Just (not) Enough Essential Parts

Hi folks

Since my last post a whole lot has happened. On reflection it's all pretty good but it started in a pretty bad way and may see a war that started with an individual escalate to war against a car dealership and even a worldwide car brand.

I'm not a serial complainer, in fact I'm much more likely to just have a rant and then let it rest. So when someone irks me significantly to make me take the effort to complain and then take it further then you know that customer service has gone wrong somewhere along the line.

Years working as a manager within a number of well known supermarkets has effectively removed from me the ability to complain. I have dealt with, and resolved to their satisfaction, so many unjust and ill informed complaints in my time that I frankly can't stand to have anyone, even a complete stranger, think of me in the same way as all the other moaning, grasping, compensation junkies who exist in order to see how far they can push to get something for nothing. Yet a world wide car manufacturer has offered me such piss poor customer service at every level that I now find myself wanting to publicly pursue them and force them to re-examine their policies.

Three years ago I bought a car. I made the decision to buy a brand new car in the foolish assumption that I would get a few years trouble free motoring from it before things started to go wrong. I stretched myself to buy a car that was, possibly,.... no probably, beyond my price bracket but just about justifiable given the mileage and conditions that I travel. A heavy smoker for two of the three years that I owned the car and yet it never smelled of smoke. Not once. Why? Because for almost all of that time I didn't smoke in the car. It was that important to me. The only times I did smoke in the car was because my morning commute was taking more than an hour for a couple of months and even then I had all the windows down so there was no smell.

Everyone who has ever sat in my car has been impressed but only those who have driven it appreciate why I'm so knocked out by it. It's no sports car, a house brick is more aerodynamic, yet it has an acceleration and road holding that's just unrivalled in its market (think the lower end of Mercedes, Audi, Saab, BMW to the mid range of Volkswagen or Citroen). As a new model in a now unpopular 4x4 market it also still manages to be pretty unique on the road and draws a lot of interest.

So when people ask what it's like to own will I say..Comfortable, fast, practical, tough both on and off road? A good tow car without the sacrifice of looking like some dull people carrier? Nope. I'll be saying don't touch this car. If someone offers you one view them with suspicion.

The makers of my car were under different ownership when the car was taken from concept to reality. The people who had the vision to create this fantastic, multi award winning car sold out their share shortly after and the company then proceeded to become one of the largest corporate failures in world history as the banking crisis hit.

Like any concept car issues began to arise when owners took their cars through the real day to day drudgery of car life. Winters with salty roads, towing boats and caravans, non stop city driving, snow driving etc. Don't get me wrong..the car didn't fall apart. Far from it. It performed well but it also became obvious that some tweaks would improve it. The original interior was light and eye catching but easily marked and damaged. After thousands of miles of day to day use the cab got a bit rattly. There was something wrong with the design of the alloy wheels causing them to become pitted and oxidise through time. This is not an unusual set of problems when launching a completely new vehicle. Later models had some revisions (a whole new interior) to deal with some of these problems. But (I assume as a result of its fight to stay in business) evidence started to appear that corners may be being cut.

My car was three years old on Sunday. It still looks and performs fantastically well. During its three years I've used the dealer for servicing, had three wheels (we'll discuss the forth in a minute) replaced because of oxidisation. I also had to leave it in one whole weekend till the engine computer reset and allowed them to fix the permanently locked drivers door. This might not sound a lot but remember this car is brand new and under 40,0000 miles. Followers of this blog will perhaps remember that I then fell out with the dealer because they were ripping me off over the price of breaks. Basically they could supply them to other garages for nearly half the price that they wanted me to pay them to fit them. To be clear the prices from the other garages included ordering the breaks from my dealer and fitting them but cost half what the dealer wanted. As a result I used a private garage to fit the breaks and disks as it eventually turned out.

Here in the UK all cars have to undergo what is known as an MOT Test(Ministry of Transport Test) at three years old and every year thereafter. The test checks the cars roadworthiness, safety and carbon emissions. Fail this and you cant drive the car. The police can use there in car PC to ensure you have the test and, if you don't, then you invalidate your insurance and will come close to loosing your license.

