It’s not often – if ever – that I use the blog to have a bash at Mr Corporate: I have no need to, and have worked with a number of outstanding corporates in the last 10+ years.
Until today.
The story is concerning Kwik Fit. How they attempt to sell non-required expensive items to trusting customers. How they lie about the work they carry out on customers cars. How, in one case, they even left the car as a death trap and sent the customer on their way.
That unfortunate customer was me.
I’ve given Kwik Fit management the opportunity to address the issues – by email more than 10 days ago, and back in October and November, when the regional director went round all the Kwik Fit Bristol branches to strong-arm the managers regarding their service techniques. He even moved the manager of the branch where my car was turned into a death trap to another branch regionally.
Was I, the customer, contacted at any time then? No.
Have I been contacted regarding the email below? No.
Are Kwik Fit management so concerned about risking customers’ lives they will resolve the issues? No
Customer service which risks lives – it’s always going to be worth reporting. Whatever you do, please do NOT take your car to Kwik Fit for repairs. Unless you’re happy to spend excessive money, have your time wasted, and possibly your life put at risk.
Here’s the email sent 10 days ago, to the regional director and Kwik Fit MD Ian Fraser:
I write to you further to my experiences of Kwik Fit at your Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol branch – I have included the Kwik Fit Managing Director Mr Fraser, as well as the Guardian Money consumer letters editorial contact on this email, to ensure you actually respond externally to the issues. I suspect that much of this information will be news to Mr Fraser, given your previous conduct of sweeping the issues under the carpet and not contacting me, the customer, directly to apologise and resolve this.
As you are well aware, I visited the Whiteladies Road Kwik Fit branch in October 2009, with brake pads and discs needing replacing on the rear of my mini cooper S. This work was completed the same day for £249.64. Your branch manager Robert Sandow also tried to sell me new front tyres at £325, which were, I later discovered, not actually legally necessary at that time.
Having driven my car less than three miles, I was aware of the brake warning light still being illuminated on my dashboard, as well as the rear wheels still squeaking irrespective of braking or not. I returned to the branch, where Mr Sandow informed me the electronic system on the cooper S would reset within 50 miles and that the brake pads and discs were “settling in”. Mr Sandow also informed me that it could well be the caliper needing replacing, which would cost “up to £350″ to replace. All nonsense.
At the time I was commuting to work some 150 miles North each day, and within a further 48 hours the issues had not been resolved. I contacted the Whiteladies Road garage, and was told to bring in the car for a further check.
I gave permission for the caliper part to be ordered, and was told it would be ready to be fitted on the Monday. I took time off work, losing two days’ consulting time (£600), as the caliper item which arrived 24 hours late into the Whiteladies Road was in fact the wrong size. I was told I would have to wait another 24 hours for the correct-sized caliper to be delivered to the branch – which resulted in another day off work on Tuesday.
In the interim period, I also had the work independently checked. I discovered that the brake pads had not been fitted correctly: in fact, one of the brake pads was metal only on one side, with no pad. Hitting metal-on-metal on each contact, which was of course incredibly dangerous. The fact that this work has been cleared and passed as road-worthy still makes me shudder.
Another interesting fact to come from that independent check was that the rear caliper was perfectly fine and did not need replacing. Furthermore, the brake warning light had remained on because the mechanic at Whiteladies Road had not re-connected it – a shoddy example of missing even the simplest details.
On insisting that the replacement brake pads were to be of genuine Mini/BMW quality, and not the lesser-quality pads and discs used from Unipart by Kwik Fit, Mr Sandow informed me via a telephone call he would “see what he could do, but fitting genuine parts was not usual Kwik Fit procedure” which gave me further cause for concern.
Eventually, genuine parts were fitted on the car, a number of weeks after the initial dangerous installation had been noted.
I had posted on my Bristol editor blog around my uncomfortable experiences with Kwik Fit and how dreadful and dangerous customer services were delivered. I am aware that you had read this blog post. I am aware that you subsequently visited all the Bristol branches at this time – October 2009 – and gave clear warnings to your branch managers that work was to be watched carefully, and I understand you were very concerned about the editorial contained in my blog at that time. So concerned, in fact, that at no point did you contact me, the customer.
The matter was brushed under the carpet. Mr Sandow, whom I understand previously worked as a Manager at McDonalds, was moved to another Kwik Fit branch in Filton, Bristol, however you did not contact me at any time leading up to the end of 2009 to ensure the matters were resolved to my complete satisfaction.
