nicpy
Member
A few weeks ago.
It went like this…………on Friday we drove over to York to a small company called Caboodle, they are something like a mini B & Q but with a business that produces replacement and spare car keys. We arrived at around 11.00 having phoned earlier to make sure they could produce an additional spare key for our RCZ. Drove the car round the back and we were told it should take around 40 minutes. There were no facility`s in the shop to sit down but were advised that the fish and chip shop next door may have some, ok so no seats in the chippy, but we order some food anyway and go and sit in the bus shelter outside, it`s raining but that doesn`t spoil what was probably the best battered fish ever.
45 minutes or so go by and we venture back in to the shop and wander round and round, and round again, after an hour or so I am getting to know the stock on the shelves quite well, I comment to a member of staff that if they can`t find something just ask me! Two hours go by and we get a “shouldn`t be long now” from a chap. By half past three the boss comes out of the little room at the back where they do the keys and asks me if I know my driver number or have my licence with me, do I know my national insurance number? “No I`m afraid I don`t”, then he says that not only does the new key not work but the original had become a paper weight too! So our car is kaput, and the questions about licence etc. were in the interest of getting us a hire car, which without I.D. isn`t possible. The main man says that he has emailed someone but didn`t anticipate a response until after the weekend. He mumbles something about doing a full remote key upgrade by way of `compensation`. OK so they gave us a lift the twenty five miles home, my last words were “would you please keep us updated on progress”.
Monday comes round, and no contact by late morning. A phone call to Caboodle and the boss and about all I get is `we will tell you when it is ready`, like any ideas? Conversation gets a little heated, I just want to know what`s going on, is that such a problem? Tuesday an email and they say it is going into the main dealer to be sorted. By Wednesday I have a hire car and a taxi sent to me to go and pick it up. I decide to take a ride up to York early and see if my car is there at Caboodle, it isn`t which is almost a good sign because that shows some progress (I think?) I ring Evans Halshaw, Peugeot at York, speak to the service department, `no sir we don`t have your RCZ, nor is it booked in`, so I ring Mr Caboodle again, asking where my car is, he would not tell me and puts the phone down. I ring back after half an hour and speak to a member of staff and ask him to tell the boss that if he doesn`t tell me what he has done with our car then the police would be getting involved!
No call back so ring North Yorkshire police and explain what has happened and my genuine concern.
I get an understanding ear and the police officer calls the key man and comes back to me with the information that my car has been taken to Stoneacre (Peugeot) at Harrogate more than twenty miles away. `He didn`t want to tell you because he said you made a bit of a fuss`.
I ring service dept at Stoneacre, “yes sir we have your car with us, with any luck it will be in our workshop later this afternoon or failing that first thing tomorrow (Thursday) No problem with that, they were both polite and helpful, progress and information, that’s all I wanted.
Ring Stoneacre Thurs A.M “have you got your car back sir? They came for it yesterday afternoon” all done, new Body Control Unit (BCU) fitted and married to car (£350 ish plus labour)
Nothing heard all day Thurs, I ring Mr Caboodle Friday morning and say I understand you have got my car back? Staff member says “Yes we have, I think the boss`s plan is to take your car to the car hire place in central York and you (me) can swop over there”, yes that`s absolutely fine I reply, “ we are going into York anyway, let me know if that is what he is going to do? “
We tootle off to York, nothing heard from you know who, thinking that the car hire garage in York is all cars parked inside and they look like that they are tight for space, I wonder if they would be allowed to park my car there?
I ring the car hire place to check? “Oh yes sir we have your car keys with us, they have parked your car round the corner in the car park” by this time my usually patient calm relaxed personality is coming under severe strain, steam is exiting orifices I didn`t know I had!
I say to my wife “let`s just go and get it”, we drive the three miles or so into the town centre, do the checks and hand back the Ford Focus. We now have the keys and walk the short distance to find our RCZ, we find it with a paid parking ticket on that ran out 45 minutes ago. The traffic wardens in York are plentiful and keen, quite how we missed a parking fine I don`t know!
Oh and the spare key they did for us, it is just the basic one that unlocks the door manually and starts the car, trouble is the alarm goes off as the door is opened!! Guess who isn`t going back there!
My grateful thanks to Graham from Car Key Problems at Queensbury for his valuable insight and shared knowledge, and help that he offered to Caboodle (but was turned down!)
It was like the Faulty Towers of retail! Still find it hard to believe……… and I was there.
