On July 11th 2019 I had my car serviced in Tora Garage having been informed by them at the time that a problem regarding the steering had been identified for which I agreed to have work done. Less that 5 minutes after getting my car back from the garage the steering in my car failed completely and I narrowly avoided a collision with a nearby wall - my family were with me in the car at the time and we were very luck not to have been moving at speed.
When my car was returned to Tora Garage the owner reluctantly decided to speak to me and eventually told me the problem had nothing to do with them - when I asked what this issue was and how my steering could have failed a day after they worked on it I was told simply "I don't know", when I suggested that they had made a mistake when working on my car that had put myself and my family in danger the manager of Tora Garage simply shrugged and said "we didn't touch it". I requested a refund and was refused but agreed to have the issue fixed if the cost of towing the car to the garage was payed for.
Although the steering in my car failed almost immediately after Tora Garage worked on it (and there had been no issues with my steering prior to this), I was never given an explanation as to how this could have occurred and it is blatantly obvious that the issue occurred as a result of a mistake made by the garage.
Later that day I received a phone call from the receptionist (the owner made every attempt to avoid talking to me despite the severity of the situation) who informed me the steering wheel was turned too many times in the accident I was in and I would be charged to fix it, when I finally talked to the owner again I told him that I was trying to avoid a collision with a wall as the steering in my car had failed due to a mistake Tora Garage had made - he told me it was my own fault for turning the steering wheel too many times, I was told the price and then the owner said "I'm done with you now" and hung up.
Although I had the issue fixed at the time (I could not afford to pay for an additional tow to another garage) I eventually sought legal action as communication with Tora Garage was proving very difficult, I had sent a letter requesting a refund for work needed as a result of Tora Garages negligence but received no reply (letter is attached in photos). After a number of months, having started proceedings through the small claims court I received a cheque for the sum requested from Tora Garage (picture attached)
From the very start of this episode I attempted to communicate respectfully and openly with the owner of Tora Garage and was met with distain and a lack of professionalism and integrity. It is very important, when someone in the position of the owner/mechanic of Tora Garage makes a mistake, to engage with it and it says a lot about the character of this establishment that they failed to do so.
It is also worth noting that Tora Garage are not members of SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry) who work with state bodies to ensure that garages in Ireland continue to meet sufficient standards. read more