I had been hoping to hear from you, as I have been subjected to poor customer service, dangerous mechanical work on my car, no offer of recompense for working time lost, the insult of mis-diagnosis of the faults on my car, not to mention attempts to sell me items for my car which were not needed. You do not seem concerned that your staff had turned my car into a death trap, wasted my time and cost me money, as well as not addressing the issues directly with me, the customer, and offering an apology and some kind of recompense.
Although I have deleted the blog post from October, if I do not receive a satisfactory result from this email, I will re-post the updated experiences on my Bristol Editor blog, covering your lack of customer service after a Kwik Fit branch effectively turned my car into a death trap.
Just so you know, my Bristol Editor is read by approximately 300 people daily, and is featured three times per week on www.journalism.co.uk, the UK’s premiere journalism website, where a considerable number of national newspaper journalists and editors review the content for story leads and articles regularly.
I also have a Twitter feed with more than 1,100 followers – a mix of customers, journalists, editors, online reporters etc. I will have no hesitation in also posting this unresolved story there. As you will see, I have included the Guardian Money editorial contact in this email, so their consumer affairs contact can review the information and contact me directly should they feel the story is of interest. I hope to hear from you within the next 7 days, or unfortunately I will be forced to post the details online.
I will also consider posting my experience on Review sites such as:
http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/transport-automobile-services/kwik-fit/1384001/
Please reply in writing only, via this email address, as I am not prepared to engage in unrecorded telephone conversations. I am giving you the opportunity to resolve this with a written email proposing solutions. I hope that you take appropriate action this time, rather than attempting to keep it as an internal matter, and not contacting the customer directly with an offer of resolution.
Not even as much as an apology has thusfar been offered. I am, indeed, ‘amazed at what you do’.
Regards,
i have more than a lot to say about SLOW KWIK -FIT .
my english is not that good in writing but i would like to shere that story .
its aberdeen- scotland kwik-fit branch that i gave my car to do mot . they said whill barring is due to be change so dhey did it !!! they fuck up the tred first . so whole cv joint had to be replace now . i gone on the short trip after that …. what huppend ??? RAC had to bring me 40 miles from outside aberdeeen because cv joint was wrongly fitted. yesterday in the morning they said that it is their folt . but when i come to see my car today i i have seen my car dismemberd and one of employe say that it was something else .
Had my brakes checked at kwik fit cambridge…..quoted £323 for hoses, pads,discs and a recon caliper…i thought that was a bit suspect as i am a qulified mechanic…so i took it to ATS,£30 for a brake check….NO WORK NEEDED DOING…my brakes were fine…….i’m all up for ruining Kwik Fits reputation…..much more than they attempted to ruin my bank account!!!!!
I have already shared my story on the anti Kwik Fit Facebook page (if you haven’t joined, please do – an no, I do not run the page!), however, I want as many people as possible to know how underhand this company is.
I took my car for a routine MOT and service whilst 6 months pregnant. The car had less than 19,000 miles on the clock, was used no more than once a week for short journeys and had a full service history from the manufacturer. I got a call, where the Kwik Fit employee sounded very concerned that my tyres were “borerline legal” and that the brake pads and discs were “wearing dangerously low and should be replaced as soon as possible”. Those are not phrases you want to hear when you are expecting your first child! I know nothing about cars, but I do recall thinking it was very suspect that Suzuki hadn’t mentioned that any of these things were beginning to wear out. But, hey, Kwik Fit are the “boys to trust”, aren’t they? So, naively, I paid out the best part of £600 (money put aside for baby items).
Then I saw Watchdog. My gut instinct had been right and I had been well and truly ripped off, just like so many others. I complained to the area manager, but as I had not asked for the old parts (yes, every preganant woman wants to take home old tyres, brake pads and discs for inspection!), they said nothing could be done. They thought that patronising me by going through the accompanying paper work over the phone (obviously written to tie in with what they were telling me about the condition of the parts) would make me say “Oh! ok then, if the paper work says so, it must be true!”. When that failed I was offered vouchers. I told them to shove them. I will NEVER go near the place again, and will urge everyone I know to boycott them too.
I was concerned about my rear brakes making a particular grind. So I recently visited the Bury New Road, Kwik-Fit branch in Salford.
Obviously knowing that Kwik-Fit provides a free brake report, I stupidly decided to go ahead with it- to see what needed doing.
