Not at all happy - How does my complaint letter read??
Discussion
Hopefully the letter is self explanatory. Details edited to protect the guilty..... Any comments, corrections? I complained by phone. They asked for a "report" to be sent. I asked if this had to be by a professional garage, but they said that a letter from me would be fine. I can't drive the car to a grage anyway as it is...
I'd be very grateful if anyone in the trade could comment as to whether the scope and comment of the letter is appropriate?
My letter said:
Dear Sir,
I am writing a report into work carried out on my car by (your alignment centre) which I believe has rendered my vehicle dangerous. I have owned my 1997 BMW 328i for 10 months. In January 2011 I had new front lower arms fitted to this vehicle by (my trusted local garage). Because of this on 4th February 2011 I took my car to (your alignment centre) for alignment, primarily to get the front tracking adjusted. I chose your garage because you had high quality laser alignment equipment and were accredited by (a top brand name), which I took to mean that your staff would be competent and professional. I was served by (your tame mechanic) who used your laser alignment equipment to align the suspension of my car. He told me that he was unable to adjust the front toe as the tie rods were seized. However, he did state that he had adjusted the rear toe, and provided me with a print out showing that the camber and toe had been altered on the rear left wheel.
I did not notice any issues that day whilst driving a few miles home. However, the following day I used the vehicle to travel 200 miles with both my wife and I driving. I noticed at first a rattle from the left rear of the car, which worsened to a knock as the journey went on. I was not able to examine the car at this time. I used it for another short journey on the 11th Feb 2011 during which the knock was very evident over bumps and with direction changes and I had to drive the vehicle with extreme caution. Initially I thought that a Rear Trailing Arm Bush may have failed. However, on Saturday 12th Feb 2011 I lifted the left rear to examine my vehicle. I found that of the 3 bolts that locate the rear trailing arm carrier onto the body, one was missing, one was so lose that it took 3 full turns to bring it back into contact with the carrier, and only one bolt remained in place.
I am of the opinion that this dangerous defect was the result of work done by your employee for the following reasons:
1) No work has been carried out by myself or any other person on the affected part since I have owned the car.
2) The affected part is in otherwise good condition and has performed faultlessly for 10 months and 6,000 miles.
3) The fault developed within 20 miles of the alignment being adjusted by you.
4) The fault concerns the bolts that are loosened in order to adjust the rear toe, and this adjustment was conducted on my vehicle on the left rear wheel.
5) No adjustment (as far as I am aware) was carried out to the right rear trailing arm, and this has remained in serviceable condition.
6) Failure to correctly torque the three carrier bolts would produce exactly the results seen: the loosening and loss of the locating bolts over time.
7) Your employee provided no receipt for the work and took payment of £20 cash. At the time I considered that this was normal practice, having not used your services before. I now realise that this transaction may not have been legitimate. He did provide two print outs of my alignment, before and after.
This work has caused me severe inconvenience. I am a shift worker and use my car to travel to work. My vehicle is not safe to drive until this fault is rectified. I have contacted BMW for spare parts in order to replace the missing bolts and whilst they can obtain the parts, it will take them several days. Furthermore, myself and my wife were exposed to considerable danger. The rear left suspension could have failed at any time, and we were travelling at motorway speeds prior to identifying the problem. As it is the rear trailing arm affected, the carrier coming free from its mounting point would lead to the instant collapse of the rear suspension, which at best would have resulted in the vehicle being severely damaged and at worst could obviously have led to death or serious injury to myself and my wife, and our dog for that matter.
I include photographs of the two sides of my vehicle as I found it on 12th Feb 2011. These show the missing bolt on the left (passenger) side and the unaffected right (drivers) side for comparison.
Please also find attached copies of the “before and after” print outs as provided by (your tame mechanic).
Whilst I appreciate that I am not a trained mechanic, I have undertaken routine maintenance on my cars for some years. I have also completely rebuilt the suspension on one of my previous vehicles, and thereafter used it for some 10,000 miles and on track with no problems. I therefore feel that I am qualified to speak with some authority on this matter. I would like to repeat that I have not undertaken any work on the affected part of this vehicle. I know that in order to safely complete work on suspension parts careful attention must be given to applying the correct torques to nuts and bolts on final tightening in order to prevent them becoming loose over time. In the case of the bolts in question this torque is specified by BMW as 77Nm or 57lb-ft. In my opinion, it is this final torqueing that your employee failed to do correctly, resulting in the failure as detailed above.
