Engine Trouble Don't Get Done Get Dom

I've been fighting your consumer battles for years now,

but the same old problems just keep flooding in.

And it's all the usual suspects -

poor customer service, faulty goods and hidden small print.

No wonder some of you are fed up with the way you're being treated.

They think they can afford to lose customers. It doesn't matter,

another one will walk in a minute after.

-I think the customer's forgotten.

-I couldn't agree more. Things need to change,

and we're on a mission to get companies to treat us better.

I'll be taking on your cases and getting big results from big companies.

He's going to be very sensible and I think he'll say, "Hands up. Have your money back."

And I'll be showing you how to shop smart and stay one step ahead.

She's a really good shopper!

-So remember, Don't Get Done...

-Get Dom!

Coming up on today's show,

how the simplest garage service took away one woman's freedom...

I do have a heart problem.

I am absolutely devastated because I can't get about any more.

£16,000 is missing.

How one man turned detective to solve a bank job case

where his life savings were on the line...

NatWest were saying, "It's nothing to do with us

"because we haven't received the money from Northern Rock." I thought, "What about me?"

And roving-reporter Rani Price will be hitting the streets

to find out if you're clued up when it comes to consumer rights.

Cars are great fun.

They give you a freedom to go where you want, whenever you want.

But for some people, they're a little bit more than that.

They are an essential way to get from A to B,

and when they go wrong they can leave you high and dry,

and it's not a nice place to be.

That's exactly what happened to Angie Kelly from Cheshire.

Her car had been grounded with engine failure

ever since she took it in for what she thought would be a routine service.

An on-going dispute with a garage means she's been off the road ever since.

I am absolutely fuming with them.

Her 13-year-old Vauxhall Corsa was due for its routine oil and filter change

so she took it to this branch of National Tyres,

a UK-wide chain of garages.

I decided to go to National Tyres.

I've had good people say, you know, "Go there."

I'd taken it for the oil and filter change.

I waited around for them to do it. I drove away and drove around.

But just after three weeks of having had the oil and filter change,

Angie spotted something underneath her car.

She got on the phone to National Tyres.

I noticed there was drops of oil where I parked my car.

I phoned National Tyres and said, "Can I bring the car in?"

He said, "Yes, certainly. You can bring it in."

So Angie headed off to the National Tyres garage

where she'd had the oil change done only weeks earlier.

But she didn't get far.

I was on my way to them, I noticed the oil light come on

and the car just cut out.

Angie found herself on a busy road with no power.

The car had broken down.

I had another car behind me, which nearly hit me.

The guy got out and said, "Is everything OK?"

I said, "No, it won't start"

so he pushed me to the side of the road.

The only way to get the car to National Tyres now was to have it towed there.

But the breakdown truck driver had some very worrying news for Angie.

He said, "There's oil leaking from your car

"and I can see where it's coming from.

"It looks like there's no sump plug in."

I said to him, "What's a sump plug?"

It's the plug that stops all the oil from draining away,

and this is what happens when you take it out.

The drops of oil on the drive

suggest Angie's may have been loose and leaking after the oil change

and finally dropped out when she was driving.

Angie was towed back to National Tyres.

She says they confirmed there was no sump plug on the car and all the oil had gone.

After an examination, they also realised that the engine was seriously damaged.

He said, "Don't worry about it. We will sort the car out for you."

He said, "We will foot the bill.

"If it needs a new engine, we will sort it for you."

I was nearly in tears at that point.

I said to him, "I need my car, you know?

"I've got no other way of travelling,

"only on public transport."

He said, "We'll hire you a car, then."

According to Angie, staff seemed to accept

that a mistake with the oil change had caused the problem.

She left the car with them so they could investigate and repair it.

But three weeks later, the car was still with National Tyres

so Angie rang them to find out if they'd finally fixed it.

The garage appeared to have done a u-turn.

They now told Angie that they had decided her engine had failed

and it was nothing to do with them.

Her only options were to either buy a new engine or buy a whole new car.

Any way you look at it, she'd be forced to spend money she just didn't have.