In the process of getting checked, it was less than ‘quick’, other customers came in after me and was looked after before they went to my car. Until I gave the Supervisor some stern looks, he only realised that he should take my car for inspection next.
After waiting for 1.5 hours, the brake report came back. On the report, there was a long mention of the various ‘required’ issues that needed fixing! From a simple grinding noise, which was obviously the brakes wearing out turned out to be an issue that needed a new caliper, a new disc, brake fluid and so on. The quoted price came up to £490. I said that was impossible, then he said he could move it to £420. I said no thanks! As it was obviously a lot of things didn’t need to be done!!!
I went a step further by taking my car to another garage, they mentioned that nothing was required AT ALL!
I am fuming that Kwik-Fit still, after a lot of media exposure about their cowboy operations still manages to run their business this way!
Where is the business sense in these guys?! Where are Kwik-Fit’s ethics?!
However, I know for a FACT that I won’t be going back to Kwik-Fit. Other than taking my parent’s automatic car in and ask them to look at a ‘clutch’ issue I have and see what rubbish they can come up with!
My friend Josh works at the Kwik fit in Exmouth, Devon. He has been an apprentice there for two years and has recently graduated. I took my car to him many times as he was a friend and I hoped I wouldn’t be ripped off.
One day, I took my car in to be checked as I was heading to a festival in a couple days and wanted to make sure my car was okay for the road. After 15 minutes of waiting, the man came back and said there were two nails in my back two tires.
“That’s odd, how did they get there, can i see?” So i went round to the workshop and saw these two gold nails directly in the center of my back two tires. They weren’t scratched so they had clearly not been driven on for very long…if at all.
So I had to get my tires replaced costing me £120 roughly.
I met my friend Josh at the pub and told him that I was in kwik fit that day, he wasn’t working as it was his day off. I told him i thought they had purposely put the nails in my tires so i would have to get new ones. And he pulled a face and said “yeah they probably did.”
he admitted to me, face to face, that his company purposely put nails in peoples tires so they buy more. Not only that, but he told me that if you have an expensive car like a Jag, they would purposely savatage the tires and breaks as they cost more to repair.
This is an employee of Kwik fit that told me this. I urge every one of you NOT to take your cars there. They are seriously trying to rob you, and put your lives in danger.
I stumbled upon this letter after searching for Kwik Fit tyre prices, while Kwik fit did leave your brakes in a shocking state I get the feeling from reading your email that all you are after is compensation via blackmail/threats to give them negative press!
Not at all, Chris.
I highlighted my story in public after giving Kwik Fit the opportunity in private to put right their wrongs.
The blog post and anti-fan page are available for the multitude of other poorly-treated customers to have their say, raise their issues, and be heard.
publicly discussing a business which is risking customers’ lives is a much bigger issue than simply giving the organisation negative press.
Sighing in disbelief.
None of this surprises me. Unfortunately as I have a Motability car I have to use the clowns at Quick Fit. I had three tyres fitted my previous car and the fitter badly damaged two of the alloy wheels and it was only after pressure was applied from Motability that they agreed to repair them (the wheels had turned on the fitting machine and gouged the spokes) With my current car I thought the front tyres were getting low and drove 14 miles to my nearest Quick Fit to get them checked and was told they were legal and would last another three thousand miles. Two days later I got a puncture in a rear tyre and was close to an ATS branch and took the car there to get the puncture repaired. ATS took the car into there workshop and a few minutes later the manager asked me to come and look at the state of the dangerous front tyres that had wire sticking out on the inside worn edges. This was the day. after Carmarthen Quick Fit had told me they would last three thousand miles. Had I had a blow out at speed I dread to think what might have happened. Did anyone at Quick Fit care? Course not were not interested and didn’t give a jot.
These guys just don’t care about customers. 4 hours after I left my car for a prebooked appointment brake check today nothing was done. The managers attitude at West St Dartford ” its not my fault I’m short staffed”. My own fault really for going back near them. Last week I waited 30 mins for them to fit a prepaid for tyre on another prebooked appointment. The wheel alignment I had last year did nothing to reduce tyre wear but put my steering wheel about 45 degrees out of alignment. An attempted correction put it 20 degrees out the other way!