I await your response in due course.
Yours Sincerely,
Weird Nev.
All constructive comments appreciated. What do people think about the reference to me working on my own cars? Does it add weight to what I'm saying or just make me sound like an over enthusiastic amateur?I am writing a report into work carried out on my car by (your alignment centre) which I believe has rendered my vehicle dangerous. I have owned my 1997 BMW 328i for 10 months. In January 2011 I had new front lower arms fitted to this vehicle by (my trusted local garage). Because of this on 4th February 2011 I took my car to (your alignment centre) for alignment, primarily to get the front tracking adjusted. I chose your garage because you had high quality laser alignment equipment and were accredited by (a top brand name), which I took to mean that your staff would be competent and professional. I was served by (your tame mechanic) who used your laser alignment equipment to align the suspension of my car. He told me that he was unable to adjust the front toe as the tie rods were seized. However, he did state that he had adjusted the rear toe, and provided me with a print out showing that the camber and toe had been altered on the rear left wheel.
I did not notice any issues that day whilst driving a few miles home. However, the following day I used the vehicle to travel 200 miles with both my wife and I driving. I noticed at first a rattle from the left rear of the car, which worsened to a knock as the journey went on. I was not able to examine the car at this time. I used it for another short journey on the 11th Feb 2011 during which the knock was very evident over bumps and with direction changes and I had to drive the vehicle with extreme caution. Initially I thought that a Rear Trailing Arm Bush may have failed. However, on Saturday 12th Feb 2011 I lifted the left rear to examine my vehicle. I found that of the 3 bolts that locate the rear trailing arm carrier onto the body, one was missing, one was so lose that it took 3 full turns to bring it back into contact with the carrier, and only one bolt remained in place.
I am of the opinion that this dangerous defect was the result of work done by your employee for the following reasons:
1) No work has been carried out by myself or any other person on the affected part since I have owned the car.
2) The affected part is in otherwise good condition and has performed faultlessly for 10 months and 6,000 miles.
3) The fault developed within 20 miles of the alignment being adjusted by you.
4) The fault concerns the bolts that are loosened in order to adjust the rear toe, and this adjustment was conducted on my vehicle on the left rear wheel.
5) No adjustment (as far as I am aware) was carried out to the right rear trailing arm, and this has remained in serviceable condition.
6) Failure to correctly torque the three carrier bolts would produce exactly the results seen: the loosening and loss of the locating bolts over time.
7) Your employee provided no receipt for the work and took payment of £20 cash. At the time I considered that this was normal practice, having not used your services before. I now realise that this transaction may not have been legitimate. He did provide two print outs of my alignment, before and after.
This work has caused me severe inconvenience. I am a shift worker and use my car to travel to work. My vehicle is not safe to drive until this fault is rectified. I have contacted BMW for spare parts in order to replace the missing bolts and whilst they can obtain the parts, it will take them several days. Furthermore, myself and my wife were exposed to considerable danger. The rear left suspension could have failed at any time, and we were travelling at motorway speeds prior to identifying the problem. As it is the rear trailing arm affected, the carrier coming free from its mounting point would lead to the instant collapse of the rear suspension, which at best would have resulted in the vehicle being severely damaged and at worst could obviously have led to death or serious injury to myself and my wife, and our dog for that matter.
I include photographs of the two sides of my vehicle as I found it on 12th Feb 2011. These show the missing bolt on the left (passenger) side and the unaffected right (drivers) side for comparison.
Please also find attached copies of the “before and after” print outs as provided by (your tame mechanic).
Whilst I appreciate that I am not a trained mechanic, I have undertaken routine maintenance on my cars for some years. I have also completely rebuilt the suspension on one of my previous vehicles, and thereafter used it for some 10,000 miles and on track with no problems. I therefore feel that I am qualified to speak with some authority on this matter. I would like to repeat that I have not undertaken any work on the affected part of this vehicle. I know that in order to safely complete work on suspension parts careful attention must be given to applying the correct torques to nuts and bolts on final tightening in order to prevent them becoming loose over time. In the case of the bolts in question this torque is specified by BMW as 77Nm or 57lb-ft. In my opinion, it is this final torqueing that your employee failed to do correctly, resulting in the failure as detailed above.
