Letters and requests for comments ignored

IT IS with some concern that I am writing this letter, because most of your column deals with complaints after buying from a shop. My query deals with servicing. I feel that failing to deliver a service as agreed is just as bad as selling a faulty washing machine. I also feel that there are many more problems arising from people who pose as experts in maintenance and servicing. This is unfortunately common in Malta and I feel that service people should be fully responsible for what they do.

My complaint is against Paul Vella of the firm Eliseo Muscat of N/S off San Gwakkin Road, Mriehel QRM09. I am enclosing a copy of a letter sent to Mr Vella by registered post. As you may imagine, he did not care to answer this letter. I would appreciate your comments. (Dr Francis Bonello)

In such situations I ask the traders or suppliers for their comments and if they do not reply I send them a reminder. If they do not reply I will send them more reminders and, if they do not reply, I feature the letter. Here follows Dr Bonello's letter sent to Mr Vella:

I refer to my car EBA 893 which you undertook to repair in October 2004. You will remember that I brought my car to you because the air-conditioning system was not working. The car had a leak in the system and I had already approached other mechanics who were unable to rectify it. I also stressed at the time that, since the car was rather old, I preferred not to do any repairs if the cost was going to be high. In the latter case, I would pay for your assessment and stop there.

You agreed to do the job provided you carried out a thorough preliminary survey of the car. I brought my car to your garage on the agreed date and it took you a few days to establish that the problem was a leaking valve and it was not expensive to repair. Subsequently you did replace the valve (which incidentally cost Lm1) and you charged me Lm47.50 for the job. You assured me that everything was working well and that you had tested the whole air-conditioning system and found it perfect.

I drove away happy that the problem was solved. However I was wrong because after three weeks the problem resurfaced as before - the air-conditioner failed again to function properly. I returned to your place rather angrily and you replied that you were surprised and would test everything again. I left my car there and you phoned me up a couple of days later saying that you were sorry that you missed another leak in another part of the system. You also said that to repair the leak you had to replace a part, which would cost Lm200 but that you would be able to get a similar non-proprietary part for Lm90.

Having already spent Lm47.50, against my better judgment I agreed to repair my car if you could get the required part at the lower price but not at Lm200. Subsequently, after nearly two weeks you informed me that I could pick up my car because it was repaired. To my utter surprise, and I expressed this to you in no uncertain terms, you gave me a bill for Lm341.93 for this second attempt. I paid this amount under protest because you again assured me that, after checking the system, the car was working perfectly and that you had again tested it completely n.

Once again, I drove away and once more everything seemed OK till about three weeks later when the system again failed to function properly. This was exactly what I told you was happening prior to your 'repairs'. I came to you again extremely unhappy, as one would expect. You again kept my car to check it once more, declaring that this was some minor problem.

To my great surprise, you phoned up some days later saying that you had again missed a leak in the system and that the part needed this time to repair it would cost Lm97. I immediately refused because by this time I had already spent nearly Lm400 and you were unable to repair the car, and our agreement was that you would repair the car only if the job was not too expensive.

Under these circumstances, I feel that you were unable to do the job properly as agreed, and that you should refund my Lm389.45. Otherwise you have to finish the job you undertook at your expense and to my complete satisfaction. I hope you will come to this amicable solution before any further steps are taken. An early reply is solicited.

On May 18 I asked Mr Vella for his comments, to no avail. On August 17 I sent him a copy of the letter and asked him for his comments, still to no avail. In the continued absence of any communication from him, on September 21 I sent Mr Vella yet another copy of the letter, still to no avail.

Indeed he is still welcome to send us his comments for inclusion in this column. I take this opportunity to ask traders involved in cases referred to this column and who have received requests for their comments, to co-operate with us.