Westward Ice Cream Supplies in Ashburton, Newton Abbot
Westward Ice Cream Supplies
This company is mainly a car repair business. This week I phoned to book my car in to fix a leak in the cooling system and was told to bring it at 9am Friday 26 October (2018). When I rang at 3.45pm to see if it was ready the proprietor, Mr Phillip Poole, said he was just about to start on it. When I phoned again he said he would finish the job that evening and I could pick it up in the morning. When I rang in the morning he had not worked on it the previous evening as he'd said, and he now was "desperate" to do another car before mine. I told him that wasn't acceptable, and then the battery went flat on my mobile. I went to his premises at around 12.40pm and found the bonnet up and the battery out but no sign of work being carried out. When I returned later I found he and his colleague were trying to replace a short specially shaped rubber hose which had a small hole which had been causing the leak problem. They were replacing it with an ordinary bit of rubber hose, i.e. not the correct part. They were trying to do this by shoving their hands into a very narrow gap between the engine and the body, and complaining that their hands were to fat to do it efficiently. I replied that I had expected them to raise the car and work on it from beneath, but their their ramps were both occupied by other cars. They claimed it had taken them "more than two hours" to replace a short piece of hose using that unprofessional and inefficient method. I have researched the recommended repair process and it does involve working from beneath the car. The proprietor charged me £60 which included some anti-freeze, which I had not asked for and can easily do myself. I have not received an itemised bill. I thought it was a bit expensive but I was glad the problem was fixed and the car was back in my hands before another day had been wasted (Saturday). I drove it about half a mile to my home and had some lunch. About an hour later, as I was about to set off to the recycling centre with a trailer of rubbish, the car refused to start because the battery was completely flat. I rang the proprietor and complained in strong terms, upon which he hung up. I returned to his business premises and demanded my money back and that they immediately came to my home to recharge the battery and jump start the car. The proprietor refused and tried to blame me for the problem. When I called him a liar and a swindler he punched me in the jaw cutting the inside of my mouth. I shoved him away and he fell on the floor. He jeered at me saying I could take him to court for my money and threatened to sue me for calling him a liar and a swindler. The second man later assaulted me as well. They falsely claimed the battery had been flat on arrival and would only charge it if I carried by hand half a mile to their premises. RAC breakdown sorted it out for us later and we went for drives in the dark and rain. No problem, as usual. The RAC man said it was getting a bit tired though and offered to replace it there and then for £100! We said no thanks. We will get a new one soon to cope with the heavy demands of winter.