And as they decided it wasn't their fault,

they wanted the hire car back, which left her stranded.

I am absolutely fuming with them at the moment.

You know, I'm basically stuck without my car.

And it's not that Angie is too lazy to walk.

She has a heart condition that prevents her from taking long periods of exercise.

Being without her car is a huge blow to her.

I think it's time I stepped in before the situation seizes up.

I've come to meet Angie who, because of a problem with her car and National Tyres,

has now been without it for three months.

Just how did she get here today? Yep, public transport.

-You must be Angie.

-Hiya.

-How are you?

-All right, thank you.

-Angie, you've got a big problem, haven't you?

-I have, Dom.

Was this the first time you'd ever noticed an oil leak on the car?

The car's never had an oil leak until National Tyres did the oil change.

-How old's the car?

-Erm, it's quite an old car,

but it is highly maintained, regardless of time and cost.

-I bet you didn't have a clue what was wrong.

-No idea.

Let me give you a brief explanation, with my limited knowledge.

If you drive a car and the engine runs out, leaks, whatever,

an engine will seize but it's normally terminal.

If you drive an engine with no oil in it,

it's the worst thing you can do.

Knowing how bad the likely damage would be,

I want to know what National Tyres did

when Angie and the recovery driver arrived with the car.

We met up with the guy,

the same guy that did my oil and filter change,

and, basically, he said straight to the recovery man,

"Is there any oil in the engine?"

to which the recovery man said,

"No. There's no oil in it. It's dry."

"There's no sump plug in there and the car won't start."

The National Tyres guy said,

"Look, don't worry about it.

"There's obviously some engine damage to your car.

"If you let me get your car on the ramp,

"we'll put a new plug in it and we'll put some engine oil in it

"and we'll try and start it over to see the extent of the damage."

Angie tells us staff put oil and a plug in

so that it was safe to start the car and see how bad the problem was.

It looked like bad news. Engine damage - probably serious.

Angie believed the problem stemmed from the missing oil plug,

but staff at National Tyres assured her they would put the car right.

Angie waited and waited

and after three weeks, she called the garage.

They came back with a very nasty surprise for her.

He said, "When our insurers visited your car,

"your car did have oil in it and the sump plug was in it."

I said, "They put that in as soon as I took my car

"so they could see the extent of the damage.

"It's three weeks down the line now and you haven't even notified me."

Let me just get this right. You had the oil filter changed,

the sump plug's fallen out, engine's got damaged,

took it back and National Tyres put a new plug in,

put some oil in it to check what the damage is,

then their person, their engineer, whoever,

looked at your car and said because there's oil and a plug,

-it's not their problem, it's yours?

-That's correct.

-That's unbelievable!

I am devastated because I can't get about any more.

I do have a heart problem

so, really, walking about and that is very limited.

Angie spoke to National Tyres' head office and they maintained it's not their fault.

They said the engine's timing chain had broken

and that was what had caused the car to break down.

In desperation, Angie searched for expert help.

I did go to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

-What did they say?

-They sent them a letter, you know,

basically saying, "You've done the oil and filter change

"and, to us, it looks like you've caused the problem to the car

"and it needs to be sorted out.

"Either replace the engine or pay out."

The Citizens Advice Bureau managed to get

an offer of a goodwill gesture from National Tyres of £600,

but Angie didn't believe that was enough to buy her a reliable car,

and I entirely agree.

Before I speak to National Tyres, I want to find out the minimum we'd need to replace her car,

and I know just who to ask.

Angie, I know people in the motor trade.

Let's give someone a call.

I'm just going to ask him to give me an idea of what that car's worth.

"Hello?"

-Hi, mate. It's Dominic. How are you?

-"Not bad, Dom, thanks."

-Could you give me a professional opinion of how much a car's worth?

-"Yes. Shoot."

It's a five-door Corsa in silver, 1.2,

T for Tango, 1999.

-"Yes."

-70,000 miles.

-Good condition?

-Very good.

-Very good condition.

"OK, erm,

-"it'd sell for about £1,000."

-OK.

