I got scammed by my local spares shop

J

JJCOOL

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On Friday I bought a set of rear brake pads for my Polo Classic - after battling like hell untill Sunday, I came to the conclusion that it is impossible for these to be fitted without a special caliper piston rewind tool. It is just impossible to make enough space in the caliper to fit the pads.

I had to get Linday Saker to come out to my house with their special tool at a cost of R 545.00 to get this sorted.

Is it not unethical for the spares shop to sell you something they most likely know you can never fit by yourself in the first place?

What do other ppl do in a case like this ?
 
They should ask before selling you something that would be basically unusable without specialised equipment.

It's basic customer service. I never sell something to my clients unless they understand exactly what they are getting.
 
Sure they could have asked you if you had the right tool, but i wont say they scammed you.

I agree with the shop though, i wouldn't ask guys coming in to buy parts for their car if they had the right tools. I would assume that a guy coming to buy parts for cars obviously knows what they doing.
 
i think you received from the shop exactly what you asked for. you want xyz, they sell you xyz and then you find you dont have the tools to fit xyz.

methinks this is your problem, not theirs. no magic parachute here.

it would have been nice if they had asked if you had the tools and the offered to sell you one so you can complete the job, and it would have been nice if shrek didnt get upset with donkey all the time also.

but i dont see it as their responsibility to make sure you have the tools and ability and space and competence to fit the parts you asked for.
 
rare brake pads is a bitch if it's a drum.

You can rewind it with a flat screwdriver but it's not ideal. I never do rare brakes ever. I send the car in for that cos it is a bitch to do or atleast for me, I hate it
 
JJCOOL said:
They should ask before selling you something that would be basically unusable without specialised equipment.

It's basic customer service. I never sell something to my clients unless they understand exactly what they are getting.
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People buying spares like brake pads generally know what they are doing - especially where the notorious VW unscrew-the-piston rear calipers are concerned.
 
catweasel said:
I agree with the shop though, i wouldn't ask guys coming in to buy parts for their car if they had the right tools. I would assume that a guy coming to buy parts for cars obviously knows what they doing.
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This is the problem I find with newer model cars though. I have always done a lot of the work on my cars myself- even complete engine overhauls etc. Newer models are designed in such a way that you cannot easily do your own DIY jobs.

My point is that the salesperson probably knew that special equipment is required - equipment that most backyard mechanics (myself included) do not have access to. If you google this problem you find companies that hire out the tools in the States.

Basically the spares shop wanted to make the sale - irrespective of whether I had the right tools or not. Other customers must have had the same problem too .....
 
True. True. True.

It was my first time doing the rear pads on this car. Also my fault for not researching the job before diving in.

It is just annoying to battle like hell for 2 days, when the salesperson could just have said "make sure you have a caliper rewind tool handy"

If I had known about this issue beforehand I would have just sent the car in to Lidsay Saker.

P.S. I did actually save just over R 200.00 by buying my own pads and have the LS mechanic fit them for me at home.
 
well at least I still saved some $$$

The agents prices are rediculous. I had my polo serviced by the agent in March and it cost a cool R 9000.00 (ouch)

So you cant blame people for trying to do their own work wherever possible.
 
JJCOOL said:
My point is that the salesperson probably knew that special equipment is required - equipment that most backyard mechanics (myself included) do not have access to. If you google this problem you find companies that hire out the tools in the States.
Click to expand...

The salesman may well not have known. Many cars have funny quirks; some Fords and Volvos also require odd tools for the rear brakes. Just because he sells parts doesn't mean he actually knows how to fit them.
 
thedutchman said:
ouch, thats a lot, 9k ? what did they do ?? rebuild half of the car ?
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Just major service including cambelt, replaced front discs and lower control arms and ball joints - oh and a petrol filter too.

I said to myself never again - that lasted till this weekend. So a bit annoyed that I had to go crawling back to Lindsay Saker.

Anyway, I went to the rugby on Sat and was in no condition on Sunday to even have another look at the car through my killer headache and bloodshot eyes.

Game was awesome though .....

Liver took some seriuos strain
 
Claymore said:
The salesman may well not have known. Many cars have funny quirks; some Fords and Volvos also require odd tools for the rear brakes. Just because he sells parts doesn't mean he actually knows how to fit them.
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QFT...Some of these places provide very little if any training so sometimes you swing a miss there. Don't expect sales people to know if you don't :)
 
PsyWulf said:
QFT...Some of these places provide very little if any training so sometimes you swing a miss there. Don't expect sales people to know if you don't :)
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Mmm. Point taken. Next time google will be my starting point.

Like I said earlier, when I sell stuff to clients I make sure they understand everything before commiting - maybe I just expect the same.
 
JJCOOL said:
My point is that the salesperson probably knew that special equipment is required - equipment that most backyard mechanics (myself included) do not have access to. If you google this problem you find companies that hire out the tools in the States.

Basically the spares shop wanted to make the sale - irrespective of whether I had the right tools or not. Other customers must have had the same problem too .....
Click to expand...

:D Does Nandos or KFC ask whether or not you have a plate and cutlery when you buy take aways? Some things are one's own responsibility. Customer service cannot cover everything. Take my advice - I always explain to any salesman exactly what I intend to do, what I want from him and what my ability is. Always works for me.
 
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