Although this happened about 10 years ago, saw the other comments so had to add. Pontypridd Kwikfit in South Wales was the culprit. My wife was driving alone and heard some noises from the front tyre area so pulled in for them to check. They said the pads were worn down to metal so new pads needed, discs and calipers. Cost at the time approx £350. She phoned me for advice and as I had changed the pads a few months before, I thought that was a bit suspect so told her to drive a few miles to a friends house and he would have a look. Guess what, pads unworn, probably some grit or a small stone had got lodged and had released itself. Never gone to a KWikfit since and dont intend to ever go there again. Also advise anyone who needs work done, whatever you do, dont go to Kwikfit.
wow I almost fell into the kwikfit trap, for some reason I got an eamail saying that they were offering a free brake check, bearing in mind that I had only the week before got my disks calipers and pads done by a trusted friend and mechanic, I gotta admit i thought yeah why not its free, so drove it down to the local KF and parked up, was in a rush at the time and they weren’t, anyways while i was stood waiting they were working on another car and it looked like they were flushing the coolant, what took my attention was the fact that they loosened the bleed screw, got soaked and then said “wow didn’t expect that to happen” I mean even if you are a dumbass if you open a port for water you are either gonna get wet or you know where to stand, needless to say I didn’t take up my free brake check and I don’t care how many free things kwikfit offer me, they will deffo be no where near my car
OH my i could fill up several novels of my experience with these robbing so & so’s, at least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask
I took ethe company volvo in for a slow punture repair
They said “cant fix it mate, too may repairs” oh said i, funny you put the tyre on 3 weeks ago in this very establishemnt, show me
the yre they should me was a 75% worn remould 195/55 x 16, ok now show me mine then, “err tis your boss”
come here i said what are the sizes of my tyres…….. err errr err 205/60 x 17″, “well you could have put an old on on, so how do i get a 16″ tyre on a 17″ rim?
now i saw my tyre at the side I went got hold of it, and said put that back on now or i call the police
anyway this went on until i stood outside reception clasping my tyre and car keys screaming at th etop of my voice do not come in here they will fleece you lie to you and rip you off.
a few turned round, the manager said i will; call the police, i said too ate i have done, his face ha ha
they put the tyre on and off i went i refused to pay, and off i went
i would sooner push a car across broken glass then go to kwik fit, thieves charletons, dishinest scum of the earth, then thats just my opinion
As many people I have to say that I trust kwikfit because of the advertising on tv and I thoght they are the best but guess what I wass complitely wrong I had my Full Service on 25,26 of January this year because I bought a Toyota 1997 and I needed to make me sure my car is safety to drive, I had my appointment in the morning at 8 o’clock and I wass told my car have to wait couple hours to be check out, so I was waiting till 11 o’clock when finally my car was brought it in, but after couple houres somebody started to do some checks to my car for couple minutes and I was told by the mecanic that I have to change the timing belt(was looking new to me) but if the mecanic say so so have to be, but this was just the begining of my nightmare, the pipe braks have to be change because were to dirty I guess, the fluid braks have to be change,the filters(oil and air), 3 tyres have to be change. Of course after all the checks has been done to my car everybody of you are thinking that my car was running well because I was thinking the same after paying £688.But after couple days when I went back from Mancester on the motorway my car started to lose power and started to shagy, at that moment I get scare and I reduce the speed and I go back to the first line.I was very happy to came back houme alive and because this incident happened on friday evening I couldn’t get back to the garage but I came back monday morning and I expley to the mecanic what was hapened on the motorway but the mecanic told me that my car is safety to drive and I have to wait till is brokedown to find the problem.I couldn’t wait so I went to a diferent garage CarCraft to check again everything and they do find the problem THE MECANIC FROM KWIK FIT DIDN’T FIT BACK THE TOP OF THE ENGINE IN THE RIGHT WAY SO THE OIL WASS GOING TO THE PLUGS.I went back to Kwik fit and I told them and show them the note from CarCraft and they were very angry with me and very disrespectful. One young boy from the desk asked me if is a problem with me after I ask him that I want to speak with the manager.After all my live was put in danger because of their job and I supose to be angry not them. I WILL NEVER RECOMAND KWIK FIT AND I WILL NEVER EVER GO BACK TO THEIR GARAGE AGAIN
My car has just gone in to the local dealer for its MOT – guess what? It failed because it has one bolt missing from each wheel (the locking ones because the robbing scum of the earth at KwikFit lost the key socket when it was in there to have new tyres and didn’t tell me!). Not only has it failed its MOT, it could have lost a wheel and killed me or my wife. Do not deal with these crooks!