So Angie's little run-around would cost about a grand to replace,

and she's had extra transport bills from being without it.

Let's see how much money we can get you and then start again.

If you get the right amount of money, you can get a much newer car,

hopefully something a lot better and something to get you around.

What do you think of that as my suggestion?

I do need a car. I am desperate without my car.

Angie may be desperate but I'm not. I'm determined.

Determined to get her sorted out, that is.

Looking through all her paperwork, I can see she's spent hundreds on travel and other expenses.

She's been diligent and kept all her receipts,

which is exactly what you should do if you're in dispute with a firm.

-Right, lovely. Cheerio. Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

Bit of an awkward one, this. That car's worth more to Angie sentimentally than financially.

I've got to get onto National Tyres. Angie's been fighting and hasn't got the result she wants.

The burden of pressure is on me to put a smile back on her face.

But before I start, it always pays to find out who I'm dealing with.

National Tyres is the largest independent fast-fit specialist in the UK,

with 200 branches nationwide

and an annual turnover of £180 million.

They say they will "go the extra mile" to keep you as a National customer.

Let's find out just how true that is.

It's time to get hold of somebody at National Tyres.

Angie's been speaking with a man called David Reynolds

and that's what I'm about to do.

He doesn't want his voice to be heard, though.

Good afternoon. Is that David Reynolds?

Hi, David. It's Dominic Littlewood calling from the BBC.

'I want him to confirm for me what's actually wrong with her car.

'Is it definitely a write-off?'

Obviously, the problem with this was the sump plug falling out and the oil draining from the car.

Is there any dispute about that? Are you saying that's not the issue?

'Our man says he can't make any comment on that leaking oil

'so let's see what I can find out about the £600 they offered,

'especially as I now know

'Angie's car is worth a grand in retail price.'

The final offer, I think, if I'm right, was £600.

How did you base that figure? What was that on?

'He says the figure is based on a customer aspect.

'You what?! That's a new one.'

What do you mean by customer aspect?

So, it's not on the value of the car?

It's purely just a figure that your guys have said

"Offer this and see if she's happy"?

Is that what that means? OK.

She's obviously not happy with that as a figure.

I think she probably told you that.

OK. Your insurance company have had a look, haven't they?

They've sent you a report, haven't they?

Would we be able to request a copy of that?

'He asks me to put my request in an email. I'll do that later.'

Nice talking to you, David. And you. Bye-bye.

As always, I like to start my calls very polite,

he was a very polite chap,

but what I found interesting is, I said, "What have you offered her?"

He said, "£600." OK. There's no dispute about that.

I said, "Where did you get that figure from?" He said some customer department.

I said, "So, it's a figure that your guys have plucked out of the air?" and he said yes.

If you're going to pluck figures out of the air, what about three grand?

What about 50 grand?

What about 350 grand?!

They're the figures I'd pluck out the air.

You need to have facts like that based on something. You can't pluck figures out the air!

I'll be getting that up, you wait and see. Let's get him an email.

I'm emailing to ask for a look at what the insurance company report says about the car.

I've got the bit between my teeth.

Coming up, my case against National Tyres starts to accelerate.

"The sump plug had fallen out and she'd lost all the oil."

I'm Rani Price. There is nothing I like better than helping you, the buying public,

through the minefield of regulations to make sure you stay savvy shoppers.

Consumer law can be very confusing.

You've got your Sale of Goods Act, Distance Selling,

Right to Return, and it doesn't stop there.

But knowing just a few of these laws can not only save you money

but a lot of hassle, as well.

Do you know what this is?

'Today I'm out on the streets, armed with questions to put to you, the customers,

'to find out if you know your consumer rights from your consumer wrongs.'

Do you want to be on the news?

Is this a trick question?!

When returning your goods to a shop, most people know where they stand.

But how many of you are aware that different rules apply when you do your shopping online?

There is a raft of regulations when it comes to internet shopping.

And one person who knows about all the rules when it comes to returning online goods

is Phil Dart from Trading Standards.

Distance Selling Regulations

give additional protection if you buy online in the EU.

