less than 3 years old and still under warranty

After dropping the car off I got a phone call today saying that they would need to charge me an extra hour's labour to remove the bumper I authorised the work to go ahead, however when I got there I did ask for records of how long had been spent on my car to justify the additional hours labour. The sales assistant was extremely rude when I explained to her but I was querying the charge for additional hour given that I've been quoted £165 to fix the camera back in place, check the sat nav and check the boot light however when I dropped the car off I said I didn't need these two additional bits of work done doing anymore just the camera put back in place, which i didn't see was 2 hours labour. She said the £165 charge was the initial charge for diagnosis and a flat charge however long diagnosis takes, and that any repaid were extra. I said this had not been explained to me when i was quoted for the work and I was taken by surprise when they called me about the additional charge, i agreed it because I need my car back but I didn't feel the quote had been properly explained to me

After I had paid for 2 hours labour and was ready to go, the sales assistant said to me that I simply didn't want to pay the additional work and I was being dishonest about expecting the quote to be the cost that I would pay. I found this extremely insulting, and asked to see her manager. He spent 10 minutes getting briefed by her, but then said he didn't have time to discuss this with me and he would phone me tomorrow. I I said to him that's fine he could speak to me by phone but I I'm expecting a written apology from the sales assistant.

I bought this car from you at this dealership as I have done with all my previous cars, in the dealership there is a sign saying they will not tolerate abusive aggressive behaviour but I consider that I have been abused. I'm planning to e-mail the manager tonight to set out what's happened, I think calling a customer dishonest is inexcusable, I am in a profession which requires absolute honesty and will not tolerate being spoken to in this way.

Any tips for what I should say to the site manager tomorrow? This is simply unacceptable - unfortunately as my car is still under warranty I will need to go back there for servicing but I'd rather go anywhere else!

Honestly, I have never expected a written apology from anyone. It’s a waste of time. She isn’t going to change her opinion and you won’t change yours, so what is the point? Explain to the manager that the quote was poorly communicated and that you would have had the work done cheaper elsewhere and leave it at that.

If you're QUOTED for a job OP, then that's the price you should pay. If they didn't know how long it would take, they should have given you an estimate. Was the quote given in writing by any chance? If so, then tell him what I've said above. If not, and you agreed the extra hour's work, then you have to pay it, but accusing you of being dishonest is absolutely outrageous! You should NEVER accuse a customer of being dishonest, unless you don't want them to come back.

You say your car is still under warranty, did you buy it there from new OP, as I would have thought you could take it to any dealer who deals with your brand of vehicle, ie, if it's a Ford, you could take it to any Ford garage for servicing. Otherwise, if you moved out of the area, you might have to drive 500 miles to take it for a service.

@BakelikeBertha - its a ford dealership 2 miles from my home - otherwise it's a 10 mile drive to the next one, I don't see why I should feel i can't go back though when I am not the one throwing about personal insults.

they did phone me and get my authorisation for the extra hour, which is why I paid it , but they absolutely were not transparent that the initial quote was just for diagnosis and they would charge extra to remove the bumper. the local garage said it was a very quick job but they charge a minimum of £150 for any job.

You can go to ANY garage for a warranty job as long as they accept warranty jobs and charge vat

It’s a service advisor, not a sales assistant
if it’s under warranty it can go to any garage provided they use the correct parts and fluids and do the right service
generally yes, it’s a flat diagnostic cost (ours is £200) then any parts and labour cost on top
We don’t quote for repair jobs because of issues like this, we do the diagnostic and then ring to say how much it will be and check you want to go ahead
They might have thought it was an easier fix but then realised the bumper needed to come off
You’re not going to get a written apology, customers try to get work done and get out of paying all the time, down to blatantly lying (not saying you did) and us having to listen to phone calls to prove we said what we said
Who quoted you originally? Was it over the phone or on site?

