My Tale of Woe :-(

[DaveHaze]

Hi Guys - sorry, get a coffee and get comfy - this is a long tale of woe.

I have had my DS3 for just under a month and i love everything about it - except for the problems i have had :-(

When i picked up the car on the 30th June i was immediatly in love with it, sorted out the details with the dealership and drove off the forecourt with my old man in the passenger seat - then problem 1. The sensor for the passenger seat sounded the alarm whether the seatbelt was done up or not, as soon as it sensed weight it sounded - i turned around and went back - the dealership looked at it and brought it back telling me they had fixed it. Drove off home without thinking twice about it. Next day my brother got in the car and as i drove off i noticed his belt wasnt done up - they had disabled the sensor not fixed it.
Fast forward to the 8th July, driving home from Newport to Cardiff and the service light comes on, checked in the error log on the Stereo unit and it was an engine fault. Drove past my house straight back to the dealership and told them about the error and the fact that the sensor was turned off. Was told (because of the time - 5:30pm) that they couldnt look at it and the fault was not a major issue and i could continue driving the car until i could book it in to be looked at. Next suitable date was the 18th - not happy but accepted.
18th July and i took my car into the servicing dept. the sales team that i had dealt with had issued me with a loan car for the day - but the servicing team tried to charge me for insurance on the loan vehicle - what kind of warranty service is that. After a bot of an argument they agreed to waiver the insurence and let me on my way. Through their insurance i was covered from 7am to 5pm. So off to work i do go. At 4pm i hadnt recieved a phonecall so i called them, and they informed me that my car had been ready since 2pm and i could collect it - thats great except that rush hour from newport to cardiff would take me longer to get through than 1 hour - queue another argument with the service team, who then assured me that they had extended the cover to the next day "just in case". Got to the dealer at 4:50, and headed to the service dept to pick up my car. Was informed of the following:

• The seat sensor needs replacing, and they didnt have the parts (so my car has to go back in).
  The engine fault was due to an air pipe never being fitted to the engine - it had now been fitted and shouldnt be a problem.

No i had to arrange for my car to go back in (booked in for the 29th) - low and behold the service department again tried to charge me the £10 insurance - well to say i was a bit miffed is an understatement - so i went to see the sales team that sold me the car. The head of sales couldnt believe the problems i am having, or the fact that they tried to charge me for the cover - so he said he would charge that to sales.

OK so....at least there is an end in sight. Or so i hoped, driving home last night the engine service light came on again with the same error as before !!!!

What options do i have left open to me! :mad:

DaveH

[Petewete]

Jesus.......
Well, i wouldnt know where to start!

[rowl-69]

Take it back, throw the f#@*ing keys at him & tell him you want your money back !!!!

[ZACK]

Use A Different Dealer Mate !

You Can Get Warranty Work Done For Free At Any Citroen Dealership !

Who Are You Using ?

I Recommend You Take It To Thomas & Davies Up In Merthyr - Top Guys !

[Petewete]

lol ^^^^^ that could well be the best option!

[Bigfeet]

These issues are from a poorly carried out PDI process on your DS3. Best advice is to make a note of the problems with the car for when it is booked in, once collected make sure that you check all the issues BEFORE you leave the dealership. Hopefully that will be the end of it and you can get back to enjoying your car.

In regards to the courtesy cover it's not that uncommon for Workshops to charge, but in this case because the issue has arisen from poor prep the charge should be waived as you have already stated.

On an edited footnote, don't go in and shout and scream at your dealer as this will get you nowhere, always be polite but firm about what you expected to be resolved. That way you are more likely to get your issues sorted quickly rather then creating friction with the dealership.

[rowl-69]

Bigfeet is right... I do have a 3 second fuse !!

[Bigfeet]

Bigfeet is right... I do have a 3 second fuse !!

Lol!! Wasn't aiming at you..... honest!

[Graham225]

Give your dealership one final chance to sort out your woe's, but make them aware that if it is'nt sorted once and for all they will leave no choice but to reject the car. Stating it's not fit for purpose.

[jc_boc]

I agree with Graham. Keep a record of all these issues and every time the car goes in and ask for a detailed report from the dealers every time you get the car back. It pays to keep records of stuff like this and if the issue persists you have every right to reject the car as unfit for purpose. Alternatively as requested, try another dealer who may hopefully be a little more on top of things and willing to actually get some thing done about the problem. Also as said, don't scream and shout and cary on like a lunatic that has just escaped from an assylum. Keep calm but be firm and don't let them try and talk you out of any decisions you have made. i would push for a little compensation too for the hassle the dealer has put you through, maybe 1 or 2 freebies for your motor.

[Faxo]

Just use a different dealer, but tell the 'new' dealer all the problems with the 'old' dealer, it gets the rivalry going!

I love finding faults other dealers are meant to have fixed, then telling tales on them lol

[Yellow]

Yep another dealer is the answer. It's the only way the bad Citroen dealers will be found out. That and a letter to Citroen UK and France of course

[x6411]

We were charged for using a Courtesy car with Peugeot before.. but it was a charge from our insurance to add the car on to the policy, as the courtesy car was more expensive than our car at the time.. £6

[CliveP]

Ideally you would have refused delivery on day 2. I got all my money back on a car for a squeak, but let's just say I know a thing or two about the law.

However it is not too late - put it in writing now that it is unacceptable, your view is you have not accepted a car in a suitable condition since taking delivery and you want a complete replacement brand new car or your money back, plus compensation for your inconvenience. Send this to the supplying dealer (this is who you have the legal contract with), and also to Citroen UK head office, both recorded delivery.

You have a good history there to support your argument, they will argue you accepted delivery.

Put it very clearly what you want.

Regards,
Clive.

ps as above, no screaming or shouting or swearing, just very clear and very business like.

[Bigfeet]

One last suggestion after reading all the posts above.

Just let the dealer sort it out for you, all this talk of rejection and the law is not worth the effort. Legally the dealer is allowed to resolve the issues first before rejection is agreed and to be honest the two faults you have described are easily sorted, your dealer is more likely to suffer with the egg on it's face than anything else.

In this case all that has happened is that your car went through a poor prep and the quality control of the dealership shows holes. It's all very easy for us club members to become the 'keyboard warriors' and wave the torches and pitch forks...

Speak with your dealer as I first suggested and let us know how you get on.




(psst in case you haven't figured it out I work in the motor trade and have done for over 11 years now )