The consumer’s issue:
“I’ve had a number of issues with my car since buying it. Although it has been fixed under warranty, I have been left out of pocket because the repairs took weeks. In addition, the manufacturer dealt with my complaint poorly and I had to keep chasing them for a response. Therefore, I am looking for my out of pocket expenses to be reimbursed, for my warranty to be extended for one or two years, plus an apology from the business.”
The accredited business’ response:
- Since the customer’s warranty has already expired, we will be unable to extend the duration of their policy.
- We are happy to reimburse the consumer’s out of pocket expenses suffered when the car was off the road for warranty repairs.
- We will also give the customer £250 to spend at any of dealership within our franchise network as a goodwill gesture.
The adjudication outcome:
- The Motor Ombudsman adjudicator stated that, when a car is off the road for an extended period, the warranty may be extended to ensure that the customer enjoys use of the full term of the agreement.
- So if the car is off the road for six months because of warranty repairs, then the warranty may be prolonged for the same period.
- Since the car was not off the road for either one or two years, the business did not have an obligation to extend the customer’s warranty agreement. As a result, this element of the complaint was not upheld in the consumer’s favour.
- Furthermore, only the retailer is contractually responsible for out of pocket expenses, so the manufacturer is not liable for this. Nonetheless, the business agreed to cover the consumer’s costs at their discretion.
- Finally, as requested by the consumer, the business was directed to apologise for the handling of their complaint because there were a number of delays in responding to them.
Conclusion:
- Neither party requested an appeal of the adjudication outcome delivered by The Motor Ombudsman, and the case was closed.
