Raw Deal: Persistence pays off for car owner whose vehicle was damaged by NCP

Alan Greenhill left his car with NCP while going on holiday (C Austin/ DC Thomson)

WHEN you know you’ve had a raw deal, but can’t get a shop or firm to see things your way, many people eventually give up.

A lot of firms, though they’d never admit it, seem to put obstacle after obstacle in the way, hoping you’ll just get tired of all the hassle and stop contacting them.

That’s the wrong thing to do.

If you are sure of yourself and your cause, then keep on and eventually you’ll win.

You have a right, enshrined in law, but also the right of basic fairness, to be listened to.

That’s what Alan Greenhill, of Crieff, did. And he won in the end.

Alan and his wife Madge treated themselves to a week in Portugal in May. They were booked on an early flight out of Glasgow Airport so arranged an overnight hotel stay. NCP were to collect their car from the hotel car park and keep it for a week.

Portugal was lovely and all went fine until they saw their car again. It had a scratch on the rear bumper.

But NCP said it had taken numerous photos of the car, which was purchased new in January.

It insisted there were no scratches. Alan asked to see the photos and took his own pictures of the scratches and sent them to NCP.

The two pictures showing the boot, taken from slightly different angles, didn’t do an awful lot to clarify the situation.

Alan’s was taken in direct sunlight, close up on the area. It clearly shows a scratch.

The NCP picture was taken from a slightly different elevation, at 7.30pm on a night of heavy rain.

One side said scratch, the other side said no scratch.

But Alan spent 35 years in the motor trade before he retired.

He knows cars, he knows how scratch marks are made on bodywork.

Most importantly, though, he refused to give up.

Whenever Alan phoned NCP it seemed a different person answered the phone, or he was transferred around the country from one office to another and had to explain the problem again and again.

A lot of emails went back and forward.

It was time-consuming and sapping.

Alan got in touch with Raw Deal.

From what we could see, there was a scratch clearly visible on the back of his car. We lent our weight to the argument.

Eventually, NCP conceded and paid Alan for the repair. He deserves it. He earned it!

Raw Deal: A contract is always with the seller, NOT the manufacturer