# Not happy with our service



## 98320

WE TOOK OUR HYMER IN FOR A SERVICE AND MOT WE GOT A CALL SAYING IT FAILED ITS TEST IT NEEDED NEW BEARINGS ON ALL FOUR BACK WHEEL,S ,THEN WE GOT A CALL SAYING THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO JUST TIGHTEN THEM UP , LATER IN THE DAY THEY SAID NO THEY NEEDED NEW ONE,S SO WE AGREED ALSO NEEDED WAS 4 NEW BRAKE CYLINDERS WHEN WE GOT THE MOTORHOME BACK TWO DAYS LATER AT A COST OF £811 IT SAID THEY HAD ONLY TIGHTENED THE BEARING,S UP BUT GHARGED THE SAME PRICE WHEN WE COMPLAINED THEY SAID THEY HAD RENEWED 3 AND TIGHTENED 1 ,THE NEXT GUY TOLD US THAT WAS WRONG IT WAS TWO TIGHTENED AND TWO NEW 2 DAYS LATER WE ARE NOW TOLD THE BEARING,S THEY SAID WERE NOT FIT TO REPAIR HAD ALL BEEN JUST TIGHTEND UP AT THE SAME COST OF SIXTY POUNDS EACH THE SAME PRICE AS NEW ,,HAVE WE BEEN RIPPED OF OR WHAT ? 8O


----------



## asprn

I realise you're upset, but using block capital in posts is deemed to be SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF YOUR VOICE. 8O You might also consider breaking down the post into bight-sized chunks - having one continuous long sentence/paragraph doesn't make it conducive to read.

Not criticism - only advice.

Dougie.


----------



## 98320

asprn said:


> I realise you're upset, but using block capital in posts is deemed to be SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF YOUR VOICE. 8O You might also consider breaking down the post into bight-sized chunks - having one continuous long sentence/paragraph doesn't make it conducive to read.
> 
> Not criticism - only advice.
> 
> Dougie.


----------



## 98320

*cap lock .s did not think thanks duggie*

i just wrote the way i am feeling


----------



## lifestyle

It`s so reassuring to know we have teachers on here, to correct our spelling mistakes, and grammar .


----------



## JohnsCrossMotorHomes

Hi,

Has the van got one rear axle or two?

Peter


----------



## sallytrafic

come off it lifestyle he didn't do what you said.

There are errors and he didn't say anything about them just pointed out the netiquette


----------



## 115015

Here we go again 5 replies and not much of a response to the subject, except Mr Cross. :? For what its worth I do think you have been ripped off!!!!!!


----------



## Fatalhud

Did the invoice itemise what parts were fitted

I would check and if they did not fit them ask for a refund

I could not see the point in replacing 3 out of 4 knackered bearings

If they had all had the same use, then common sense would say the 4th one would be on the way out as well

Alan H


----------



## gaspode

At MHF we don't prohibit the use of upper case in posts and moderators won't edit posts for poor grammar etc. Upper case and spelling errors will however be edited when used in thread titles.

It is however considered by many to be poor etiquette to use upper case excessively and it does come across as aggressive so probably best not to use it except where the poster wishes to convey aggression. Grammar and spelling are optional as long as the text can be understood. It is good advice though to make a little effort to keep text easily readable. Many readers just pass over badly composed posts even though they may contain valuable information.

So no condemnation, just common sense and tolerance please.

Please try to remain on-topic.


----------



## 98320

*service*

hi everyone i am not the world,s best but i try. thank,s to all for the help they are giving us it is a twin axle and they put on the invoice adjusted rear wheel bearings


----------



## Fatalhud

£60 a wheel  
I think someone is extracting the urine

I assume you won't be taking back there again :evil:

Nowadays i only use the MOT stations that only do the mot's and that are not looking for repair business 

Alan H


----------



## 98320

*bearings*

hi alan the point is i did not get any new ones but got charged the price of new ones


----------



## bognormike

er, can we ask who did this "service"??


