They dented my car! Im NOT happy

[CupraTgirl]

Hello everyone

I just wanted to let you know about a situation i am in with SEAT after taking my car in to have the rust looked at today! It would be good to have some opinions on what i should do as well?

Now i have been going to this SEAT garage for about 4 years (i got my first cupra from them as well) and i have never had a problem with any of these guys, they have always been really helpful and to be honest i have had a right laugh when i have gone down there, i really rated them compared with other SEAT Dealers that i have spoken to on the phone before! After today however i am never going back!

After a failry long debate about the rust, they told me that it would not be covered as it has been resprayed before and that had not been done by SEAT through Warranty or anything so must have been done privately, they said they could take it to SEAT UK to get them to make a decision but they woud have to send another 'Inspector' round who would probably tell me the same (in other words i think they were trying to fob me off)

As the Inspector was looking around my car, one of the guys came out and we were talking about it and just looking around the car, i was a bit cross that they wouldnt cover it and i told them that but after they explained it i let it go

I then had showed a couple of the others guys the car, they commented on how clean it was and asked if i did it myself etc

I went inside and asked the Manager if he could get someone to fix my Fog Light and pump my tyres up as they were too flat to drive back on, he did that straight away and took the car to the workshop! About 20 minutes later it was all done and they drove it out and parked it up (after thinking back to why they parked it up like they did it all makes sense)

I left soon after it was finished and drove home! About two hours later i came out to polish her and looked at my front wing and there is the HUGEST dent in it! It is clearly a dent from someone leaning on it, im not stupid

I called SEAT up and to no surprise of mine they denied all knowledge! I had a VERY heated discussion with them and they swore that they didnt do it, to which i argued 'Where else would it have happened?' he then came back saying 'It could have been a bird' i was like

He then retracted that comment and said that they have a policy where if someone does something to a Customers car, they have to own up to it and i said 'Oh come on, we all know that wont be the case'

Anyway we went round in circles, i asked him what i should do being in the situation im in and knowing that they did something but refuse to take liability for it, he said he didnt know! Im SO angry and upset by this, not just the fact they have ruined the wing but the fact they can take me for a complete mug and make me look stupid when i thought i had some respect from them, as if im going to just say 'Ok you dented my car but its ok' i dont think so!

If i had of known that having a new bulb and some air put in my tyres would cause this i would have left it!

Please can someone give me some advice and tell me i have a case of some sort here

 

[Triple D]

Yes, like i said before, u have a case, they need to own upto it. As anyone that knows you, they will all know how much pride you take in your car, making it look super super shiney ect, and that you would have noticed the dent. If needs be, take it to the top, as it deffinately wasnt you who did it, unless u went sooo fast that the wind did it lol. Mach 2 and the panels dent, bet seat never told you tha twhen you bought the car .

 

[jetsetjimbo]

It's a tough one and I know exactly how you feel.

Recently when mine was in the dealers they'd scuffed the wheel arch somehow - I noticed it on the forecourt, they didn't have a leg to stand on -there was still dust from whatever it had touched - and paid for a repair type bloke to come out to the house. He was very good but said he did load of work fixing damage inflicted on cars on dealers premises.

There was something I hadn't noticed however... They'd also had a pressure washer on it (testing a window seal) and had blasted laquer away from around the bump strip. on one of the rear doors. The door has been resprayed in the past by Seat before I bought it but obviously they obviously didn't take the strip off!

They subsequently denied any knowledge of using a jet wash on it (I mean how many dealers was the cars with a hose pipe and sponge??) and I'm now stuck with a door that needs a full respray.

I can only recommend you go to speak to the dealer principle (Seat UK have no holder over the dealers in situations like this) and get onto the citizens advice bureau to see where you stand.

Unless you spot it before you drive away they will ALWAYS deny it. Sad but true.

 

[Triple D]

Yes jetsetjimbo, thats kind of ecohing what i told her earlier, she did try to speak to the principle apparantley, but he wasnt available.What a bunch of lieing ba$tards though, i would be fuming

Alex, it will get sorted, one way or another

 

[J@mes]

like i told u alex... iv been in the same situation.. had 2 of my doors keys at parkstone seat in southend (dont use them! ) and they denied all responsibility!


look on the bright side... u WILL get it sorted in the end!

 

[smoothuk]

Alex, like you would have done thast yourself, you spend more time cleaning your car than i do cleaning myself..., na,, seriously, hope you get it fixed soon, did it crack the paintwork, or is iit just a clean dent that dentmaster can do for you for about 5o quid...?

