VIICarCare
ClioSport Club Member
255, 230, 172, R26
Dear Sir
Re Renault Clio 197 LR08VZV
Ref No. 1-143151101
I am writing this letter following my recent telephone call to Renault UK who I rang on 15th August and spoke to Susan Burns, about my problems I am having with my car.
It’s bad enough that the front seat covers’ fabric has started to bobble and wear after only three weeks of ownership, which I know is not the wear and tear of getting in and out of the car and there is also an intermittent problem with the clutch. I was very patient waiting to take delivery of my new vehicle. I was originally told by the garage that I would be waiting a month and a half, but it turned out to be three months!
I have owned the car since 15th June and three weeks later the clutch failed. As I change gear the revs spike past 4500 revs and there is no power. The supplying dealer, DGL Garages of High Wycombe, could not find a fault, so I had the car back.
Then on 12th August I noticed it didn’t feel right. It did exactly the same thing, as I drove it the worse it got and I eventually found a safe place (as a lone female driver) where I could stop. I called out the AA as I was not happy to drive it any further in that condition. Now the dealer has it back, and is in the process of replacing the clutch and fly-wheel.
After the first incident with the clutch I spoke to Clare Docherty at Renault Uk, who has now apparently left. I explained it all and when she asked how Renault can compensate for this problem as it was quite unacceptable on a new car, I asked if I could have the Renault Sport front splitter and side skirts and she said “I can’t see that being a problem” and would look into it. She then asked me to ring her back and let her know if the matter had been resolved. I had the car back as they found no fault, I let Clare know and we left it at that.
I contacted Renault UK on 15th August and spoke to Susan Burns and explained the problem yet again. She said all Renault could offer me is cheque of £75. When I told Susan about my conversation I had with Clare about the side skirts and splitter, she said Clare hadn’t put anything about it on the system. I have now been without my car for over a week.
I find the offer of a £75 cheque quite insulting. This kind of unreliability is unacceptable on a new car: you would not expect the seat covers to wear after just three weeks, let alone the clutch! I am a Renault Sport enthusiast and I am a loyal customer being on my third Clio. I am now questioning the build quality of Renault cars, and my enthusiasm for the car has been severely diminished. I am extremely unhappy and feel let down.
In my opinion, the least you could do for me is give the front splitter and side skirts as compensation for making what should have been a joyful experience, a nightmare and cause me to question whether my decision to purchase the 197 was a correct one. Was it really worth the long and overdue wait?
Yours faithfully
Dawn Couch
Dear Miss Couch
Thank you for your email.
Further to our conversation 15 August following your visit into DGL garages regarding the clutch fault on your Clio Sport 197, I wish to offer a response to the points raised directly from your email.
You have mentioned the fact you feel inconvenienced initially by the 2-4 week delay on the delivery on your vehicle and then having to bring your vehicle into the dealer on several separate visits in the space of a few weeks with the fault on the clutch only occurring on the 2nd attempt. I can only apologise that this has happened but I have every faith that once a fault does occur, our specialised dealer network will be able to repair it as quickly and effectively as possible.
While I can understand your feelings with regard to the vehicle’s reliability, please rest assured that at Renault UK, we pride ourselves on the excellence of our products and the expertise found within our dealer network so I would like to assure you we have every faith in putting your vehicle right within the warranty period to ensure trouble free motoring at a later date.
I have reviewed your previous case with Claire Dockery and that you had asked Renault UK for a goodwill gesture to the value of side skirts and front splits to be added to your vehicle for your convenience. As Claire has left the company and we have no record of this being investigated or authorised, we cannot provide these items free of charge. I am sorry you feel misled but as we did discuss before, I can offer you £75 that you can put towards these items should you so wish.
The reasons behind us not offering you a greater contribution is that you vehicle is only 2 months old and as such, will be covered under the Renault warranty for another 2 years 10 months. I apologise on behalf on Renault for the delay on said clutch repair on your vehicle, we would not like this to be the experience our customers should have to endure. This is why we feel that £75 would be more then generous in this instance and we will keep this offer open until the end of this month, should you wish to accept.
Whilst I can appreciate this was not the response you were seeking but we do endeavour to help customers as much as is possible and customer satisfaction is paramount at all times. This said, it will not always be possible to satisfy every customer’s expectation as is what’s happened here. Please do not hesitate in contacting me back on customer.services@renault.co.uk or call us on free phone 0800 072 33 72 during the hours of 0830 – 1800, Monday to Friday.