----------



## 98320

*sevice*

yes hymer uk


----------



## Fatalhud

*Re: bearings*



POP said:


> hi alan the point is i did not get any new ones but got charged the price of new ones


I thought they had charged you to adjust each wheel at a cost of £60 a wheel

If that was the case then god knows what they charge to supply and fit new ones

I thought nowadays a computer system gave the cost of each job
perhaps someone on here has access to that info to indicate if you were ripped off

Alan H


----------



## asprn

lifestyle said:


> It`s so reassuring to know we have teachers on here, to correct our spelling mistakes, and grammar .


Who's "we"?



gaspode said:


> It is good advice though to make a little effort to keep text easily readable


I wish to apologise. I clearly did not do this. "Not criticism, only advice" could read as "Terrible spelling and grammar". :roll:



gaspode said:


> Many readers just pass over badly composed posts even though they may contain valuable information


See previous point above. I rest my lifestyle.

Dougie.


----------



## bognormike

*Re: sevice*



POP said:


> yes hymer uk


have you complained directly? Maybe you should approach the management with your problem & find out what they say......


----------



## 98320

*service*

yes alan they charged me 60 pounds a wheel to adjust them but had quoted me the same price for them to be replaced


----------



## 98320

we are going to speak to them tomorrow


----------



## philjohn

Hi,

I would visit the Trading Standards at your local council and I would tell the company you are going to do so. What you have been charged is extortionate.

Phil Johnson


----------



## 98320

thanks phil we are going to we are very upset


----------



## Motorhomersimpson

philjohn said:


> What you have been charged is extortionate.


I agree with Phil, if they are charging £60 a wheel just to tighten bearings that is ridiculous, particularly as they quoted the same for new bearings fitted, which I feel is always a better option than tighten up old ones as they will/may have been loose for quite some time and would be very worn.

MHS...Rob


----------



## Rislar

philjohn said:


> Hi,
> 
> I would visit the Trading Standards at your local council and I would tell the company you are going to do so. What you have been charged is extortionate.
> 
> Phil Johnson


I agree, this is outrageous, they really are extracting the urine here, to be honest you should have never paid the invoice and argued over the price at the time of collection or better still got a written quote!


----------



## Fatalhud

Is Hymer uk still linked to Brownhills
if so good luck :? 

Alan H


----------



## 98320

don,t ask us why but we trusted them to have replaced them when thats what they said was needed we never looked at the invoice properly till we got home. we must of phoned them at least 8 times and paid them a visit just to be fobbed off


----------



## 98320

yes as far as we know the invoice is from brownhills


----------



## ChesterfieldHooligan

:lol: Hi I am sorry to hear that you feel hard done to I would feel the same, but perhaps you could explain something for me. If you have had new brake cylinders then surly the rear hubs have to be removed. then they would have to refit the wheel bearings and retighten them if so why would you have to pay again for the same thing. :lol: 
Brian and Marion


----------



## 98320

hi brian &marion i am sorry to say we dont have a clue when it comes to mechanic,s we just trust and hope looks like we got it wrong


----------



## GEMMY

I think that although you took your vehicle to Hymers,they in fact did not do the work,They sub-contract services and repairs out to a garage round the corner.Although Hymer will be the ones who charged their 'own' rates for the work.

tony


----------



## 98320

you are right tony this is what happened but they are passing us back and forward to each other but we want what we paid for and won,t rest till we do we travel to spain twice a year and take in france we need to know the job is right and we are safe


----------



## Penquin

Whatever has happened I think you are owed a detailed explanation of who, what, why at the very least. The confusion about what was or was not on the invoice makes the whole thing difficult to understand.

I would hope that a polite approach would be responded to in the same manner; there is certainly a great deal that needs to be explained.

I do not know enough about mechanics to suggest whether the bearings should have been replaced, or tightened, but I would hope someone would explain why they took the course of action they did. In my simple understanding wheel bearings are designed to have a certain amount of movement - to allow the wheel to turn. Presumably with use this amount gets larger, but at what point does it become an MoT failure?

If they are worn I would expect replacements since my simple mind says that something that is worn may well soon become worn out! But perhaps they are tapered to allow adjustments to be made.

Lots of points I would want clarified, did you pay using a credit card? If so I believe you have a route via them since it is over the magic £100 value. Someone on the forum will be sure to advise you on that whether I am right or wrong.

