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milesr3



Member Since: 12 Feb 2013
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 873

2016 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Keswick Green
Marshall (was Hammond) Halesworth Warranty Paintwork Moan
Our Defender has gone into Marshalls at Halesworth for some paintwork under the warranty. It needs the windscreen surround, driver's door hinges and one of the windscreen 'hinges' re-painting.

They arranged to collect it yesterday and bring it back today. It's been a catalogue of problems:

1) The driver they sent to collect it was an elderly lady, who had never driven a Defender before, refused to reverse it off our driveway and was having trouble operating the pedals in high-heeled boots and couldn't reach the handbrake. She asked why it had two gearlevers...

2) They left us a fiesta and signed the paperwork to say that they'd checked our insurance cover note for their vehicle when they had not thought to mention that we would need to insure it. It was a good job I checked and duly paid £15 admin fee for a temporary vehicle.

3) We called them today to check when it would be returned only to be told that they didn't understand how we could possibly think it would be done in two days and that we won't get it back until Tuesday at the earliest (5 days). It then transpires that they broke the windscreen taking it out and have had to order another one. There then follows some blarney about how they've had to remove the doors and door trims to remove the hinges!?!

4) We are now left with a fiesta that isn't going to tow a horsebox on Saturday, let alone make it down the track to the stables. Oh, but the insurance runs out at midnight tonight, so we can't drive it anyway without paying another £15. Don't know what we'd be expected to do it we actually needed a 4x4 commercial vehicle for our livelihood!

5) The guy at their body repair centre says "don't worry about the insurance, just drive it on our workshop policy. We'll fix it anyway if you have a bump". When we ask if we can have a copy of their insurance, just in case we get stopped by the police or worst case kill someone they can't provide it. Reluctantly we decline to drive it on their say-so given the utter shambles so far and when we have a piece of paper stating the we are insuring it.

I'll be on the phone to the dealership who fobbed me off to their own repair centre in the morning...
Post #391559 22nd Jan 2015 9:16pm
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JAY BOY



Member Since: 04 May 2010
Location: Not here
Posts: 1706

Wales 
Surely if the car is under warranty the dealers should be doing all this for you and be providing you with a suitable replacement in the mean time.
I would kicking up a right fuss with the principal.
Post #391565 22nd Jan 2015 9:22pm
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milesr3



Member Since: 12 Feb 2013
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 873

2016 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Keswick Green
It really is this kind of bullsh1t that makes loyal customers go elsewhere. Apart from our local dealer, all the others we've dealt with over this vehicle have been total spactards.

Forgot to mention that when they phoned to book it in and spoke to my wife, they suggested phoning back when her husband was in! When she pointed out that it was her vehicle, the eighth Defender she's owned they suggested it was a strange choice for a woman. Of course it is, she should be in the scullery...

Looking forward to the wife phoning the dealer in the morning. I wouldn't want to be on the other end of the phone!
Post #391571 22nd Jan 2015 9:34pm
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Cuthbert



Member Since: 26 Oct 2013
Location: Up North
Posts: 1535

I don't think this man sounds too happy ........ wonder if he is really a Glaswegian who has run out of benefits cash?

If a commercial business lends you a car - why are you getting excited about you insuring it. Anytime I get a loan car (or motorcycle) from a garage/workshop I drive it on their business insurance. Why would I pay to drive it on mine? Just don't get it.

Personally I'd be more concerned about getting a quality and thorough job done rather than worrying about a few extra days.

What I would get excited about would be an inexperienced driver hash bashing my vehicle along the public highway - think I'd just have said "You sit in the passenger seat and I'll drive the Defender down to the bodyshop myself".
Post #391576 22nd Jan 2015 9:45pm
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milesr3



Member Since: 12 Feb 2013
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 873

2016 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Keswick Green
I'm getting excited about the insurance because we have a bottom copy of a piece of paper stating that they have checked our insurance. That means we have to insure it; insurance law is clear on this.

Agree with you about taking as long as it takes to get a quality job. If we had a suitable loan vehicle they could keep it as long as necessary.
Post #391579 22nd Jan 2015 9:53pm
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XS Pete



Member Since: 13 Jan 2011
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 632

England 2011 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Stornoway Grey
Sounds fairly standard for Hammonds. They behave like they're living in Brideshead Revisited. Unless you go striding in behaving like a wealthly 19th century land owner, you don't get taken seriously.

Needless to say, when I got a similar reception when I was originally shopping for my landy, I went elsewhere and haven't been back since.

Pete
Post #391694 23rd Jan 2015 9:53am
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Happyoldgit



Member Since: 14 Sep 2007
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 3471

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Corris Grey
I've bought vehicles from Hammonds and had servicing and warranty work carried out there although not since they became part of the Marshall Group last year. Over the years I built up a fairly reasonable relationship but initially had to be somewhat firm in showing them that having owned umpteen Land Rovers over several decades I might actually know what I talking about. I always insisted on having a like for like loan vehicle although the service manager did try the line that they could not possibly entertain using the vehicle for towing anything.