 

[CupraTgirl]

Its clearly a pressure dent rather than an impact one, it has not creased or chipped it but that is not the point!

I spoke to them again this morning and spoke to the guy above the one i spoke to yesterday, he said i need to speak to the Manager who is not there until Wednesday (should have just spoken to him in the first place really) he said it wouldnt make a difference that its four days after it happened but im not convinced as i think they may try and get out of it even more

I dont know what to do really, fight my case or just swallow my pride and leave it, i just dont like being taken for a mug

 

[CH1]

Its a difficult one -as we all know you wouldn't have done it yourself but in the 2 hours after you left they (for their sake!) will say they know nothing about it and that it wasn't spotted when you left with the car. Phone SEAT customer service now -lodge a complaint -at least the call/incident will be logged and when the manager gets back all the proceeding will be in place, plus you have plenty of photos of your car as proof its in tip top condition and penty of folk who will back you up. BTW-its annoying about the rust issue, thats the problem with using non-SEAT people for re-spraying -I have a black car too and am worried about the no. of stone chips -I reckon my paint is soft and is faulty -but SEAT Head Office won't even have anything to do with it and without looking at it have said the paints not faulty! (My local SEAT dealer is helpful though and had sent the original bodywork report-so you may want to try another SEAT dealer for yor rust issue) Good Luck!

 

[Triple D]

I dont know what to do really, fight my case or just swallow my pride and leave it, i just dont like being taken for a mug

Dont you dare, If you start thinking like that, then you will never get it done, or if you'd like, next time im down, ill do the other side, at least then it wont be as noticeable.
Stick to your guns Alex and dont stop untill it is sorted out !!!!!!

 

[The MoffMeister]

hi not sure if this helps but read my post below ya as i had the same prob with another dealer.
also no offence take a man with you or something i know that some places dont take women seriously, but in short i complained and they done it without question resprayed back bumper and fixed rear arch, just give them verbal i bloody well would.. hope it helps

 

[Copper Cupra]

I was in the same situation a few years back when I had my old 1.4 Ibiza.
It was only a month old, and took it into the dealer for some warranty work, which they didn't do... When it came out of the workshops I went to leave, and noticed a parking sized dent in the drivers door. It was obvious from where the car was parked, it hadn't happened, and from looking at the level of the ramps in the garage, it was obvious it had been openned onto a post of the ramp. Anywa after long heated discussions with the Dearler principle, and garage manager, I got know where and they didn't seem to care, which seems the norm for most dealers unfortunately! After this I contacted Seat Customer Services, they looked into it, and never really came up with anything, and the dispute never got sorted...
Hopefully yours will get dealt with better than mine though!

 

[J@mes]

alex... NAME AND SHAME!

 

[Triple D]

alex... NAME AND SHAME!

Yes Alex, name and shame them

 

[m0rk]

alex... NAME AND SHAME!

Yeah - great

Then yet another dealer can send us an email threatening to sue us.

Ensure your facts are correct, and proveable please.

 

[V5Ade]

I'm really sorry to hear your sorry story, I would be really pissed!
Unfortunatley unless someone at the garage admits that they caused the dent I doubt that you will have a sucsessfull claim. However don't give them an easy time.
Contact the manager of the dealership and just explain your story. He/she will know the people that work there and know who may try to hide something like. The may end up being reasonable (it will only cost them £35 to arrange paintless dent removal), it's a slim chance, but worth a shot.
Don't name and shame unless they sort it out for you.

 

[J@mes]

Yeah - great

Then yet another dealer can send us an email threatening to sue us.

Ensure your facts are correct, and proveable please.

how can you get sued for someone elses comments mark?!


reason y i said name and shame is because in this day and age this sort of thing SHOULD NOT be tolerated!

iv been in the same situation and its not nice!

 

[m0rk]

how can you get sued for someone elses comments mark?!

Because they can be deemed as our responsibility as the hosts - and more than a couple of threatened Libel. Except the stupid ass dealers who threaten Slander instead.

 

[J@mes]

sounds like scare tactics to me!

 

[m0rk]

Want to take the risk?

Normally it's down to their misunderstanding though

 

[CupraTgirl]

Is this enough proof?

I think everyone that has seen my car can vouch for how i look after it and also how it looked on Thursday night at the Herts meet and i polished it Friday morning before i left for SEAT and it was not there then