COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Last updated: September 2026
1. OUR APPROACH TO COMPLAINTS
Silesia Automotive / Car Garage Crewe aims to provide a professional and fair service across both our workshop and vehicle sales operations.
If something has gone wrong, we want to know about it and have an opportunity to investigate the issue properly.
We will aim to deal with complaints fairly, reasonably and without unnecessary delay.
Making a complaint does not remove or reduce any statutory consumer rights you may have in relation to goods, services or a vehicle purchased from us.
2. WHAT CAN YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT?
You can contact us if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, including:
- Workshop servicing or repairs
- Diagnostic work
- Communication about your vehicle
- Pricing or an invoice
- A delay or booking issue
- Vehicle preparation
- A vehicle purchased from us
- Vehicle description or advertised information
- A reservation
- Part exchange
- Home delivery
- A remote or live video vehicle viewing
- Customer service
- Any other aspect of your experience with us
3. CONTACT US FIRST
In many cases, a problem can be resolved quickly by speaking directly with us.
Please contact us as soon as reasonably possible after becoming aware of the issue.
4. HOW TO MAKE A FORMAL COMPLAINT
If the issue cannot be resolved informally, or you would prefer to make a formal complaint immediately, please send your complaint to us in writing.
Email is normally the quickest method.
Please use the subject line:
FORMAL COMPLAINT – YOUR NAME / VEHICLE REGISTRATION
5. INFORMATION TO INCLUDE
Providing relevant information at the beginning can help us investigate your complaint more efficiently.
Where applicable, please provide:
- Your full name
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Vehicle registration number
- Vehicle make and model
- Invoice, order or booking reference
- Date of purchase or workshop visit
- A clear description of the problem
- When you first became aware of the issue
- Details of anyone you have already spoken to
- Photographs, videos or documents that may be relevant
- What outcome you would like us to consider
6. OUR COMPLAINT PROCESS
We will normally deal with a formal complaint using the following process.
We receive your complaint and review the information provided.
We aim to acknowledge a formal complaint within 3 working days.
We review the relevant records, vehicle information, communications and other available evidence.
We aim to provide a substantive response within 14 working days where reasonably possible.
7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We aim to acknowledge formal complaints within 3 working days.
An acknowledgement does not necessarily mean that the investigation has been completed.
We may ask you for additional documents or information where these are reasonably required to investigate the complaint.
8. INVESTIGATION
Depending on the nature of the complaint, our investigation may include reviewing:
- Workshop job records
- Diagnostic reports
- Vehicle inspection information
- Vehicle sales documentation
- Advertisements or vehicle descriptions
- Photographs or video
- Emails and other communications
- Payment information
- Part exchange information
- Relevant supplier or third-party records
9. VEHICLE INSPECTION
Where a complaint concerns the mechanical condition or another physical aspect of a vehicle, we may reasonably ask to inspect the vehicle before reaching a conclusion.
Customers should contact us before arranging significant repair work elsewhere where they expect us to be responsible for the cost, unless emergency action is reasonably necessary.
This allows us an appropriate opportunity to investigate the reported problem.
10. EMERGENCY OR SAFETY-RELATED ISSUES
If you believe that continuing to drive a vehicle may be unsafe, you should stop using it where reasonably appropriate and contact us.
In an emergency, obtaining appropriate roadside, recovery or emergency assistance should take priority over the normal complaints process.
11. OUR RESPONSE
We aim to provide a substantive response to a formal complaint within 14 working days where reasonably possible.
Our response may:
- Explain the outcome of our investigation
- Provide relevant information
- Accept all or part of the complaint
- Explain why we do not agree with all or part of it
- Propose further inspection
- Propose repair or corrective work where appropriate
- Propose another reasonable resolution
12. COMPLEX COMPLAINTS
Some complaints may take longer to investigate, particularly where specialist inspection, third-party information or additional evidence is required.
If we cannot provide a substantive response within our usual target period, we will aim to explain the reason for the delay and provide an update.
13. POSSIBLE RESOLUTIONS
The appropriate resolution will depend on the circumstances of the complaint and any rights available to the customer.
Depending on the circumstances, possible outcomes may include:
- An explanation
- An apology
- Further inspection
- Corrective workshop work
- Repair
- Replacement where legally applicable
- Price adjustment
- Refund where legally applicable
- Another mutually acceptable solution
14. WORKSHOP COMPLAINTS
If your complaint concerns servicing, diagnostics or repair work, please provide details of the work carried out and the issue you believe remains unresolved.
Services supplied to consumers are subject to statutory requirements, including requirements concerning reasonable care and skill.
Nothing in this complaints procedure removes those rights.
15. VEHICLE SALES COMPLAINTS
If your complaint relates to a vehicle purchased from us, please provide the registration number, date of purchase and details of the problem.
Consumer vehicles are subject to statutory requirements concerning matters including satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose and conformity with description.
More information can be found in our Vehicle Sales Terms .
16. DISTANCE SALES COMPLAINTS
If your complaint concerns a vehicle purchased entirely at a distance, additional cancellation or information requirements may apply.
Please also refer to our Distance Sales & Cancellation Policy .
17. PART EXCHANGE COMPLAINTS
Where a complaint relates to part exchange, we may review the valuation information supplied by the customer, our inspection records, vehicle condition and any agreed transaction documentation.
18. FINANCE-RELATED COMPLAINTS
If your complaint relates to a finance agreement, lender or regulated credit activity, a separate complaints process may apply depending on the organisations involved in the transaction.
Where appropriate, we will explain which organisation should deal with the finance-related element of the complaint and provide relevant contact information available to us.
Finance providers or regulated intermediaries may have their own complaints procedures and statutory response requirements.
19. WARRANTIES
Where a vehicle or repair is covered by a separate warranty, the warranty provider may have its own claims procedure.
A warranty is additional to statutory consumer rights and does not replace those rights.
20. IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED
If you remain dissatisfied after receiving our response, please tell us which aspects of the complaint you believe remain unresolved.
Where appropriate, we can review any relevant new information that was not available during the original investigation.
21. ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a process that may allow a consumer and trader to resolve a dispute without going to court.
Where Silesia Automotive is required by law or by a contractual arrangement to participate in a particular ADR or other complaint-resolution scheme, information about the applicable arrangement will be provided to the customer where required.
The availability or use of ADR does not remove any right a consumer may otherwise have to seek independent advice or pursue a legal remedy.
We will not claim membership of an ombudsman, ADR scheme or regulatory body unless that membership or obligation actually applies to the relevant transaction.
22. INDEPENDENT CONSUMER ADVICE
Customers may obtain independent information about consumer rights from organisations such as the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.
Customers are also free to obtain independent legal advice where they consider this appropriate.
23. RECORDS
We may retain records relating to complaints where reasonably necessary for:
- Investigating the complaint
- Customer service
- Warranty purposes
- Business administration
- Legal or regulatory obligations
- Improving our services
Personal information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy .
24. ABUSIVE OR THREATENING COMMUNICATION
We understand that customers making complaints may be frustrated or upset.
We will not refuse to consider a legitimate complaint simply because a customer disagrees strongly with us.
However, threats, harassment, discriminatory abuse or behaviour that places staff or other people at risk may result in communication being restricted to an appropriate written channel or other reasonable protective measures being taken.
This will not remove any statutory rights relating to the underlying complaint.
25. CHANGES TO THIS PROCEDURE
We may update this Complaints Procedure when our services, business arrangements or applicable legal requirements change.
The latest version will be available on this page.
26. CONTACT DETAILS
Formal complaints can be sent using the details below.