Am I being unreasonable?
Discussion
As per my other thread, my wheel got damaged at the weekend.
I rang my main dealer today, (some of you may recall I had issues re a bad wheel refurb last year and the DP ended up giving me a new wheel from his demo car).
My service manager remembered me and said if he sent the current wheel away and it came back damaged or not 100% then basically it was tough. They would not persue it further and it was up to me if I want to take the risk!
Perhaps its just me, but it doesn't seem right that a main dealer can offer a service (not cheap) then wash their hands if it goes wrong. As far as I recall there was no disclaimer to sign. I know the job is outsourced but the whole point of using an Aston recommended company is that you think you will get the best service.
Because of this attitude I have decided to use Lepsons as recommended here. The guy says he will discuss exactly my requirements to ensure I will be happy with the result.
So, was the dealer reasonable? Maybe I'm still a bit wound up re the damage in the 1st place!
Di
I rang my main dealer today, (some of you may recall I had issues re a bad wheel refurb last year and the DP ended up giving me a new wheel from his demo car).
My service manager remembered me and said if he sent the current wheel away and it came back damaged or not 100% then basically it was tough. They would not persue it further and it was up to me if I want to take the risk!
Perhaps its just me, but it doesn't seem right that a main dealer can offer a service (not cheap) then wash their hands if it goes wrong. As far as I recall there was no disclaimer to sign. I know the job is outsourced but the whole point of using an Aston recommended company is that you think you will get the best service.
Because of this attitude I have decided to use Lepsons as recommended here. The guy says he will discuss exactly my requirements to ensure I will be happy with the result.
So, was the dealer reasonable? Maybe I'm still a bit wound up re the damage in the 1st place!
Di
Di,
Sorry to hear about the damage inflicted to one of your wheels by your husband, not sure I'd like to be him at the moment
With regards to the AM dealer, no I don't think it is reasonable for them to "shirk" responsibilty for a repair they outsource to a 3rd party. I think your approach to go direct to Lepsons is more than justified and I would seriously consider making it known to the dealer that their attitude to this matter is questionable at the least.
Good luck with Lepsons, from what I read they will do an excellent job.
John
Sorry to hear about the damage inflicted to one of your wheels by your husband, not sure I'd like to be him at the moment
With regards to the AM dealer, no I don't think it is reasonable for them to "shirk" responsibilty for a repair they outsource to a 3rd party. I think your approach to go direct to Lepsons is more than justified and I would seriously consider making it known to the dealer that their attitude to this matter is questionable at the least.
Good luck with Lepsons, from what I read they will do an excellent job.
John
Unreasonable from the dealer IMO! A repair job through a dealer, should be carried out to a standard that you would expect from Aston Martin ,irrespective of whether its contracted out or not. I have experiences of two dealers - one who wouldn't accept responsibility and one who , so far , will. I believe dealers are in a service industry. They dont manufacture the cars just sell them and service their clients pre and post sale. No service no clients in my book. What goes round comes round - eventually. I remember one dealer bragging that he had over £1m of deposits on V8V when it launched and how powerful he felt picking and choosing who got cars !! How times change but attitudes dont.You have a beautiful car and you want to keep it that way. Would have been nice to have a sympathetic ear and someone take the stress away.Dont accept poor service and attitude issues. I think reading between the lines in Dr Bez Geneva statement A.M. are well aware they have issues with certain parts of the dealer network in the UK and they are going to do something about it. Hope your repair goes well and your car is returned to its former glory shortly.
This was my dilemma.
I thought if I used an AM dealer and it went wrong like last time ( Soovy did offer to 'ream them a new one' ) then at least I was in the AM network and had a chance to take it further.
Now I am entrusting Lepsons, which if anyone there reads PH I really don't mean this in a bad way at all, but basically I am on my own.
I guess if I hadn't had a bad experience 1st time round it wouldn't even be bothering me.
Di
I thought if I used an AM dealer and it went wrong like last time ( Soovy did offer to 'ream them a new one'
) then at least I was in the AM network and had a chance to take it further.Now I am entrusting Lepsons, which if anyone there reads PH I really don't mean this in a bad way at all, but basically I am on my own.
I guess if I hadn't had a bad experience 1st time round it wouldn't even be bothering me.
Di
IainZ said:
You are paying the dealer so your contract is with the dealer. That he "subs" the work out is his problem, not yours (I think!)
