[Cyclefrance]

Why me?

My Audi has just come back from its third attempt to have the headlights fixed - a self-levelling mechanism that has a mind of its own. Only thing that has been wrong with it, but the saga behind it would make youthink the car was on its last legs...

I just cannot get my head around the way these garages work. Leaving sside the fact that they tried to throw this guarantee work at my door to start with, just after Christmas they asked for the car to be booked in, again, so that a wiring loom could be replaced ('definitely the cause ,sir, narrowed it down at last' - oh yeah??).

So it was booked in - 'need two days, sir, - we'll give you a courtesy car but if you cannot insure it yourself, it'll cost £15 a day for us to insure you to drive it...' - 'OK, I'll insure it through my insurance company - they offer a free swap facility when cars are in and out of garages - I'll need the registration number of the courtesy car..' - 'Aah, can't give you that right now as we don't know which car it will be, but we'll get it to you in time...' - 'OK'(very doubtfully).

Last Thursday, with car going in Monday, phoned for courtesy car registartion number - amazing , they have it. Get insurance cover note on saturday morning and dutifully arrive to present my car to them Monday morning.

'Oh, we haven't got the courtesy car you were expecting to have. I'm afraid that insurance cover note is no good. You can take our insurance though....'

I didn't, but only after much arguing and their finally agreeing reluctantly to accept my insurers phone call guarantee that they were covered and that the registration number change had been accepted by them. Sheesh!

But did it end there? Oh, no!

Last night I go to collect the car: 'Terribly sorry sir, we couldn't do the job. Just couldn't locate a wiring loom anywhere. Seems there is a natinal shortage...'

Wait a minute. This car has been on the books to come in for over 3 weeks. How come you didn't know this before? Why didn't you let me know sooner?
Why the hell do you operate such a stupid system? Why does this keep on happening? When will I ever have my headlights working properly?

That's better - I feel a little less stressed now with that off my chest...!

Anyone else with tales of like frustration feel free to add yours to the above