You may have a 7-day right to cancel the contract if you're unhappy.

You're entitled to have a refund within 30 days

and you are also entitled to have additional information

so you know exactly who you're dealing with.

Thanks for that, Phil. So now we're armed with our expert info,

let's see how many of you know your rights

when buying underwear online,

often very tricky to get right the first time.

Can we steal you for two seconds in the sunshine?

-Aww! Trying to sleep?

-She is trying to sleep.

-She is.

-How old?

-Ten months.

-You've got your hands full.

-Do you do a lot of online shopping?

-Erm, sometimes.

'Let's see if she's a canny shopper.'

I bought these sets of underwear,

one online and one in the store, which one can I send back?

I can only legally take one back. Which one can I return?

The one from the store.

You can take them both back. Well, you can send one back.

Is this a trick question?

-No?

-If you bought it from the store, you can't take it back for hygiene reasons.

'No gold stars for you lot there.

'All three of you got it wrong.

'You can return underwear when bought online,

'even if you tried it on for size.'

The reason being, if you go into a store, you get to try things on, see the sizes,

so you're not allowed to return it because it's unhygienic.

If you buy it online, Distance Selling Regulations say

you haven't had a chance to have a feel or try it on, so you can return it.

'Now, why don't I catch you out with a little light entertainment?'

One was bought online. One was bought in a store.

Which one, if any, can I return?

Neither.

-Do I have different rights?

-I'm not too sure.

I guess you'll have the same. Why would you not?

Why didn't you think I could return them?

Because once you open the seal, you can't return them.

-She is a wise shopper!

-She's good, isn't she?

-She's a really good shopper!

-Is she in charge in your house?

-Absolutely.

I can understand why! You are completely right.

With DVDs, you are completely exempt from sending things back online or in store

once you've taken off the cellophane packaging.

'Now, finally, will I catch you out

'with a very popular purchase - earrings?'

Two pairs of earrings, same store...

Legally, I can only take one back.

'While they're considering their answer...' I'll give you a clue.

One I bought from the actual store, one I bought online.

OK.

-Would you like to look at them?

-Yes.

Will that make a difference?

Ooh!

OK. Probably, legally, from the actual store, I guess.

-No?

-Do you want to change your mind?

-Online.

-Yay! Well done!

'Correct. The right answer is,

'you can only return the earrings bought online.'

-Do you know why that is?

-Because you weren't there in person to buy them.

Well done.

'If you buy pierced earrings in person,

'you can't take them back as it's a possible hygiene risk,

'but if you bought online, return away.'

All you've got to do is inform the company within seven days of receiving the product

and they'll send you a full refund, including postage.

'Our expert from Trading Standards has some wise words on the matter.'

Goods don't have to be returned in their original packaging

but there are certain exceptions,

notably music, DVDs and computer software.

If you've unsealed those goods, you wouldn't be able to return them.

So things like underwear, earrings, clothes, that kind of shenanigans,

send them all back, get a full refund online,

but DVDs, you cannot send them back or return them to the store.

So whether you're shopping online or hitting the high street,

it pays to know your refund rights.

I've been answering a cry for help from ex-care assistant Angie Kelly,

whose much-loved Corsa went into National Tyres for a simple oil and filter change.

But within weeks of the work being done, her car broke down as she was driving.

All of the oil had leaked out.

Since then, she's been unable to get the garage to put it right.

And she's had to recently cope with a personal tragedy, as well.

My father passed away in March

and I've been, like, the one in the family

that hasn't been able to go down and...

..grieve, basically, around his resting place.

It's, er, been very upsetting.

Without her car, Angie still hasn't been able to visit her father's grave.

But I'm still here, fighting her corner,

and there's someone else who can help us establish exactly whose fault this all is -

the recovery driver who picked up Angie after she broke down.

His name's Dave and I've got him on the end of the phone.

-"Dominic."

-Hello, Dave.

When you got the call, can you tell me what you discovered when you got to Angie's car?

"The sump plug had fallen out and it'd lost all its oil."

Any idea how long it'd been driving with no oil in?