But again I must stress that I am NOT an expert (merely a teacher who is NOT looking at grammar or spelling - in the same way that we mark the students work - if we can understand it - that's OK!)


----------



## 98320

we paid in cash  invoice reads renewed rear brake cylinders ; renewed wiper blades; adjusted rear wheel bearings


----------



## 98320

thank;s to all of you who took the trouble to help you are great


----------



## Jean-Luc

The brake cylinders should cost about £20 each, see here that's about £80 for the four, fitting should be straight forward, with proper, experience, tools and facilities I would expect that each should be done within 30 minutes, say two hours labour, call it three. Adjusting a wheel bearing only takes a few minutes for a trained mechanic and fitting a couple or three wiper blades should definitely see change out of 30 quid. 
At £60 per hour labour I recon you should have been out the gate 'only' about 350 quid lighter


----------



## 98320

thank u i have looked and u are right max £20 pound what happened at first they said the bearings were well gone and we had to have new so we agreed ;then they said the cylinders were also gone ; later they phoned to say the bearings might be able to be saved ;later came another call saying no they had to be replaced


----------



## 98320

when we picked it up they said they had put 3 new ones in and repaired one today when they phoned they said they had adjusted them all and none were new


----------



## JohnsCrossMotorHomes

All sounds very fishy and expensive to me, but thats just my personal opinion.

Peter


----------



## Grizzly

POP said:


> when we picked it up they said they had put 3 new ones in and repaired one today when they phoned they said they had adjusted them all and none were new


This is what I find even more disturbing. It doesn't look as if the people who sent out the invoice know what had been done. surely the workshop should keep an accurate running record to pass to the office ?

When someone does this to me I suspect I have been conned and the firm concerned are trying to cover something up. At the very least they are seriously incompetent and should not be doing something as important as mending vans.

I suggest you write down all that has been said and, as far as you remember, who said it, while it is all fresh in your mind. If you want to take this further - and I think you should- then this is the sort of information you will need. I'm afraid I keep a detailed note of every communication I have with anyone in the field of motorhome servicing and care. A sad thing that I should feel it is necessary but it has been proved useful so many times.

G


----------



## AndrewandShirley

Have you talked to Trading Standards?


----------



## 98320

no but if we get no response its the next step


----------



## Jean-Luc

Hi Pop, can you get a mechanic to just jack up each wheel and give it a spin, he/she should be able to tell the condition of the bearing by the sound it makes or lack of it (sound), if it's new/ok. 
Also, as the bleed nipples on the slave cylinders protrude through the brake assembly backplate it should be possible to confirm, on visual inspection and without any dismantling, if in fact you got new cylinders, IF you got new cylinders the nipples should be shiny new


----------



## lindyloot

Pop, I'm not familiar with the brake /wheel set up on Hymers, but it sounds to me like you may have been ripped off. If it was my MH I would go to another garage to have an independent check to see what has been done. If it is confirmed that you have been charged for new when the old is still on there I would report to trading standards and ask VOSA to check out the Mot if you are not happy or convinced about the failure,(although any dispute you take up with VOSA the vehicle should stay at the premises where the Mot was carried out, until they have conducted their investigation)
Lin


----------



## carol

When we have had things replaced on car or motorhome - the garage has always shown us the old part - ok - it could be from another vehicle - but I don't think so.... I always thought this was normal practice.

Carol


----------



## Wizzo

Hi POP,

I have to say I'm not surprised but I am appalled. I have a deep distrust of garages hence the reason I learnt to do my own servicing. If they did change the brake cylinders then you should also have been charged for brake fluid. If you haven't been charged then I would be deeply suspicious. Also it may be an easy matter for an independent garage to see whether the fluid in your system is new.

Replacement of the brake cylinders would necessitate the removal of the wheel hubs and bearings anyway so the bearings would have to be readjusted on reassembly. It would be grossly unfair therefore to charge you twice for the same job. 

If it were me I would find an independent garage / mechanic to a) check the brake fluid and if necessary to b) remove one of the wheels and hub to have a look to see if the cylinder is in fact a new one.

