Beware- a2b towing

[Fayesy7]

I need to get this off my chest and warn others off of this disgraceful company:

I have recently bought a second hand professionally removed altea towbar with twin electrics. After a bit of shopping around for someone to fit it, I came across A 2 B Towing http://www.fittingtowbars.co.uk They offered 15 years specialist towbar fitting experience, were the cheapest around at £125 fitted and gave a lifetime gurantee on labour. They turned up to my work and began fitting it. They had full access to car ramps that raise up if required- so access was not a problem.

After fitting it they left. When I got into my car that night the 'open door light' was on. I checked all the doors and found that the boot wouldn't close properly. Also- the interior lights no longer worked. I called them and they offered to come back the next week, which they did. The guy came back and said it was simply the boot catch that was wrong- so he moved it. The interior lights he blamed on a bulb blowing and didn't fix them. I sorted it with a new fuse- not a big problem I thought.

So as time went on I still noticed the boot struggling to shut- then a rub line appeared on my bumper paintwork. The bumper had been put back in the wrong position. It had to go to the body shop for a scrape repair on that bumper anyway so I asked them to take a look at the boot rubbing. Anyway, later that day I was phoned by the bodyshop man who said he had "NEVER SEEN SUCH POOR WORKMANSHIP IN HIS LIFE". The towbar was fitted without locking washers and the tow ball was loose. He said it could of come off at any point as there was nothing to stop the nuts from jiggling off - potentially causing an accident. He then went on to describe the following problems:
Bumper re-fitted with only 4 screws
Wheel arch lining on drivers side re-fitted with NO screws at all
Wheel arch lining on passenger side re-fitter with ONE screw
Many clips and brackets snapped or broken
Electrics are a state- he said something about a feed being taken from interior lights rather than the normal way, which probably caused them to trip out
Too many things to list- but pictures taken of it all as it's in a right mess.
Basically this guy had done extremely poor and dangerous job of it. Then he told me that the TWIN electrics were never connected- just tucked away in the boot. I knew the single elecs worked because I'd towed, but the cheeky b*stard never fitted the other part. He asked me at the time if I'd be towing caravans and I said probably not, so I guess he thought he'd save time and that I'd never find out. I paid extra to have them fitted and he didn't do it. I'm SO furious. I trusted this person to do a professional job, and instead I'm having to pay someone to undo and re-do all his crappy work- plus have the bumper done. It's going to cost loads more than if I'd of just gone to a garage in the first place.

Anyway, I contacted him, as did the bodyshop man, and he had nothing to say except that as it the tow bar was second hand, it wasn't his fault.

IF IT WAS MISSING VITAL WASHERS HE SHOULDN'T OF FITTED IT!

Anyway, I'm pursuing this through trading standards as I've recieved no refund for his work, despite him saying he'd send a cheque and I don't want others to experience the same shoddy workmanship that my car has had.

Avoid like the plague.

I hope this has saved you and your car from this nightmare!

 

[ritch_b]

Doesn't sound like a positive experience but on the bright side, and bearing in mind that every cloud does indeed have a silver lining, at least these problems were found now, rather than showed themselves whilst towing a ton of trailer down a motorway.

The electrics sound particularly, well, crap really. I had no qualms at all with running the electrics for my Audi 80 from the rear lights, but wouldn't dream of doing the same with the FreeTrack; far too much going on with the electrics for wire chopping, so dedicated wiring loom it is, although I'll have to sell a kidney to pay for it!

Trading Standards will already have said it, but keep hold of all correspondence, along with times and dates of everything. Second-hand goods are handled largely the same way as new goods and should be fit for purpose, whilst work carried out should be done with reasonable care and skill, which seems to have been lacking here. Keeping records of everything will aid your cause if you have to use Money Claim Online or go to Small Claims; a statement from your guy in the bodyshop wouldn't go amiss either. Not sure he'd go down as an expert witness, but it'd serve the purpose!

R.

 

[Fayesy7]

Thanks for your advice. I have indeed pursued this through money claim online, as he was stringing me along the whole time- saying that the cheque was in the post when indeed, it wasn't. When I finally message him saying that his time was up and that I'd see him in court, he replied "yes you will x" and "must hav got lost in the post lol".

He now has a CCJ against him, which I won't hesitate to have enforced (at his cost of course). The claim amount continues to rise, so he isn't helping himself by not paying. He messaged me asking me to take this review down as he's losing clients who have read it. I'm just pleased that I have saved them, their car and their money from this company.

 

[lil3520]

Let us know how you get on and good luck. So many cowboys about.

 

[Fayesy7]

Full refund, plus the cost of repair, plus court costs finally received. Worth pursuing these people because justice will be served!

 

[ritch_b]

That's what I like to hear! Far too many traders still willing to offer a half-arsed, entirely-shoddy service and there's simply no call for it. I suspect that if more disgruntled customers too them to task in the way you did, then they'd be more inclined to do jobs properly in the first instance.

R.

 

[Fayesy7]

Please note- this review is about A2B Towing of Bristol and NOT about A2B Towbars of Sladesbridge, Cornwall.

I am having a towbar fitted to my new car by A2B Towbars this week as they have an excellent reputation.