I await your response in due course.
Yours Sincerely,
Weird Nev.
I'd be very grateful if anyone in the trade could comment as to whether the scope and comment of the letter is appropriate?
Edited by WeirdNeville on Sunday 13th February 23:33
Pretty good letter I'd say, but brevity in these cases is usually the best approach. No opinion unless where absolutely necessary, no asides (the dog), and I would leave out the stuff about your spannering ability - it's obvious from the detail earlier in the letter that your not a schmuck. Best of luck with it Nev.
mrtwisty said:
Pretty good letter I'd say, but brevity in these cases is usually the best approach. No opinion unless where absolutely necessary, no asides (the dog), and I would leave out the stuff about your spannering ability - it's obvious from the detail earlier in the letter that your not a schmuck. Best of luck with it Nev.
+1 to this.mp3manager said:
Rotary Madness said:
Print it out and hand it to them in person.
Wearing a balaclava.
And holding a shotgun.
I promise you'll get a response then
Wearing a balaclava.
And holding a shotgun.
I promise you'll get a response then
Its a hard call, maybe get them to take it out of your pocket.
BlueMR2 said:
But if he's holding the shotgun with both hands how will he hand it over. If he holds it with one hand they will know he's not a pro and laugh.
Its a hard call, maybe get them to take it out of your pocket.
Carve the note onto the shotgun, means they have to stick their face upto it Its a hard call, maybe get them to take it out of your pocket.
Nice little report but missing some va va voom. I agree that you need to remove your ability to do work on a car - as it's evident.
However, why you are telling them this is a report? In the opening paragraph you need to clarify it's a complaint based on faulty workman on x date by y mechanic as z garage. (I assume this is going to head office?).
I'd then go into the body of the letter and go through your history. Finally, you need a conclusion - what do you want from them? Are they to fix the problem or do you want to return to your other mechanic but get these guys to foot the bill for the parts and reasonable labour? Or do you just want to show them how much you know about cars? Make it clear in the conclusion and give them 7 days to reply.
If you post it make sure it's registered/recorded delivery - so you have proof.
However, why you are telling them this is a report? In the opening paragraph you need to clarify it's a complaint based on faulty workman on x date by y mechanic as z garage. (I assume this is going to head office?).
I'd then go into the body of the letter and go through your history. Finally, you need a conclusion - what do you want from them? Are they to fix the problem or do you want to return to your other mechanic but get these guys to foot the bill for the parts and reasonable labour? Or do you just want to show them how much you know about cars? Make it clear in the conclusion and give them 7 days to reply.
If you post it make sure it's registered/recorded delivery - so you have proof.
Nice little report but missing some va va voom. I agree that you need to remove your ability to do work on a car - as it's evident.
However, why you are telling them this is a report? In the opening paragraph you need to clarify it's a complaint based on faulty workman on x date by y mechanic as z garage. (I assume this is going to head office?).
I'd then go into the body of the letter and go through your history. Finally, you need a conclusion - what do you want from them? Are they to fix the problem or do you want to return to your other mechanic but get these guys to foot the bill for the parts and reasonable labour? Or do you just want to show them how much you know about cars? Make it clear in the conclusion and give them 7 days to reply.
If you post it make sure it's registered/recorded delivery - so you have proof.
However, why you are telling them this is a report? In the opening paragraph you need to clarify it's a complaint based on faulty workman on x date by y mechanic as z garage. (I assume this is going to head office?).
I'd then go into the body of the letter and go through your history. Finally, you need a conclusion - what do you want from them? Are they to fix the problem or do you want to return to your other mechanic but get these guys to foot the bill for the parts and reasonable labour? Or do you just want to show them how much you know about cars? Make it clear in the conclusion and give them 7 days to reply.
If you post it make sure it's registered/recorded delivery - so you have proof.
Did you not ask for a receipt when you handed cash over? £20 seems cheap.
