DIY car repairs and spare parts

[Tim Smith]

Hi

I guess this question is slightly off topic but has come about because I tried to DIY so I would be grateful for any assistance.

The latch mechanism recently failed on my rather old Audi. I removed it and went to our local dealership who told me that the part was "not a stock item" and would have to be ordered. This was yesterday and they said that it would probably arrive on tomorrow (Wednesday). I had to pay in full.

Now a bit more examination and a good clean has meant that the "faulty" item now works.

Basically, the question is can I get my money back somehow ? The order form states that "special orders" cannot be returned for credit. It does not however state that this is a special order.

Does the fact that I havent yet pciked up this item help my cause ? I suspect that I will have to pay but any advice welcome. Sorry for it being slightly off-topic...

Tim

[mindwipe]

you have to pay although you already have

[Tim Smith]

I think I will try and appeal to their better nature see if they will do a deal...

Tim

[mindwipe]

sounds reasonable

[Set Square]

You're right about it being OT. It's not *really* DIY - it's not even really motoring - but more legal.

You have contracted to buy something, and are committed to do so. You *may* be able persuade them to cancel the order - but if they've ordered something for you which they don't normally stock, it is - by definition - a special order.

[Ian Stirling]

I'd suggest you offer to pay a reasonable restocking fee, to cover their costs.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If they're half decent they'll simply deduct a handling charge of about

20% and refund the rest.

[Steven Campbell]

How much are we talking? Is there anything else you need for the car? They may just swap it for something else.

[Tim Smith]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The door latch was £75 - so not a huge amount but enough that I didnt really want to spend it if I didnt have to.

Obviously, all will become clear when I speak to them tomorrow morning but I just wanted some clarification of where I stood before I did that.

Tim

[Steven Campbell]

I remember I needed 3 parts for an old VW I owned. 1 part was in stock and the other 2 parts had to be ordered in. Like you, the invoice said "special orders cannot be returned". However when I got home I managed to get one of the old parts working again. So the next day when I went to collect the 2 parts they had ordered I told them I only needed the one of them. That was fine no charge. They said it just stays at their garage until another garage requests it.

So you never know. Good luck.

[The Natural Philosopher]

They have your money and your part...

Which one they choose to give you back is at their discretion, not yours.

[Tim Smith]

Well thanks for all the replies.

In the end I did get my money back. It did involve a visit to the garage and pointing out that their T&Cs arent made apparent until after they have your money and print out the order but after that they were fine about it!

However, I will be a little more careful in future....

Thanks again,

Tim

[rjs]

Interesting point about T+Cs not being apparent until after you have entered into the contract. There are some old cases involving railway tickets which had the T+Cs printed on the reverse of the ticket and were thus invisible until after purchase. IIRC one involved a person falling to their death. Whoever says that the law is boring!

In a similar vein SWMBO always reads the microscopic print on the reverse of agreements much to the annoyance of the vendors. She once refused to sign a hire agreement because of an Unfair Term and the hirer agreed to delete the offending clause!!!