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Cowboy Garage Owner
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By *izzy. OP Woman
over a year ago
Stoke area |
For the last 9 years I have taken my camper van to the same garage. Bloke I trusted. Paid out hundreds of pounds over the years on welding and other jobs.
Went to a different garage recently and was furious to learn my van had not been welded and the garage owner had repaired the floor of my camper with corrugated cardboard and glue 
I have been driving a vehicle with extensive corrosion to huge areas of the floor including the chassis, a miracle my teenage kids did not suddenly drop through the floor as I drove up the motorway.
What I need advise on is.....who do I report this crooked, dangerous idiot garage owner to?
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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DoT and Vosa - if he's done that level of poor work it should never have passed an MOT.
If it did and he was the one ensuring it did then he's committed a number of offences. |
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Trading Standards first - they instigate any prosecutions. I worked on loads for clocking, cut & shuts, false advertising & bad repairs.
New garage will have to give a statement.
I'm assuming (as we're precious about our vans) that you have all receipts for work previously done? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"I cant belive cowboys like this are still around. Does my nut in. "
There is a consumer affairs programme on Welsh TV called X Ray and there are always dodgy garage owners and mechanics on there |
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By *izzy. OP Woman
over a year ago
Stoke area |
"Your van may be forced off the road while this gets sorted"
There is no way I would consider driving it 100 yards now I am aware what a dangerous state it is in.
It will be scrapped. It is beyond repair. But I am keeping it off the road at the new garage, incase it is needed as evidence in an investigation. I have all the receipts and MOT certificates. It has been declared SORN.
I am really grateful for peoples input regards this. Thanks everyone xx |
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By *olgateMan
over a year ago
on the road to nowhere in particular |
"Your van may be forced off the road while this gets sorted
There is no way I would consider driving it 100 yards now I am aware what a dangerous state it is in.
It will be scrapped. It is beyond repair. But I am keeping it off the road at the new garage, incase it is needed as evidence in an investigation. I have all the receipts and MOT certificates. It has been declared SORN.
I am really grateful for peoples input regards this. Thanks everyone xx"
 good luck |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Maybe he was taught by the guy I bought that damn Bedford Beagle many years ago back in the 80s. The previous owner painted it with a sticky masticky gunk. I took it for it's MOT and they stuck the screwdriver through it and the masticky, sticky gunk fell away exposing some yellowing newspaper.
Needless to say it failed. I'd paid the princely sum of £ 100 for it. What a heap that was. |
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By *izzy. OP Woman
over a year ago
Stoke area |
"It's unbelievable that someone could put other people's lives at risk because they wanted to make a fast buck 
Hope you get it sorted soon OP "
Thanks. I want the guy investigated and stopped from ripping other people off. The wasted money is bad enough, but the fact he put my kids lives at risk because they always sat in the back is disgusting and he must be stopped. |
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By *izzy. OP Woman
over a year ago
Stoke area |
"Do you have any receipts he gave you? Will help"
I have every receipt, every MOT for the 9 years I have owned it. Including the one when it failed the MOT because of corrosion and including the £800 receipt for the welding supposedly carried out. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Without being too much of a pedant it's the DVSA now, not VOSA. It's all changed (same dog different kennel I suppose). These guys regularly do spot checks on garages that do MOTs. If yours was MOT'd there and passed when it's indisputable that the welding would have been a factor elsewhere, they'll look at it.
You'll get their details on the .gov website.
Good luck!
F |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Make sure you are not being charged storage charges by the new garage otherwise you may end up with another "unexpected" bill good luck in recovering your losses .... "
This is what I was thinking after reading the thread. |
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By *izzy. OP Woman
over a year ago
Stoke area |
"Without being too much of a pedant it's the DVSA now, not VOSA. It's all changed (same dog different kennel I suppose). These guys regularly do spot checks on garages that do MOTs. If yours was MOT'd there and passed when it's indisputable that the welding would have been a factor elsewhere, they'll look at it.
You'll get their details on the .gov website.
Good luck!
F"
Thanks for that. Will check it out tomorrow.  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Do you have any receipts he gave you? Will help
I have every receipt, every MOT for the 9 years I have owned it. Including the one when it failed the MOT because of corrosion and including the £800 receipt for the welding supposedly carried out."
its time to kick ass! |
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Good luck. They really rely on it not being worth people's effort when they realise how difficult it is to actually carry through with a private case with no legal aid.....