Personally I'd suggest reducing it to just facts, I've edited your letter to my version below
Personally I'd suggest reducing it to just facts, I've edited your letter to my version below
My letter said:
Dear Sir,
Further to my telephone conversation with MR XXX on DD/MM/YY I am writing to report the work carried out on my car by (your alignment centre) which I believe has rendered my vehicle dangerous. I took my car to (your alignment centre) for alignment on 4th February, primarily to get the front tracking adjusted. I was served by (your tame mechanic) who used your laser alignment equipment to align the suspension of my car. He told me that he was unable to adjust the front toe as the tie rods were seized. However, he did state that he had adjusted the rear toe, and provided me with a print out showing that the camber and toe had been altered on the rear left wheel. Your employee provided no receipt for the work and took payment of £20 cash.
The following day I used the vehicle to travel 200 miles with both my wife and I driving. I noticed at first a rattle from the left rear of the car, which worsened to a knock as the journey went on. I was not able to examine the car at this time. I used it for another short journey on the 11th Feb 2011 during which the knock was very evident over bumps and with direction changes and I had to drive the vehicle with extreme caution. Initially I thought that a Rear Trailing Arm Bush may have failed. However, on Saturday 12th Feb 2011 I lifted the left rear to examine my vehicle. I found that of the 3 bolts that locate the rear trailing arm carrier onto the body, one was missing, one was so lose that it took 3 full turns to bring it back into contact with the carrier, and only one bolt remained in place.
I am of the opinion that this dangerous defect was the result of work done by your employee. No work has been carried out by myself or any other person on the affected part since I have owned the car.
This work has caused me severe inconvenience. I am a shift worker and use my car to travel to work. My vehicle is not safe to drive until this fault is rectified. I have contacted BMW for spare parts in order to replace the missing bolts and whilst they can obtain the parts, it will take them several days. Furthermore, myself and my wife were exposed to considerable danger. The rear left suspension could have failed at any time, and we were travelling at motorway speeds prior to identifying the problem. As it is the rear trailing arm affected, the carrier coming free from its mounting point would lead to the instant collapse of the rear suspension, which at best would have resulted in the vehicle being severely damaged and at worst could obviously have led to death or serious injury.
I include photographs of the two sides of my vehicle as I found it on 12th Feb 2011. These show the missing bolt on the left (passenger) side and the unaffected right (drivers) side for comparison.
Please find attached copies of the “before and after” print outs as provided by Carl on 4th Feb 2011.
I await your response in due course.
Yours Sincerely,
Weird Nev.
Further to my telephone conversation with MR XXX on DD/MM/YY I am writing to report the work carried out on my car by (your alignment centre) which I believe has rendered my vehicle dangerous. I took my car to (your alignment centre) for alignment on 4th February, primarily to get the front tracking adjusted. I was served by (your tame mechanic) who used your laser alignment equipment to align the suspension of my car. He told me that he was unable to adjust the front toe as the tie rods were seized. However, he did state that he had adjusted the rear toe, and provided me with a print out showing that the camber and toe had been altered on the rear left wheel. Your employee provided no receipt for the work and took payment of £20 cash.
The following day I used the vehicle to travel 200 miles with both my wife and I driving. I noticed at first a rattle from the left rear of the car, which worsened to a knock as the journey went on. I was not able to examine the car at this time. I used it for another short journey on the 11th Feb 2011 during which the knock was very evident over bumps and with direction changes and I had to drive the vehicle with extreme caution. Initially I thought that a Rear Trailing Arm Bush may have failed. However, on Saturday 12th Feb 2011 I lifted the left rear to examine my vehicle. I found that of the 3 bolts that locate the rear trailing arm carrier onto the body, one was missing, one was so lose that it took 3 full turns to bring it back into contact with the carrier, and only one bolt remained in place.
I am of the opinion that this dangerous defect was the result of work done by your employee. No work has been carried out by myself or any other person on the affected part since I have owned the car.
This work has caused me severe inconvenience. I am a shift worker and use my car to travel to work. My vehicle is not safe to drive until this fault is rectified. I have contacted BMW for spare parts in order to replace the missing bolts and whilst they can obtain the parts, it will take them several days. Furthermore, myself and my wife were exposed to considerable danger. The rear left suspension could have failed at any time, and we were travelling at motorway speeds prior to identifying the problem. As it is the rear trailing arm affected, the carrier coming free from its mounting point would lead to the instant collapse of the rear suspension, which at best would have resulted in the vehicle being severely damaged and at worst could obviously have led to death or serious injury.
