Garages eh? - Car related
 

I took my car in for a service and an MOT last week.

I knew that the front brake pads needed replacing, and with Mrs Jools not working at the moment through illness, I decided to save a bit of money and fit the pads myself. It was an easy peasy job that only took me an hour or so.

Now, because Mrs Jools had been in hospital and I was rushing around like a headless chicken in March, I'd missed the cars first MOT appointment in late March, didn't get round to booking it in for a few weeks so I had SORN'd the car for a couple of weeks until I could get it sorted out instead of taxing it from 1st April.

Net result was that with an untaxed car only driveable to the pre-booked MOT, it hadn't turned a wheel since the new pads were fitted until I drove it the 8 miles to it's service and MOT.

What do you know but I got a call from the garage saying they'd done a standard service, but that the front brake pads looked like they'd only got 1000 miles left on them and did I want them to change them "should only cost another £80 or so, sir". The guy was quite surprised when I told him I'd changed them myself for brand new ones the weekend before and they'd only done 8 miles and that I expected the pads to last more than 1008 miles :flame:

"I'll go and check the service sheet" he said, and came back on the phone a couple of minutes later saying "oh, you're quite right sir...our mistake".

Just shows though, unless I had been certain about the state of the pads I'd have just coughed up another £80 or so without a quibble

Report them to the local trading standards Jools,I did this to a local Kwik fit,turns out they were well known by trading standards for stuff just like this,it'll go onto a report sheet and even if no action is taken, at least they'll get hassle from it which will be a shot across the bows for the future.
This stuff goes unreported far too often,its deception and theft and garages should be brought to account for it.
My Kwik fit quotation of over £600 was sorted by a local garage for £80 including the MOT.

...and then you reported him to Trading Standards?