It was quoted on site - the person who quoted just sat there and watched this interaction..
my objection is not to be charged more - it’s being called dishonest which I absolutely am not!
From the dealership I’ve bought the car from I’d expect to be treated civilly

Is it really going to make you feel better to have somebody who thinks you’re in the wrong be forced to write a letter pretending they don’t think that? They’ll still have the same opinion of you (indeed, they’ll now not only still think you’re in the wrong but also that you’re obnoxious) and you’ll know they still have the same opinion of you. Just accept there was a misunderstanding over something that may not have been explained as clearly as it could have been.

If they phoned and asked you about the extra hour, then surely you'd expect to pay more than initially stated? Otherwise, why would they bother to phone you?

But the garage don't know you so don't know if your a liar. People lie all the time. It's like when customers in shops think they are treat like thief's and get all offended. It's usually people with the strongest reactions who have something to hide. You are not going to get a written apology that's just ridiculous. And please don't miss use the word abused it's incredibly insulting to people like me who have actually been abused and it just minimises the word.

I think it is extremely poor customer relations and you should raise it at a higher level with whichever marque we are taking about. The service team should not be alienating their customer base in this way, full stop.

It wasn't a land rover garage by any chance, OP? A friend phoned* *them and said she needed a dent in the bumper pressing out (hit a pheasant or something iirc), she said the bumper would need to be taken off to do it. Garage said sure, bring it in, it'll be £160. Took the car in, had a call a suspiciously short time later and said it was ready to collect. She went back to the garage and went up to the desk and paid, went out to the car and the dent was still there. Went back in and asked what was going on, they said yes it's £160 for us to look at it. You'll need the bumper taking off and the dent pressing out. Which is precisely what she'd asked them to do in the first place! She got the money back after a stiff complaint to the manager...

It is normal for garages to charge for an initial diagnosis and then advise on further labour hours required for repairs. They can't necessarily see what needs repairing without starting work.

I was told it would be £165 to fix when I brought it in, I was phoned today and told it would be an extra £165 and could they go ahead and- I said yes but when I picked it up I queried what the quote of £165 had been for as I asked for a quote to remove the bumper and push the camera back in - so what was the extra hour of labour for? They wouldn’t let me see the initial paperwork I had signed that morning which had a quote of £165 on and were reluctant to give me the notes of the work. I know I have been overcharged but I do t have a leg to stand on there as I agreed on the phone to the additional work. I consider I’m within my rights to find out what work was actually done to my car though! My objtis to being called dishonest which I have not been - and am not!

Yanbu you were querying the amount as we would all do

how is it dishonest?

you don’t always realise what needs doing and why should you.

I would complain and consider driving the extra ten miles next time they clearly don't value your custom

I wouldn't expect an apology but would be terse with her in future and would write them an email to say you were unhappy both with how the price of repairs was communicated and the lack of good customer service. Car dealerships seem to attract the most horrific chiselling spivs.

Fine to phone you to ask if you want extras doing and what it would cost, but not to vary a quote for the original work or make it clear in the first place that it was a "diagnosis" fee and not the cost of repair.

Is there an overarching group the dealership belongs to because I’d be writing to them to complain about both the manager and this sales person, using both their names and probably going on the website to see if their names/pics are on their listed under ‘staff’ and screen snipping them so there’s no confusion.

Sounds like a lovely way to charge basically whatever they want

I don’t see what you will get out of this even the most snivelling of apologies won’t be sincere and repair the trust. Your only answer is to not use them again and when they send out the letters looking for repeat custom send it back with a stapled letter telling them they have to treat existing customers with respect if they want their future custom.

Personally though for an easy life I’d suck it up and move on. You are taking it far too personally. They don’t know you and you know you are honest.

Was it a quote you had op, or an estimate?

But either way you’re wasting your time I’d say, as you paid. You won’t get an apology. You might get a “gesture of goodwill” which you probably won’t want as you’ve got a bed in your bonnet.