An insurer-approved repairer botched work on our vehicle - what do we do now?

My son had his van broken into recently, the thief put a hole in the door and undid the lock through this. The van was fixed at a local garage through his insurance, but they didn't replace the lock, just the doors. He went to work and during the day he noticed that the lock wasn't locking every time. He went back to the garage but they said that no one was there to deal with it, so it was agreed they would get back to him. However, they didn't. He phoned his insurer and they contacted the garage, but the garage aren't taking responsibility because they say that the lock was working when it left the shop. What should we do?

Asked on 16 February 2018 by zoe allen

Answered by Tim Kelly
The repairer is liable, and you should reject the service under the 2015 Consumer Rights Act. The insurer is also liable because they have acted as your son's agent of repair. Raise a complaint with both. Please note, this should not be handled as a second claim. If there was a loss as result of their defective repairs, the insurer is liable and they need to reimburse the loss as they have failed to secure and make good your vehicle. Your insurer also needs to arrange for the vehicle faults to be rectified.
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