The auto workshop where the police were called over the repair of an Audi A4 is disputing the car owner’s version of events.
A spokesperson for GSC Auto Services said she wanted to provide clarification on several points raised by the Audi owner, Sean, in the Nov 17 Stomp report.
“Also, we would like to emphasise this incident raises a significant question regarding the potential implications of police involvement in situations where a customer successfully sought to avoid payment for services rendered,” said the spokesperson.
She also emphasised that it was not the workshop that called the police. It was Sean’s wife, who was at the workshop with Sean’s brother. Sean himself was not there.
“The customer sought police assistance to retrieve their vehicle without settling the outstanding balance for services and repairs already performed,” said the spokesperson.
“When Sean’s vehicle arrived at our workshop, it was emitting thick white smoke and had to be towed in. Yet, when he drove it away with police present it moved smoothly, without issue.
“This isn’t magic. It’s undeniable proof that our technicians performed essential dismantling and repairs.”
One point of contention was that even though Sean initially approved certain repairs, he insisted that he did not approve other work, such as turbo replacement.
The spokesperson said: “We sought approval from Sean before proceeding with any repairs to ensure that he is aware of all the repair costs before proceeding. Our standard procedure involves obtaining customer approval before commencing any repairs.
“At 5.11pm on Nov 10, our employee J provided Sean with pricing for the turbo and fuel injector, confirming a 5pm collection on Nov 13.
“J then sought his approval to proceed which he agreed. With Sean’s approval, our skilled technicians commenced the complex process to dismantle some parts before they could access the turbo.”
But Sean claimed that he did not agree.
He told Stomp: “J texted me the estimated cost and offered installment plans via Atome. I clearly stated that she should wait for my payment the next morning before proceeding to order any parts as she had mentioned wanting to place the order immediately.”
What happened was that at 6.26pm, when J messaged “Let me order parts for you first”, Sean simply replied “Thank u.”
The workshop took this as the green light to proceed.
But then at 7pm, he repeated the message: “Let me pay you first, then you order the item.”