I include photographs of the two sides of my vehicle as I found it on 12th Feb 2011. These show the missing bolt on the left (passenger) side and the unaffected right (drivers) side for comparison.
Please find attached copies of the “before and after” print outs as provided by Carl on 4th Feb 2011.
I await your response in due course.
Yours Sincerely,
Weird Nev.
Edited by Danielson73 on Sunday 13th February 23:14
davyc1000 said:
Couldnt you just phone them like any normal person!Letters like this really do not get a good response in a garage!Ok they may have f#@kd up but give them a chance to sort the situation out!
I did phone them first off and they asked for me to put it in writing so they could take action. They were very good - apologised immediately and said that obviously they would make it right.I'm letting them know so that
1) the bloke can get some training / a kick up the arse if that's what he needs to do his job properly.
2) So I can get my car re-aligned once I've put the bolts back in place. I'm happy to do that, but it has been an inconvenience and left me without my car for a few days. I can't really put a cost on that though, I'm not after cash. Thankfully, nothing bad did happen as I noticed the problem.
Suggestions taken on board - many thanks for taking the time to read it, I'll re-write it tomorrow.
Danielson73 said:
Did you not ask for a receipt when you handed cash over? £20 seems cheap.
Personally I'd suggest reducing it to just facts, I've edited your letter to my version below
Personally I'd suggest reducing it to just facts, I've edited your letter to my version below
My letter said:
Dear Sir,
Further to my telephone conversation with MR XXX on DD/MM/YY I am writing to report the work carried out on my car by (your alignment centre) which I believe has rendered my vehicle dangerous. I took my car to (your alignment centre) for alignment on 4th February, primarily to get the front tracking adjusted. I was served by (your tame mechanic) who used your laser alignment equipment to align the suspension of my car. He told me that he was unable to adjust the front toe as the tie rods were seized. However, he did state that he had adjusted the rear toe, and provided me with a print out showing that the camber and toe had been altered on the rear left wheel. Your employee provided no receipt for the work and took payment of £20 cash.
The following day I used the vehicle to travel 200 miles with both my wife and I driving. I noticed at first a rattle from the left rear of the car, which worsened to a knock as the journey went on. I was not able to examine the car at this time. I used it for another short journey on the 11th Feb 2011 during which the knock was very evident over bumps and with direction changes and I had to drive the vehicle with extreme caution. Initially I thought that a Rear Trailing Arm Bush may have failed. However, on Saturday 12th Feb 2011 I lifted the left rear to examine my vehicle. I found that of the 3 bolts that locate the rear trailing arm carrier onto the body, one was missing, one was so lose that it took 3 full turns to bring it back into contact with the carrier, and only one bolt remained in place.
I am of the opinion that this dangerous defect was the result of work done by your employee. No work has been carried out by myself or any other person on the affected part since I have owned the car.
This work has caused me severe inconvenience. I am a shift worker and use my car to travel to work. My vehicle is not safe to drive until this fault is rectified. I have contacted BMW for spare parts in order to replace the missing bolts and whilst they can obtain the parts, it will take them several days. Furthermore, myself and my wife were exposed to considerable danger. The rear left suspension could have failed at any time, and we were travelling at motorway speeds prior to identifying the problem. As it is the rear trailing arm affected, the carrier coming free from its mounting point would lead to the instant collapse of the rear suspension, which at best would have resulted in the vehicle being severely damaged and at worst could obviously have led to death or serious injury.
I include photographs of the two sides of my vehicle as I found it on 12th Feb 2011. These show the missing bolt on the left (passenger) side and the unaffected right (drivers) side for comparison.
Please find attached copies of the “before and after” print outs as provided by Carl on 4th Feb 2011.
I await your response in due course.
Yours Sincerely,
Weird Nev.
