Is this terrible service or am I in the wrong?

[Bobton125]

I think it's very easy for people on here to say that they wouldn't go straight back to the garage and would rather stay at the retail park, calling for roadside cover and wait a few hours for their assistance. Absolute rubbish, I think you did what most people would do and would take it straight back for (hopefully) a quick resolution. I would have, as you weren't to know the leak was as bad as it was until you started driving, in which case it would be too late to turn back to the retail park, you might as well continue the journey. I would have done the same as you and i believe most of the commenters here would have too.. I guess people can't really answer truly how they'd react until being placed in the situation.
It's just unfortunate for you the garage was shut..

Is there any reason why you didn't drive round the corner and call for roadside assistance again, after they said they wouldn't come out?

[stevemcs]

Bobton125 said:

I think it's very easy for people on here to say that they wouldn't go straight back to the garage and would rather stay at the retail park, calling for roadside cover and wait a few hours for their assistance. Absolute rubbish, I think you did what most people would do and would take it straight back for (hopefully) a quick resolution. I would have, as you weren't to know the leak was as bad as it was until you started driving, in which case it would be too late to turn back to the retail park, you might as well continue the journey. I would have done the same as you and i believe most of the commenters here would have too.. I guess people can't really answer truly how they'd react until being placed in the situation.
It's just unfortunate for you the garage was shut..

Is there any reason why you didn't drive round the corner and call for roadside assistance again, after they said they wouldn't come out?

But the clue is in the name, recovery, there was nothing too recover the car was at the garage, onwards travel is for cars that are recovered, they are a recovery service and not a car rental business. Personally if I could smell fuel, and see fuel dripping I would not drive it.

[tighnamara]

Bobton125 said:

I think it's very easy for people on here to say that they wouldn't go straight back to the garage and would rather stay at the retail park, calling for roadside cover and wait a few hours for their assistance. Absolute rubbish, I think you did what most people would do and would take it straight back for (hopefully) a quick resolution. I would have, as you weren't to know the leak was as bad as it was until you started driving, in which case it would be too late to turn back to the retail park, you might as well continue the journey. I would have done the same as you and i believe most of the commenters here would have too.. I guess people can't really answer truly how they'd react until being placed in the situation.
It's just unfortunate for you the garage was shut..

Is there any reason why you didn't drive round the corner and call for roadside assistance again, after they said they wouldn't come out?

I’m not sure most would have driven to the garage, it was 6pm on a Sunday evening, don’t think many garages garage would be open at this time.
At least a phone call to the garage from the retail park may have been an idea before traveling back.

Hope OP gets it sorted, but looking back some of the discussions he has started he hasn’t had to look far for problems and they never seem easy resolved.

Edited by tighnamara on Tuesday 22 June 08:15

[vaud]

Bobton125 said:

I think it's very easy for people on here to say that they wouldn't go straight back to the garage and would rather stay at the retail park, calling for roadside cover and wait a few hours for their assistance. Absolute rubbish, I think you did what most people would do and would take it straight back for (hopefully) a quick resolution. I would have, as you weren't to know the leak was as bad as it was until you started driving, in which case it would be too late to turn back to the retail park, you might as well continue the journey. I would have done the same as you and i believe most of the commenters here would have too.. I guess people can't really answer truly how they'd react until being placed in the situation.
It's just unfortunate for you the garage was shut..

Is there any reason why you didn't drive round the corner and call for roadside assistance again, after they said they wouldn't come out?

There is not a chance in hell that I would drive a car leaking fuel, let alone with my kids in it.

[Bill]

vaud said:

There is not a chance in hell that I would drive a car leaking fuel, let alone with my kids in it.

+1

Put family in taxi and await recovery. Simple.

[CustardOnChips]

vaud said:

Bobton125 said:

I think it's very easy for people on here to say that they wouldn't go straight back to the garage and would rather stay at the retail park, calling for roadside cover and wait a few hours for their assistance. Absolute rubbish, I think you did what most people would do and would take it straight back for (hopefully) a quick resolution. I would have, as you weren't to know the leak was as bad as it was until you started driving, in which case it would be too late to turn back to the retail park, you might as well continue the journey. I would have done the same as you and i believe most of the commenters here would have too.. I guess people can't really answer truly how they'd react until being placed in the situation.
It's just unfortunate for you the garage was shut..

Is there any reason why you didn't drive round the corner and call for roadside assistance again, after they said they wouldn't come out?

There is not a chance in hell that I would drive a car leaking fuel, let alone with my kids in it.

100% this.

Call garage to see if still open. Nope its 6 on a Sunday.

Call recovery company.

Put the wife and kids in a taxi, and wait for recovery.

And don't piss fuel all over the roads.

[Speed Badger]

Echo what others have said about the fuel. However, according to your breakdown assist company, if I had the same cover and had broken down at night on a road that happened to have a (closed) car repair place opposite my breakdown, they would not come to assist me?

[Four Litre]

You've every right to be mighty pissed. However like all things the recovery are going to refer to the small print and not much you can do.

£10 says the garage deny everything and say "looks like the pipe has failed!" or " hmm must be a faulty connector!" and there is also nothing you can do about it.

Just put it down to a st day and move on. My golden rule is never ever ever ever trust any garage, main dealers included. They will lie to your face even if your car was on fire behind them.

[Lenovo]

The garage phoned me, after looking at the car apparently the pump kit from France came with the wrong seal. They are ordering another one but it won’t be here till Thursday.

I still don’t have a hire car and they won’t give me a one. I asked could they not provide me with one since they fitted the wrong part, but I was told this mistake wasn’t their fault. I did say surely the buck must stop somewhere you can’t blame Pierre in the factory for putting the wrong seal in the kit, but no it’s still not their fault.

I’ve changed a few fuel pumps in my earlier years and I don’t understand how the person changing it didn’t compare the parts before swapping, time pressures perhaps? Or possibly they nipped the seal by mistake when they were first fitting it and this is an excuse. Either way I’m still stuck at home with no car. This is now day four I’ve missed work thanks to this less than a year old car. They also said I’ll have to find my own way to the garage to collect it when it’s fixed.

With regards to previous posters asking why I was so keen to get back to the garage. I knew the original hire was there as I had just dropped off the key. I didn’t call the garage as it had just gone six and I knew there was zero chance they’d answer the phone but I was hoping I could catch them locking up. Sadly I missed them. I was keen to grab the hire car back as it took two days just to get that one in the first place.

[StescoG66]

Place that rhymes with Shark? They most likely fked up, no surprise there, they are ste!

[Lenovo]

StescoG66 said:

Place that rhymes with Shark? They most likely fked up, no surprise there, they are ste!

What gave it away! What it the shoddy workmanship or the terrible customer service?

[stevemcs]

I wouldn't say it was shoddy service, just because you haven't got a hire car doesn't mean you have received poor service.

[vaud]

Also the fact that you choose to buy a car some distance from home is your decision/risk and not the dealers. Not being harsh but there have to be some limits. Suppose the dealer was 200 miles away - still fair for them to recover/deliver the car? 5-10 miles, I'd probably say yes, but further, less so.

[Lenovo]

stevemcs said:

I wouldn't say it was shoddy service, just because you haven't got a hire car doesn't mean you have received poor service.

They have admitted that they fitted the wrong seal to the pump. This has meant my car cannot be driven. I would have thought as their mistake has rendered me car less they would have provided a replacement. It’s quite ironic that the same parent company own a chain of car rental firms but yet they couldn’t offer me a car.

I’m just wondering what will happen if the replacement seal/pump kit that arrives on Thursday is the ‘wrong’ one again.

[Lenovo]

vaud said:

Also the fact that you choose to buy a car some distance from home is your decision/risk and not the dealers. Not being harsh but there have to be some limits. Suppose the dealer was 200 miles away - still fair for them to recover/deliver the car? 5-10 miles, I'd probably say yes, but further, less so.

I didn’t choose to take the car to this dealer. As I said earlier I live in a rural location (in Scotland, the whole country has low population density especially where I live). When the orange van people recovered it this was the nearest dealer they could take it to. I didn’t really choose my house with the location of a car dealer in mind.

[Swampy1982]

Why have you missed 4 days if work? Are there no buses or taxi companies near you?

I get you are frustrated, but this thread reads like a slowly unfolding daily mail article.

[Lenovo]

Swampy1982 said:

Why have you missed 4 days if work? Are there no buses or taxi companies near you?

I get you are frustrated, but this thread reads like a slowly unfolding daily mail article.

My site is also rural, literally in the middle of a field so no bus service. It’s also a 60 odd mile round trip so would cost a fair bit for a taxi and before anyone says no we don’t have Uber here!

[soxboy]

Lenovo said:

My site is also rural, literally in the middle of a field so no bus service. It’s also a 60 odd mile round trip so would cost a fair bit for a taxi and before anyone says no we don’t have Uber here!

Why not hire a car yourself rather than miss work and either use up holiday or not get paid?
Enterprise will deliver to your house.

[Lenovo]

soxboy said:

Why not hire a car yourself rather than miss work and either use up holiday or not get paid?
Enterprise will deliver to your house.

This is get tempting, they have promised to have it fixed for Thursday so I’ll take it from there.

[MitchT]

I wouldn't buy the line about the hire car not being their responsibility because the wrong part being supplied wasn't their fault. It might not be their fault that the wrong part was supplied but it was their fault that the wrong part was fitted, thus triggering the chaos that ensued, so they should hold their hands up and make the situation good.

Also, if they'd noticed that the wrong part had been supplied and had to keep your car longer while the correct part was sourced, then you'd have had the original hire car for longer, whomever was to blame.

Furthermore, the dealer where you took your car is your one touchpoint for the entire supply chain, so they should accept liability for any issues experienced and, if the cost of doing so aggrieves them so much, then they should identify who in the supply chain was at fault and seek to recover their costs from that party.

Finally, it beggars belief that they expect you to collect the car at your own inconvenience when it's fixed. If I were them I'd be thoroughly ashamed by the service you've experienced. Sounds like they simply don't give a st!