JohnW


----------



## bofb

I've been 'on the spanners' for most of my working life and find it hard to believe that all these items required attention at the same time particularly if you hadn't noticed any problems prior to this. Unless your van is ancient or has extremely high mileage this is a coincidence to say the least. A look at the old parts that have been replaced may prove interesting.


----------



## Fatalhud

POP said:


> we paid in cash  invoice reads renewed rear brake cylinders ; renewed wiper blades; adjusted rear wheel bearings


They have played it crafty with the invoice if that is all it says

I think i would ask them for an itemised breakdown of the work carried out including parts and labour breakdown for each job
Also if they are not sure wether they did or did not change the bearings then i would check under the van to see if they remembered to fit the brake parts
Alan H


----------



## 98320

hi guys this is what has happened today , we found out hymer had put our motorhome out to a garage round the corner for all the work .he told us today he changed the brake cylinders ,the wipers ,and he cleaned and tightened the bearings he also done the service and the total he charged hymer £385 . so we are asking hymer why they charged us £811 pounds , as u can guess we are not getting any answers


----------



## iandsm

*hymer uk*

Why don't you reproduce the invoice exactly on here then everyone will know precisely what was charged for. Also ask two or three independent garages to give a written quote for the same work (without letting them see the invoice, then you can compare. That must surely be the way forward If the Hymer invoice is way overpriced you have a basis for negotiaton and and if they won't reconsider, particularly when shown the independent estimates everyone will then know their standards and can choose to take business elsewhere. The cost of ripping you off, if that's what has happened would be substantial in terms of lost trade. To be fair, if it turns out the independent estimates are not too far off, perhaps you could let us know.


----------



## iandsm

*hymer*



POP said:


> hi guys this is what has happened today , we found out hymer had put our motorhome out to a garage round the corner for all the work .he told us today he changed the brake cylinders ,the wipers ,and he cleaned and tightened the bearings he also done the service and the total he charged hymer £385 . so we are asking hymer why they charged us £811 pounds , as u can guess we are not getting any answers


I hadn't seen this when I made my suggestion, I bet there are a lot of interested people looking at this and waiting for the answer! There could be an awful lot of business lost over this and deservedly so


----------



## 98320

thank u i hope this gets sorted and hymer deserves to lose custom if this is the way customers are treated. i hope the guy at the garage will give us the paper work needed to prove what he has told us he has done on our motorhome .


----------



## OldWomble

Just read the above posts and it really does qualify what I have always said about Hymer UK & all associated companies - They are just plain GREEDY b******s. I would never give them the time of day!


----------



## Grizzly

POP said:


> thank u i hope this gets sorted and hymer deserves to lose custom if this is the way customers are treated. i hope the guy at the garage will give us the paper work needed to prove what he has told us he has done on our motorhome .


The snag is: will you trust him that it has actually been done however much paper work he give you ?

I always thought Hymer were a reputable firm but if they make such a dog's breakfast of something as simple as this then I begin to wonder.

G


----------



## 98320

we have had someone look at the brake cylinders and they are new a Q to u all ,when we bought our hymer we were told we got free m.o.t,s for life if we got our services done by them ,this year we were told we had to pay £50 because it was bought out yet its still part of brownhills


----------



## dinger

POP said:


> hi guys this is what has happened today , we found out hymer had put our motorhome out to a garage round the corner for all the work .he told us today he changed the brake cylinders ,the wipers ,and he cleaned and tightened the bearings he also done the service and the total he charged hymer £385 . so we are asking hymer why they charged us £811 pounds , as u can guess we are not getting any answers


Pop that is truely staggering, so in effect Hymer/uk has put on a margin or handling charge of £426 !!!!!

The problem is that IF this garage recieves a large proportion of their work from Hymer they may not want to submitt written evidence, but worth asking all the same as they may see the light of day and have some kind of conscious.

I bet Hymer GMBH would not be too impressed.