"Long enough to cause engine damage because it had come to a standstill but all the oil had gone out.

"The sump wasn't just loose, it had fallen out completely."

She'd had that changed literally just over three weeks earlier.

'Dave's crystal clear about what had happened.

'The car had definitely lost its oil.'

"The only reason, I think, that a sump plug can come undone,

"either somebody has not tightened it up as much as they should do

"or they haven't replaced a copper washer,

"which I've seen that happen before.

"But the reason she had engine damage was absolutely clear -

"the sump plug had fallen out and she'd lost all the oil."

What did you tell the garage when you delivered the car back to them?

"I told them exactly what I found, which is what I always do

"because I'm careful not to point fingers,

"and so I tell them exactly what I've found, which is,

"the sump plug had fallen out and the engine had lost all its oil."

-What was their reaction?

-"They were going to get it in and have a look at it."

"It wouldn't have took a genius to see that that was the case."

Dave's recollection ties in with Angie's.

The oil was all drained out the car when it was brought to the garage.

This is all pointing to a problem with the previous oil change.

It seems Angie's not the only person complaining about car repairs.

As consumers, we spend £10 billion a year on repairs,

and, staggeringly, 40 percent of us

are unhappy about the repairs at the end of the job!

Car repairs are in the top-five

most complained-about consumer issues.

But what rights do we have if a car's service goes wrong?

I've sent Angie to meet Gerry Taylor.

He's the Trading Standards Institute's lead officer for the motor trade

and his expert opinion should help her focus her complaint.

Nice to meet you. It is a problem with my car. It does need sorting out.

What you're entitled to is, if you take your vehicle into any garage,

you're entitled to have the service carried out

with reasonable care and skill.

Under these circumstances that you've explained to me,

it would seem to me that they haven't exercised reasonable care and skill.

-So you have a right, in law, to have that put right...

-OK.

..and to be either reimbursed or repaired at no extra cost.

But if that doesn't work, there are further options for Angie.

The next step is,

is this company a member of any motor scheme like Motor Codes,

or are they affiliated to the RAC

-or the AA or any company like that?

-I really don't know.

-No?

You can check details like that with a bit of internet research,

or just ask the company directly, which Angie can do if she needs to.

If they are, they may have a free arbitration system.

You could contact them and go through their arbitration system, which wouldn't cost you any more.

If they're not a member of an arbitration scheme such as that,

the only course you've got left is to go through the county court.

You can handle this yourself in the small claims court.

That entails filling in a form. You can do it online.

-Thanks very much.

-Pleasure to meet you.

That's a useful chat.

And don't be put off by the mention of the county court.

Claiming is actually quite straightforward.

If you feel you've had bad service, don't accept it.

I think it went really well. I've got some good information.

I am quite happy with what I heard

and I know now that there are people out there that can help me.

And Gerry thinks that, although her car has lost its oil,

Angie may have a case.

Under her circumstances, she has been wronged by the garage,

from the evidence available.

It seems as though someone there has either failed to tighten the bung up

or not put a locking washer on it and that's caused the problem.

National Tyres have said to Angie that the fault has nothing to do with the oil change,

it's down to her broken timing chain. Hm...

Now, here's the thing,

Angie had her timing chain replaced at about 50,000 miles,

which means it should be good for tens of thousands of miles more.

So, why on earth did it break, then?

I want to know, could the oil draining out of Angie's car

be the cause of her engine fault?

We've asked three mechanics for their opinion, and they should know.

Between them, they have nearly 100 years' experience of fixing cars

but they also know what it takes to break one.

We asked what would happen to the timing chain

if the engine had no oil in it.

Eventually, the engine would seize, the timing belt would break,

damage would be done to the engine.

If there is not enough oil to lubricate the chain, that can do it.

Any moving part that's not lubricated

will snap the chain.

If the timing chain snaps, the engine will seize up

and it will not drive.

And what would happen to the rest of the engine if there's no oil?

If there's no oil within the engine,

the components wouldn't be lubricated and they'd rub against each other really hard.

If there's no lubricant, it would be metal-to-metal.