Further to my telephone conversation with MR XXX on DD/MM/YY I am writing to report the work carried out on my car by (your alignment centre) which I believe has rendered my vehicle dangerous. I took my car to (your alignment centre) for alignment on 4th February, primarily to get the front tracking adjusted. I was served by (your tame mechanic) who used your laser alignment equipment to align the suspension of my car. He told me that he was unable to adjust the front toe as the tie rods were seized. However, he did state that he had adjusted the rear toe, and provided me with a print out showing that the camber and toe had been altered on the rear left wheel. Your employee provided no receipt for the work and took payment of £20 cash.
The following day I used the vehicle to travel 200 miles with both my wife and I driving. I noticed at first a rattle from the left rear of the car, which worsened to a knock as the journey went on. I was not able to examine the car at this time. I used it for another short journey on the 11th Feb 2011 during which the knock was very evident over bumps and with direction changes and I had to drive the vehicle with extreme caution. Initially I thought that a Rear Trailing Arm Bush may have failed. However, on Saturday 12th Feb 2011 I lifted the left rear to examine my vehicle. I found that of the 3 bolts that locate the rear trailing arm carrier onto the body, one was missing, one was so lose that it took 3 full turns to bring it back into contact with the carrier, and only one bolt remained in place.
I am of the opinion that this dangerous defect was the result of work done by your employee. No work has been carried out by myself or any other person on the affected part since I have owned the car.
This work has caused me severe inconvenience. I am a shift worker and use my car to travel to work. My vehicle is not safe to drive until this fault is rectified. I have contacted BMW for spare parts in order to replace the missing bolts and whilst they can obtain the parts, it will take them several days. Furthermore, myself and my wife were exposed to considerable danger. The rear left suspension could have failed at any time, and we were travelling at motorway speeds prior to identifying the problem. As it is the rear trailing arm affected, the carrier coming free from its mounting point would lead to the instant collapse of the rear suspension, which at best would have resulted in the vehicle being severely damaged and at worst could obviously have led to death or serious injury.
I include photographs of the two sides of my vehicle as I found it on 12th Feb 2011. These show the missing bolt on the left (passenger) side and the unaffected right (drivers) side for comparison.
Please find attached copies of the “before and after” print outs as provided by Carl on 4th Feb 2011.
I await your response in due course.
Yours Sincerely,
Weird Nev.
Edited by Danielson73 on Sunday 13th February 23:14
Danielson73 said:
Did you not ask for a receipt when you handed cash over? £20 seems cheap.
It was - i had a voucher for a free alignment check, and you pay for waht needs adjusting. As he couldn't adjust the front he just charged for the back. I was in a rush, the alignment shed is in a different place from the counter, and he said "Just give me £20 cash".... Didn't think much of it at the time but obviously 200 miles later I did.Yup. I Like that. I'll edit my letter to much more along those lines. If they ask for further information I can supply the rest then.
Cheers chaps.
WeirdNeville said:
Danielson73 said:
Did you not ask for a receipt when you handed cash over? £20 seems cheap.
It was - i had a voucher for a free alignment check, and you pay for waht needs adjusting. As he couldn't adjust the front he just charged for the back. I was in a rush, the alignment shed is in a different place from the counter, and he said "Just give me £20 cash".... Didn't think much of it at the time but obviously 200 miles later I did.Yup. I Like that. I'll edit my letter to much more along those lines. If they ask for further information I can supply the rest then.
Cheers chaps.
Ozzie Osmond said:
you don't appear to be asking for anything, so what's the point of the letter?
Indeed - what do you want out of this? It would also be worth mentioning in the letter that the 'BMW parts have cost me £xx.xx'. but mention nothing about what you want at this stage. Then wait for a reasonable time for them to contact you and see what they offer. Its obvious you have incurred costs as a result of their poor workmanship and for which you've already paid the privilege of £20. They have a few combinations of possibilities I guess.
1. Refund you the cost of the BMW parts as this would not have been incurred had they done the £20 job properly.
2. Fit the parts and carry out another realignment for free.
3. Refund £20 cost of your first job.
As an absolute minimum I'd expect 1 and 2 and if they are decent business then you may get 3. or something else comparable. I'm not a lawyer so not sure where you stand with that 'compensation/refund' slant if they do ultimately provide what you paid £20 for.
I'd give them the opportunity to remedy their mistake and not go elsewhere just yet.
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