Assumption + lack of common sense = frustrated customer.

I decided the other week to fix something on my car myself. It’s taken me around three weeks to do the job fully, but at least it saved me £1.50. It’s also made me drive slower – amazing what replacing something critical on the car does for your driving confidence...

Anyway the Haynes manual said to ensure you replace all bolts that are removed with new ones. Having spent several hours “simply removing” the bolts (grinding them with an angle grinder and hitting them with a big hammer in other words) it was time to fit new ones – refitting being the reverse sequence to removal of course. Simple. Apart from the fact that it involves the local VW dealership.

I called them to order the new bolts. No problem they’ll be here tomorrow they said. I made a special trip and they were indeed there. But, the nuts that go with the bolts weren’t.....these are sold separately to the bolt. Obviously.
I was a bit frustrated. But, as usual it got me thinking. Was it my assumption that the bolts would come supplied with the nuts? Or could the garage have helped? Putting aside the fact that VW are so stingy as to make you buy the nuts separately to the bolts they belong to, surely when ordering a bolt it’s reasonable for the garage to ask “will sir also be needing new nuts?”.

Maybe, maybe not, but it certainly drove me nuts.

Paul Everitt
http://www.rworld.co.uk/