Should the owner be responsible for "waiting time" for repairs?

[Etnt]

Some background:

Got into an unfortunate accident several weeks back (kissed someone's backside), so went to TTS (Fiat) to make a claim. Parts were not available then, so I could only send in my car on last Monday. Nothing major, but some panels damaged, since the other is claiming against me, might as well self claim also.

Car was surveyed by AIG surveyor and quoted for 6 days repair, meaning I will get a replacement car for 6 days also.

Finally sent the car in last Monday. Customer Service advisor who handled the whole case was Teng. Car is supposed to be ready by next Monday (today).

 

Fast forward to last Saturday:

I drove down to TTS and looked for Teng and asked him to confirm if the car will be ready by Mon. He said check the progress of the workshop and get back to me on Mon.

 

Fast forward to Monday (today):

No calls received from Teng so I called TTS in the morning around 1030, only to hear the shocking news that Teng is no longer working there. The operator said she will route me to James instead, but he is attending to a customer and would call me back. Insurance will only cover the car till today, so gotta return it.

 

Fastforward 30min, no call from TTS. When I called back, operator said James is in workshop and will get him to call me.

 

Fastforward to 1hour after first call, still no call. Called TTS again and finally she forwarded me to James who appears to be totally unaware that I have sent my car in, when I'm suppose to collect it. He even asked if I had sent my car in! Calmed down and explained my case, and he said will check and call back.

 

Fastfoward another 30min, still no call at all. Finally decided to look for the Sales(who sold me the car) for help. Kudos to him, within 10min he called back and said that car is still in bodyshop and need another 2-3days(?!?). Told him history of the case, and he said James will check and update me back the status by 3pm.

 

This whole incident is putting a bad taste in my mouth. It appears the repair schedule is overrun, but nothing has been done to inform me nor the insurance company, so that the replacement vehicle can be extended.

 

Communication and response to the customer is bad, evident by all the calls I have to make despite promises by TTS to call back. Right now, I am doubtful that I will even receive a call by 3pm and likely I would have to call and check back instead.

 

And after Teng left, it appears that there is minimal handing over. Evident by the lack of awareness of outstanding case of claims and repairs.

 

So at 3pm. Again no call from TTS. I had to call James up again.

 

Now, then I was told that the car would not be ready. Still at workshop. An update can only be given tomorrow when the car would be ready. And even then, it's not confirmed that it will be ready by tomorrow.

 

And now I am informed that I should have known that the repair time quoted (6days), is NOT the actual time taken. That there's waiting time at the workshop. How I should have known this is beyond me. I am only a customer, I am not in the car industry.

 

So who is going to cover my transportation now? Nobody. James said that TTS will not compensate. Insurance has already compensated for the 6 days of repair to be taken. So now the waiting time is going to fall totally upon me, apparently it's my own fault from all indications.

 

"Great" news on the 6th working day since I sent the car in, the day where I'm supposed to get my car back. I do not find this reasonable at all. I was told to send my car in on last Monday. Isn't the workshop schedule supposed to be planned so that it can accomodate the car without waiting time? Why should it be my onus that there is a waiting time?

 

The insurance was fair to provide me with 6 working days worth of replacement car usage. But why can't TTS ensure that the repairs can be completed by 6 days? It's not a last minute request, the accident was several weeks back. So why should I be penalised wholly on the waiting time now?

 

Oh, btw, James claimed to have called me at 12:28 and he has call logs but he could not get through. Funny that Sale had gotten through 20minutes earlier, and all the while I was in the open at a hawker centre. But oh well, benefit of a doubt.

 

Now I am promised a status update by 2pm tomorrow. My fingers are crossed, and meanwhile, I'm back to BusMRTWalk because apparently it's supposed to be my own fault that I'm unaware that I should factor in waiting time when I send my cars in for repairs.

 

So after the long essay above, my question is:

1) Should the customer be aware of "waiting time"?

2) Is it fair that the customer should bear the delay and inconveniences due to this "waiting time"?

Edited October 22, 2007 by Etnt

[Picnic06-Biante15]

Kudos to you for your patience. For me, I will be at the workshop f*****g the workshop manager upside down. Their staff resigned is their business but to the the customer expence.

 

Was you given any black & white to state that the repair need 6 days and to be collected today. If yes, you win your case.

[Etnt]

No, they didn't even give me a slip of paper saying I sent the vehicle in, just a job sheet that I signed on there (kept by them), and verbally that it will be ready by 6 days, cos that's the time quoted by the surveyor.

