Car Crashed !!!! By Renault Dealer!!!

[rockport]

Yes you read right... today has been a joyful day in that my car has been smashed into while stationary!!! inside Renault Toomeys car park. For those that have been following my clutch cable snapped for the 2nd time a few days ago to which i decided to go the whole hog and have the clutch pedal replaced to. Theres only so many cables you can buy and fit until you your patience wears out like mine.

Anyway warning signs were evident from the start, first impressions was not very good of Renault (Basildon) as i got bent over with no hire car and found the staff blunt and rude when i dropped the car off. I composed a letter to the head of Renault UK advising of my experience, also suggesting this fault should have been a recall as i know full well im not the only one with the clutch problem. anyway that was that..

Today i get a call to say the car is ready for pick up, so off i trot, to be welcomed by... shall we say a slightly nervous face @ Renault.

Mgr = clutch cable is all fitted sir
Me = good stuff
Mgr = and do is the pedal
Me = er.. well done
Mgr = but one slight issue sir
Me = oh?
Mgr = one of our drivers crashed into the side of your car
Me = (better not repeat myself on here)

Anyway the basics of it all is that they have offered to repair and respray the damage. Hes calling me in the morning to confirm the details. If you was me what would you do? Go with the flow or kick up a fuss?


James.

 

[paddymph]

I dont think it would matter if you kick up a fuss, surely if they fix everything TO AN EXCELLENT STANDARD then youre okay?! Id blag a free service voucher though. Accidents happen dont they, its life. Not the best thing to have happen to your motor though.

No doubt everyone will start kickin off on here goin on about how bad Reno are?!

 

[Essex_Lad]

kick up a fuss!!!

get a courtesy car, free clutch job for inconvience of not having ur car (jus say u wanted to go to ur parents or something) and get em to fix all the damage!

 

[Mike Wright]

Its all very well saying accidents happen but COMPENSATION is certainly called for. I would certainly expect compensation in the form of money or having other jobs done at the same time as the repray etc.

I wouldnt scream and shout but would negotiate a deal.

 

[Craggy]

accidents do happen as paddy says, as long as the repairs are done to an excellent standard id be ok bout it, iv dinked a couple of peoples cars and came close a few times cos i drive a little silly at times but sh*t happens. just try to blag the freebies and moan about ur inconvenience

 

[Viv172]

At the very least you should get a courtesy car, full valet, free service and a lot of sucking up to (by them) and tell the manager that the staff have been rude to you, helps if youve got a really big mate to stand behind you!

 

[tom-in-notts]

I have had the unfortunate experiance of Toomeys Basildon. There staff are sh*t, know f*ck all and have the customer service standards of my arm pit.

To be honest mate - accidents do happen and if they try and skimp on ANYTHING or do the slightest of shoddy jobs then I would go spare. Other than that I would wait and see what it comes out like.

I pesonally would revise your letter to Renault UK telling them about this and surely they will come up with some good will stuff???

Good luck mate

Tom

 

[paddymph]

oh yeah! Good luck mate!

 

[edde]

i wouldnt kick up to much of a fuss take a mate with u though who will pick up on the stuff they say and u miss. ur best bet it to ring them up and ask for a meeting with the manager of the dealership and explain whats one on and leave them to think about what they should charge u for the clutch and the inconveniance. Dont accept anyhting until ur happy that u got something of them. Dont forget that they keep taking ur money for the clutch cable and not telling u about any fix.

use the excuse that cos ur car is in then they should give u one as how else are u going to get round to work. u have a courtesy car of theres then it should hopefully make them put some effort into getting ur car back pronto.

ps check the courtesys cars rev limiter works

 

[maff]

Depends how bad the damage is and how well they correct it, obviously if there is a couple signs of crash damage remaining on your car then you could lose out when you come to sell it. They should now definately give you a cover car while damage is repaired if not go to your solicitor i think you can get them for about £10 a day for loss of use of your car.

 

[rockport]

thanks for all the response guys,

The thing is, ive lost 2 days pay as a result of this. Not issuing me a hire car from the moment i dropped the car off has resulted in having to take 2 days off work. By the time i would have found a hire company and paid 2 days rental.. the long & short of it would have worked out better if id stayed at home after petrol and dart tag fees etc , its just the inconvenience of it all. Now to find i have a fat dent in the side of my car it feels like nothing else can go wrong.

As a lot of you have said, these things do happen. In a way i feel lucky as they could have blagged it and said it was already like that etc. Ive already written a letter to Renault UK, posted on the 6th of May about the first experience . How long does it normally take for them to get back to you? Would i be better ringing? Dont want to push my luck, but if they paid for my cambelt service id be more then happy

 

[paddymph]

ok then, considering the sh*teu had from them in the past use that as your target! Keep you cool, someone said to request a chat with a manager, id second that idea as hes more likely to make things happen for you.

 

[Viv172]

Write down all the points u want to make. Lost money from work, no hire car, rude staff, repeated clutch problem etc. so you dont miss a point. Then sit back in silence to let them think...dont blow it at this point by waffleing or saying what you want...

Also, the most inportant part, decide what YOU want them to do and tell them only if they dont offer it (you may get more if you let them make the first move) hope this helps, let us know what happens.

And update Ren UK first in the same way.

 

[rockport]

Do you not think it would be better dealt with by head office over at Renault UK rather then the monkey @ the dealership? it was the manager that was rude in the first place, calling a meeting with him maybe like rubbing salt in the wound?