Yours sincerely
Susan Burns
Consultant
Am i being unreasonable?
Re Renault Clio 197 LR08VZV
Ref No. 1-143151101
I am writing this letter following my recent telephone call to Renault UK who I rang on 15th August and spoke to Susan Burns, about my problems I am having with my car.
It’s bad enough that the front seat covers’ fabric has started to bobble and wear after only three weeks of ownership, which I know is not the wear and tear of getting in and out of the car and there is also an intermittent problem with the clutch. I was very patient waiting to take delivery of my new vehicle. I was originally told by the garage that I would be waiting a month and a half, but it turned out to be three months!
I have owned the car since 15th June and three weeks later the clutch failed. As I change gear the revs spike past 4500 revs and there is no power. The supplying dealer, DGL Garages of High Wycombe, could not find a fault, so I had the car back.
Then on 12th August I noticed it didn’t feel right. It did exactly the same thing, as I drove it the worse it got and I eventually found a safe place (as a lone female driver) where I could stop. I called out the AA as I was not happy to drive it any further in that condition. Now the dealer has it back, and is in the process of replacing the clutch and fly-wheel.
After the first incident with the clutch I spoke to Clare Docherty at Renault Uk, who has now apparently left. I explained it all and when she asked how Renault can compensate for this problem as it was quite unacceptable on a new car, I asked if I could have the Renault Sport front splitter and side skirts and she said “I can’t see that being a problem” and would look into it. She then asked me to ring her back and let her know if the matter had been resolved. I had the car back as they found no fault, I let Clare know and we left it at that.
I contacted Renault UK on 15th August and spoke to Susan Burns and explained the problem yet again. She said all Renault could offer me is cheque of £75. When I told Susan about my conversation I had with Clare about the side skirts and splitter, she said Clare hadn’t put anything about it on the system. I have now been without my car for over a week.
I find the offer of a £75 cheque quite insulting. This kind of unreliability is unacceptable on a new car: you would not expect the seat covers to wear after just three weeks, let alone the clutch! I am a Renault Sport enthusiast and I am a loyal customer being on my third Clio. I am now questioning the build quality of Renault cars, and my enthusiasm for the car has been severely diminished. I am extremely unhappy and feel let down.
In my opinion, the least you could do for me is give the front splitter and side skirts as compensation for making what should have been a joyful experience, a nightmare and cause me to question whether my decision to purchase the 197 was a correct one. Was it really worth the long and overdue wait?
Yours faithfully
Dawn Couch
Dear Miss Couch
Thank you for your email.
Further to our conversation 15 August following your visit into DGL garages regarding the clutch fault on your Clio Sport 197, I wish to offer a response to the points raised directly from your email.
You have mentioned the fact you feel inconvenienced initially by the 2-4 week delay on the delivery on your vehicle and then having to bring your vehicle into the dealer on several separate visits in the space of a few weeks with the fault on the clutch only occurring on the 2nd attempt. I can only apologise that this has happened but I have every faith that once a fault does occur, our specialised dealer network will be able to repair it as quickly and effectively as possible.
While I can understand your feelings with regard to the vehicle’s reliability, please rest assured that at Renault UK, we pride ourselves on the excellence of our products and the expertise found within our dealer network so I would like to assure you we have every faith in putting your vehicle right within the warranty period to ensure trouble free motoring at a later date.
I have reviewed your previous case with Claire Dockery and that you had asked Renault UK for a goodwill gesture to the value of side skirts and front splits to be added to your vehicle for your convenience. As Claire has left the company and we have no record of this being investigated or authorised, we cannot provide these items free of charge. I am sorry you feel misled but as we did discuss before, I can offer you £75 that you can put towards these items should you so wish.
The reasons behind us not offering you a greater contribution is that you vehicle is only 2 months old and as such, will be covered under the Renault warranty for another 2 years 10 months. I apologise on behalf on Renault for the delay on said clutch repair on your vehicle, we would not like this to be the experience our customers should have to endure. This is why we feel that £75 would be more then generous in this instance and we will keep this offer open until the end of this month, should you wish to accept.
Whilst I can appreciate this was not the response you were seeking but we do endeavour to help customers as much as is possible and customer satisfaction is paramount at all times. This said, it will not always be possible to satisfy every customer’s expectation as is what’s happened here. Please do not hesitate in contacting me back on customer.services@renault.co.uk or call us on free phone 0800 072 33 72 during the hours of 0830 – 1800, Monday to Friday.
Yours sincerely
Susan Burns
Consultant
Am i being unreasonable?
