Do You Always Have To Settle Your Garage Bill Immediately?

radderfire · 13 Jun 2015 at 15:59

Hi Guys

When I take my car into the garage and get work done, I always pay the bill straightaway upon collection of the car. I assume that this is normal accepted practice?

However, out of curiosity, are garages prepared to give you say 30 days to settle your bill, or do they always expect immediate payment?

If someone could not pay their bill immediately upon collection, I assume the garage has to give them 30 days to pay? If the person then did not pay their bill, what recourse would the garage have?

Thanks

Kenai · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:05

Why would the garage have to give 30 days to pay just because someone turns up and says 'Thanks for fixing my car, I have no money, sorry'? It's not their problem or responsibility to bail out skint chancers.

As for recourse, I guess many would refuse to return the car until payment but I doubt that's entirely legal

Housey · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:07

If you don't have a business account then I suggest not a cat in hells chance.

Amos91 · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:10

My parents always pay after. They buy their cars there so I don't think they mind. Pretty sure they have forgotten in the past and its gone well beyond 30 days.

Rroff · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:10

Depends - I know 1-2 of the garages around here will issue an invoice payable in X days to regular customers but its probably not a general thing for non-business accounts.

EDIT: Actually the last garage I dealt with pretty much worked that way - issued an invoice on collection which you didn't actually have to settle there and then though most would.

Dale V · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:11

radderfire said:
I assume the garage has to give them 30 days to pay?

I really don't know why you'd assume that?

you wouldnt goto tesco for the weekly shop and do similar would you....

semi-pro waster · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:14

It would be at the garages discretion so if you've got a good relationship with them or otherwise have facilities such as Housey suggests then maybe but remember that garages have a lien over your vehicle when they do work on it - if they just give you back the vehicle before getting paid they lose that so it's in their interests to make sure they receive the money before releasing the vehicle.

radderfire · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:19

So if a customer cannot pay their bill immediately, the garage has the right to hold their car until payment?

shauncr91 · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:19

As above it probably varies.

Most garages I imagine would expect payment on collection of the car and this has always been my past experience although I've been taking my car to a new garage over the past year and developed a good relationship with them so he's allowed me to have work done then pay him at month end (pay day) if money has been tight.

semi-pro waster · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:25

radderfire said:
So if a customer cannot pay their bill immediately, the garage has the right to hold their car until payment?

It might depend on what their own contract conditions are but generally speaking the remedy for non-payment for a garage would be holding the customers car - if the customer cannot pay then it would need to go to court and if authorised the car could be sold to pay off the debt.

wez130 · 13 Jun 2015 at 16:34

I recently had my brakes fixed, when i went to pay, they said they would post the bill out to me. I wanted to pay then but the garage insisted i wait for the bill. Strange!

Kuros · 13 Jun 2015 at 17:02

It depends on if you have a relationship with the dealer or not, some might be happy to but most will be expecting the money there and then. They don't have to provide finance agreements and they'll be within their rights to hold onto the car.

If you particularly screw them over or annoy them, it's not unknown for them to charge storage costs for cars, as well, which will then be added to the bill.

Best thing to do is to speak to them before commencing the work and see if they'll allow it, they might be a bit more helpful than if you spring it on them at the end.

Rotty · 13 Jun 2015 at 17:03

my local garage often drops the car back at mine if I'm not about and I call in and pay him when passing but I have used them for quite some time

tsinc80697 · 13 Jun 2015 at 17:24

Out of the 2 garages I use, one expects payment when you collect the car, the other emails an invoice, with 30 day payment terms, once you've collected the car.

Burnsy2023 · 13 Jun 2015 at 17:45

semi-pro waster said:
It might depend on what their own contract conditions are but generally speaking the remedy for non-payment for a garage would be holding the customers car - if the customer cannot pay then it would need to go to court and if authorised the car could be sold to pay off the debt.

Indeed, and if you went and drove the car away without payment using a spare key, that would be theft. There is case law on this.

Finglonga · 13 Jun 2015 at 18:14

I know one garage local to me that will allow you to pay later, in fact he is waiting for outstanding payment from over 12 months still and still continues to do it. Others will not let you have your car back until the bill is paid in full.

neoboy · 13 Jun 2015 at 18:16

Unless you have a business account then no, unless it's a local garage and you have a good and established relationship with them.

Deathwish · 13 Jun 2015 at 18:24

Of my two local garages, one is payment on collection and the other posts out an invoice at the end of the month, 30 day window.

iaind · 13 Jun 2015 at 19:16

I've never been to a garage where I didn't pay on collection

Apart from a friend who runs his own garage, he's a bit out of the way from me so I don't give him as much work as I'd like but last time he did a service and MOT for me, I bought him a steak in the pub after and he said we were settled

he generally just says to pay when I want but I don't see a reason not to pay him there and then

antijoke · 13 Jun 2015 at 19:23

Garage I used to use when I lived in Leicester did this, I just picked up my car and they sent me an invoice in the post whenever they got round to it.

Garage was my uncles though.