A woman has held a protest outside a Dundee Arnold Clark branch after being angered by a potential bill for car repairs.
Jennifer Grant was joined by family and friends holding placards outside the Balfield Road dealership after claims the firm pushed up the cost of planned work on her car by hundreds of pounds.
Jennifer, from Carnoustie, put her Dacia Sandero Stepway in for a service and MOT earlier this month.
She claims she was initially quoted £288 for work before the price “skyrocketed” to nearly £900.
Arnold Clark insists “several issues” were discovered by its mechanics.
Jennifer, a care worker, said: “I put the car in earlier this month and they said it would cost me around £288 but it might be a little more.
“They called me back to tell it was going to cost just shy of £900 – the price had skyrocketed.”
The 49-year-old told the dealership not to carry out any further work, but says she was told she needed to pay the £288 before Arnold Clark handed the keys back over.
‘I shared my story on social media and the support was unbelievable’
She said: “I know nothing about cars but there was an issue with the windscreen washer, offside rear parking brake and the parking brake efficiency.
“Arnold Clark told me the £288 they charged me was for further investigation but nothing was fixed.”
Jennifer later took the car to a garage in Carnoustie, where she claims the work was completed for £185.
She added: “I put a post on social media about it and people were sharing their experiences – the support was unbelievable.
“I felt I had to take a stand at the dealership – they can’t treat people like this.
“How many elderly people are accepting the prices they are charging?”
A spokeswoman for Arnold Clark said: “We can confirm that Mrs Grant’s car was booked in for a service and MOT and several issues were identified with her car.
“Following this, we recommended some advisory work that Mrs Grant declined.
“We are unable to comment on any work that was carried out at another garage.”
Arnold Clark closing East Dock Street branch in Dundee
Meanwhile, Arnold Clark has confirmed the closure of one of its Dundee branches.
The Vauxhall dealership on East Dock Street is shutting in the coming weeks.
A spokesperson for the firm said: “Arnold Clark can confirm the closure of the Arnold Clark Vauxhall dealership on East Dock Street due to the consolidation of the Stellantis brands to one location on Balfield Road in Dundee.
“The branch will close before Christmas with no staff losses and Arnold Clark employees will be relocated to branches in Dundee.
“We currently have no further information on the future use of this location.”
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