But if you're absolutely determined then you should go for it.
Remember even if you finally win your case and get a court order for him to pay.... He may not.
You can do it, but it ain't easy.
Hope you succeed.
Another idea if you can't carry through the case is a campaign in your local paper. |
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"Good luck. They really rely on it not being worth people's effort when they realise how difficult it is to actually carry through with a private case with no legal aid.....
But if you're absolutely determined then you should go for it.
Remember even if you finally win your case and get a court order for him to pay.... He may not.
You can do it, but it ain't easy.
Hope you succeed.
Another idea if you can't carry through the case is a campaign in your local paper."
And contact your local MP!! But, Trading Standards first x |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The garage hopefully will be made to pay your money back and closed !!!
Not only have they put you and your family in very real danger but everyone else who uses the roads near you as an accident could have occurred at anytime by the sound of it ?
This could have ended up with you being in trouble for the state of your vehicle?
Feel for you but hope that you put this idiot out of business! Guaranteed if he's doing this too you there will be more out there with dodgy motors from his garage ??
Don't scrap it thought you could sell for spares and get more from it ? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Write them a letter stating your grievances and what you want (money back etc) and a date at which you want this done by. State in the letter that if they fail to do so you will be be forced to reclaim your money back via the small claims court. If it goes to small claims go for the maximum amount claims as you may be awarded more than your claim value in damages.
I would also inform Trading Standards as to the fact that dangerous work has been completed
Good luck, and I hope you get your money back, they close the business and imprison him |
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By *izzy. OP Woman
over a year ago
Stoke area |
Latest update.....
Trading standards deal with faulty goods. I have to contact Health and Safety executive about poor service.
I have been advised by Consumer helpline that I need to phone companies, to see if it's a limited company. So I know if I am taking action against the garage or the individual.
I need to phone some insolvency number to check if business closed due to financial problems.
I need to write to him ( Don't know his full name and no idea of his address) to tell him what has happened and ask for money back that I paid for welding. Give him X days to reply or take him to small claims court.
Basically it's going to be a long process, but I cannot let him get away with repairing my van using cardboard and glue, instead of welding it !!!!
Final word. I also have two people possible interested in taking it on as a restoration project. So can sell it on and recoup some cash.
On the look out for a very cheap camper to buy, unless anyone could lend me theirs ????
Thanks again for everyone who commented previously. XXX |
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By *izzy. OP Woman
over a year ago
Stoke area |
"with regards to dvsa,you have a month to complain about a mechanical defect and 3 months for corrosion."
And how long to complain for welding you paid for that wasn't done and you only found out during the following years MOT when the cardboard he filled the hole with fell out ? |
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By *eavenNhellCouple
over a year ago
carrbrook stalybridge |
"Latest update.....
Trading standards deal with faulty goods. I have to contact Health and Safety executive about poor service.
I have been advised by Consumer helpline that I need to phone companies, to see if it's a limited company. So I know if I am taking action against the garage or the individual.
I need to phone some insolvency number to check if business closed due to financial problems.
I need to write to him ( Don't know his full name and no idea of his address) to tell him what has happened and ask for money back that I paid for welding. Give him X days to reply or take him to small claims court.
Basically it's going to be a long process, but I cannot let him get away with repairing my van using cardboard and glue, instead of welding it !!!!
Final word. I also have two people possible interested in taking it on as a restoration project. So can sell it on and recoup some cash.
On the look out for a very cheap camper to buy, unless anyone could lend me theirs ????
Thanks again for everyone who commented previously. XXX"
daft question but have you spoken with a reporter from your local rag they love this kind of story plus may bring out others who have had shoddy work done by him ? |
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"with regards to dvsa,you have a month to complain about a mechanical defect and 3 months for corrosion.
And how long to complain for welding you paid for that wasn't done and you only found out during the following years MOT when the cardboard he filled the hole with fell out ?"
The time starts from when you became aware x |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Use registered post for any mail you send so you have proof of delivery, I would give him 30 days to refund then hit him with small claims: remember when claiming your can claim for your money back and the loss in value of the camper. |
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"Use registered post for any mail you send so you have proof of delivery, I would give him 30 days to refund then hit him with small claims: remember when claiming your can claim for your money back and the loss in value of the camper. "
Under the Civil Procedure Rules post must be sent 1st class. A lot of people won't sign for post believe it or not! |
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