Thinking of suing garage...any thoughts? Options

[broderp]

I have been having a garage do the welding work for my Celica.

See my thread here:
http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=88228&hl=

All was well, until I got my car home. It all looked ok from the outside, but I noticed that the part they welded that supports the headlights and the bumper cover was crooked. They told me all the parts fit and the bumper goes on just fine, but in fact it didn't. When I went to install my headlights, the metal support was rubbing very tightly on the headlight.

I managed to install the bumper cover, but fit ok on the left side but there were huge gaps on the right were most of the damage was. There were other smaller issues as well, but this was major.

I took it back and showed them everything. They said they would fix it. I got the car back 4 days later. It looked great and I drove off. It rained and the weather was bad, so I didn't work on the car for a few days. I open the hood to see what work I needed to do and I find that they didn't fix any of the crooked welding. They simply replaced the oem bolts with long generic ones and used washers to force the cover up into the proper position!

I could have done that! Am I wrong in expecting them to be able to weld the part and weld it correctly? Or am I over reacting?

I'll post the pictures when I get a moment.

[Box]

I'd ask them about why they did what they did, before taking any drastic measures. One would think a competent body man would be able to get it to where it was at least not blatantly obvious.

[Special_Edy]

Yeah dont go in there angry, making a scene is your ace in the hole when all else fails.

Act stupid about it first, so you can draw information out of them. "oh this looks funny but I cant figure out whats wrong, why dont you come tell me with your enormous wealth of knowledge". Dont let the guy bull**** you but act niave and get him to admit what they did wrong and fix it.

If that fails you can try to contact someone more powerful in the company.

When nothing else works you can threaten to put them out of business if they refuse to fix it for you. Standing out front of a business with a sign and shouting at anybody who walks in their door gets the point across.


Dont take them to court unless you absolutely have to, its the hardest way for you to get what you want here: your money or your moneys worth

This post has been edited by Special_Edy: Dec 28, 2012 - 5:18 PM

[kmad86]

Give them a chance.

Whatever you do, document document document.


I think this was my first post in about 8 years, lol

This post has been edited by kmad86: Jan 3, 2013 - 2:49 AM

[Galcobar]

Documentation is indeed your friend -- photographs are crucial. I also suggest getting comparison photographs of undamaged versions of the various parts so you can demonstrate what is wrong.

Suing is the last option, not least because it's expensive and slow. Attempt to resolve the issue -- and after each meeting, send an e-mail summarizing the issues, any discussion had in person or over the phone, and what was agreed to happen next, or what you see as deficiencies still to be corrected. Better yet, start the discussion via e-mail and try to elicit explanations before going back in person to engage in verbal (aka undocumented) discussions. If you do sue, this documentation is proof you acted in good faith and tried to resolve the situation before resorting to the courts.

If personal discussions don't work, try the Better Business Bureau. If the shop values its reputation this can be an effective tool, and adds an objective third party. Further, if the BBB decides to cite the business as failing to offer satisfaction you can use this in any lawsuit.

You might also look into whether any of your local media are interested in consumer advocacy. The glare of the camera lights often has a salutary effect on the business' disposition.

This post has been edited by Galcobar: Jan 5, 2013 - 9:26 AM