It went like this…………on Friday we drove over to York to a small company called Caboodle, they are something like a mini B & Q but with a business that produces replacement and spare car keys. We arrived at around 11.00 having phoned earlier to make sure they could produce an additional spare key for our RCZ. Drove the car round the back and we were told it should take around 40 minutes. There were no facility`s in the shop to sit down but were advised that the fish and chip shop next door may have some, ok so no seats in the chippy, but we order some food anyway and go and sit in the bus shelter outside, it`s raining but that doesn`t spoil what was probably the best battered fish ever.
45 minutes or so go by and we venture back in to the shop and wander round and round, and round again, after an hour or so I am getting to know the stock on the shelves quite well, I comment to a member of staff that if they can`t find something just ask me! Two hours go by and we get a “shouldn`t be long now” from a chap. By half past three the boss comes out of the little room at the back where they do the keys and asks me if I know my driver number or have my licence with me, do I know my national insurance number? “No I`m afraid I don`t”, then he says that not only does the new key not work but the original had become a paper weight too! So our car is kaput, and the questions about licence etc. were in the interest of getting us a hire car, which without I.D. isn`t possible. The main man says that he has emailed someone but didn`t anticipate a response until after the weekend. He mumbles something about doing a full remote key upgrade by way of `compensation`. OK so they gave us a lift the twenty five miles home, my last words were “would you please keep us updated on progress”.
Monday comes round, and no contact by late morning. A phone call to Caboodle and the boss and about all I get is `we will tell you when it is ready`, like any ideas? Conversation gets a little heated, I just want to know what`s going on, is that such a problem? Tuesday an email and they say it is going into the main dealer to be sorted. By Wednesday I have a hire car and a taxi sent to me to go and pick it up. I decide to take a ride up to York early and see if my car is there at Caboodle, it isn`t which is almost a good sign because that shows some progress (I think?) I ring Evans Halshaw, Peugeot at York, speak to the service department, `no sir we don`t have your RCZ, nor is it booked in`, so I ring Mr Caboodle again, asking where my car is, he would not tell me and puts the phone down. I ring back after half an hour and speak to a member of staff and ask him to tell the boss that if he doesn`t tell me what he has done with our car then the police would be getting involved!
No call back so ring North Yorkshire police and explain what has happened and my genuine concern.
I get an understanding ear and the police officer calls the key man and comes back to me with the information that my car has been taken to Stoneacre (Peugeot) at Harrogate more than twenty miles away. `He didn`t want to tell you because he said you made a bit of a fuss`.
I ring service dept at Stoneacre, “yes sir we have your car with us, with any luck it will be in our workshop later this afternoon or failing that first thing tomorrow (Thursday) No problem with that, they were both polite and helpful, progress and information, that’s all I wanted.
Ring Stoneacre Thurs A.M “have you got your car back sir? They came for it yesterday afternoon” all done, new Body Control Unit (BCU) fitted and married to car (£350 ish plus labour)
Nothing heard all day Thurs, I ring Mr Caboodle Friday morning and say I understand you have got my car back? Staff member says “Yes we have, I think the boss`s plan is to take your car to the car hire place in central York and you (me) can swop over there”, yes that`s absolutely fine I reply, “ we are going into York anyway, let me know if that is what he is going to do? “
We tootle off to York, nothing heard from you know who, thinking that the car hire garage in York is all cars parked inside and they look like that they are tight for space, I wonder if they would be allowed to park my car there?
I ring the car hire place to check? “Oh yes sir we have your car keys with us, they have parked your car round the corner in the car park” by this time my usually patient calm relaxed personality is coming under severe strain, steam is exiting orifices I didn`t know I had!
I say to my wife “let`s just go and get it”, we drive the three miles or so into the town centre, do the checks and hand back the Ford Focus. We now have the keys and walk the short distance to find our RCZ, we find it with a paid parking ticket on that ran out 45 minutes ago. The traffic wardens in York are plentiful and keen, quite how we missed a parking fine I don`t know!
Oh and the spare key they did for us, it is just the basic one that unlocks the door manually and starts the car, trouble is the alarm goes off as the door is opened!! Guess who isn`t going back there!
My grateful thanks to Graham from Car Key Problems at Queensbury for his valuable insight and shared knowledge, and help that he offered to Caboodle (but was turned down!)
It was like the Faulty Towers of retail! Still find it hard to believe……… and I was there.
