Kwik Fit quotes for air con repair despite vehicle not having system

Garage chain Kwik Fit has made national news once again, after charging a student for repairs to her vehicle’s air conditioning system, despite it not being fitted to the car.

Stevie Stowell was told her Citroen C1 would need £685 worth of repairs following a diagnostics check. According to the garage, a noise when the engine was running was caused by the air conditioning system.

However, following the large quote, the student’s father suggested she take the car to another garage for a second opinion. Upon realising the vehicle did not have air conditioning, the garage diagnosed and fixed a water pump bearing, with the full cost of repair at £450.

The student had already paid Kwik Fit a £50 fee for the diagnostic work which returned the wrong results. However, the company has since refunded this amount.

A spokesperson for Kwik Fit said: “This was a genuine mistake for which we fully apologise.

“Unfortunately it was not picked up when we got a price for the part from our supplier – it would usually be flagged if a particular vehicle doesn’t require the part in question. Clearly if we had started the work we would have quickly seen that it was not an air conditioning issue, and would have provided the right advice.

“However, we understand that this is of little comfort after the event, which is why we apologise to Miss Stowell and have refunded the cost of the diagnostic test.”

This is not the first time the garage chain has been in the news for the wrong reasons. In 2016, the company was found to be charging for air in tyres, while a mother also claimed she had been quotes £360 to fix a puncture.

In February 2017, the company was part of a sting investigation by the Daily Mail, which stated it charged for parts that were not replaced while dangerous vehicle defects were not picked up by technicians.

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