The parts will just melt together. Once they've melted together, the whole thing's finished.

Our mechanics agree, a lack of oil could've caused the timing chain to break,

which would explain why the one on Angie's car had given out.

Now, they might not have sent me that insurance report I requested,

but after all my work on the case, National Tyres have been in touch with Angie.

They've made a new offer. But with Angie's extra expenses,

I'm not sure it's the right one, and neither is she.

They then upped again,

up to the £924 mark, as a goodwill gesture,

which I don't understand what the goodwill gesture is for.

They're not admitting the liability.

So their offer is a goodwill gesture but it's not big enough.

I need to get back on the phone to National Tyres to talk about the size of it,

to get Angie back on the road in a little run-around of her own.

Changing banks should be a fairly simple process.

So imagine if you did switch banks

and then discovered all your hard-earned savings had gone AWOL.

Would we know how to stand up to the bank who'd made the mistake

and make sure we get our money back?

Ray Frankton from Rugby would, and that's exactly what he had to do.

Ray is a retired bank manager.

When he saw NatWest offering a better rate of interest on ISAs than his Northern Rock account,

he and his wife decided to shift their cash,

all 16 grand of it.

We've saved pretty hard all the way through our lives

so we're looking forward to the time when we can spend some of it.

I've worked in the financial service industry all my life

so I've got a pretty good eye for what is a good rate.

When there's a good rate available, I move my money to take advantage of it.

Ray set up two e-ISA accounts with NatWest

and filled out all the necessary paperwork

to transfer the money from his old bank, Northern Rock,

to the new accounts.

He didn't realise his careful financial planning

was about to leave him staring into the financial abyss.

It should be straightforward.

Once NatWest had opened our accounts

and received the authorisation to transfer from Virgin Northern Rock,

they should simply have sent the forms off to Northern Rock

and asked them to transfer the money across

and the whole process is supposed to take 15 working days to complete.

Ray carried on living life to the full,

including following his busy fitness routine.

But when, after two weeks, his money hadn't appeared in the new NatWest accounts,

he began to press them for answers.

Finally, Northern Rock confirmed they had received the transfer details from NatWest.

They sent the couple's money off to the new account and closed down the old ones.

Ray and his wife were now NatWest customers. Or so they thought.

When they checked to see if the money was in their new accounts,

they found every couple's worst nightmare.

The savings they had worked so hard to build up

were no longer in the old accounts and had not arrived in the new ones.

The savings had disappeared.

I phoned NatWest on the 25th, the 26th and the 27th of April

to ask, you know, where the money was

because it hadn't appeared in my account.

The answer that I was given on each occasion

was that they hadn't received the cheques from Northern Rock,

therefore there was not a great deal they could do.

After years of careful saving,

it seemed one simple transfer had cost the Franktons all their money,

and Ray's dream of a comfy retirement was turning into a nightmare.

Northern Rock, having taken the money out of our account,

was sort of saying, "It's nothing to do with us, it's down to NatWest."

NatWest were saying, "It's nothing to do with us

"because we haven't received the money from Northern Rock." I thought, "What about me?"

In the end, Ray got fed up of waiting for the bank to sort out the problem.

With a whopping £16,000 missing,

he went to the Financial Ombudsman to make a formal complaint.

As NatWest were insisting they still hadn't had the cheques with Ray's money,

he carried on phoning them daily.

He said, "We've been looking every day in our post room for these cheques coming in,

"but you've got to understand that we're handling 45,000 customer applications here,

"and looking for a couple of cheques from Northern Rock

"is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Never mind haystacks! For Ray, that was the final straw.

It was time he told NatWest to jog on!

I picked up the phone and I phoned the NatWest Press office

and basically said that I didn't think I was being taken seriously at all

and they might take me more seriously if I got in touch with one of newspapers,

at which point I did seem to be taken a little bit more seriously.

I said, "Look, somebody needs to call me back this afternoon

"with a proposal to sort this out for tomorrow."

And the next day, the nightmare was over.

