Help - Falsified Service Book

[turnip]

In a previous post I asked about how to know if an oil change has been done, and thanks to all your replies about how quickly TDi oil goes black!

 

Simultaneously my wife visited the former VW dealership from which we bought the car as an ex demo - Hartwell in Cardiff (see my post about collection in dealer service forum!!) She spoke with dealer principal, who said that he would give us the job sheet for the work, which according to the service history (fully stamped from Hartwell VW) was done 3 days before we collected!

 

Two weeks later and said job sheet has not been forthcoming. I phoned today and spoke to a salesman who told me that a 'pre-delivery inspection' had been carried out. In absolute horror, I pointed out that they were not the same thing and that a stamped service (at 10k) was very different. I again asked for proof and he replied, 'Sorry, but if the service hasn't been done, we can't provide evidence.'

 

It looks like - THEY STAMPED THE SERVICE BOOK WITHOUT ACTUALLY DOING THE BL***Y WORK!. I am in total shock that a MAIN DEALER could do this. No wonder VW (coinceidentally) pulled the dealership 2 weeks after we bought the car

 

Anyway - can anyone tell me whether they think that Hartwell have done anything fraduulent / illegal by stamping the service book, but not doing the work according to the full VW schedule??

 

And they still owe us carpet mats and a 2nd key 2 months after we bought the vehicle. A bunch of chimps could run a dealership better than this lot :(

[iainkirk]

I consider they have probably comitted a criminal offence (deception, falsification of documents etc etc).

 

Write to their MD, suggesting you might give them some negative local press coverage (local rags love these stories) and also contact your local Trading Standards office, who will probably be delighted to prosecute the dealership in question.

 

As Hartwell have franchises for everything from Hyundai to Daimler, I doubt their MD would like a dose of bad publicity.

 

Hartwell Plc

Seacourt Tower

West Way

Oxford

OX2 0JG

Tel: 01865 388300

 

They even have an MGRover franchise - perhaps they've even sold one this year!

[Richmond]

If they sold you the car on the basis that specific work had recently been carried out and that was not the case, they may be guilty of some kind of trades descriptions type offence. I doubt that it is fraud - we're talking about a stamp in a service history book, an informal document, and a few quid's worth of work - but you never know.

 

I'd ask them to carry out the service properly now (you could ask them to pay for someone else to carry it out, but fat chance). You'll then be back to where you should have been, but of course a sadder and wiser man.

 

You should not be shocked by the dealer's conduct. Many commercial organisations cheat their customers, and a dealer's link to the car manufacturer just makes this easier and more profitable. It's hard to see what their incentive for not doing what they did would be, other than professionalism and common decency, neither of which one associates with the motor trade.

[turnip]

Thanks for your replies.

 

I already copied my letter to the garage to the MD of Hartwell in Oxford. No response from them excpet from their customer services manager there, who is very pleasant but seems to make no progress.

 

As for them re-servicing the vehicle - they have lost the franchise, so are no longer allowed to service the vehicle. It is only 1yo so them touching it would invalidate the warrranty.

 

I think my only resources is to what car - trading standards.

 

cheers

[Tigger]

Even if they have lost the franchise. I think they can still service the vehicle?

 

My second point is a little differant. We have an Audi A2 with a variable service interval. this can be anything up to 2 years between services. I was under the impressoin that VW did the same type of thing? My point being make sure that you are not on this service schedule?

[Ivor_E_Tower]

Variable servicing means using a differnt type of oil - don't know if this would be fitted at the factory. In any event, it is unwise for a new car to go as long as 2 years without an oil change. If you nintend keeping the car for a while, at least buy some correct-spec oil, a genuine oil filter and get the oil changed ASAP.

[Tigger]

I agree and that is why I oil change more than is needed. But do VW offer this on a sharan?

 

I do think it can be setup from delivery?

 

If this VW is on a this type of service schedule then the Dealer was right not to change the oil?

[italiastar]

It looks like - THEY STAMPED THE SERVICE BOOK WITHOUT ACTUALLY DOING THE BL***Y WORK!. I am in total shock that a MAIN DEALER could do this.

 

You seem surprised - even if they change the oil they often use the wrong stuff!

 

Seriously though - this is appalling - I can't even believe the muppets are stupid enough to admit this. I think you should contact VW customer services and ask their opinon - I hope their better than their SEAT counterparts - good luck!

 

 

 

I doubt that it is fraud - we're talking about a stamp in a service history book, an informal document, and a few quid's worth of work - but you never know.

 

If this isn't fraud what is it? - it's certainly deception - we are NOT talking about a stamp in an informal document - the document is VERY formal or a few quids worth of work - when's the last time you had your car serviced (Richmond - this isn't a dig a you - I just can't believe the front of dealers like this - I got s**ged

[Richmond]

I agree completely that the dealer's behaviour is reprehensible, but I doubt that the lie which the dealer told (that a service rather than a pre sale check had been carried out) is closely enough linked to any money paid by turnip for it to be fraud or deception (although of course the dealers have been deceptive). I may well be completely wrong, but either way I can't see the cops getting very excited about whether a service or ar a pre sale check has been carried out prior to the sale of a car, and of course it would have to be proven that the sale was on the basis that the service had been carried out to a certain spec.

 

I imagine that the reason that the dealer has admitted that the service was not done is because he knows that it will be impossible for turnip to link it to the sale of the car. I'm sure that wrongly stamping a service history book is not in itself an offence.

 

As a practical matter, I think fraud or deception are complete non starters, and that trading standards and complaints to VW and the dealer's top brass would be a better way to go if turnip wants to get at them

[Masked Marauder]

I concur, it is clearly a Trading Standards issue. Fraud/Deception is a nightmare to prove in that kind of case. You would have to prove that whoever stamped the book did so to obtain pecuniary advantage, and that is never going to happen.

[italiastar]

I suppose your both right - does this mean that someone who stamps their own book up with say "Micheal Mouse Garage" using a John Bull stamp kit could get away with it ?

[seatkid]

Read my signature..

[Masked Marauder]

I suppose your both right - does this mean that someone who stamps their own book up with say "Micheal Mouse Garage" using a John Bull stamp kit could get away with it ?

Only until you sold the car, because then the prosecution would then argue that in falsifying the book you were making the vehicle's re-sale value higher, something that you would personally benefit financially from. And that is fraud.

[Guest rusty]

Hi

 

On a related matter.......

 

Do John Bull still do a stamp kit? I remember having hours of fun with one when I was a little boy.

 

An apple, an orange, a few nuts and a JB stamp kit.... proper christmas !

 

Bet they're collectors items now.

 

Regards

 

Rusty

[Richmond]

I suppose your both right - does this mean that someone who stamps their own book up with say "Micheal Mouse Garage" using a John Bull stamp kit could get away with it ?

If you sold it on the basis that it had been properly serviced, whatever that means, and it hadn't, that would be naughty and misrepresentation, but just incorrectly stamping up a service history book is, I'm sure, not illegal even if you subsequently sell the car. It's ony naughty if the prospective buyer asks 'Has it been regularly serviced?' and you say, incorrectly 'Yes.'; incorrect stamps in the book compounds the 'offence'.

 

Many prospective buyers would rate servicing by Michael Mouse as preferable to servicing by Ford.

[Ivor_E_Tower]

Rusty - haven't seen any John Bull stamping kits but did recently buy one from an office stationers for repeat stamping of Job Cards etc at work. The previous kit got "borrowed" by the wife who made up namestamps for the kids to stamp all their schoolbooks etc, and now I'm not allowed to touch them :o

[Masked Marauder]

Hi

 

On a related matter.......

 

Do John Bull still do a stamp kit? I remember having hours of fun with one when I was a little boy.

 

An apple, an orange, a few nuts and a JB stamp kit.... proper christmas !

 

Bet they're collectors items now.

 

Regards

 

Rusty

http://www.toyopia.co.uk/shop.asp?ToyID=711&catcode=AC

[Guest rusty]

Gosh MM,

 

Still exactly the same after 20'something years (cough, cough).

 

I am very tempted to buy a set for the kids for christmas. I wonder if it would hold the same interest as it did for me. I doubt it.

 

Hours of fun for a few pounds and inky fingermarks everywhere.

 

But, did anyone have a (Corgi, Dinky) Thunderbird 2 with a Thunderbird 4 in it's pod?

 

Now that was a christmas !!

 

Rusty

[Richmond]

The kits look exactly the same as they did 40 years (bloody hell) ago. My main memory is of everything within 10 feet being more or less covered in ink.

[italiastar]

Many prospective buyers would rate servicing by Michael Mouse as preferable to servicing by Ford.

 

I totally agreed only I'd replace "ford" with "any main dealer" (please feel free to correct me if you've found an exception)

 

However, people are obsessed with the word full main dealer service history.

[Ivor_E_Tower]

But, did anyone have a (Corgi, Dinky) Thunderbird 2 with a Thunderbird 4 in it's pod?

 

Now that was a christmas !!

Got mine a few weeks ago! My parents had a clearout and came across it. Both rear engines broken off T2 though, and traces of Araldite still there.....