Foralls Garage, Edinburgh

Well it has taken me some time to find the energy to write a review for this outfit and because I much prefer writing positive and encouraging reviews I'm afraid this aint gonna be one of them. My car had an ignition switch issue in Edinburgh and I couldn't get the car started. I tried phoning some mobile mechanics to no avail however Forrals was nearby and unfortunately I took a chance on them. I pushed the car into their garage on the Tuesday and by the Friday morning it still wasn't fixed. Mr Forall who runs the show said he couldn't get the ignition barrel from Vauxhall and they had to send to Germany for it. That was the Friday morning. Late Friday afternoon I had a call from Mr Forall. I remember the dialogue well. He said, 'got some good news for you the car's fixed. here's the bad news,' he said. 'it's £320 all in.' I said to him that he had told me the part was only going to cost £70 so how did we arrive at £320? His response was he had to call in an auto electrician and so that bumped the cost up. I went to the garage to pick up the car and he then said he had made a mistake with his adding and the cost was actually only £250. So I paid to get my car back and then contacted Vauxhall to find out how much it would've cost with them, bearing in mind that dealer prices are usually at a premium. They said the cost would've been £130 plus the cost of new keys which would've put the total cost at £170 max. It doesn't end there. Why was it that on the Friday morning he was sending to Germany for the part and it may take days but then the car is ready the same afternoon. I had the car checked during its MOT and I'm told a second hand part was fitted, most likely obtained from a scrap dealer and charged me for a brand new part. How is that for rogue trading? So there it is folks. If the car servicing trade wants to know why they get a bad name then they should contact Mr Robert Forall at Forall's Garage, 66 Gilmore Place, Edinburgh. I did write to Trading Standards but as you might guess had no response there which makes you wonder what they do.

This is a long established family business,based near Edinburgh City Centre. I was kept informed at each stage of the work carried out,and felt I had confidence in them. Since having gone back again for more work,I have recommended this garage to several of my friends. Another surprise was there was NO vat on my bill.