RT Mechanics – Volvo Specialist’s Repair Gone Wrong!

[mole]

[QUOTE=doorman;572378]

We have all found him to be vey consciences in all the work he has carried out, and at no time found any issues in his workmanship.

QUOTE]

I'm sure many said the same about Harold Shipman...

The mark of a good business is how it deals with problems not how it deals with satisfied customers, time and or the courts will tell.

[Citizen.Agfa]

[QUOTE=mole;572489]

Originally Posted by doorman

We have all found him to be vey consciences in all the work he has carried out, and at no time found any issues in his workmanship.

QUOTE]

I'm sure many said the same about Harold Shipman...

The mark of a good business is how it deals with problems not how it deals with satisfied customers, time and or the courts will tell.

Not sure about the Shipman comment, however I'm with you 100% on your second sentence.

C.A.

[Chris Parish]

Shipman? Did he have a Volvo?

Come on, this is getting silly.....

[RollingThunder]

Originally Posted by Chris Parish

Shipman? Did he have a Volvo?

Its reckoned so - but it hasn't been found yet...

[cumbrianmale]

Originally Posted by mole

I'm sure many said the same about Harold Shipman...

The mark of a good business is how it deals with problems not how it deals with satisfied customers, time and or the courts will tell.

I am sure the above remark was intended as reference to those previously held in high regard and not to compare Russ to a murderer.

Can we try to keep comments relevant to the issues being discussed.

[Nuisance]

Having been through similar trouble with two other "Volvo specialists" I have sympathy for Greg.

Whilst not wanting to enter the debate, and not having any further experience of RT than a telephone quotation for a steering rack replacement (which was considerably more expensive that the Volvo dealer) I am not in a position to in any way judge.

One comment I do have is regarding the "point of no return"

In each of my grievances with Volvo specialists I encountered the same issue. When a trader turns round to a dissatisfied customer who is genuinely still having issues and says "go away I don't want to talk to you" The customer is left feeling betrayed and poorly served. It is no surprise then that the customer is left with few options. I believe that the Chris / Hamish saga blew up at that point.

The legal route is not for the faint hearted, and rather time consuming. Without support it can be too much for people to deal with, especially when very busy, or working away. I have to confess to withdrawing legal action against SW autos for wrecking a fuel tank and and engine, It was not for lack of evidence, but due to having no time, and not seeing the £1,000 or so possible return as being worthwhile when compared to time spent on the case. I probably did others no favours by doing so as some independent garages continue to get away with "shoddy work, or service" based on the assumption that "legal action" is too much trouble for the customer.

I ask this question of the forum. How many people here have had poor work done and successfully pursued legal action against a garage with a satisfactory outcome?
Further to that; How many of the ones jumping up and down saying "you should have gone legal first" have actually taken their own advice and succeeded?

Having seen that Greg has spent over £11,000 with Russell Thompson, I am surprised that further assistance was not offered. Without a doubt over £5,000 of that will be sitting in Mr Thompson's pocket by way of profit. To admit fault, rectify the issues and fit an engine of similar age would in no way have removed more than £500 from Mr Thompson's wallet. Greg would have continued to be a customer, and in all probability Mr Thompson would have recovered the cost in profit on Greg's next visit. As Mr Thompson spends a great deal of his spare time with his "project car" endlessly replacing gear boxes, some of that time may well have been better spent doing an engine swap on Greg's car.

Whilst not attempting to judge on the culpability here, It does seem that whilst Mr Thompson may well be an excellent mechanic, what has failed here is his sense of business.

I have on various occasions replaced "questionable failure" items on my own jobs in order to maintain the good will of my customers, and will continue to do so. I judge all "good will" on the potential value of the customer AND the possibility of my culpability.

If Mr Thompson is reading this I'd urge him to think about the value of making good a bad situation, and weigh up the value of Greg as a customer, and potential PR repair that doing the right thing will achieve.

I'd truly hate to see another good independent go down the route of VT/HLM and SW Autos. There are far too few good independents as it is.

It very much saddens me to see this story being played out again. One would think that traders would have learned from the SW / VT fate, and customers would have been more willing to warn others.

I wish Greg all the best, and truly hope that RT actually do the right thing at this late moment.

[Nuisance]

Originally Posted by cumbrianmale

I am sure the above remark was intended as reference to those previously held in high regard and not to compare Russ to a murderer.

I too read it as that, a case of extreme maybe, but a point well made.

Those seemingly held in the highest of regard are not incapable of the wickedest of deeds.

[Chris Parish]

Originally Posted by cumbrianmale

I am sure the above remark was intended as reference to those previously held in high regard and not to compare Russ to a murderer.

Can we try to keep comments relevant to the issues being discussed.

I find it deeply offensive that anyone could compare a member of this forum to a mass murderer and suggest that the forum support team take the same stance instead of trying to justify it.

[Nuisance]

Originally Posted by Chris Parish

I find it deeply offensive that anyone could compare a member of this forum to a mass murderer and suggest that the forum support team take the same stance instead of trying to justify it.

One can find offence in almost anything if that's what one intends to find.

I COULD find someone demanding that an independent adjudicator do as they alone want, to be offensive if I so wished. But I do not wish.

Anybody of reasonable mind can see the manner in which Dr Shipman's name was used. It was not the reference to Dr Shipman himself, but the situation of trusted person able to do bad.

The job of moderator is a poison chalice, you can not do right by all members, nor cow tow to all their wishes. One must remain objective and view all content in it's context. Sometimes you please some people, other times you please others.

[Laney760]

Quote Nuisance:

The legal route is not for the faint hearted, and rather time consuming. Without support it can be too much for people to deal with, especially when very busy, or working away. I have to confess to withdrawing legal action against SW autos for wrecking a fuel tank and and engine, It was not for lack of evidence, but due to having no time, and not seeing the £1,000 or so possible return as being worthwhile when compared to time spent on the case. I probably did others no favours by doing so as some independent garages continue to get away with "shoddy work, or service" based on the assumption that "legal action" is too much trouble for the customer.

I ask this question of the forum. How many people here have had poor work done and successfully pursued legal action against a garage with a satisfactory outcome?
Further to that; How many of the ones jumping up and down saying "you should have gone legal first" have actually taken their own advice and succeeded?



Hope I didn't give the impression that I thought Greg should have gone legal first, it is always best to try and resolve things amicably at first but it is looking like this is the route this would have to take with the breakdown in communication. Although I havent taken a garage to Small Claims Court I have successfully taken on other buisnesses and an individual and I have always won. Small Claims covers up to £5000 claims in England and is very very straightforward, the paperwork is easy to understand, it is inexpensive and consumer friendly, it's not fast, my average wait time for 'my day in court' has been 5 months but different areas will vary. With his already detailed listing of events to date and if he has the independent technician's findings in writing from the technician, he already has much of his work done, I think he would also need estimate(s) from other garage(s) to put his engine right since although you can claim expenses you cannot claim 'compensation' in the Small Claims, although things could have changed