FNB Roadside Assistance destroyed my car's alternator

<p>I'm writing this review after an unsatisfactory correspondence with the FNB complaints department. They misread the details in my complaint email, and still refused to accept responsibility after I sent another email with the correct details. </p> <p>This is the account of how the technician sent out by FNB roadside assistance damaged our car. I would like FNB to refund me the cost of the repairs done as a result of this damage. I have the invoice for the repairs which involved replacing the alternator and the alternator belt at a cost of R 2,917.69.</p> <p> </p> <p>The short version: the technician sent out by FNB Roadside assistance damaged the car's alternator when attempting to charge the battery, by connecting the leads from the booster pack the wrong way round. We noticed that damage had occured half an hour after this technician worked on the car, as the car would not start, needed to be push-started, and finally would not start at all a few days later.<br /> <br />Here is the full account of how the damage occurred.<br /> <br />On the morning of Monday 13th March I discovered that my car's battery was flat because we'd left the lights on the previous evening. I called FBN Roadside assistance. The technician arrived, he seemed a little confused and uncertain. He didn't know how to prop open the car's bonnet, I had to show him.</p> <p> </p> <p>He connected the leads from his booster pack to my car's battery and instantly there was a large spark. He looked surprised and touched the lead to the battery terminal several more times, each time creating a large spark. This happened about 3 or 4 times. Then he switched the leads around and I realised that he'd had them connected the wrong way round.<br /> <br />At that stage I did not know that connecting leads the wrong way round can damage the electrical system, so when the car started, I thought that everything was fine. The technician told me to drive for about half an hour to load the battery.<br /> <br />When FNB Roadside assistance called to check, I told them everything was fine because my car was running. At that stage I did not know that the technician had caused damage. But I did notice that the engine did not sound right - it sounded as though the engine revs were too high.<br /> <br />I drove the car for about half an hour, but when I stopped, it wouldn't start again. I got some one to help me push start it, and drove the car home. On Tuesday and Wednesday the car started after several attempts, but the engine still sounded wrong.<br /> <br />On the morning of Thursday, 16th March, the car would not start. I got it to our mechanic, Frank of Frank's Motors in Salt River, and he examined the car. He found that the alternator was badly damaged, and had to be replaced. Our mechanic is confident that the damage was caused by the FNB Roadside assistance technician connecting the leads incorrectly.</p> <p>I lodged a complaint on the FNB system, and got the reference number ********** . After several emails back and forth, they told me that</p> <p>a) a booster pack cannot damage a car in this way, which is patently untrue, as it did damage the car.</p> <p> </p> <p>b) that the damage could not have been caused by the technician, as we only noticed the problem "a week later". We noticed the problem half an hour after the technician worked on the car, as we stated in our complain letter. I'm not sure why FNB complaints department got their facts wrong about this, as I clearly stated this fact in my initial complaint</p> <p> </p> <p>Apart from the fact that it is unacceptable that FNB Roadside assistance refuse to accept responsibility for this very clear cut case of one of their technicians damaging my car, it is also worrying that this clearly *********** technician is probably still out there connecting leads wrong and doing who knows what damage to other people's cars.<br /><br /><br /></p>