I have had two weeks of incompetence and deniability from two major companies.
My Peugeot vehicle, one morning, refused to start. I knew the battery was at fault - flat.
I called the RAC out and sure enough all that was needed was a jump start of the battery.
The chap that visited, advised me to run my car regularly, as batteries can stall with weeks of non use. My car however is used every day, so this seemed illogical.
Four days went by, with the car starting fine, and then the fifth day, nothing. "Click click" was all the car emitted as I turned the ignition key. The battery was flat again.
Another RAC man came out, and mentioned the non use being a cause, but I explained it is used daily, and not just short little trips - I cover a fair few miles!
He said there must be something draining the battery when the engine is off.
I have no modifications or adaptations on the car, and I do not leave lights or similar, on.
I then thought it must be the radio unit. A few months before, my radio had been disconnected by Peugeot, as it had fused when I was driving one day, and smoke poured out of the air vents.
They wanted £350 for a new unit! I declined. Far too expensive for me to outlay on.
So I requested they disconnect it. According to their service sheet, they did. The unit stayed in the car though.
So, I booked the car in to my local Peugeot main dealer, the same place I got the car from last year.
After 24 hours they told me that it had to be a faulty battery that would need replacing. However, the warranty does not cover batteries. I told them I thought it was the radio unit. There was no other electrical output that could be the cause, as they claimed they had checked.
Despite this being 2013, the man on the service department desk, looked at me as if I was a moron from the planet Moron1. He told me, in that wonderfully condescending tone that some people in customer focused jobs employ, ( eg doctor's receptionists), that it could not be that.
I called Motability, who I got the car through, as J is registered severally disabled, and they said they would not pay for a battery, as it should be covered by the warranty.
I was stuck between these two companies, both claiming the other was liable.
This car is under one year old. Surely there should be guidelines for cars, where a standard expectation of reliability of parts is covered up to a year. But it seems the small print of the warranty, gave Peugeot a get out of jail free card, and they were legally able to shrug their shoulders and say hard luck.
I raised a complaint with the main head quarters of Peugeot UK, and received an appalling email from their Customer Service Manager, whose name I shall not put here.
The email had spelling mistakes, and poor grammar. It consisted of three tiny paragraphs, with a sentence in each. The email from this man basically said "tough", the warranty doesn't cover batteries.
So, I went back to Motability. They said they'd try and raise a complaint.
Meanwhile, I received an email from my local Peugeot dealer, asking me if I was happy with their service when I had taken my car in! Anyone that knows me, or who has followed my blog from the start will know this - I had to send a reply.
Two days later I received a call from the manager of the service department at my local dealer. He had been passed my email response to their customer satisfaction email.
He wanted to get to the bottom of this problem, and said he would put a new battery in, free of charge, and would take up the battle with Peugeot warranties and Motability - in effect his dealership would cover the cost, despite it not being them personally that should do - Peugeot UK should.
So in the car goes for a battery change. An hour later I am told that the car is still emitting very high electrical output when the engine is off. They checked the same model as mine, to see if it was just a quirk with them alone, but no, it was just my car. I again said I thought it was the radio unit. Again I was told it couldn't be.
They decided to keep my car and give me a courtesy car.
But, just over an hour later I received a call from Motability, who said they had been contacted by my main dealer, and the fault had been found. You've already guessed what it is haven't you?!
The radio unit.
It had not been disconnected! It had been left to run, even when the ignition was off. As I had no power to it on the main display, it was not anything I did or could have prevented. It was their mechanic originally that did not disconnect it properly, after the fuse problem.
I told the chap to disconnect it properly, as I was not paying £350 for a new unit!
I collected my car later that day, and it was fine.
I did have to speak to Mr Personality on the service desk again, and the prickles he was emanating from his aura was funny. He just couldn't look me in the eye.
I am never rude, or aggressive, ever.
I do however make my point clear when service is less than expected.
With him, as he seemed to have a dislike of women having an iota of knowledge about their vehicle, I smiled sweetly, and hoped he'd now upgrade me from Moron1.
I would have loved to have done the 'told you so' dance. The one Grace does in NBC's fab 1998-2005 show, Will and Grace. You can see it here or here . Both link to YouTube.
But I don't think it would have gone down too well!
I thought that was the end of it. I was happy the problem was fixed.
But I received a call yesterday from Motability. As a good will gesture for all the hassle I have been put through, through no fault of my own, they have agreed to pay for a new radio unit to be put in my car. I would call that an amicable settlement.
I always maintain that being polite is the best way to handle disagreements with companies.
Not polite in the manner of being self deprecating and apologetic, but understanding that people can make mistakes, it is human nature, and that a person in a call centre is merely the go between, and should not be abused verbally for your frustrations and anger.
And I strongly believe that if you complain about service, you should also praise it when it goes right.
I sent a thank you email to the service manager at my main dealer, and also thanked profusely the Motability chap that called me with the new radio news.
So I have a new radio unit, fully functioning. A battery that shouldn't go flat, hopefully.
And all by me keeping my cool, and sticking to my morals of not being shunted aside, no matter what excuses I am given.
