You may recall recent posts on service costs, where I was charged £340 for the 1st AVS service on my A3 by thieves at Smith Knight Fay in Stockport.
Well, after legal advice (from my wife who's a solicitor - handy) and the brilliant Audi maintenance spreadsheet, courtesy of David Robinson, I have got a full refund back the exact specified cost of £178.61 !!!!
The consumer rights arguements went as follows:
1. I did not ask for a quote, I asked for 'a service' which Implies an Audi recommended service as it was at an Audi franchise, thus I did not have to ask for a quote because the Audi service figures are publicly available on the internet. service costs So they cannot charge for any extras without my permission. Thus without asking it has to be 1.1 hours. Plus the extra time for changing the pollen filter is invalid as they didn't ask about that either. Or the hidden time for bu##sh#t 'extra checks over and above the audi schedule' which they didn't mention till i queried it. (or the number plate bulb £19!!)
2. The AVS oil is available for roughly £9.50 litre at other audi dealers, they charge £13.99 for a 'better brand'. They are not allowed to substitute a 'premium product' without your consent. And I only want 4.5 litres, not 5. (in future i'll buy it myself from Halfords for £30)
3. Most Important, if you ask for, and accept, a pre-work quote then you have very little recourse for being overcharged. If they say 'its £1000' and you say OK, then you're stuffed really.
Use the spreadsheet to force them to quote you that amount, or use it when they try to offer the bill to you when you pick the car up.
Cheers Dave!
Well, after legal advice (from my wife who's a solicitor - handy) and the brilliant Audi maintenance spreadsheet, courtesy of David Robinson, I have got a full refund back the exact specified cost of £178.61 !!!!
The consumer rights arguements went as follows:
1. I did not ask for a quote, I asked for 'a service' which Implies an Audi recommended service as it was at an Audi franchise, thus I did not have to ask for a quote because the Audi service figures are publicly available on the internet. service costs So they cannot charge for any extras without my permission. Thus without asking it has to be 1.1 hours. Plus the extra time for changing the pollen filter is invalid as they didn't ask about that either. Or the hidden time for bu##sh#t 'extra checks over and above the audi schedule' which they didn't mention till i queried it. (or the number plate bulb £19!!)
2. The AVS oil is available for roughly £9.50 litre at other audi dealers, they charge £13.99 for a 'better brand'. They are not allowed to substitute a 'premium product' without your consent. And I only want 4.5 litres, not 5. (in future i'll buy it myself from Halfords for £30)
3. Most Important, if you ask for, and accept, a pre-work quote then you have very little recourse for being overcharged. If they say 'its £1000' and you say OK, then you're stuffed really.
Use the spreadsheet to force them to quote you that amount, or use it when they try to offer the bill to you when you pick the car up.
Cheers Dave!
