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Good morning,
I'm hoping to get some advice regarding the warranty on my gearbox.
Last October the gearbox/clutch failed on my car. After searching online I found a company that had workshops all over the UK, 1200 positive reviews, competitive prices etc. One of the workshops was apparently local to me so I spoke to them and agreed to use them to get my car checked prior to repairs. The website clearly stated free collection and delivery, as well as a 12,000 mile/12 month warranty.
As the collection date loomed I enquired as to where my car will be going, and they confirmed it would actually be somewhere in Central London, about 2 hours away. As it was free C&D it didn't seem to make much difference - they pick it up, take it away, repair it, I pay, they drop it home. I just needed it done!
Anyway, a few days later it had been checked over, diagnosed, and of course it was the worst case scenario and would cost nearly £5k for a gearbox rebuild, new clutch etc. Having paid £11k for the car less than a year before this, I had no choice but to bite the bullet.
Anyway, fast forward to September and the gearbox developed a knocking noise. 11 months and 4,000 miles in, so it's very much within warranty. I reported this to the repair company who emailed me (I'd been expecting a phone call) and advised getting it diagnosed locally as it "wasn't necessarily a gearbox issue". I've got a local guy I trust but it took two weeks to get it booked in. £100 later and the diagnostics show that the clutch solenoid has failed and the mechanic quoted "if it's under warranty, take it back to whoever did it and get it done properly this time".
I immediately told the repair company and it's taken over two weeks for a manager to have a look at it. I've finally had a response, and while they can collect it they are charging me £192 for collection and another £192 for delivery! So despite it being under warranty, they still want to charge nearly £400!
I've checked over the whole website, all the correspondence, and the only warranty information given prior to the repair and payment was the 12 months/12,000 miles cover. Once I had paid, the receipt noted that warranty works are subject to a "return to centre basis" but no mention of additional charges. Even if it had mentioned charges, this was only disclosed after the repair and payment had been made.
In my view, I paid for the whole package and therefore any warranty issues should be free, including C&D. The website states in numerous places they offer free C&D, there's no mention that they charge if their workmanship fails.
If I had known prior to the original collection that it would cost £400 due to their choosing of a repair centre 2 hours away, I of course would not have used them. When you pay nearly £5k for a service (that an industry professional has described as "rubbish"), you a. don't expect it to fail within 12 months and only 4,000 miles, and b. you don't expect to have to pay another £400 because the work was rubbish.
Do I have a case here under the consumer rights act or anything else?
Many thanks for reading!
I'm hoping to get some advice regarding the warranty on my gearbox.
Last October the gearbox/clutch failed on my car. After searching online I found a company that had workshops all over the UK, 1200 positive reviews, competitive prices etc. One of the workshops was apparently local to me so I spoke to them and agreed to use them to get my car checked prior to repairs. The website clearly stated free collection and delivery, as well as a 12,000 mile/12 month warranty.
As the collection date loomed I enquired as to where my car will be going, and they confirmed it would actually be somewhere in Central London, about 2 hours away. As it was free C&D it didn't seem to make much difference - they pick it up, take it away, repair it, I pay, they drop it home. I just needed it done!
Anyway, a few days later it had been checked over, diagnosed, and of course it was the worst case scenario and would cost nearly £5k for a gearbox rebuild, new clutch etc. Having paid £11k for the car less than a year before this, I had no choice but to bite the bullet.
Anyway, fast forward to September and the gearbox developed a knocking noise. 11 months and 4,000 miles in, so it's very much within warranty. I reported this to the repair company who emailed me (I'd been expecting a phone call) and advised getting it diagnosed locally as it "wasn't necessarily a gearbox issue". I've got a local guy I trust but it took two weeks to get it booked in. £100 later and the diagnostics show that the clutch solenoid has failed and the mechanic quoted "if it's under warranty, take it back to whoever did it and get it done properly this time".
I immediately told the repair company and it's taken over two weeks for a manager to have a look at it. I've finally had a response, and while they can collect it they are charging me £192 for collection and another £192 for delivery! So despite it being under warranty, they still want to charge nearly £400!
I've checked over the whole website, all the correspondence, and the only warranty information given prior to the repair and payment was the 12 months/12,000 miles cover. Once I had paid, the receipt noted that warranty works are subject to a "return to centre basis" but no mention of additional charges. Even if it had mentioned charges, this was only disclosed after the repair and payment had been made.
In my view, I paid for the whole package and therefore any warranty issues should be free, including C&D. The website states in numerous places they offer free C&D, there's no mention that they charge if their workmanship fails.
If I had known prior to the original collection that it would cost £400 due to their choosing of a repair centre 2 hours away, I of course would not have used them. When you pay nearly £5k for a service (that an industry professional has described as "rubbish"), you a. don't expect it to fail within 12 months and only 4,000 miles, and b. you don't expect to have to pay another £400 because the work was rubbish.
Do I have a case here under the consumer rights act or anything else?
Many thanks for reading!
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