Need to complain, but what am I asking for?
July 24, 2018 6:29 AM Subscribe
I recently had an automotive issue that turned out to be caused by negligence on the part of the company that last changed my tyres. At the very least, I need to let them know this happened and could have caused a serious accident - but should I be asking for anything else?
I got my front tyres replaced in October 2017 at a tyre place around the corner from where I work. Last week my car started making a weird noise, a low vibrating/rumbling sound that repeated at the same frequency my tyres were turning over and got worse on rougher surfaces and at higher speeds.
I thought it might be an issue with the wheel bearings so I took it into my local garage (not the same place where I got the tyres changed) and they looked into it and told me that the people who replaced my front tyres didn't bolt the passenger side wheel back on properly - the wheel could have come off while I was driving, potentially causing significant damage to my vehicle and serious injury to me and anyone else who might have been in the car due to their negligence.
I got very lucky - the wheel didn't come off, I got it fixed in time and the garage who fixed it didn't charge me for the repair. I'm not out of pocket for any damage or repair costs, but I'm wondering if I should be asking for a refund or anything else when I make the complaint. I thought about asking for a refund for labour (as the parts are still fine, although I wonder if the tyre in question has had any uneven wear due to not being properly fastened for nine months) but the invoice I have shows a flat fee for the tyre replacement, not cost of tyres + labour.
What I want out of this, in priority order, is a) for them to hear the feedback and ideally improve their processes so this doesn't happen again, b) a refund or partial refund if that's at all appropriate to ask for, and c) an apology (though I care least about this and don't put a lot of personal weight on apologies).
What's reasonable here? If jurisdiction is relevant, I'm in the UK.
I got my front tyres replaced in October 2017 at a tyre place around the corner from where I work. Last week my car started making a weird noise, a low vibrating/rumbling sound that repeated at the same frequency my tyres were turning over and got worse on rougher surfaces and at higher speeds.
I thought it might be an issue with the wheel bearings so I took it into my local garage (not the same place where I got the tyres changed) and they looked into it and told me that the people who replaced my front tyres didn't bolt the passenger side wheel back on properly - the wheel could have come off while I was driving, potentially causing significant damage to my vehicle and serious injury to me and anyone else who might have been in the car due to their negligence.
I got very lucky - the wheel didn't come off, I got it fixed in time and the garage who fixed it didn't charge me for the repair. I'm not out of pocket for any damage or repair costs, but I'm wondering if I should be asking for a refund or anything else when I make the complaint. I thought about asking for a refund for labour (as the parts are still fine, although I wonder if the tyre in question has had any uneven wear due to not being properly fastened for nine months) but the invoice I have shows a flat fee for the tyre replacement, not cost of tyres + labour.
What I want out of this, in priority order, is a) for them to hear the feedback and ideally improve their processes so this doesn't happen again, b) a refund or partial refund if that's at all appropriate to ask for, and c) an apology (though I care least about this and don't put a lot of personal weight on apologies).
What's reasonable here? If jurisdiction is relevant, I'm in the UK.
For me and my worldview I would tend to let something like this go. Yes, it was dangerous, but this far after the fact, it would be hard for management to make a meaningful correction. You still got your tires, and you don't want an apology.
All you can control is your future state - don't go back, and maybe next time you get tires, mention it to the tire guy to say something along the lines of "Please make sure to bolt on the tires well - the last guy didn't do that and one of my tires almost fell off!" They will laugh at you, and you'll feel dumb for saying anything.
I bet the tire guy that made the mistake was having a bad day. There's a good chance he doesn't work there anymore, but there's also a good chance that he's improved his work since then. I mean, he's human, trying to do his best. I'm sure he would apologize if he knew, since he's just a normal guy. I'd be a little miffed if I were you, but do nothing.
posted by bbqturtle at 6:38 AM on July 24, 2018
All you can control is your future state - don't go back, and maybe next time you get tires, mention it to the tire guy to say something along the lines of "Please make sure to bolt on the tires well - the last guy didn't do that and one of my tires almost fell off!" They will laugh at you, and you'll feel dumb for saying anything.
