Unsigned Devis

[Hosemaster]

Hi

I am having problems with a garage that has carried out work on my van without a signed Devis. There is now a dispute over the work and the garage owner is demanding the money and I am refusing to pay. He says he will start charging parking fees if I dont pay up and remove the van even though he has not completed the work. He never gave me a devis (despite being asked) until he gave me the facture. I have refused to sign it as the work he has carried out is no good and the vehicle is still not finished.

 As I have not signed the devis can he legally demand that I pay his facture. As far as i can see he has carried out the work without my authority. He says if I dont pay he will take it to court how do I stand.  I know there are two sides to every story and yes to some degree I verbally gave the ok. BUT I have offered to pay some of the invoice, which he refused and the work he has done is no good and the van is still not working. I do not see why I should pay for something that is not finished, and does not work. He should have a signed devi by law as well. I beleive.
By the way this is a Renault dealer be it only a small one.

I also wrote a complaint letter to Renault France re the garagiste but they have not bothered to reply. I am not really suprised as it is one of their dealers. I think i have tried to be fair to the garagiste and have tried to be amicable to no avail.

Any advice or help would be appreciated

Thanks

[Nick Trollope]

Devis for repair work are not like devis for building work, as you cannot (often) tell what is involved until you actually start. I suspect that, by taking a car to a garage and asking them to "take a look" you are entering into a contract as it would be impossible for the garage to "take a look" without doing any work.

He is certainly entitled to charge you storage (or even sell the vehicle) if you don't remove it, as (again I suspect) you have broken the contract by not paying him. The legal system here is very much biased against the customer.

Your best bet is to get an independant report of the work & then negotiate. If the bloke won't negotiate then I guess he thinks he has a strong case...

As for Renault not replying - c'est normale!