Arnold Clark Sucks

READ HERE WHAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY

www.arnoldsucks.com

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Dear Mr Clark

I am writing to highlight the grossly incompetent work and service I have experienced at your Lochrin Garage, Edinburgh.

On 27 January 2003 my son’s car was taken to your Lochrin Garage for repair (front end suspension and steering etc. and rear axel damage).

My son and I continually phoned the garage for an update over the following month to be told that they were still waiting on parts.  Eventually on 1 March I was told the car was ready for uplift.  I went to collect it at 12.00 am and was told at 1.00 pm that after giving it three road tests they were not happy with the hub.  I was told to phone on Monday 3 March, which I did.  The car still wasn’t ready.  I phoned Tuesday – still not ready.  I phoned Wednesday and was told it would be ready Thursday 6 March and I arranged to collect it either on the Thursday or the Friday.  From then until Thursday 10 April, fortunately, the car was rarely used.  However, on the evening of Wednesday 9 April while driving the car a short distance I felt the car was showing obvious signs of a vibration and decided to have a look and discovered that the near side front wheel arch panel had not been bolted back to the body.  The next day Thursday 10 April I decided to get the front wheel balance checked before returning it to your garage to have it looked at.  I was travelling on the City Bypass near the Straiton Junction when the car shot across the road from the inside lane to the outside lane.  I don’t know how, but I managed to get the car under control by braking and forcing the steering to the near side and it was only pure luck that there were no other cars involved and also that neither my wife or son was driving.  I managed to get the car down the slip road and brought it to a halt at the side of the slip road.  I can assure you I was in a state of shock imagining what might have happened.  It was then that I discovered from the angle of the wheel that the nearside track rod end nut was missing and that the track rod end had dropped out of the steering arm.  I had to leave the car and walk to a local garage for help, where the owner helped by getting the car off the road and into his premises.  The mechanic jacked the car up and removed the wheel and reconnected the track rod end.  I had to pay the garage £53 but was advised by the mechanic to get it back to ‘Arnold Clark’s’ immediately, which I had planned doing anyway.  Still shaking with both anger and shock I drove (slowly) to your Lochrin Garage and got to speak to a Mr Kenny Ritchie (customer advisor).  He said he would like to keep the car and check it over and I advised him that I had no intention of driving the car again until it was completely checked over.  I informed Mr Ritchie that I had a bill for £53 recovery charge plus I had now lost a days wages and that I would expect ‘Arnold Clark’ to cover the loss.   Mr Ritchie called me later after checking the car to say that they would renew the drive coupling.  However, I asked him why not the track rod end as the threads on it were damaged when it came adrift.  He agreed to replace the track rod end and the repair would be complete by Monday 14 April.  When I phoned the garage on 14 April I was told that the car would not be ready until Wednesday 16 April as they were waiting on the track rod end arriving.  I phoned on Wednesday 16^th at 12.00 and was told to phone back at 2.00 pm.  I decided to take a half-day from work and went up to the garage fully expecting to drive the car away but was told that the track rod end had still not arrived but the part was due in any minute, I therefore decided to wait.  I asked Ken Ritchie if there was any possibility of being reimbursed for my outlays incurred on 10 April and he said he would arrange for a cheque to be signed by Ian Lyle.  However, he then discovered that Mr Lyle was at a meeting as was too busy to sign the cheque.  At approximately 4.30 pm Ken Ritchie advised that the part would not be arriving that day after all but he would arrange for the car to be delivered to my house the following day.  The keys for the car would be put through my letterbox.  I asked if he could now get Mr Lyle to sign a cheque before I left the garage but he told me I would get reimbursed but that Mr Lyle was unable to be disturbed due to another problem.  I then asked what kind of problem could be worse than a customers steering falling off due to the bad workmanship of the garage.  I left with neither the car nor the cheque.  The car was not delivered on Friday as promised or Saturday.  I was away for the weekend and my son phoned your garage on Monday 21 April to be told that they had received the wrong part.  I phoned today 22 April and was told also that they had received the wrong part.  Having fully expected to have the car back before the weekend my son booked the car into a local garage to have the MOT done on the Saturday 19 April.    Of course this could not be done.  This was the second time this had to be cancelled.  It had been booked in for Friday 11 April and because of the happenings this couldn’t go ahead.   I advised Mr Ritchie of this and he agreed to have the MOT done at your Lochrin Garage at a cost of £39, which he would deduct from my reimbursement.  I agreed to this. 