 

Regretted that. Next time everything must have black and white. haiz.

[Novicej]

 

 

Edited October 22, 2007 by Novicej

[Silver_blade]

I kenna a similar case many years ago. The workshop who was doing the repair arrange for a car for me the extended period needed to complete the repair.

Edited October 22, 2007 by Silver_blade

[Novicej]

wa siao... very sorry... i reply wrong thread..

Edited October 22, 2007 by Novicej

[Etnt]

This is the Fiat agent (TTS), repairing a Fiat car bought under them. The car is nice, the Sales is good, but this customer service/aftersales experience is really bad.

[Jon3614]

Wah claim your own insurance can claim Loss of use???

[Etnt]

For AIG, it covers up to 10days. Nice insurance coy.

[Silver_blade]

Try to explain to TTS that it's not your fault that your didn't know about the waiting time cos it was not explain to you and it was not written in any document that was given to you. Tell them that you feel it's only fair that they provide you with a replacement car, out of good will, for the lousy service provided by their ex-staff who didn't tell all the things you need to know.

 

I hope they will understand and provide you with a car.

[Jon3614]

Wow thats good for you. Think I will switch mine from aunty lucy to AIG when mine is due for renewal. IMO I think you should go down to TTS to KPKB, you are too nice with them.

[Etnt]

Already did all the explanation I can over the phone, but their stand is adamant. Which is why I am complaining/ranting here.

 

If there is nothing else this post achieves, at least it provides a case study of customer service to be expected from TTS for all existing and future Fiat owners.

[Acemundo]

for repair jobs, i don't usually advocate bringing back to AD workshop unless i assess the damage to affect more than the bonnet or exterior of the car.

 

reason being ==>they are slow....secondly, they also subcon out their panel beating jobs, so it doesn't make sense to me to send it back to them unless it affects the engine and thereby dealer's warranty.

 

my elder brother claimed the insurance of the car that banged into him. the repair took more than 14days due to non-availability of parts. same like you he could not claim taxi for above the standard estimated days of repair.

 

while it is not fair, it is the industry way of making the car owner share out this liability even though this is thru no fault of yours.

[Silver_blade]

Honestly, I feel TTS could have done more to make good the damages in their PR. Of they charge like most AD...then their profit for your repair should be very good...they can more than provide you with a replacement car for the extra few days.

 

Try writing to them and sent it via register-mail. Get your facts eg. date, time and description of events right. The letter may provide you with a good 'record' of event should you decided to take further action.

Edited October 22, 2007 by Silver_blade

[Picnic06-Biante15]

Brother, are u preparing to knock onto someone rear where you want to claim loss of use also from your own ins company?

 

[Etnt]

It's actually 3 weeks from the accident till the time I sent in. Only reason I sent it there was well, it's AD and insurance allow me to do so, and previous experience when someone banged into me and I sent to RM was not that bad.

 

I have already gone through the "waiting time" of waiting for parts for 3 weeks. So to factor in even more during the actual repair period is not reasonable to me. They do have time to plan it out to contain the repairs within 6 days, and if they could not, at least advise me well before hand.

 

There was zero updates by them. If I had not call them up, all this would not have been known at all, and this is during the last day of the supposed repair period.

[Jon3614]

No lar touch wood! It's just that my previous claim I could not claim for my own loss of use la!

[Acemundo]

yes, of course, i am not siding with them as well. i find that a lot of AD always has preposterous lead time to service or repair the cars for their customers. and the best is that all such lead time is always at the loss of the customer. And bearing in mind that in Singapore context, if cars are parked and not used, it gets depreciated away. so the longer the AD takes, the more the car owners stand to lose.

 

But the best thing is that, there is nothing in this industry to protect car owners from such loss of usage or "depreciation" while taken on a slow repair job by AD. And in Singapore, you cannot hope any independent agency or govt agency to help us on this matter. I think there is really not much can be done about this in Singapore context. They will always quote "industry practice" as their right to repair more than what the number of days' repair job takes that the insurance is willing to reimburse.

 

Only when someone with deep pockets and willing to spend his own money to take on the big boys, will we see a change to such an "industrial practice". just like not long ago, when a lady took pml to court for the lemon bmw, nowadays there are more case of car buyers taking their distributor to court for lemon cars. although it can still be seen that most of these people that dared to take the big (AD) boys to court, still has fairly deep pockets of their own.