Car repair advice

[Brian Fantana]

Good evening Sages of NSC,

Some advice would be appreciated.

A couple of weeks ago, my car skidded on the ice at my work car park and damaged the door of the car in the next door space. Being a good citizen, I left my details on the windscreen etc. Once the owner of the car had been in contact, obviously I told them that I would pay to make things right. I arranged for a company to come out to the site and provide a quote for the repair work. Once the quote was received, I discussed with the owner of the other car and booked the appointment, which was for Saturday just gone.

To cut a long story short, the company made a total hash of the repair - not completing the work specified on the written quote, causing some additional damage which wasn't there previously and leaving the interior covered in dust and other debris. I've been in touch with the company and quite rightly they've offered to take the car back and put everything right. However, the owner of the car is not prepared for the same company to work on his car again, given what has happened, and would prefer to find another body shop to do the work.

I was always under the impression that in a situation like this that you needed to make a complaint and then give the company a chance to rectify their mistakes. What I do not want to be left with is a bill for the original company and then a further cost for someone else to do the original work properly, plus fix the additItional damage done.

Best way to proceed?

Cheers,

BF

 

[sir albion]

He's being a nob that's all...The company will rectify their cock up and the person needs to go down this route or pay for it himself if he wants to go elsewhere.

Your way or no way simples

 

[Brian Fantana]

He's being a nob that's all...The company will rectify their cock up and the person needs to go down this route or pay for it himself if he wants to go elsewhere.

Your way or no way simples

Thanks. That was my first thought too.

 

[sir albion]

Thanks. That was my first thought too.

He's a bit of an ungrateful git and I bet you wish you never left a note now
Good luck

 

[Brian Fantana]

He's a bit of an ungrateful git and I bet you wish you never left a note now
Good luck

You're dead right. It's made me a lot more reluctant to leave a note if the same thing happened in the future.

 

[Triggaaar]

I'd try not to annoy the owner, as the last thing you want is to be sued, even if you've been reasonable. Just be polite and say you've tried to help, but can't pay twice etc.

 

[Brian Fantana]

Would it be worth a chat with someone like Citizen's Advice?

 

[Creaky]

Looking at it from the point of view of the owner of the damaged car I can't say I'd be keen to have the same firm have another go at my car - they sound like a right bunch of cowboys.

I can understand why you don't want to end up paying twice for a repair but if the other driver simply passes it to their insurance company I don't know what you can do - after all you have admitted liability.

 

[studio150]

Would it be worth a chat with someone like Citizen's Advice?

Why didn't you use your Insurer at the outset, problems like this are then their issue to resolve not yours.

 

[Brian Fantana]

Why didn't you use your Insurer at the outset, problems like this are then their issue to resolve not yours.

He specifically didn't want to go through insurers, and neither did I, given that my excess is higher than the cost of the repair job.

 

[hitony]

The Garage has every right to put right what they did wrong, it seems they are prepared to do this, so the car owner should let them, i understand his frustrations, but they have every right to correct any issues they are responsible for.

 

[Brian Fantana]

The Garage has every right to put right what they did wrong, it seems they are prepared to do this, so the car owner should let them, i understand his frustrations, but they have every right to correct any issues they are responsible for.

Thanks, I totally agree with this.

 

[beorhthelm]

this can and does happen when you go down the insurance route, so i dont really see why he thinks he can force the issue to go to another shop. if it comes back bodged a second time, then you go on the shop's insurance to have it fixed elsewhere.

 

[BensGrandad]

Would the fact that he has refused your offer to get it put right negate any subsequent action he may take and the onus revert back to him

 

[Swillis]

You offered to have the work carried out, which they then botched. The owner of the car is under no obligation to let the car go back to them to put right what they did wrong.
The owner of the car has all the power here as he can just go to his insurers whom will fix it and then bill your insurers. I certainly wouldn't let my car go somewhere whom have screwed it up already. In fact I cannot see why he never went through his insurance in the first place, he was not liable at all.
Have you checked he was insured/mot/taxed etc.

 

[Swillis]

Would the fact that he has refused your offer to get it put right negate any subsequent action he may take and the onus revert back to him

No.

 

[L'hampton Eagle]

He specifically didn't want to go through insurers, and neither did I, given that my excess is higher than the cost of the repair job.

I know I shouldn't post on non Palace related threads but could it be possible he wasn't insured? Wtf wouldn't he want to have your insurers pay for damage caused by you? because your insurers would find out he wasn't covered?
Worth looking into, happened to me years ago in Aberdeen where I had a bang the guy got out giving all the bigun and rang old bill saying it was my fault, It was but I saw he hadn't any road tax Old bill done him in the end as he's insurance wasn't valid due to non tax of vehicle my car was fully repaired at his cost.
Your case
Fook him he doesn't deserve honest people like you top marks for leaving that note

 

[hitony]

I know I shouldn't post on non Palace related threads but could it be possible he wasn't insured? Wtf wouldn't he want to have your insurers pay for damage caused by you? because your insurers would find out he wasn't covered?
Worth looking into, happened to me years ago in Aberdeen where I had a bang the guy got out giving all the bigun and rang old bill saying it was my fault, It was but I saw he hadn't any road tax Old bill done him in the end as he's insurance wasn't valid due to non tax of vehicle my car was fully repaired at his cost.
Your case
**** him he doesn't deserve honest people like you top marks for leaving that note

It also happened to me, a young kid hit my car when it was parked, fair play he came and knocked my door and told me, the repair works were quoted at £400 (this was 20 years ago) I thanked him for being honest at the same time said he told me he had no insurance, i told him he was silly driving without insurance, anyway I told him that as long as he went and got insurance, for his sake and everyone else's, I would pay for the repairs and he could pay me back on a weekly basis, which he did, everyone ended up happy!

No worries about posting, its hardly football related

 

[studio150]

I know I shouldn't post on non Palace related threads but could it be possible he wasn't insured? Wtf wouldn't he want to have your insurers pay for damage caused by you? because your insurers would find out he wasn't covered?
Worth looking into, happened to me years ago in Aberdeen where I had a bang the guy got out giving all the bigun and rang old bill saying it was my fault, It was but I saw he hadn't any road tax Old bill done him in the end as he's insurance wasn't valid due to non tax of vehicle my car was fully repaired at his cost.
Your case
Fook him he doesn't deserve honest people like you top marks for leaving that note

Why was his insurance invalid due to no vehicle tax?

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I know I shouldn't post on non Palace related threads but could it be possible he wasn't insured? Wtf wouldn't he want to have your insurers pay for damage caused by you? because your insurers would find out he wasn't covered?

Hmmm, this was my suspicion too.