----------



## Jean-Luc

Jean-Luc said:


> The brake cylinders should cost about £20 each, see here that's about £80 for the four, fitting should be straight forward, with proper, experience, tools and facilities I would expect that each should be done within 30 minutes, say two hours labour, call it three. Adjusting a wheel bearing only takes a few minutes for a trained mechanic and fitting a couple or three wiper blades should definitely see change out of 30 quid.
> At £60 per hour labour I recon you should have been out the gate 'only' about 350 quid lighter


and he guys at the garage said "he changed the brake cylinders ,the wipers ,and he cleaned and tightened the bearings he also done the service and the total he charged hymer £385
That's two of us coming into the same ballpark, one amateur and one professional so if there is any justice/morality in this world you should be in line for a refund in the region of £400 from Hymer. 
There's rip-offs and there's banditry, all the guys at Hymer UK seem to be short are guns and masks


----------



## Suenliam

100% + markup for Brownhills. About right. 

When we had the misfortune to order silver screens from them about 8 years ago (we were younger and niaive then and pre MHF) they made the mistake of putting in the invoice to them from the supplier. 100%+ markup :evil: 

Best of luck with your "claim"

Sue


----------



## 98320

hi guys still waiting for them to call and we have told them we know everything and the price; the other garage told us they had charged the boss at hymer said he was sorting it out.


----------



## bognormike

I would suggest a 10% add on for "admin" would be acceptable for the use of a sub-contractor. Maybe it's a "misunderstanding". It's a shame nobody from Brownhills / Hymer UK is on here to look into this, and other customer relations problems with them.......


----------



## Grizzly

bognormike said:


> I would suggest a 10% add on for "admin" would be acceptable
> .


Given that the " admin" sounds to have been a bit of a shambles - ie the office did not give Pop the same story twice and did not seem to know what had been done- I'd say they have not even earned 10% extra.

They ought to give him an ex gratia payment as recompense for the trouble caused and phone bills incurred.

g


----------



## 98320

we seem to have a real fight on to get anything back but they will never get our money again and we have been with them for years


----------



## Rislar

This thread is unreal, what stops Hymer from telling you they don't offer the service and point you in the direction of the Garage for free, then the garage and Hymer could sort their own arrangement, as a sweetener for the business passed their way, this would also eliminate cost to Hymer owners and improve relations!!!!!


----------



## jiffyman

8O 8O 8O 

Well, if this was me, I would bypass Hymer altogether and go straight to that garage instead!!!!

I really hope you sort this out......

Try threatening them with Trading Standards, maybe after you have proof from that garage, AND maybe mentioning various forums etc, might help you get you money back!!

Down right robbery if you ask me!!!


----------



## androidGB

What surprises me is that the garage, who are presumably quite happy with the work that Brownhills give them, are prepared to divulge this information to someone who is not their customer.

A sure way to loose a source of business, for what possible advantage?.

There's something wrong here, 

But a good response to a first time poster  


Andrew


----------



## Wizzo

I'm afraid that you are unlikely to get anything back from Hymer unless they decide to make a goodwill gesture. The work charged for was seemingly carried out so Trading Standards are unlikely to be interested too much.

Making a big fat profit is not illegal I'm afraid, immoral maybe but not illegal. Next time I'm sure you will choose your garage more carefully but a bit late for this time.

Caveat Emptor.

JohnW


----------



## 98320

Hi the work was not carried out as they said they told us the bearings were past repair and the motorhome failed its test on them so we agreed to new; and then they repaired them; not quite the same in fact a lie


----------



## Wizzo

Hi Pop,

I'm not sticking up for the garage here, but it's possible that there may intially have been excessive play in the bearings which would lead to a failure. However when they had replaced the brake cylinders and reassembled the wheel hubs with the old bearings it could be that the excess play had disappeared. I would hesitate to go as far as calling that a lie as such.

However if you have definitely been charged for parts that haven't been fitted then that is a matter for Trading Standards but am I not right in thinking that you do not have an invoice listing parts replaced?

JohnW


----------



## 98320

Hi John sorry I did not think u were sticking up for them. But when we picked the motorhome up they told us they had put in three new bearings and cleaned one up. When we got home and read the invoice it said adjusted and never mentioned any new ones so we rang them another guy said we had not been told the truth ;they had fitted 2 and adjusted 2 at six o clock that night they called back and realy shocked us when they said they had not fitted any new ones all 4 had been ajusted but they were still £240  John sorry I have forgot I had cap lock,s on please forgive me its a bad habit and thanks for trying to help


----------



## 98320

hi everyone we have today gone to trading standars as the have said for 2 days they will ring but no call,s we will let u know what happens .pop.