It had taken the Financial Ombudsman getting involved

and a threat to speak to the papers

but, finally, NatWest Bank put £16,000 of their own money into Ray's accounts

while they waited for the money to arrive from Northern Rock.

The following day, they did put money into my account

and into my wife's account.

Northern Rock also sent funds electronically through to my account

but not to my wife's account,

so by the end of that day I'd got twice as much in my account as I should have!

Sportingly, he gave back the extra cash,

and after taking so long to sort the problem out,

NatWest gave Ray and his wife a total of £790 as a goodwill gesture

and recognition of the trouble they'd been caused.

NatWest also took full responsibility for the whole saga.

Northern Rock had sent the cheques on the correct date

but they had gone missing in NatWest's system.

We contacted NatWest and they said...

Ray's case shows that even an ex-bank manager can have trouble with the bank.

But by aiming for the top with your complaint,

you can show even the mightiest of high street names that you mean business.

Following what looks like a disastrous oil change,

Angie Kelly has been without her Vauxhall Corsa for three months

and she's been forced to use public transport,

despite a medical complaint.

I do have a heart problem

so, really, walking about and that is very, very limited, really.

So far, Angie has had two different offers

in an attempt to sort this matter out.

National Tyres have offered Angie two financial gestures of goodwill,

which begs the question -

what exactly is a gesture of goodwill?

But, more importantly, how does it affect your consumer rights?

We've spoken to an expert from Which? magazine

and he has kindly explained what you should know about goodwill.

A goodwill gesture is an offer by a company

to settle a customer complaint.

It may be that the company agrees that they've done something wrong,

and to close the matter

so it doesn't go through any kind of formal complaints mechanism, they make an offer.

It may be that they don't think they've done anything wrong,

but are willing to make payment to keep their customer happy

because they value their custom and want them to come back again.

The important thing to remember about a goodwill gesture is, it's informal.

It isn't part of any formal complaints mechanism,

so you do need to be really happy with the offer on the table

because it makes it much harder to escalate that complaint through the formal process

once you've accepted a goodwill payment.

'If a company specifies that they are making a goodwill offer,

'don't accept it if it's not right.

'Go back and tell them,

'and that's what I plan to do.'

Things are hotting up!

Since my last call to National Tyres,

they've increased their offer from £600 to £900.

Although that's a 50% increase, it's not good enough for me.

Now, I've done a bit of homework. I found out

that the average price of a reconditioned Corsa engine is £3,138.

Obviously, that car's not worth it,

but I'm going to go at them and say I want half of it - £1,569.

Ooh, they're not going to like me!

OUTSIDE LINE RINGS

"You have been forwarded to a voicemail system,

"however the person does not subscribe to this service.

"A valid attendant number has not been specified.

"Your session cannot be continued at this time.

"Please try again later. Goodbye."

'I hope that's not a taste of things to come.'

I didn't like that.

'That's the CEO's office, but it has no voicemail.

'They're not making it easy to get in touch.

'I try a few other numbers but, in the end,

'I'm going to have to phone their customer care team.'

Erm, is it possible to speak to Tony Neill, please?

It's Dominic Littlewood from the BBC.

'Hm. He sounds nervous.' ..The BBC.

'And my call seems to have panicked the guy I'm talking to.'

I said my name and he started stuttering.

'But after a few tries, I'm still not getting put through.

'I'm beginning to think they don't want to speak to me.'

The poor guy hasn't got a clue what he's doing on the phone.

It's the third call I've made.

The last guy had a problem with the phone system and he disconnected me.

I'm trying to speak to Tony Neill. Is there a direct number I can take for him, please?

"You have been forwarded to a voicemail system,

"however the person does not subscribe to this service.

"A valid attendant number has not been specified.

"Your session cannot be continued..."

Fifth attempt.

'Just as well I'm persistent.

'Eventually, I get a message with a number for the CEO.

'Finally, my tenacity has paid off.'

Tony, I'm calling about Angie Kelly.

I spoke to the pick-up guy. He's in no doubt at all

that when he picked the vehicle up, the sump plug had fallen out.

He said it was probably because the washer was missing off the bottom.

