My nearly-four-years-old Renault Clio was due a bit of tender loving care. The rear door lock had stopped being able to lock the doors, a small piece of plastic fell off the front driver’s side door and, the one that tipped it, the driver side wing mirror was shattered; someone hit it in a car park – thanks!
I booked my car in to Renault Romford, dropped it in before work, and waited for a call back letting me know what everything was going to cost. The call arrived and the suggested shopping list was a little longer than I expected.
- Rear engine mount starting to split – £103.00
- Front disks and pads should be replaced – £245.60
- Coolant and brake fluid drain and refill – £49.99
- Air conditioning service – £79.99
- Replacing the bit of plastic that fell off – £7.76
- Replacing the mirror – £27.87
- Replacing the rear door handle – £365.68 – wait, what?
I totally accept that most of the stuff in that list falls under the categories of “normal wear and tear” and “you broke it”, but things like a door handle should reasonably last the lifetime of the car. It’s not like it’s even the most commonly used door. Had this been the driver’s door, I might have grumbled a bit but understood.
I asked Renault Romford to replace the glass, replace the bit of plastic and service the aircon, explaining that I would sort out the brakes etc next month and would call Renault UK Customer services to talk to them about the rear door handle.
Renault UK customers service have still not contacted me, despite Tweets, emails and a telephone message asking them to do so.
I got a call yesterday saying my car was ready to be picked up, and that I owed them some £450.00. I was confused. They’d changed the rear door lock, despite me very explicitly saying that I was going to talk to Renault customer services about it. Opinions were exchanged, we agreed this was most likely a misunderstanding.
I went to pick up my car this morning. The car would not be released to me unless I paid in full. In other words, I have paid hundreds of pounds for parts and work I didn’t ask to be done.
Insult to injury? Hell, yes. The didn’t replace the tiny piece of plastic that fell off the front door, one of the three things I did very specifically ask them to fix.
THERE’S A HOLE IN MY DOOR, DEAR RENAULT. And I’m hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
What model of Renault? There’s a known issue where the central locking rod will drop out of the locking assembly if the boot is slammed shut too hard. 15 mins with a pair of pliers to bend the end of the rod over slightly will sort this out. A new lock is completely uncalled for. IMHO you have a case against them for doing work you did not request. Unless they have the request for the work in writing then I don’t think they can insist on payment. You should have insisted that they undid the work you didn’t request, and that you would happily pay for the works you did request but ONLY when they had completed ALL of the works you did request. As they’re a main dealer, I wouldn’t mess about – just approach Renault UK direct and speak to their head of customer services… no one below that level. If you don’t get a result, email / fax the CEO / MD directly asking for a prompt reply and resolution. You may find it helpful to mention your intention of approaching TV / the press with the story if you do not get a satisfactory resolution with due speed – however try to avoid sounding excessively threatening.
I hope this helps!
Now, can you tell me why my Clio RSi starts misfiring and running very rough whenever it gets to operating temperature but is fine when it’s cooler?
I would have asked them to reverse the work and give me the car back in the condition we’d agreed (i.e. with the old door handle). And then I would pay for the work I had authorised. And if they couldn’t put the old door handle back on, that would be their problem.
You might want to contact Which? as they are quite hot on the Sale of Goods Act covering things which were not fit for purpose by virtue of not lasting as long as is reasonable – you might get them to argue your case. And a subscription to Which? would be cheaper than that door handle, and much more enjoyable.
What model of Renault? There’s a known issue where the central locking rod will drop out of the locking assembly if the boot is slammed shut too hard. 15 mins with a pair of pliers to bend the end of the rod over slightly will sort this out. A new lock is completely uncalled for. IMHO you have a case against them for doing work you did not request. Unless they have the request for the work in writing then I don’t think they can insist on payment. You should have insisted that they undid the work you didn’t request, and that you would happily pay for the works you did request but ONLY when they had completed ALL of the works you did request. As they’re a main dealer, I wouldn’t mess about – just approach Renault UK direct and speak to their head of customer services… no one below that level. If you don’t get a result, email / fax the CEO / MD directly asking for a prompt reply and resolution. You may find it helpful to mention your intention of approaching TV / the press with the story if you do not get a satisfactory resolution with due speed – however try to avoid sounding excessively threatening.I hope this helps!Now, can you tell me why my Clio RSi starts misfiring and running very rough whenever it gets to operating temperature but is fine when it’s cooler?
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