I was once on the payroll of KF.Shortly after joining the firm I soon realised that customers were being taken for a ride, especially those who had no mechanical know-how. The centre manager was under constant pressure from his superiors to sell,sell,sell and of course bonusses depended on sales results. One trick I remember was to squirt oil inside a shock absober and then show the owner that it was leaking. Often staff were recruited who had no knowledge of vehicle repairs. On one occasion a newcomer was asked to do an oil and filter change.He actually drained the gearbox, not the sump. End result: the car left the depot with an empty gearbox and twice as much oil in the engine!
I had a similar experience with Whiteladies Rd Kwik Fit.
My hand break cable snapped on a Thursday evening and as I was planning a weekend away I took it to Kwik Fit on the Friday Morning instead of my usual garage because KF could do the work then and there. It was at a premium price, but I was happy to pay so I would know that my car would not be rolling down the road while I was away.
I collected my car and left the garage, it wasn’t until much later that I discovered that I had to pull the hand break up much higher than previously to get the break to work & even then I didn’t trust it.
While I was away that weekend, I pulled the handle up and then it did not work at all.
I returned to Kwik Fit where I was told that I was responsible for pulling the handle up too high and that I should be more careful. I dismissed the comments and asked that my break be fitted properly this time.
I left the garage hoping that I would not have to return and vowing that I would not use Kwik Fit again as I had been massively patronised regarding break usage.
Unfortunatly, the break had not been correctly fitted and I was forced to return. The manager, got one of the mechanics to explain to me the issue with the break.
‘It has 2 hooks’ he told me ‘and it was only connected on one side, its a bit tricky to fit.’
‘So, it wasn’t fitted properly?’ ‘er, no, like I said it’s tricky, all the hand breaks on French cars are’
‘It’s a shame mine is Italian.’ I walked away.
The Manager, who seemed to be about 12, went on to say ‘It’s ok, we won’t charge you for the work done today.’
‘Won’t charge me??? Er, I have had to waste my time coming back in here TWICE, to get this issue resolved, if any thing you should be giving me money or at the very least an apology’
A few months down the line and it’s MOT time. I took it to my usual garage, where John knows me by name and we have our usual conversation about my electric bike, where I offer him a go and he polity refuses saying he has work to do.
When I come back in to collect my car, he says to me ‘Who did your hand break? It was a real mess, we had to take it out and start again’ ‘Kwik Fit’ I told him, ‘The break report is on the dash’ ‘er, that is a load of rubbish’ he tells me, ‘you should go and ask for your money back.’
Needless to say, I will be only dealing with John and his team at Beauley Road in the future and I am sorry I ever went to Kwik Fit
Ok. Let me get this straight. The majority of people on here complain about Kwik Fit giving them bad service (all of which seem to be different locations) Yet what none of you even take in to consdieration is that yes, Kwik Fit may end up employing some idiots that totally ruin the company’s name, doesnt meant to say that ALL of Kwik Fit is useless. I go to Kwik Fit in clevedon for tyres, brakes, MOT’s, services… All sorts, and all i get is total, utter expert help. They give me great quotes, correct reasons for issues and even hand out free puncture repair on their mid-range tyres… They do free checks for everything and have never ripped me, or a fellow customer off. Also, after looking into the company… The training provided by Kwik Fit was actually given ‘Outstanding’ By Ofsted, whom, may i add, actuslly provide ratings on schools and colleges, one of which, is my secondary school. Which was rated as ‘Exceptional’ by them… It was an amazing school with state of the art equipment and staff, that got me to where i am today. Anyway, leading off the training fact of Kwik Fit, they also have over 600 centres nationwide, not all of which ‘perfect’ but still within Kwik Fit standards (Of which are high) and reforming to the actual statement of the subject, Kwik Fit actaully bring in over nine hundred and seventeen million pounds per annum, therefore making them succesfull and meaning that this slight little bitchy comment wouldnt even dent their revenue. And, directed to all those who criticized the brake checks they do, saying that they arent ‘Kwik’ (which actually makes me laugh) If you would rather them just stare through the rim of your wheel and tell you what needed to be done and get a quote of £67 for the whole lot, i’d go to a ‘backstreet bodger’s’ if i were you, reason being, Kwik Fit actually take your brakes apart and re-grease what needs to be re-greased with copper grease and takes a good hard look, AFTER taking it for a road test, then, quality checks it to make sure there is NOTHING wrong with the work that has been carriend out. The only thing i would reccomend to those who are crying about Kwik Fits status and level of work would be DONT GO THERE, if you dont like it, dont go. Simple. Go get ripped off by a main dealership or a backstreet bodger that guarentees your ‘safety’ right? Yours all sincerely ‘Dave’ The loyal customer.