This morning I decided to phone the garage to see how the MOT had gone.  A receptionist advised that it had failed and asked did I want the faults put right.  I told him that I would pick the car up at 5.00 pm not trusting ‘Arnold Clark’ to do the work.  I arrived at the garage at 4.45 pm Ken Ritchie went over the result of the MOT and it had failed on the following, headlamp bulb, near side front disc corroded in parts, both rear brake pipes insecure and a slight blow from the rear joint on the exhaust.  The car was then brought to me for collection.  Still no cheque for me though – Mr Lyle had still not signed it.  On driving off about 10ft I decided to stop and check that the work had been done properly this time.  Surprise, surprise, I couldn’t believe what I found – the front wheel arches were still not clipped to the body, the wheel arches were not bolted to the subframe both noted in an MOT.  I was furious and walked back and asked Ken Ritchie to have a look.  He wasn’t pleased either by what he saw as he assured me that he had told the workshop to rectify this.  I then noticed that the near side front ABS warning system at the wheel arch had not been refitted into the clips, also not noted on the MOT test.  Mr Ritchie agreed that he would do this work himself.  He drove the car back into the workshop and fitted some but not all of the wheel arch clips and bolted both fronts to the subframe.  We then both noticed that the ABS warning system on the near side Macpherson Strutt had not been refitted on the original job leaving the pipe dangling, also not noted at the MOT.  We then went to the rear of the car and Mr Ritchie showed me the exhaust leak we then checked and found that both rear flex clips were insecure.  I pointed out to Mr Ritchie that as the rear axel had been removed by the garage for the original repair that these clips should have been replaced, so the MOT examiner had actually failed the garages own workmanship.  Mr Ritchie said that he would check the car over himself and apologised.  I told him I did not envy his job as the person who carried out the first repairs should not be working in the motor trade putting peoples lives at risk and the MOT tester (Steve Turner) is not competent to carry out such a highly skilled and trusted examination.  I feel that the workmanship in Lochrin Garage is extremely poor.  It’s obvious that the supervision and checking system is non-existent.  The reporting of faults from the reception to the workshop is poor.  I feel duty bound to report to the Department of Transport but I feel quite sure that you will take the necessary steps to ensure that no other customers’ lives will be put at risk due to criminal workmanship.  I have been very fair and civilised with my dealings with your company.  This has also caused financial problems for my son who only at the start of this month put this car on the market for sale.  He recently bought a flat and can’t afford the high insurance premium on the car.   He has had three enquiries about viewing the car and of course he has had to say that its already been sold as he cannot advise prospective buyers of the continuing problems.  He had paid for an advert in a magazine and my wife paid for an advert to be placed in her work’s bulletin.  Which was a complete waste of money.  However, if a new owner had experienced what I did when driving on the 10^th of April I don’t know what position we would all be in and that includes your garage.  However, my son now feels unsure about selling this car to some poor person who isn’t aware of the background and of course if anything else were to go wrong it would be him that they would be after.  I agree with him I will be very nervous selling this to some one else until your garage gives some kind of guarantee that this car is in fact roadworthy.  My son is the one who will suffer financially now because of your garages incompetence.   Neither him or my wife even want to drive the car again. The whole affair is one big mess.

In total this year this car has spent almost two months in your garage and I am disgusted at the service I have received from your staff, throughout it all they have shown no care and are very inefficient.   This was a serious and dangerous fault. Which could have resulted in a fatal accident

This work originally cost over £3,000, which my son’s insurance company covered.  I am now considering advising the insurance company of what has happened as I was advised by Mr Ritchie that the garage would add the cost of this second repair to the insurance bill.  I presume the insurance company will not be happy with this outcome.

I met you personally at Lochrin Garage where my son bought his first car and was impressed by your approach to myself and my son.  But I now feel that I would have no confidence in dealing with ‘Arnold Clark’ again and would not recommend others to do so.

I apologise that I have had to write to you in this way but had someone in management taken the time to apologise or had shown any interest in this case it would not have been necessary.

I look forward to hearing from by return of post.  If I do not I shall be taking this matter forward for the sake of other peoples personal safety.

Yours sincerely