Is this terrible service or am I in the wrong?

[Lenovo]

Over a week ago my 11 month old car cut out whilst driving. I was eventually able to restart it and limped it home as I had the kids with me. I called the manufacturer’s assist line and they arranged for an orange van recovery firm to collect it. They made a mess of the replacement courtesy car and left us car less for two days (we’re a single car family).

After over a week at the garage they called me and said they had changed the fuel pump and it was ready for collection. I drove to the garage with my family and dropped them off at a retail park I then went to the garage and picked the car up.

I took it to the petrol station down the road from the garage and filled it up then drove to the retail park to get my family. A total journey time of about eight minutes. Whilst I was loading the shopping my OH noticed a strong smell of petrol around the car. I looked underneath and saw a puddle forming. Maybe not the best thing to do in hindsight but I drove the eight minutes back to the garage. I had to open the windows as the smell of petrol inside the car was getting unbearable. To me it looks like they’ve not connected a vent pipe to the top of the pump.

Unfortunately the garage had closed by the time I got back so I parked up the car, got everyone out and called the assist line again. By now fuel was flowing out from under the car and into a nearby drain.

It was then the assist line (which is run by the big orange van recovery people) told me that as I had taken the car back to a place of repair they would not attend nor would they offer me a replacement car or travel home.

I asked them how was I supposed to get my OH and kids back to my house (Over 30 miles away) which is in a rural location at quarter past six on a Sunday night and they said it wasn’t their problem as I had broken down at a place of repair and the fact the garage was closed didn’t matter. I asked to speak to a manger (hoping for someone with common sense) and was told one would call me back in 45 minutes.

45 minutes came and went and guess what no one called me so I called back. Again I asked them to please help us get home as per the manufacturer’s assistance promise but was again told no. I again asked to speak to a manger and was again told no. I then asked why I hadn’t been called back as promised and the woman said we were going in circles and she was going to terminate the call.

By this point it was getting cold so I managed to get a family member to come and collect us. As I have three kids they had to make two trips to ferry us home covering over 200 miles in the process.

I’m just wondering what to do now, I’m absolutely raging to have been left stranded thanks to a garage that rhymes with shark’s shoddy workmanship and the terrible attitude of the orange van people. If I’d driven it a mile down the road they would have collect it and got me home.

[miken2k8]

suck it up about the the hire car you shouldn't have drove it f it was pissing fuel out that's dangerous and irresponsible. However that's a poor job foom the garage and not acceptable imo

[CustardOnChips]

Not great service, but niether are they a taxi service. Which is probably what you should have used to get your family home. And then dealt with the garage in the morning.

Driving a car that was pissing petrol. Not cool.

[Lenovo]

This is what I’m paying for (lifted from their website)
OEM ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
In the event of a breakdown call OEM Roadside Assistance on 0800 xxx xxxx, lines are open 24 hours a day across the UK and Europe.

We provide cover in these situations:
Roadside Assistance
Recovery
Assistance At Home
Onward Travel
European Cover

Note the onward travel bit, I’ve taken the makers name out

[aaron-j9c9a]

Just asked my brother about this as he works for the yellow van company.
The fact you drive your car back to the place for it to be fixed is the sticking point, therefore you hadn’t broken down, if you had called when you were in the retail park then onwards assist would apply because it’s called as a breakdown.
The only person who you should be angry at and taking it up with is the garage that carried out the initial repair, it’s got nothing to do with the orange van company.

[Lenovo]

I would say the fact it had a fuel leak qualified it as being broken down.

[aaron-j9c9a]

Lenovo said:

I would say the fact it had a fuel leak qualified it as being broken down.

But you had driven it back to the garage, that’s the sticking point.
If you had a fuel leak they wouldn’t have expected you to drive it.

[Sheepshanks]

I’d argue that it’s not a place of repair if it’s not open and there’s no one there to assist you.

Perhaps make a compliant to the consumer help page in the Telegraph or other similar paper.

[Lenovo]

aaron-j9c9a said:

But you had driven it back to the garage, that’s the sticking point.
If you had a fuel leak they wouldn’t have expected you to drive it.

I knew my hire car was at the garage as I'd just dropped it off, so I was hoping to just hand my car back and grab the hire car and head home. Being a key worker I didn't want to miss another day off work, this morning will now be the third day I've missed because of this car.

[Lenovo]

Sheepshanks said:

I’d argue that it’s not a place of repair if it’s not open and there’s no one there to assist you.

Perhaps make a compliant to the consumer help page in the Telegraph or other similar paper.

I had this argument with the orange van people, but they were insistent a closed dealership was a place of repair. The car is currently parked right outside the main entrance to the show room with some signs informing people of what happened to me stuck behind the windows, I await the dealer's call this morning. I couldn't leave a key as the door had no letter box.

[steveo3002]

should have pushed the car into the street outside the garage then called again,,,im stranded on xx street - not xyz garage

pull the manager up at the garage and complain, would be nice to think they would cover the cost of fuel getting home or make some sort of gesture

[trickywoo]

steveo3002 said:

should have pushed the car into the street outside the garage then called again,,,im stranded on xx street - not xyz garage

pull the manager up at the garage and complain, would be nice to think they would cover the cost of fuel getting home or make some sort of gesture

I thought this too.

But having breakdown cover with onward travel it shouldn’t matter at all where the car is if it can’t be driven.

[Belle427]

Not your fault but you should have just parked it up the moment you discovered it was leaking as others have said.
It's pointless trying to argue with them, just move on.
Seems silly you can drive it or even push it around the corner from the dealers but that's what most people would do.

[Lenovo]

I found this in the terms and conditions:

Section A: Roadside Service provided If your vehicle breaks down within the UK more than a ¼ mile from your home, we will: 1. Send help to repair the vehicle at the roadside. This could be a permanent or temporary repair; or 2. If we are unable to repair the vehicle at the roadside, we will recover the vehicle and passengers to the nearest Citroën franchised dealer or a destination of your choice up to a maximum of 10 miles from the breakdown. If we recover the vehicle, we will reimburse you for taxi costs for passengers to continue the journey to a single destination within 20 miles. Service not provided 1. The cost of any parts; 2. The fitting of parts, including batteries, supplied by anyone other than us; or 3. Any breakdown resulting from a fault that we have previously attended and: a the original fault has not been properly repaired; or b you have not followed our advice after a temporary repair.

Great I meet all those criteria, then I found this:

3. We will not provide service where the vehicle is already at a garage or other place of repair.

I should have pushed it round the corner, I'll see what the dealer say when they discover my car.

[steveo3002]

used to be a common thing thing when folk took their car to the race track and blew it up , recovery conditions said no racing , so push it past the gate and everything is fine

[vaud]

OP, FYI you named the manufacturer in your last post.

[Sheepshanks]

Lenovo said:

I had this argument with the orange van people, but they were insistent a closed dealership was a place of repair.

As it was the manufacturer’s own assist service the dealership argument is particularly ridiculous.

[stevemcs]

They provide recovery and because you got it back to a garage there was no need to provide recovery, you really should have called when you found the leak. You should have just called a taxi and got on with your life. Oh and I don’t think key workers exist anymore

[vaud]

You are definitely in the wrong for driving a car leaking fuel and then allowing it to continue to leak fuel into a drain…

[Lenovo]

Yep hindsight is the best type of sight. Like I say I only headed back to the garage as I was hoping to get my hire car back. I’ll know what to do next time the POS breaks down again.