I found their bodyshop to be ok albeit a little slow. The workshop foreman was excellent and entirely reasonable ...but I did not always feel the same way about the warranty manager so had to escalate things much higher in order to get some perfectly reasonable jobs completed. T

I found their servicing charges were not competitive over the past couple of years or so. Steve.
Owned numerous Land Rover vehicles of all shapes and sizes over the decades.
Current Defender: A non tarts hand-bagged Puma 110 XS USW.

[Insert something impressive here such as extensive list of previous Land Rovers or examples of your prestigeous and expensive items, trinkets, houses, bikes, vehicles etc]

http://forums.lr4x4.com

I used to be Miserable ...but now I'm ecstatic.
Post #391752 23rd Jan 2015 12:20pm
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durham



Member Since: 02 Jun 2014
Location: Essex
Posts: 40

England 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Corris Grey
Is it the little horrible blue Fiesta that you have? I had that last week when I took my 110 in for warranty work, squealing door lock and a list of other things. I was a little surprised that it wasn't a like for like vehicle, but as I simply needed transport for the day, I didn't question it. I hadn't given insurance a thought until asked if Id like to arrange my insurance or pay £10 to be included on theirs. I opted for the £10 for easiness. The days work took them a full 2 days and I returned the car minus used petrol and wasn't asked for the £10. They have had to order some parts so it has to go back and when I got it home, yes the door locked squealed as loud as ever.

In fairness, they did find a poorly connected fuel system protection sensor, which a French garage didn't find after I lost power on the Dover-Calais ferry in July and spent 3 nights in a budget hotel on a dual carriageway junction near Dunkirk.

While I was at Marshall's (Hammond's) I casually asked what the 1st service price was, as due in March, after quite a bit of computer fiddle the figure £486 was offered to me!!!! As my first car didn't cost that much I later did a search on line before beginning the phone around for best prices. The Marshall's group website itself says £430, so it costs £56 for that rather nice cup of Suffolk coffee! Though I suppose a Costa employee could do oil and filters changes cheaper.
Post #391782 23rd Jan 2015 2:30pm
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milesr3



Member Since: 12 Feb 2013
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 873

2016 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Keswick Green
We do have a horrible little blue Fiesta!

On the up-side, the rant that my wife had at them yesterday must have worked as it's now all done and I'm going to go to collect it in person this afternoon. BTW that tenner probably went in someone's pocket as they have now confirmed to me that they have a blanket any driver policy on their loan cars and only encourage people to take out their own insurance because the excess on theirs is £500.

For servicing and warranty work I would use Lindacre in Ipswich every time. No complaints at all from us over the last 7 years (apart from the recent hike in prices and TBH I should have haggled). Really brilliant service from them and they do seem to know their Defenders.
Post #391807 23rd Jan 2015 3:53pm
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durham



Member Since: 02 Jun 2014
Location: Essex
Posts: 40

England 2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Corris Grey
Glad to hear its sorted. The tenner was supposed to be paid on return of the car, which sounded a strange set up, anyway I never paid it or filled the car up, Its not the sort of blue you would loose in a car park!

Thanks for that, I'll try Lindacre next time over at Southwold, I'm a bit tied into Hammond for some of the work as there's a few bits they are responsible for having bought their ex-demo.. they're probably charging LR as I noted their description of scratched dash trim became "colour fading" and a damaged sawtooth spare wheel became a "paint blemish". They wouldnt even pass it on to Marshall's in Cambridge, as that's close to us. I had to find this damage, though no quibble re sorting it, even though I couldn't get back to them for over 6 months as in France.

I was a bit miffed when I originally collected it from them, I agreed to buy it in the 1st week of June, when it was just over 2 months old and 450 miles on the clock, but they claimed that LR stipulate not being able to sell on ex demos until at least 3 months old. I therefore picked it up 3 weeks later, 28th June, when it had 1950 on the clock! Not bad demos at 500 miles a week. It was then 1st July when I lost power on the ferry. LRJ arranged a Technician to be at Calais. The technician was a breakdown truck driver. Strangely I was offered a Ford Fiesta as a replacement to continue to the South coast area, instead of my laden 110 towing a full Ifor 4 wheel box trailer with ladders on the roof rack..................I declined, but now wonder if it was a horrible blue fiesta.
Post #391828 23rd Jan 2015 4:45pm
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milesr3



Member Since: 12 Feb 2013
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 873

2016 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Keswick Green
Collected and back home now. All the work seems good and it had been cleaned.

Could have been so much better if they'd just phoned to let us know it would take another day because they broke the screen... Thumbs Up
Post #391853 23rd Jan 2015 6:20pm
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SailingTom



Member Since: 19 Nov 2013
Location: ESSEX
Posts: 1709

United Kingdom 
Hammonds are absolutely SCensoredt and Im not normally one to slate a company on the internet
Make sure the jobs Ok when its done as their painters are colour blind aswell as being idiots . My Silver 90 spent a long time there after refusing the job twice as the colour was completely different.

So much so when It needed paint again I paid myself and went to someone I trusted, they still owe me money aswell, but ill never see that again!

Best of luck with them as you'll need it. Your lucky to get the fiesta as I only got the A class with wires coming out of the 2 bald tyres Shocked Defender puma dormobile camper
Post #391856 23rd Jan 2015 6:27pm
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