Volskwagon Break -in Problem

Question

I took my car into the volswagon dealer to have its cam-belt replaced.

They phoned me this morning to tell me the car had been broken into, window smashed & my £250 stereo stolen. Gutted

Where do I stand? Is this VW dealers responsibillity,

or is it my insurance I will have to claim on.

Answer 1

This falls under the remit of civil law so I can't really advise fully as I'm trained in criminal law, however, I believe that this would be the responsibility of the dealership as the car was in their care and control at the time of the incident.

I would imagine that they have some kind of liability insurance for this type of thing.  Speak to them about it to see what they can offer.  I would also suggest that they may offer you some kind of compensation as a gesture of good will if nothing else as they wouldn't want 'bad press' as a result of this kind of thing.

Good luck

Answer 2

It's their problem. They have a duty of care while the car is in their possession.

Answer 3

Quite simply, their problem.  The same would happen for me, here.  I build and repair computers.  If I was broken into and a customer's laptop was stolen, I would have to replace it.

Answer 4

If you leave a car with them, and their security is that bad, my first question is "What are you going to do about this?" Followed by contact with VW UK, their head-office.