Consumer body help saved €2,000

Readers who have problems with companies should try getting help from their local offices of UFC Que Choisir.

My car broke down and my local Nissan garage in Villeneuve sur Lot told me that the gear box had disintegrated. The car was five months out of its three-year guarantee but only had 69,000km on the clock.

The technician suggested that there might be case for Nissan making a contribution to the e3,121 repair cost and approached them on my behalf. They refused on the basis that I had not followed instructions to rotate the tyres every 7,500km. (I had in fact changed the two front tyres at 20,000km and all four tyres at 40,000km.)

Encouraged by the technician, I wrote to the director of client relations at Nissan requesting they review the position, and then the PDG, receiving negative responses.

A friend recommended UFC Que Choisir after they had resolved a dispute with a shop for him. I met their auto issues expert at their branch in Agen after joining the organisation for a subscription of €29.

Their reaction was that the problem could not have been caused by me or the tyres and they wrote to Nissan France on my behalf.

Further letters by UFC were ignored until the group threatened court action if we did not receive compensation of at least 70% of the repair bill within a few days. Soon after I received a phone call from the local Nissan agent offering a cheque for €2,185.

I could have still taken them to court, but UFC advised me to accept as there was no guarantee of the outcome of a court case.

I will certainly not being buying another Nissan which is a shame as the local garage has been impeccable in the service they have given me. I cannot praise the people at UFC Que Choisir in Agen enough for the support and assistance they gave me in obtaining at least some compensation.

Dudley Wood
Bourg de Visa, Tarn-et-Garonne