I bet the tire guy that made the mistake was having a bad day. There's a good chance he doesn't work there anymore, but there's also a good chance that he's improved his work since then. I mean, he's human, trying to do his best. I'm sure he would apologize if he knew, since he's just a normal guy. I'd be a little miffed if I were you, but do nothing.
posted by bbqturtle at 6:38 AM on July 24, 2018
Lug nuts can loosen. Checking them should be a routine maintenance item. If the vibrations occurred right after the tires where changed then I think you could blame the tire place. It's much harder to determine that the tire place was at fault 9 months later, IMO. So unless there's more evidence that they messed up, I don't think you should expect compensation.
posted by jclarkin at 6:40 AM on July 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by jclarkin at 6:40 AM on July 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: The guy who fixed this for me was very clear that it was negligence on the part of the tyre people, that it was a significant safety issue and that I ought to let the tyre place know. What I wrote here was based on deferring to his judgement on the issue as I don't know enough about auto repair myself to make that call.
posted by terretu at 7:13 AM on July 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by terretu at 7:13 AM on July 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
they looked into it and told me that the people who replaced my front tyres didn't bolt the passenger side wheel back on properly
Properly tightened lug nuts can loosen on their own and checking them is a routine maintenance issue. If that tire hadn't been properly bolted on at the service, it would have come loose a long time ago.
I'm not convinced that you have any recourse here, especially after nearly a year.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 7:13 AM on July 24, 2018
Properly tightened lug nuts can loosen on their own and checking them is a routine maintenance issue. If that tire hadn't been properly bolted on at the service, it would have come loose a long time ago.
I'm not convinced that you have any recourse here, especially after nearly a year.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 7:13 AM on July 24, 2018
This sounds pretty upsetting. I am not sure that there is any real recourse after this time. I just wanted to say that the place I always take my car for tires has us come back after a day or two and they check the lug nuts to make sure everything is tight. You might want to implement this practice even if the garage doesn’t ask you to do it. It literally takes 5 minutes.
posted by MadMadam at 7:35 AM on July 24, 2018
posted by MadMadam at 7:35 AM on July 24, 2018
This is a bit of a long shot, but it's also possible that someone was preparing to steal your tires /rims and was interrupted partway though the job after loosening the lug nuts. Sometimes they just work loose by themselves, though. Many owner's manuals do recommend that you "check torque on lug nuts every X months / miles," especially on cars equipped with alloy wheels.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 9:17 AM on July 24, 2018
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 9:17 AM on July 24, 2018
What I want out of this, in priority order, is a) for them to hear the feedback and ideally improve their processes so this doesn't happen again. Extremely doubtful you would get compensation, and apologies from a guy working in a garage?? Somehow, I find that idea laughable, especially if you happen to be female.
I think this is not an unreasonable expectation, especially since the guy who fixed it for you specifically state that it was an issue of how the lug nuts were fastened. None of us here have any idea what he was referencing, and although I personally can't think of anything that would cause lug nuts to come loose without major vibration, something could have been overlooked.
That said, we often drive over a 1000 miles a week, and some of it is on washboarded back country roads. I'd say maybe .001% of the time we've had lug nuts loosen up between tire replacements. It's not unreasonable to expect the damn things to stay on, especially if you do mainly low mileage in town driving over good road. As a female, my biggest gripe is that they ram them on with a power tool, and I can't get them undone to change a flat! DH agrees with me, so it's not that I'm just wimpy. They can measure the torque they needed, they just don't bother.
I'm assuming MadMadam is female, and her advice is good--doesn't hurt to eyeball your rig once in a while--no low tires, no loose lug nuts. Trust your intuition when you hear those unusual noises.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:16 AM on July 24, 2018
I think this is not an unreasonable expectation, especially since the guy who fixed it for you specifically state that it was an issue of how the lug nuts were fastened. None of us here have any idea what he was referencing, and although I personally can't think of anything that would cause lug nuts to come loose without major vibration, something could have been overlooked.
That said, we often drive over a 1000 miles a week, and some of it is on washboarded back country roads. I'd say maybe .001% of the time we've had lug nuts loosen up between tire replacements. It's not unreasonable to expect the damn things to stay on, especially if you do mainly low mileage in town driving over good road. As a female, my biggest gripe is that they ram them on with a power tool, and I can't get them undone to change a flat! DH agrees with me, so it's not that I'm just wimpy. They can measure the torque they needed, they just don't bother.
I'm assuming MadMadam is female, and her advice is good--doesn't hurt to eyeball your rig once in a while--no low tires, no loose lug nuts. Trust your intuition when you hear those unusual noises.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:16 AM on July 24, 2018
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posted by terretu at 6:30 AM on July 24, 2018