http://smmeyer.com/scribble/?p=31
In 2005 I had a nasty fender bender with a BMW on the way to Pretoria. Through insurers Outsurance, North City Panelbeaters were given the job of doing the repairs. Not only was their communication with me atrocious, but their service itself was shameful. I was ill in hospital shortly after the accident and they took advantage by shelving my repair job until I insisted after a month that they get on with it. I flew back to cape town and they delivered the car via road freight. It arrived:
- without my radio-cd player
- without the right-hand front headlight globe
- with a non-functional air conditioner
- with a non-functional interior light
- with complimentary finger marks on the interior roof lining
However, what I only discovered now after my gear-box conked in was that they replaced the right-hand CV shaft with a non-standard part that was too long. This caused irregular strain on the CV Joint which eventually has cracked so now that and the shaft had to be replaced as well. If this CV had come apart while doing 120 km / hour on the N1 freeway I might have been killed.
Because I was ill at the time and lacked mobility what with a broken hip and collar bone, I did not have the luxury of inspecting their work. It seems that unscrupulous people like North City Panelbeaters will take advantage of this and do sub-standard work, probably hoping to maximise profit from the insurance payout.
Note to self:
- always inspect your vehicle for obvious visual signs of poor workmanship
- get a written service report with a detailed breakdown
- AND COMPLAIN IF YOU’RE NOT HAPPY
- AND KEEP ON COMPLAINING UNTIL YOU ARE HAPPY