Now I am not sure if this next blog entry is accurate and I am going on the knowledge I am aware of, so if I am incorrect please do feel free to comment.
We have a Motability car. This is the second car under the scheme. We had the first car for three years and the present car for just over a year.
With the first car, the scheme ensured the car was taken in for a service yearly, and all faults, no matter how small, where fixed at that time.
If the car developed a fault at any other time it was simple to telephone up the helpline and arrange for the car to be taken in for fixing, with a courtesy car arranged at the same time.
With the first car I did have to have it taken in for fixing as the manufacturer had made a recall of all cars of that style.
I had a little bit of hassle trying to get the mechanics to provide a courtesy car, and when they did, I was given a tiny (and I mean tiny) three door car, that had the same amount of power as an electric bike that needed to be recharged.
This time around, with the second car on the scheme, certain rules have changed.
The main one so far, which I was surprised to find out, is that the car is now not taken in for a service after its first year of use. It has been changed to only having it checked over once, in the second year.
This information was provided to me via the car dealer I obtained the vehicle through, as I had not received any notification of a scheduled service date, so had to chase it up, and was informed of the new rule.
This car dealership, a major retail brand, then proceeded to write to me, informing me of the dangers of not servicing my car, and that if I suspect a fault I should bring the car into them so they can check it over and fix it. But this is for a fee. They stated a one off fee for the service, and then the small print went on to explain the parts would be extra.
The Motability scheme is one that provides insurance, road side assistance, and all parts of the car being covered and fixed, with no cost to the car owner.
If my car were to develop a fault I would call the helpline and book it in for repair, and I would not be charged for it.
So why is this car dealership suggesting I should fork out for them to service my car and repair it? The intimation was also that if I ignored any fault the cost of repair would be far higher for me.
The letter made knowledge that I was on the Motability scheme, and so a simple error of sending me out a standard letter can be ruled out.
It appeared to me to be a company playing on the fact that these customers were at a disadvantage of requiring a Motability car in the first place, and therefore scare tactics and almost a brand of sly conning were being used to try to drum up business and profit.
I won't be naming and shaming the company on here, but anyone who knows me can see the car I drive and figure it out!