'I'm finally talking to CEO Tony Neill.

'We can't use his voice, but I'm hoping he and I are going to connect.'

What we want to do is get this tied up

in a way where we can put a smile back on her face.

I've got a suggestion for you. Tell me what you think.

I've gone to three different places and said, "How much would it cost for a rebuilt engine in this car?"

Most people say "Don't bother" which I can totally understand.

It equates to an average figure of £3,138 for an exchange engine.

You know it, I know it. We don't expect that.

Would you be happy to settle this by giving her 50 percent of that?

So £1,569 and that's the end of it. She can then go and buy herself a half-decent car.

'He's not wild on that suggestion

'and says they've made a gesture to Angie via their goodwill offer.'

If this ended up in small claims court

and she pushed for an exchange engine, which she could probably do,

there could be a £3,138 bill for an exchange engine,

which is pointless putting in a car of that age.

'He doesn't want to budge, and argues that National Tyres have done nothing to damage the car.'

I'm not pointing the finger of blame and saying you are.

I'm just saying, if it ended up in small claims court,

I've had a recorded interview with the pick-up driver

about the situation when he picked the car up,

I'm fairly certain that in a small claims court, and I've been three times,

that a judge would say, "OK."

'Eventually, after some to-ing and fro-ing,

'we come to an agreement.'

You will agree to that amount? Bye-bye, then.

Ding-dong! Rung the bell!

'Time to meet with Angie for a quick cuppa, I think.

There's a good lesson to be learnt here.

If a company make you an offer and you're not happy with it,

even if they class it as a gesture of goodwill,

you can fight your corner, as I did for Angie.

I'm happy with the figure I've got for her.

Let's find out if she is.

-Angie!

-Hi, Dom.

-How are you doing? You've been without a car for over three months.

-Over three months now.

-A complete pain in the proverbial, as you've well found out...

-It certainly is.

What I did is, I contacted National Tyres

and, as I always have to do,

you have to work your way up until you speak to somebody who sits up and listens.

I know you did that and you were really good

because when you didn't get the answers you wanted, you didn't give up.

You told me you'd be happy with what?

£1,000, to get me a car on the road.

Right, let's tell you what happened.

To start that story, I've got to disappear for a sec.

I'll be back in a minute.

'Now, stay in your seats. It'll be worth it.'

-Do you like flowers?

-I do.

-Good. They're not from me, they're from National Tyres.

-No!

Yes. Flowers is a start. It's a nice way of them saying,

"Sorry about the inconvenience and you weren't happy with the response".

You're already starting to smile very slightly.

I can't believe they'd buy me flowers!

So there's a little envelope there,

addressed to you, with a cheque in it.

-SHE GASPS

-Wow!

-Fantastic!

-Read it out.

£1,569.

Oh, my God!

-That's put a smile back on your face!

-Oh, my God, yes!

Not far off triple what you were originally offered.

I don't know what to say! I don't know what to say.

My God...

-Job done.

-I just want to give you a big.

-Big hugs are allowed. Feel free!

-Thank you.

-Good Lord!

-Thank you.

-It's my pleasure.

I'm so pleased! I really am so pleased at that.

Good. What are you going to do now, go shopping?

I'm going to go and buy a car.

-And then I'm going to visit my dad's grave.

-Yes.

-Puts you back on the road.

-And I'll go and see my daughter in Sheffield.

-Good for you.

-Fantastic!

I wasn't expecting this, no. Not at all.

It's... I just don't know what to say.

Thanks, Dom, for everything that you've done.

I am really, really pleased.

National Tyres and Autocare have been in touch

and say they place great emphasis on customer service.

They also say...

They say they are sympathetic to Angie's situation

and disappointed that, rightly or wrongly,

she's not satisfied with her experience and that...

Angie is clearly chuffed to bits and she deserves to be, as well.

She's been stuck without a car and she's had a lot on her plate.

I'm glad that I've put a smile back on her face.

The only trouble is, I've now got to get back to the office!

12 minutes? I'm a celebrity!

And it's raining.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd