automotive management

Performance Task 3 of 3

In this scenario, a customer has had their vehicle towed into your workshop because of a fault warning light has come on and a terrible sound is coming from under it when driving.

The owner of the vehicle feels your workshop is responsible for the problem, and any resulting cost of repairs to fix it, because your workshop was the last ones to service the vehicle two months earlier.

Upon investigation, your technician locates the noise coming from the transfer case for the All-Wheel-Drive system in the vehicle's drivetrain. Draining the oil also revealed a lot of metal contamination. This oil was changed as part of the previous service your workshop performed on the vehicle in question.

This was confirmed with the copy of the invoice the customer brought with them. The customer also brought a letter from their solicitor, demanding, your workshop pay for any repairs the vehicle requires, and provide a hire car to the customer while their vehicle is being repaired, and any other associated costs related to the incident.

Referring to your workshop's copy of the invoice, it confirms that the copy of the invoice the customer presented has not been altered in any way, and all the notes added at the time of the service were all there. This included a note the vehicle needed 4 new tyres, which the vehicle now has 2 new tyres fitted to the front which were not fitted by your workshop.

The customer is understandably quite upset and is demanding prompt action to have their vehicle repaired, and your workshop to accept full responsibility.

However, further review of the manufacturer's information and specifications reveals they state that all tvres must meet all the specifications, are identical, and all replaced at the same time, or damage can occur to the AlI-Wheel-Drive mechanism.

Your service representative said they communicated to the customer at the time the importance of replacing the tyres as a set of 4, or damage may occur to the vehicle's drivetrain.

Though the invoice does say that a set of 4 tyres are needed for the vehicle, which the vehicle now has 2 new tyres fitted instead of a set of 4, the invoice does not say they need to be done as a set of 4 or problems may occur.

As there is no written proof the customer was advised by a representative of your workshop on the importance of replacing the tyres as a set of 4 may place you and the workshop in a difficult position.

You Must

From the information provided for this scenario, provide the following:

1. List the steps you would take to try and resolve the matter.
2. Are there any consumer laws and/or organisational policies in place to deal, with a matter of this nature, if so, where might you find them?
3. Does this matter need to be escalated to an external party for assistance, if so, who would the appropriate external party or parties be?
4. Should there have been anything done differently to prevent this situation occurring, if so, what policies and procedures would you put in place to prevent problems of this nature occurring again?

(6 0 0 W o r d s)