Kwik Fit - Ignoring Complaints!

[thecleverb]

I am having a terrible time with Kwik Fit. I had an issue with my car pulling a little to the left on motoryways. My usual garage was too busy to do my tracking and alignment and stupidly instead of waiting I popped into Kwik Fit on Cheltenham Road, Bristol.

 

They told me my car was "seriously misaligned" and showed me a graph to show the before and after of resetting my tracking. The graph had text highlighted in green where the setup was good, and red where it was not, detailing several measurements of suspension and wheel settings. The only thing was, the after graph is covered in red, and the guy told me that the two graphs had printed the wrong way around, so my car was now perfectly set up.

 

Anyway, I drove home through traffic at 10mph and didn't notice and issue, but on my way to a client in Bracknell the next morning, the car was terrifying. I had set off in rush hour, during the recent storms, so again, I was crawling from Bristol until nearly at the M4 turnoff to Bath.

 

The car was squirming when I braked, pulling constantly to the left, so much in fact that to change lanes all I needed to do was let go for a second. The car was not safe, the Bracknell Kwik Fit refused to assist, saying the car was fine after checking it but refusing to give me a computer readout of whatever they had found.

 

I called head office, was fobbed off. I had to trailer the car home at great expense as it wasnt safe, and then pay a real mechanic to fix the car. They told me it was seriously dangerous in its state and that I was lucky to have not crashed. They also got another garage to give me a second opinion, they agreed.

 

I have sent several emails to the idiots at Kwik Fit, called as well. They seem intent on ignoring me after acknowledging the complaint. Emails copied below. I am posting these both as a warning to others as well as a cry for help. I could have had a crash and hurt or killed other people, and in the opinion of the two independent garages the Kwik Fit technicians at Bristol and Bracknell were both incompetent, they may have fancy kit, but they dont know how to use it.

 

Can anyone help? They even ignored a "Letter Before Action" making me think I am totally wasting my time complaining. All emails below have been anonymised...

 

Email One, Sent 11:26AM 11/2/14

Hello

 

I had the misfortune of using your Bristol Cheltenham road centre yesterday.

 

Your guys allegedly found my tracking "seriously out" and said this was causing a pull to the left. I had not noticed this, the car was largely fine.

 

When I took the car home, just around the corner and didn't notice anything untoward.

 

However when I took the car in the motorway today it was terrifying and frankly dangerous. The car was pulling to the left badly, putting me and other road users in danger. You have made my car much much worse than it was before.

 

I went into your Bracknell store where the centre manager didn't even know what basic steering components were. I explained I had a new drag link and trailing arms, he asked what they were.

 

They had a look and claimed the car was safe despite admitting it was pulling. They refused to assist, refused to give me the customer service number and refused me any help. This was despite your own Hunter equipment showing red out of alignment readings on the front camber.

 

I am shocked and disgusted at the lack of service, lack of care and unprofessional attitude of your staff. I now face arranging a trailer to get my vehicle home at great cost, and a repeat cost of taking my car to a real mechanic who actually knows their way around a car.

 

I want to know what you intend to do about this. I am considering legal action against your firm for my costs, time and any damage caused to my car by your apparent negligence.

 

Email Two, Recieved 13:28 14/2/14

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: customer services

To: ">

Sent: Friday, 14 February 2014, 13:28

Subject: RE: Complaint regarding

 

 

Dear Mr your concern was registered on our systems following your contact to us by phone.

We have engaged our Operations Managers with responsibility for the Bristol and Bracknell garages to look into the background of the visits and work done at our two centres and will contact you in response when we have an understanding of the situation,

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us and allowing us the opportunity to investigate.

Our reference is 979377

 

Kwik-Fit Customer Service

Email Three, Sent 14:41 19/2/14

----- Forwarded Message -----

From:

To: customer services

Sent: Wednesday, 19 February 2014, 14:41

Subject: Letter Before Action - Complaint regarding

 

 

Dear Sir/Madam

 

 

 

 

It has now been 8 days since I raised a complaint with yourselves, despite a promise of action I have had no response from your firm. I find this unprofessional.

 

 

I have had to spend time and money rectifying the damage caused by mistakes made by your technical staff and have evidence and independent testimony to verify this.

 

 

You have until the close of business (5PM) on the 26th February to contact me by phone and arrange a solution to the issues caused and my out of pocket expenses directly caused by the work you did, to be backed up in email by the close of business on the 27th February (5PM). If contact and resolution are not forthcoming I will pursue legal action against your company and will seek to recover:

 

 

1. My costs

2. Compensation for my time and inconvenience

3. Significant compensation for the danger caused to me and my passengers from your faulty work.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Email Four Sent 26/2/14

----- Forwarded Message -----

From:

To: customer services ;

Sent: Wednesday, 26 February 2014, 15:33

Subject: Re: Letter Before Action - Complaint regarding

 

Dear Sirs

 

 

I write with reference to my claim against your company.

 

 

Please can I have a response to the letter I sent you on the 19th February?

 

 

Kind regards

[Sidewinder]

Are you on Twitter? A link to this thread or a rant to @KwikFitCS may well produce a more speedy response than an email - companies tend to not like negative publicity in the public domain.

 

Failing that I would call their bluff and make an MCOL claim - although you would be limited to damages only and not compensation for distress or the 'risk' of injury to yourself and passengers. Certainly I would claim for transporting the vehicle plus the cost of putting right the work that Kwik-Fit carried out incorrectly. Make sure that you have written evidence of any independent inspections which were carried out and that those who did so are reputable and suitably qualified to express such an opinion.

[thecleverb]

Are you on Twitter? A link to this thread or a rant to @KwikFitCS may well produce a more speedy response than an email - companies tend to not like negative publicity in the public domain.

 

Failing that I would call their bluff and make an MCOL claim - although you would be limited to damages only and not compensation for distress or the 'risk' of injury to yourself and passengers. Certainly I would claim for transporting the vehicle plus the cost of putting right the work that Kwik-Fit carried out incorrectly. Make sure that you have written evidence of any independent inspections which were carried out and that those who did so are reputable and suitably qualified to express such an opinion.

 

 

 

Hi, thanks for your reply. I have already tried giving them a going over on Twitter, account name benjyjsmith, it was utterly ignored. Seems these guys don't care what people think about them. I do have evidence and receipts for the other work carried out, and the other garages are reputable local firms with years of trading behind them.

 

 

I am surprised the Kwik Fit Rep on here has not taken the time to respond. Maybe they feel their marketing spend will negate the bad press they get from former customers!

 

 

The sad thing is, if they had been able to rectify the issues in Bracknell, I would have just dropped the whole thing. I don't want an argument, but big companies like this make me so angry when they rip me off and then offer no way to complain. Do you know what you get when you call any number linked to the company? The same call centre staffed by incredibly rude people, when I got through to a head office switchboard they actually hung up on me.

 

 

These guys make me sick!

[Sidewinder]

 

I am surprised the Kwik Fit Rep on here has not taken the time to respond. Maybe they feel their marketing spend will negate the bad press they get from former customers!

 

 

 

Absolutely - although in their defence they may not automatically pick up the thread, even though the title has been posted to Twitter. I have asked their Web Team Representative to look in

[thecleverb]

Absolutely - although in their defence they may not automatically pick up the thread, even though the title has been posted to Twitter. I have asked their Web Team Representative to look in

 

 

 

Thank you very much for your help!

[king12345]

I suggest that all people conned by kwik fit form an association and march to their head office.

Oh no, maybe that's not a good idea, half of the country would take the day off to attend!

[Nicwjc]

CB - did you sue in the end? (I'm about to that is why I ask)

 

N