 

[Rajk]

WTF sorry to hear that this has happened to you, dependant on the damage I would kick up a fuss as they will POO POO you with crap, get a car off them or take a minicab to work and get receipts for everything car related if they play hard ball go to a no win no fee solictor, they will bite your arm off to have a case like this! Threaten them with legal action and reno will give you what you want, one thing i heard is that if you have a knock in your car, it is best to replace suspension on the damaged side other wise the car will pull to one side!

 

[Viv172]

See what he offers, then if your not happy go to Renault UK. Find out who the company director is and write to him personally (recorded delivery, marked confidential) you will be amazed at what will happen if you go to the top! They tend to compensate big just to get rid of the hassle; your manager bloke will get big sh*t too.

 

[Dyewitness]

Local Renault dealer (Arnold Clark) crashed my dads last megane before he even picked it up, they repaired the drivers door and wing and didnt even tell him about it until my dads mate (a body shop manager) noticed the paint didnt exactly match then further investigation found that non renault parts had been used and that the car had clearly been crashed.

So my dad walked into dealer got the bloke that sold the car asked him what the score was, dealer denied anything had happened, he then basically advised the dealer manager that he was going to kick the f**k out of him then they admitted all and that when the car had been crashed into the side wall of the service section will being delivered.

Dont touch a no win no fee solicitor, i deal with these muppets everyday, most of these firms for compensation work dont even use solicitors but rather claim handlers, if you need legal advise check and see if you have legal expenses cover through your car or household insurance.

I would actually try and see if you could settle for your repair bill for the clutch being picked up, valet and a free service.

 

[SoLow]

Hire car minimum, repairs fully done to your standard, not theirs, (remember if the car was at all marked b4 accident take this into account-I know someone that wanted a concours finish on a car that was rusting to bits in a similar situation)

Clutch obviously free (pedal that is)

Cambelt sounds good.



Dont go back, EVER.

oh, and if they dont fulfill requirements the newspaper love stories like this, and the garage hates them (really really hates them)

Remember if you piss them off they may bodge the repair job

 

[bouncy tigger]

Really sorry to hear this, but getting angry will solve nothing, I personnaly would request a meeting with the dealer principal to talk over your complaint. Accidents can and do happen, give them a chance to explain what they are going to do to rectify the situation before making demands you may be surprised at the proposal a meeting will also give you chance to calmly explain your side of your complaint.
Hope it all gets sorted soon.

 

[GR7]

Tell them that you must have a V6 COURTESY CAR while yours is being fixed and that they can take their time doing the work!!

Personally I think that they will ensure that your car is done perfectly, as they will know of your extreme annoyance at their lack of care whilst your car was on their premises. Just make sure that they do the whole side so that it all looks the same.

 

[Barryd]

I wouldnt let them touch the car personally.

Tell them you are going to take it to a body specialists and get all the work done and then claim off of thier insurance.

You have to remember that the Renault garage will not be getting any money from repairing the damage so will I doubt they will spend that much time on it.

Report it all to the police and get a crime number for it. Then get down to a specialists and get it sorted. Then take the bill to them.

I would definatly not let them anywhere near it.

 

[geordiepaul]

I have to aggree, tell them you want to take it somewhere else! A body specialist and get them to pay for it. I just simply wouldnt trust renault to make a good job, think of all the other things they could damage in the meantime! I had my car to a dealer last week to check the exhaust and it came back fooked!!

 

[Carlouk]

What did they do to your car Paul? Oh and can you name and shame so I avoid them!

 

[*W17_KEL*]

I will lend you my mum to kick up a fuss as they are scared of her and you will get royal treatment every time you go in there like I do.

 

[Lee]

I had a friend have the same thing happen when his Impreza went in for a service at Oaken Subaru. His un marked pride and joy was reversed into!! As you can imagine he went absolutely ballistic. They didnt even seem to care, just said "sorry sir these things happen". In the end he got in touch with Subaru UK and complained. There wasnt anything they could do other than ensure that the car would be repaired. Oaken (remember the name) offered him a free service when the next one was due. Of course his response was that he would never take his car to them again as long as he lived!!!

I also saw the electrician at a local Vauxhall garage reversing a Cavalier by hanging out the door, while it was still moving he jumped out but failed to knock it out of gear. The car, door still open, ran into an Astra which was in for a service. The owner was sat sat opposite me with his back to the workshop so didnt whiteness it!!

From now on I take a day off work and wait with my cars. I have no trust in garages at all.

 

[RobFenn]

Accidents do happen, let them sort it out and make sure they know about the inconvience, and that you expect a generous goodwill gesture.

-Rob

 

[rockport]

calling renault uk today, will keep you all updated.

 

[RobFenn]

They wont care, its a dealer issue.

-Rob

 

[Ben H]

Accidents do happen, but its stories like yours that make me happy to stick with my trusted Renault specialist (ex-Renault mechanic).

I only ever deal with the boss - he cares because he knows I have a car that is unreliable and he will get lots of repeat business! Hes always seen it before and usually has a couple of 16v/Willys in at the same time as mine, which is reassuring as the average Renault dealer mechanic wont have seen one for years and years. He doesnt get overexcited and go for long test drives (like the last Renault cowboy did) as theyre nothing special to him. Theres no crowded car park full of demo cars that no-one cares about - he operates from a shed of a garage with ancient tools and no courtesy cars.

He sums it up quite nicely: "Look, we might not look like much, but we know our sh*t and you can trust us".

 

[aaronc]

I have nearly an identicle mechanic ben. Hes an ex-renault specialist. Small workshop, doesnt advertise, no curtosy car, and hes a perfectionist. nOt expensive but not cheap. Main thing is i can trust him. Hes worked on my Renault for 4 yrs and my cars before that.

Thats the way to go if you can find someone like that.