As many people on the island already know, a local taxi operator is battling a well-known motor chain. I shall post regular updates here.
27 October – Delighted to hear that Angus Macneil MP has now taken up Mairi’s case.
Received 18 October 2011
Mr Maciver
Thank you for your latest email directed to ourselves by Heidi,
regarding some further issues surrounding the servicing carried
out on the aforementioned vehicle. To clarify the point which you
raised in your email, the vehicle was serviced by Arnold Clark
Toyota on the dates and mileage advised by myself previously.
This would not show on Volkswagen system as the service was not
carried out by an approved VW dealer. The service was carried out
by Toyota, who would carry out the service in accordance with the manufacturers’ guidelines they are unable put it onto VW system.
Regards
Peter
Customer Services
Taxi operator Mairi Murray, from Stornoway, bought her Volkswagen Passat from Arnold Clark Toyota in Aberdeen on March 25. Since then, it has had a string of severe problems which have regularly put Mairi’s taxi off the road. It is now off again and Mairi says she cannot afford to pay the thousands of pounds it will cost to repair.
It's no fare for Mairi
The first fault was a defective gearbox which, she says, was speedily replaced by Arnold Clark without question.
“Since then there have also been many other severe problems with the vehicle’s electrics affecting wipers, indicators, airbag lights and service lights as well as a defective handbrake, faulty turbo and severe flywheel problems. All put my vehicle off the road and lost me earnings.”
Mairi is now facing a bill of about £4,000 for the flywheel and turbo problems to fix her car. Arnold Clark refuses to help because it’s outside their short warranty period – and, they say, because she did 20,000 miles in four and a half months. Mairi maintains that by choosing Arnold Clark, which she believed was reputable, she ended up worse than she ever thought she could be. The finance company has also refused to help – after a briefing by Arnold Clark, of course.
Ms Murray has now lost her business and without it is worried she may soon lose her home. The Citizens Advice Bureau, the trading standards department and a local lawyer say nothing can be done. Arnold Clark’s small print is watertight.
However, after a wee bit of digging around, Arnold Clark’s claims are now looking increasingly shoogly. The main issue now is whether the car was in a reasonable condition to be sold in the first place. Initially, they gave no proof the car had ever been serviced at all although Arnold Clark now says it had two services.
However another reputable Volkswagen dealer has checked it for me today (Oct 17) and told me there was just one full service in February 2009. All other entries are repairs, not services, they tell me. Whoops. Naughty Arnold.
Arnold Clark has also failed to provide the legally-checkable service history they claim to have for the vehicle and which I requested from them 10 days ago.
One of the grounds given to Mairi for the car giant refusing to help was that she had done mileage of 20,000 miles in 4.5 months. They failed to explain why they considered that unreasonable. They knew it was to be a taxi because the temporary insurance they organised for Mairi was refused for exactly that reason.
They also claimed the taxi meter affected the electrics. Why? Er …well. Arnold Clark certainly was not told that was the case by the inspecting garage in Stornoway. Much of the car’s electrics has been and are faulty, with or without the meter, and other Passat taxis have no such problem with similar meters.
People in the trade believe Arnold Clark is clutching at straws to shirk responsibility.
Mairi thinks, a two-month warrant notwithstanding, that Arnold Clark cannot wash its hands of responsibility for what has happened to her. The car’s shocking list of serious defects have already lost her the business and without income she may lose her home too. She believes Arnold Clark sold her a car for her business that was not fit for purpose.
When I contacted Arnold Clark they claimed Mairi’s car had been serviced at 18,328 miles and then at 31,991 miles. I decided not to take their word for that. Another Volkswagen dealership on the mainland was able to get the details and dates that Arnold Clark mechanics had put on the VW computer for me. They say, no, it is not true. Computer says no. Just one service two and a half years ago and the rest of the entries are merely repairs.
Arnold Clark continues to claim: “We have no evidence of any electrical issues with the vehicle, there were no issues prior to the sale of the vehicle and we have not had the vehicle back since it left the branch.” Maybe they should have taken it back for inspection then.
“Problems with the electrics only became apparent after the fitting of the meter.” Is that proof ? Oh, you think so? In that case, the seven eight or eight serious deficiencies with the car only became apparent to Mairi after she bought it from Arnold Clark. Is that proof they sold her a dodgy car in the first place? Actually, yes it could certainly be exactly that.
Peter Kerr, from Arnold Clark customer service, writes : “I am sorry that Miss Murray feels that we are not taking an interest in her issues, however all works previously required were actioned immediately by the branch with goodwill being offered towards the repair of the gearbox although the events occurred out with our used car warranty period.”
He says: “It should be noted that the repairs previously undertaken were carried out by an approved V.W. dealer on Stornoway at Miss Murray behest. The repairing branch providing a list of required parts which were then supplied by Arnold Clark.”
Sadly, for Arnold Clark’s flagging reputation, that is not how others remember the sequence of events – and they have proof. I have now asked Arnold Clark to explain why they claimed Mairi’s car had full services if they are not even logged on the VW computer system, as required under its conditions with all dealers.
They have serious questions to answer and Mairi says she simply cannot let Arnold Clark walk away and leave her in the lurch. I can see her fighting her case a whole lot further – maybe all the way to Volkswagen itself and certainly to the national motor trade associations which Arnold Clark claims to be a member of.
I would love to know if Arnold Clark’s claim of “promises delivered” came true for you. Comments are open.
