Car dealership staff speeding in DD car

[Shopaholic100]

I took my daughter’s car in for a after service appointment at the main dealers, a few days later DD received a speed warning from her insurance company that they would terminate her insurance if she drove at excess speed again (she has a black box). It transpired that the car driven at nearly over 50% over the speed limit by staff whilst it was at the dealership. They have admitted to this as the booking shows what time they had the car. This car is her first newish car and she is really careful with it, usually always gets a cash reward and good driving scores both of these have been impacted. The insurance company has said they will remove the warning but cannot reinstate the score or cash reward as she is responsible for who drives her car. Which is fair but she doesn’t let anyone apart from occasionally us actually drive her car, surely they should have been professional.

The car went in working fine and developed a problem after the service, I think because they didn’t take care when doing the job. I’ve contacted the car manufacturer and although it’s been almost a month I’m still no closer to a resolution. They are expecting us to pay 25% of the cost. They think they haven’t done anything wrong.

Does anyone have any advice what I can do? It’s been a month and they’re just not bothered.

Send a written complaint, don't pay for the repair obviously and request financial compensation for the loss of insurance bonus.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/buying-or-repairing-a-car/problems-with-a-car-repair/

If you're getting nowhere contact the citizens advice consumer helpline
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/

I second what Another Emma said. I'd also get back into the insurance company about it - surely they want the car serviced etc - do it in writing as a complaint.

Re the dealership social media and Google may be better places to air your grievances in order to get a result

Why were they driving it on the road, what kind of service was it and what's the new fault? How old is the car?

I’d get this moved to legal if I were you OP

Really hope you get it sorted

Seek legal advice.

Thanks for the advice so far. How do I get it moved to legal?

Press where it says ‘report’ on any of your posts and put a message in asking HQ to move it

I’d definitely tell them they owe DD the cash bonus they’ve cost her.

The insurance company has said they will remove the warning but cannot reinstate the score or cash reward as she is responsible for who drives her car

What do they expect her to do? Service the car herself? Not bother servicing it at all? Vet the driving record of every one of the dealer's employees? In my view this is unreasonable. If she has exhausted the insurer's complaints procedure, she should refer this to the Financial Ombudsman Service. I can't guarantee they would find in her favour, but it is worth a try.

Is the dealer denying that they are responsible for the problem that developed after servicing? If so, you will need to get a report from an independent engineer. If that shows they are at fault you can send them a letter before action claiming the full cost of repairs. I would also include a claim for the cash bonus that has been lost through their actions. It may be reinstated via the ombudsman but, at this stage, you should proceed on the basis that it won't be. The letter should include the engineer's report and any other evidence you would use (e.g. the speed warning from the insurance company), give them a reasonable deadline for responding and say that you will take legal action without further notice if they fail to respond.

Many dealers now require that dashcams and tracking devices are disabled when cars are left with them "for privacy reasons".

(There was a case where some high-end car thieves were using dashcam footage from cars they sent for repair to be able to scope out bodyshops for targets)

@ProfessorSlocombe

Many dealers now require that dashcams and tracking devices are disabled when cars are left with them "for privacy reasons".

(There was a case where some high-end car thieves were using dashcam footage from cars they sent for repair to be able to scope out bodyshops for targets)

When my DC was looking for first insurance we found that , for obvious reasons, any kind of tampering with the black box would invalidate the insurance.

Seemed logical to me but maybe some insurers allow garages to do it in certain circumstances

I'd follow all the advice above.

When my DC was looking for first insurance we found that , for obvious reasons, any kind of tampering with the black box would invalidate the insurance.

I know. I was just stating what my lease dealers insist on when they take my car for a service. How that fits with insurer requirements is another matter.