Del Boy 76 Posted July 20, 2018 About a month ago I sold a C4 picasso to a guy who lives about 75 miles away. He phoned me a couple weeks later to say the car won’t start. I told him it’s likely to be the battery (which it was). Anyway I told him I’d cover the cost of a new one, either go to Euro’s and fit it yourself or try halfords as they will fit it for you. Either way it’s about £80, I’ve changed loads of battery’s on these and they’re always about the same price. Anyway, he said he’d rather use his local garage. I said that’s fine but when they find out it’s under warranty they will slap you with a massive bill and I’m not having that! He said no they’re a good garage who don’t rip people off! (Lol) Anyway this morning I received a sign for letter from him for £180 for a new battery (fitted). He’s already paid this and wants me to transfer it to him. Clearly a piss take. Whats the best way to go about this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom 164 Posted July 20, 2018 Have you got a copy of the invoice? You could ring the garage and ask why it's so much. I always agree on a quote first before allowing the customer to go ahead. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rory RSC 596 Posted July 20, 2018 Always email customers on matters like this. If they are not coming back and having me fit it and I agreed to cover it as goodwill I would get the cheapest price from Euro and then allow them that amount so if they want a fancier battery or the main dealer experience they can have it. Most places would not cover a battery after 2 months. Its literally been fine for 2 months on an old french car and failed due to wearing out. This tool has now taken the piss out of you for your generosity. He full well knows this was not what you had kindly agreed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EPV 631 Posted July 20, 2018 I’d ring him, remind him exactly of your previous conversation and also remind him that your warranty doesn’t cover items subject to fair wear and tear. Send him £90 and tell him that’s the end of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trade vet 703 Posted July 20, 2018 I agree with Tom,get a copy of the invoice.Then ring the garage,find out where they got the battery and what their Labour rate is.If the claim is fraudulent or it appears there has been collusion with the garage,refuse to pay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Del Boy 76 Posted July 20, 2018 Thanks for your replies. I have a copy of the invoice - it looks like £40 was charged as they went out to him to test the original battery and fit the new one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BHM 994 Posted July 20, 2018 5 minutes ago, trade vet said: I agree with Tom,get a copy of the invoice.Then ring the garage,find out where they got the battery and what their Labour rate is.If the claim is fraudulent or it appears there has been collusion with the garage,refuse to pay. Either this or just tell him to f.o. anyway. Quite why you’re covering batteries for 2 months is beyond me anyway. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Del Boy 76 Posted July 20, 2018 1 minute ago, BHM said: Either this or just tell him to f.o. anyway. Quite why you’re covering batteries for 2 months is beyond me anyway. Its not 2 months. I sold it a month ago and he phoned me 2 weeks later. So he had only had it 2 weeks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arfur Dealy 823 Posted July 20, 2018 Within the first 30 days, I'm very much of the opinion you sold a car a car with a used battery, so why would you be compensating him with the cost of a new one.... Myself, I would of explained a battery is a consumable, just like tyres and brakes and made a goodwill gesture of a 50% contribution to the cost of a new basic Euro battery. After 30 days, not a chance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave2302 387 Posted July 20, 2018 Nah, Billy had it 2 weeks when the Battery died, I'm with Del Boy on this one initially, he did the right thing. I would have paid for and fitted a new, decent, 3 yr Warranty "Oldham" Battery from factors !! However if he wanted to go elsewhere I would have told him " A decent Battery is £xx and I would have fitted it for nothing, if you choose / chose to go elsewhere, all I'm paying is the £xx !!" If after all that he tries to be a w@nker with his £180 invoice then ............ "Feck off you brain dead c*nt" Thankfully I don't get customers like that !! More likely one of my Customers would have offered to go halves Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Area 51 33 Posted July 20, 2018 4 minutes ago, Dave2302 said: More likely one of my Customers would have offered to go halves Someone wearing a skirt and from Speen Bridge offering to go halves... my what is the world coming too? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave2302 387 Posted July 20, 2018 "Spleen" Bridge is outta my area lol but yeah, lotsa MacDonalds over there, I used to do a regular DJ residency in one of the Hotels near there Yeah we do have some tossers up here, usually Engleesh from Plockton, only yesterday I turned one away telling him i was booked up for 8 weeks lol, reality is booked for 3 weeks 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Area 51 33 Posted July 20, 2018 Remember staying in Glencoe and being told "it depends which Lamont ya wont" .. lots of them in the valleys as it turn out.. Think the whole issue with interlopers began when Ring of Bright Water - the movie after the book, kick in... quite a while back; but it became an aim of a lot of suvvverners to retire there... Youre description of em made me smirk and think of this the other day. I just like saying SPLEEN Bridge in the right accent.... I'm after a front bumper respray on an XC60.. my man is booked thru August.. Jayzuz.. and it needs to be nice.. so cant hawk it round anywhere else.. good bloody suppliers.. not enough of them! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom 164 Posted July 20, 2018 2 hours ago, Del Boy said: Thanks for your replies. I have a copy of the invoice - it looks like £40 was charged as they went out to him to test the original battery and fit the new one! Ok call out charge that's fair enough, plus VAT as well I take it. so battery is £110? Still dear but they charged customer retail. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave2302 387 Posted July 20, 2018 Yes, but most warranties these days on anything, Stereo, Bicycle, Microwave, etc etc, they either send their own guy out or RTB. If I don't know or like the look of a Billy I'll write RTB on his Invoice and get him to Initial It. When I was South running the Gearbox firm, all Transmissions had a "Free Warranty" printed A5 Certificate, and Billy signed to say he read and accepted the terms. Terms were RTB, no incidental costs like Hotels, Car Hire, Recovery etc etc, strictly Parts and Labour !! You'd be surprised, (well maybe not), how much of a twat a Billy could be when I'd charged him say £1500 for a Rebuilt Trans in his old Renault 3.0 Espace and then it shat it's pants 11 months and 27 Days later 'cos he'd been towing a really heavy Caravan / Speed Boat up hills and passes in Windermere on the hottest day of the year with the Car full of peeps and luggage !! If I so much as saw a tow bar they were quoted an extra £250 to fit additional Trans Oil Cooler Kit, and if they refused the Free Warranty was reduced to 3 months !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Del Boy 76 Posted July 20, 2018 34 minutes ago, Dave2302 said: When I was South running the Gearbox firm, all Transmissions had a "Free Warranty" printed A5 Certificate, and Billy signed to say he read and accepted the terms. Terms were RTB, no incidental costs like Hotels, Car Hire, Recovery etc etc, strictly Parts and Labour !! Dave, did you see many of the Nissan CVT boxes? I bought a Qashqui a few month back with 50k on it - the box was whinning like crazy when it warmed up. I thought it was gonna be a worn bearing but it wasn't whinning all the time so eventually I changed the oil with Nissan CVT fluid and this did the trick! Sold the car and all is well. Still feel like I dodged a bullet with that one though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave2302 387 Posted July 20, 2018 If it's still going strong you didn't dodge a bullet lol, more like an exocet missile LOL. I did a bunch back in the day, Fords Fiats Nissans etc Fluid on it's own is a lottery, rarely fixed them long term, at the whining stage yours was at I'd say Fluid and Filter and it'll be good for at least 6 months a year ............... Thing is this, the whine noise is Pump starvation, shit in the Oil and Filter makes it difficult for the Pump to draw Fluid, hence the whine. But ............ That shit had to come from somewhere, usually something breaking up !! HTH, Cheers Dave Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Del Boy 76 Posted July 20, 2018 Good point. I have since heard of some horror stories surrounding these boxes, think ill steer clear in the future! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave2302 387 Posted July 20, 2018 LOL, they always were horrors. if we were busy enough we'd send them to Gravesend Transmissions lol, "They specialise in the CVT sir" I'd tell the billy ....................... Ho Ho Ho, I never did like Graham at GTS !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grant8064 219 Posted July 20, 2018 I remember when I had this exact same scenario and was as green as grass (now i'm only just a dis-trusting angered shade of green) and got a bill for £212 for a battery. It wasn't even a special one...£212! No call out charge. £10 fitting fee so £202 for the battery alone! Christ it still makes me so bloody angry. From that day onwards it was a signed piece of paper or replied to email in agreement for any work I wasn't totally in control of/at distance with an agreed £figure. You soon learn when it hits your back pocket. ...if someone had told me i'd need to be a quasi lawyer/accountant/economist/marketing exec/property consultant i'm not sure i'd have got so stuck in...finding a Mini bonnet release is a struggle most days Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NOACROSS 414 Posted July 20, 2018 (edited) 40 minutes ago, grant8064 said: I remember when I had this exact same scenario and was as green as grass (now i'm only just a dis-trusting angered shade of green) and got a bill for £212 for a battery. It wasn't even a special one...£212! No call out charge. £10 fitting fee so £202 for the battery alone! Christ it still makes me so bloody angry. From that day onwards it was a signed piece of paper or replied to email in agreement for any work I wasn't totally in control of/at distance with an agreed £figure. You soon learn when it hits your back pocket. ...if someone had told me i'd need to be a quasi lawyer/accountant/economist/marketing exec/property consultant i'm not sure i'd have got so stuck in...finding a Mini bonnet release is a struggle most days I remember spending an hour trying to find out how to do this on a M.K. 1 Focus years ago. Typical man I refused to look at the instructions. (Always banging my shin on the dashboard bit to the right of the steering wheel too on bloody things when getting in to them also!) Apologies if I’m repeating myself- but also true re:instructions; the first time I jumped into a Prius (hire car) and couldn’t get it to start. Spent twenty minutes shouting at the thing before I finally admitted defeat and went into ask the woman behind the desk how to do it... Edited July 20, 2018 by NOACROSS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dealer 54 Posted July 20, 2018 12 hours ago, Arfur Dealy said: Within the first 30 days, I'm very much of the opinion you sold a car a car with a used battery, so why would you be compensating him with the cost of a new one.... Myself, I would of explained a battery is a consumable, just like tyres and brakes and made a goodwill gesture of a 50% contribution to the cost of a new basic Euro battery. After 30 days, not a chance. True story bro! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rory RSC 596 Posted July 21, 2018 44 minutes ago, tradex said: , a copper of all things. would fit nicely under his ML diesel I rang him to call him out on it and had a lot of excuses of wrong bill sent, never did get the right one, wonder why Biggest scumbag customer we ever had was a copper. Most dishonest one we have ever come across. The 30 page evidence file complaint letters he sent in were truly something to behold Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Area 51 33 Posted July 21, 2018 47 minutes ago, tradex said: a copper of all things. Asked for a copy of the receipt from his motor factor and the thick twat left the battery description part number on it. A battery so large that it would never even fit under the bonnet of a Clio, but would fit nicely under his ML diesel I rang him to call him out on it and had a lot of excuses of wrong bill sent, never did get the right one, wonder why A Copper, falsifying evidence, jeeeeze Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