A lot of new car owners in the UK feel that this test is just a government money making scheme as cars between three and five years of age rarely need anything more than a new wiper blade or a bulb. I chose not to use the dealer to carry out this test as I also needed a service and most people don't trust the dealer to highlight problems when the car is close to the end of its warranty. Imagine my surprise then when told that my car could not be legally put back on the road. The ball joint on the drivers side suspension arm was completely worn out. Has anyone ever heard of anyone owning any car and driving it long enough and hard enough to wear out the suspension???? The car in question is 4x4 and has never been off road.

When I phoned the dealer they tried to wriggle. Rather than offer an instant apology and look to see how they could resolve the issue they immediately went on the defensive. A car that was not roadworthy at three years of age might not be an issue for them. "Bring it over and we'll have a look but we're not committing to fixing anything until we've been underneath". When I demanded that I would need a hire car.."we don't offer a hire cars, that's not part of the service unless you've paid for it as an option". To make matters worse I had searched forums online and now discovered that this appeared to be quite a common fault with this type of car. Many on the forum opined that it was only a matter of time before a recall was ordered. Others pointed out that the repair involves replacing one inferior part with another equally inferior part from the same manufacturer.

To be fair to the dealer they did eventually concede to my demands. The repair just sneaked in under warranty as the car had exceeded 36,000 miles but was days short of three years old. I still can't quite figure out how but I did get a hire car. I think it's because when I phoned for a progress update on the day I got someone who was actually stupid enough to admit that the car hadn't even been inspected. When I exploded I heard someone in the background instruct the poor service agent to tell me to expect a call from the manufacturers helpline to arrange a hire car. The part I needed was on back order and it took one day short of a week to get and fit. Had it not squeaked in under warranty it would have cost in excess of £300. I got the car back tonight and it seems fine although it won't get a proper test till tomorrow. So I'm happy now, right? Wrong wrong wrong.

First up I am ridiculously angry at how surprised they seemed at my anger that a car that's three years old with 36000 miles should fail an MOT. That is just not acceptable. I refuse to believe that I am being unreasonable in that expectation. Let me be quick to point out that there is absolutely no suggestion that this fault had anything to do with driving style.

Second, in my anger at putting the car into the garage I also asked them to look at the oxidisation causing marks on my drivers wheel (the only wheel not already replaced(see above)). The service manager was actually prepared to sign a document to say that the oxidisation is a fault with the wheel but, I should pay half the repair because there is also kerbing on that wheel. Now in my book there either is or isn't a fault. If the manufacturer admit that there is a fault then you get a replacement. If the manufacturer denies the fault then you have all sorts of problems. But I've never come across a manufacturer that admits to a fault but wont repair it because of other, unconnected, damage.

I genuinely thought the dealer was at it so phoned the manufacturer. No question...they'll make good on half the repair cost. The idiot I spoke to even tried to justify his stance by mis-quoting the policies of one of the best retailers in this country, Marks and Spencer (M&S). His example was that, if I had purchased a shirt from M&S and the buttons were loose because of a fault but I had also ripped the sleeve would I expect M&S to replace the shirt? He was surprised when I indicated emphatically that I absolutely know that M&S would change the shirt. I know this to be true because, as a one time manager with Salisbury's, who aspire to match if not improve upon M&S standards, I know that faulty goods will be replaced regardless of other circumstances. I have been the manager that replaced a bottle of wine that was all but empty because the dregs in the bottom tasted corked. I have replaced a chicken that ruined a dinner party even though the customer had destroyed the chicken and had no evidence. Here in the UK all goods must be 'Fit for purpose'. The word 'Fault' indicates that this is not the case.

To be honest I had held off on the wheel because it's a pain in the arse having the car off the road and the kerb damage is actually worse than the oxidisation. If they hadn't pissed me off I'd probably have left it. Now I'm after a full repair and have approached consumer direct for legal advice. I drive a fantastic car which has the potential to serve as a template to other manufacturers in creating a fantastic vehicle with good emissions, a good engine and a good price point. Should you buy one? No. Because it's made by a company who don't value customers and distributed by dealers who have no faith in the company that they deal for. Makes you wonder how they ever went bust.

How will it all end up?????

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