Yes. The price they pay for acting as middle-man and making a margin for doing effectively nothing is that they also take on the mantle of responsibiility.There's a time to use a dealer and a time not to. Sometimes you have no choice but to undergo a walletectomy, but not always; there are smarter ways to run a car.
just had a set of my wheels done by Lepsons....am a fussy git and they have done a great job...stripped back to metal , had slight buckle in one wheel...all now straigened out at no extra charge....cost me £60 a wheel...all came back looking brand new........oh and by the way...your service mamager must be a real tosser...let him to f off and get wheel repaired else where
tonyhall38 said:
just had a set of my wheels done by Lepsons....am a fussy git and they have done a great job...stripped back to metal , had slight buckle in one wheel...all now straigened out at no extra charge....cost me £60 a wheel...all came back looking brand new........oh and by the way...your service mamager must be a real tosser...let him to f off and get wheel repaired else where
Knowing you Tony, that has brought a smile to my face and made me feel a whole lot better 
Di
My OH took this up with AM customer relations who spoke with the service manager and seem to be siding with him. We can take the car to the service centre on April 4th and Lepsons can collect the wheel. They are insinuating that Lepsons may cause damage if they have the car due to lack of knowledge re jacking points, so do not recommend we take the car directly to them.
Why does such a simple matter turn out to be such a trial??
We are not going to let this lie.
Watch this space.
Why does such a simple matter turn out to be such a trial??
We are not going to let this lie.
Watch this space.
lady topaz said:
My OH took this up with AM customer relations who spoke with the service manager and seem to be siding with him. We can take the car to the service centre on April 4th and Lepsons can collect the wheel. They are insinuating that Lepsons may cause damage if they have the car due to lack of knowledge re jacking points, so do not recommend we take the car directly to them.
Why does such a simple matter turn out to be such a trial??
We are not going to let this lie.
Watch this space.
What? AM customer relations agree that your dealer should charge you for a service but apart from adding a margin take no responsibility?Why does such a simple matter turn out to be such a trial??
We are not going to let this lie.
Watch this space.
Have AM taken leave of all sense?
You may have gathered I'm shocked (I am old skool - customer is king), keep is all updated.
Oh, and hopefully Lepsons will do a good job.
lady topaz said:
They are insinuating that Lepsons may cause damage if they have the car due to lack of knowledge re jacking points, so do not recommend we take the car directly to them.
What a load of nonsense! Do they suggest we all return our cars to a dealer every time we get a puncture or need a new tyre too?!!Just put my DB9 in to the dealer for an MOT as I did not want it left hanging around the local garage or test driven by a young mechanic. I get it back with a £60 bill and a VW stamp on the MOT certificate from the local MOT station who probably charged £15 for the job. We are just mugs are we not ?
I suspect Aston does not have much sway with it's dealership because it and they are not making enough money to go the extra mile
I suspect Aston does not have much sway with it's dealership because it and they are not making enough money to go the extra mile
Hi Di, you may want to look at the Supply of Goods and Services 1982 legislation (for example see http://whatconsumer.co.uk/supply-of-goods-and-serv... ) as something to fall back on but my own belief here is when you arrange with the dealer for work to be undertaken then you form a contract with him. The Act states that you can expect a supplier of services to carry out the service with reasonable care and skill (and this onus increases when using an "expert"). The important thing is to have the full details agreed in the contract. The dealer should tell you (in writing) exactly what can and can not be accomplished and negotiate over what is acceptable to you. Basically, if he can't meet your expectations then he should not contract with you and you need to do so with somebody who can (or he takes a risk, but once you agree an expected quality of work then it becomes his risk).
He can not have a get out clause of blaming a third party - once you contract with him then he is responsible whether he subcontracts or not.
I presume this must be quite common with certain repair servies such as paint, wheels, leather repairs etc etc. As an example, my sons Z4 was hit in the rear and required some new panel and paint. He is a detail fanatic so told the car paint company exactly what he wanted - no swirls, no orange peel etc. They accepted that, but when it was delivered back to him the paint had holograms and swirls over it, so he rejected it and refused to drive it away. he won his case and they payed for him to have it detailed (£400). The main thing is they had a contract at the outset stating clearly what was required, the piant shop just weren't up to it - turned out their paint manager didn't even know what detailing is!
He can not have a get out clause of blaming a third party - once you contract with him then he is responsible whether he subcontracts or not.
I presume this must be quite common with certain repair servies such as paint, wheels, leather repairs etc etc. As an example, my sons Z4 was hit in the rear and required some new panel and paint. He is a detail fanatic so told the car paint company exactly what he wanted - no swirls, no orange peel etc. They accepted that, but when it was delivered back to him the paint had holograms and swirls over it, so he rejected it and refused to drive it away. he won his case and they payed for him to have it detailed (£400). The main thing is they had a contract at the outset stating clearly what was required, the piant shop just weren't up to it - turned out their paint manager didn't even know what detailing is!
IainZ said:
You are paying the dealer so your contract is with the dealer. That he "subs" the work out is his problem, not yours (I think!)
correct....however if he then tells you that he will do his best but not accept responsability if it dosn't meet your expectations ......bit of a grey area.......I suggest because of his poor attitude you move your service business to an alternative main dealer......his customer service stinks and thats why your driving the 130k car and not himGassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff