The consumer’s issue:
“I received a recall letter from the manufacturer, dated three months earlier than when I got it. By pre-dating the letter, my car was more than 12 years old and would not be in need of a check. I contacted the business before my vehicle was 12 years of age and requested that they conduct the test, but because of the incorrect date on the letter, my car has not been checked. I am therefore looking for a remedy to this issue.”
The accredited business’ response:
- There are currently no recalls on the owner’s car.
- We currently run a goodwill campaign to check cars up to 12 years of age for chassis frame corrosion. Any cars over 12 years old do not qualify for this initiative.
- The customer did receive a wrongly dated letter because of an administrative error and we apologise for any confusion this may have caused. The letter was dated 13/08/2018 when it was sent on 06/08/2018.
- At the point of sending the letter, the car was not eligible for the goodwill campaign and the customer should not have been sent the letter.
- We declined the vehicle owner’s request for the car to be checked under the goodwill campaign because the customer contacted us two months after the cars 12th birthday.
- At no point did the customer contact us about the goodwill campaign prior to the car reaching 12 years of age.
- We do not agree with the customer’s position that she received the letter in May, before the car’s 12th birthday in June. Therefore, we will not be providing a remedy to the customer on this occasion.
The adjudication outcome:
- The adjudicator did not find that the manufacturer had an obligation to check the car.
- In addition, the evidence did not show:
– That the letter was received before the car’s 12th birthday;
– That the customer had attempted to book the car in for a free inspection before its 12th birthday; or
– That the customer had contacted the manufacturer about the free inspection before its 12th birthday.
Conclusion:
- The customer disagreed with the outcome, but did not request a final decision. Therefore, the case was closed.