----------



## 98320

HYMER UK have offered us a £100back as a goodwill payment  they said we did not understand the way our bill was broken down,and they explained to us what it all means we have accepted this explaination and are gratefull for this offer which we are accepting [align=center]


----------



## tony50

*Hymer*

Wizzo well done for sticking with it,trading like that gives garages a bad name,as I understand it the repair garage told you the truth (£385). Some of the comments made to you were unfair (re- Wizzo first comment)


----------



## 98320

hi wizzo we had a call from hymer uk saying that the garage had giving us the wrong bill amount that ,the figure was,,,£625 not £385,,, plus £17.20 each for three wiper blades which they had fitted plus labour so we had no choice ,,,,,it looks like there was a mix up somewere thank u and everybody but thanks pop


----------



## androidGB

POP said:


> hi wizzo we had a call from hymer uk saying that the garage had giving us the wrong bill amount that ,the figure was,,,£625 not £385,,, pop


That was handy then, easy to see how the figures could be easily confused as they're so similar :wink:

Andrew


----------



## Wizzo

*Re: Hymer*



tony50 said:


> Wizzo well done for sticking with it,trading like that gives garages a bad name,as I understand it the repair garage told you the truth (£385). Some of the comments made to you were unfair (re- Wizzo first comment)


I was trying to be realistic Tony. It's difficult to find a garage that you can trust sometimes but they are out there and as I said in my second comment making a big fat profit is not illegal. I am wholeheartedly on Pop's side and I hope that in future he may consider having it MOT'd elsewhere because I still think that there's been some collusion between Hymer and the garage on this and none of it to Pop's benefit. My comment about Hymer making a goodwill gesture came to fruition and I think that's the best he could have hoped for this time around.

JohnW


----------



## carol

Pop I suppose if you are happy with that - then all is well - I seemed to think it was a lot more you were after - as I have not seen the latter part of your thread, and don't have time at the moment to read it all, did they renew or replace things in the end.

My suggestion for the future, is pay by credit card, and if they replace brake pads, clutch etc., ask for the parts - then you can see - and take them away with you....

Glad you are happy though. 

Carol


----------



## tony50

*Hymer*

Sorry my message at 1-37 pm should have said Hi Pop


----------



## Westkirby01

*Ripped off*

Hello Pop

Late reply. Yes it does appear that you have been subject of overcharging and undercompleting. If a major garage does work then £30 an hour can be charged. The work you suggest seems to be about 3 hrs worth. The parts cost are not detailed by you so it can only be conjecture that the cost of labour is in excess of £500.

Where in the country are you?

We all have been subject of this type of abuse, but being able to contact other members may allow you to ask for help in selecting a 'friendly' garage.


----------



## JockandRita

Oh dear POP,

I have just read all the posts, and although you appear to be happy with the outcome, I would be extremely unhappy. I am sorry to read about your problems, but I do have to agree with Jean Luc, Wizzo, and others re reasonable costs, choice of MOT station and servicing outlet, etc.

I have recently had our Hymer (4.5 tonnes) MOT'd for £35 (a pass I'm pleased to say). A recent service which included an oil change, oil, air and fuel filters, all six wheels off, brakes and bearings checked and cleaned, leading edges/corrosion on drums and shoes removed, brake fluid bled at each cylinder, Alko axle tubes greased, LH headlight bulb changed, and everything put back together, ready for our main holiday, at the cost of.............£110 inclusive, and a with receipt too.

I know this work has been done as I was present at the time of the service, doing little odds and sods myself. This chap is snowed under with private work, as he has an excellent reputation as an independent.

One of my favourite sayings is that, I wouldn't buy a packet of fuses from Broonfools. 

Good luck next time round.

Jock.

P.S. Incidentally, a full service on Peugeot 206 2.0 HDI, along with a cam belt and pulley replacement, and a water pump renewed by the same chap, cost us £320. Very reasonable, as I don't have the specialist tools, nor the knowledge to do a major job myself.


----------