Hi Dave
Thank you for your comments – and I’m actually pleased that you appear to get good, consistent, solid service from the Kwik Fit branch.
However, if you read the numerous other comments on this blog post from ex-Kwik Fit customers across the UK, and – indeed – some from ex-Kwik Fit employees themselves, you’ll see that your experience appears to be the rarity not the norm.
My friend was a mechanic at BMW for 25 years and also a qualified MOT tester. About four years ago he took his car, not a BMW, to Kwik Fit for some new tyres. They told him it needed amongst other things, new shock absorbers.
He told them that they should not worry about that, it didn’t, and should just get on with the job of changing the tyres.
The car went through MOT’s after that, no problem, and I bought the car of him and the shock absorbers are still OK.
I also had a bad experience of Kwik Fit and may write about it later.
Went to the branch in Newport last week where they were very rude and after wasting my time for an hour and a half they tell me they are going to fit my spare tyre on the van,and the bald tyre they were removing was going to be my spare!!!
So after being spoken to like a complete idiot in front of a full reception i told them to drop the van off the jacks and I went.
I will never go to a kwikfit again!!!!(never had before in 22yrs of driving)
This was a while ago, I had finished a complete engine and gearbox rebuild on a classic car, a 1970 Austin 1300 Vanden Plas. This was no quick job and was carried out very carefully. Even to repainting the units in the original BMC mud green paint. The exhaust system really needed replacing, but I became unwell and had to have an operation on my leg.
When I had recovered sufficiently, I took the car to Kwik Fit for a new exhaust system. It was put on the ramps and a fitter began to remove the system. From across the other side of the building in the customer lounge, I could hear loud hammering and could see the fitter using a large hammer under my car. I immediately went over and asked him to stop while I inspected what he was doing. He had been hitting the joint of the exhaust to the manifold which is very near part of the gearbox casting (Aluminium) and I could see that some Aluminium had broken off. It was very obvious as it was shiny silver and the gearbox had recently been painted green.
On querying the damage with the fitter, he said that that damage was there before and that he had not done it.
This was a complete lie.
I recently took my vehicle into the Shrewsbury Castle Foregate branch of Kwik Fit for an Oil and Filter change and asked them to check my brakes as the brake warning light was coming on.
Collected my vehicle was told brakes were fine, next day my vehicle went into the Main Dealer for a new gear cable, they informed me I was missing my Oil Filler Cap, rang Kwik Fit who agreed to replace it, next day I appeared to have an Oil Leak so I ask the Main Dealer to check, Kwik Fit had only fitted the wrong Oil Filter which was leaking, so I thought I’d better get the Main Dealer to check the brakes, turns out the wheels hadn’t even been removed by Kwik Fit and I had hardly no pads and needed discs urgently.
Not only had Kwik Fit almost blown my engine they’d also risked mine and my families lives by not checking the brakes.
Totally incompetent bunch of idiots.
DO NOT USE KWIK FIT IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!!
I think that one of the main issues with quick fit is that historically under the leadership of Tom Farmer as I can recall they concentrated on tyres and exhausts only but have since branched out to offer a whole lot more mechanical services whereby they cannot get the expertise to deliver it to the customer. I have had my own car mot’d at quick fit several times and have been happy with the service. From what I can see they take on too many customers at once and suspect they cut corners to get as much sales as possible. In my opinion this practice comes from the board room.
Total cowboys, was told by a Ayrshire branch that my shocks were badly leaking oil and needed replaced, it went in for a puncture and my pads were low. I pointed out they were gassed filled and the car had just past a mot the previous week with no advisories. His reply was must be leaking from somewhere else!
Another branch fitted an exhaust it snapped 3 times turned out wrong nuts and bolts were being used and seals were missing, done by main dealer same price no problems.Had to practically threaten the manager to get a refund total clown clowns with no customer service and wouldnt let them near a push bike far less a car, always go to National tyres very helpful and know what there doing.
Having worked in Kwik fit plaistow London I can tell you that we constantly drilled holes in customers tyres making them buy expensive new ones selling exhausts that didn’t need replacing selling brake parts that also didn’t need changing, when warantee work came in we would tell the customer that we haven’t got the parts and they should go to a different centre, also I’d like to point out that we hardly used to do trackings on customers cars we would just make out we had done it and just charge the customers,
Also opposite Kwik fit is a church and every sunday they would park on the forecourt so when then came to the centre after service we would give them such shoddy service and only quote for expensive parts, also in Kwik fit plaistow we would sell second hand tyres do private jobs which is called PJ’s, also customer wasting time were called TW= time wasters, my advice will be stay clear and always get a second quote
Well i’ve been taking my car to the gosforth branch in newcastle-upon-tyne for a number of years now and they offer a brilliant service, the lads there are always helpful and i recommend my friends and family to in there as i trust them with my car because they are the professionals
I’d just like to comment on the quality of the parts used in repairing your Mini. As many of you are aware, Vehicle Manufacturers (or should that be Vehicle Assemblers) actually make very few of their own parts – companies like Bosch, Delphi, Siemens, NGK etc all supply top quality parts for the assembly and sebsequent repair of vehicles. Parts purchased through the main dealer will usually be boxed as the vehicle brand, (not the parts manufacturers brand) and cost a premium into the bargain. The other option is to buy non-genuine parts (although this is a poorly chosen phrase) and save yourself some cash. Non genuine parts vary from the same part as the vehicle manufacturers (but boxed as the parts manufacturers brand), to the same quality of part but from another reputable manufacturer (boxed as their brand), to the so-called ‘white boxed’ poorer quality parts we are seeing imported now.
If you are having your car serviced or repaired, I recommend you ask if the parts being used are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) quality. If they are, you have nothing to worry about and you should congratulate yourself on saving some cash. OEM quality parts can be fitted to your car from day one without compromising the manufacturers guarantee – that’s the law. Any non OEM parts should be avoided for obvious reasons.
To say that the Unipart components were ‘lesser quality’ is therefore incorrect. Unipart is similar to the Vehicle Manufacturers in that it doesn’t make parts itself, but sources OEM parts from reputable manufacturers and re-brands them as its own. And no, I don’t work for Unipart, I just know my parts!
It is unfortunate that there are so many incidences of garages carrying out unnecessary work – I believe it comes from corporate pressure to achieve sales targets. My advice when choosing a garage? Go with a recommendation from a trusted friend or check out any online feedback first (for example on the Motor Codes website).
I am the manager of Kwikfit Plaitow this man called Bruce never worked for Kwikfit Plaistow I have been the manager for Plaistow for over 7 years we in Plaistow respect are Custmer and give onice advise we try are best at all time to do good quality work.
I went to this same branch on Whiteladies Road around August 2010.
I needed a service including a brake fluid change which they completed (apparently) and then when I drove my car away the sensor was telling me there was something wrong with my brakes. So I pulled over and checked under the bonnet (after looking in my manual and discovered that the brake fluid cap was not screwed back on.
I went back and all I got was a shrug of the shoulders and a “Yeah, your brakes are your life”. Being completely clueless about cars I didn’t realise how serious what they had done was until later. I am kicking myself that I haven’t complained or anything formally. I may do so anyway now.
Hopefully this story and yours will discourage people from ever using Kwik Fit. And not just that branch, all of them.
Bunch of a-holes.
It seems that everybody is missing the point.I have been a motor vehicle technician for 27 years and can tell you many other garages provide poor service and customer service.
Many mechanics and garages have featured on consumer shows like watchdog.
The problem being that every individual centre has a manager and are told to run that branch as their own business,are provided with training and told to follow a protocol.They are told not to sell anything that is not necessary.
Having said that there is always pressure for sales,its business,no business can survive on service without profit.
The point i am trying to make is that you should not tar kwik fit with individual managers,that being branch manager or area managers,decisions on how to reach those targets.
Many main dealers are investigated by consumer programmes
Hi Ade
Thanks for your comment – however, the whole point of the Kwik Fit blog post is to specifically highlight, and give others the opportunity to highlight, poor customer service from this company. The blog post serves this well.
[...] http://www.bristoleditor.co.uk/how-kwik-fit-risked-my-life-to-make-a-sale-shocking-exclusive/ Not only that, but in one of the comments on the blog someone wrote: [...]
Have a look at my blog for my terrible experiences at KwikFit!
http://mycargossip.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/kwik-fit-dont-be-fooled/