Garage comes out on top after Facebook group owner threatens to ruin business

Cavalier owner brands garage as "bunch of F****** morons" in review for "messing him about" over free exhaust

Garage comes out on top after Facebook group owner threatens to ruin business
Dave Aspden wanted an exhaust to be fitted onto his Cavalier for free.

A social media ‘influencer’ has been left red-faced after the owner of an independent garage shared his aggressive messages on Facebook.

Dave Aspden, who created a 22,000 member Facebook car group, threatened to “make or break” the family-run garage by shaming them online for not fitting his exhaust for free quickly enough.

He had asked Gary Faulkner, owner of garage Zaustworx in Lancashire, to fit a an exhaust on his Vauxhall Cavalier for free.

Facebook promotion

In exchange, he promised to promote them in his Facebook group.

Gary agreed to the arrangement, suggesting that February was the earliest available slot but Mr Aspden never confirmed am appointment.

When he asked again a few weeks later, Gary told him his workshop was now booked up until March but added that he could still have the work done for free.

Angered that he would have to wait even longer, Dave said the garage would ‘regret messing’ with him.

Related: Customer blames BMW dealership for two near accidents

Minutes later, Mr Aspden left a review on Zaustworx’s Facebook page branding them “cowboys” and “f****** morons” for making him wait for the free job.

Undeterred, garage boss Mr Faulkner posted their entire exchange – including the negative review – on the firm’s own Facebook page to expose Mr Aspden’s behaviour, adding that the business “would not tolerate threats”.

“I think your plan has backfired”

The garage’s own social media following trebled from 5,700 likes to more than 16,300 following the post.

The garage later put up another post saying “Oops Dave, I think your plan has backfired”.

Mr Faulkner said: “I had to protect the business, being threatened like that. But the response that it got was unbelievable.

“It blew up, but it blew up in his face, and that could have so easily been the other way round if I hadn’t posted the conversation.

“The phone didn’t stop ringing, with people booking jobs in and people just ringing with support.

“I booked quite a few jobs in just purely because people had seen that and thought ‘I’m going to use him’.

He was fully intent on ruining my business”

“He was fully intent on ruining my business and if it had gone the opposite way to what it did then I would imagine he’d have been pretty happy about that.

“Trying to jeopardise a small business just for the sake of a few hundred quid is not really on, is it?”

Mr Aspden admitted that he shouldn’t have ‘lost his temper’ but claimed that Zaustworx should have ‘honoured’ what they said they would and it could have been ‘avoided’.

After the garage exposed the conversation, Mr Aspden admitted he was “wrong to lose his temper” but maintained that the garage was at fault.

Posting on Facebook, Mr Aspden wrote: “Zaustworx and I had shaken hands on a deal and when I went to see him about seven weeks ago but as usual only half the story ends up on social media.

“If you ask me to do a job and I shake your hand that is my word it’ll be done on the day we agreed whether it’s a free job or you’re paying me £10,000.

“If he couldn’t do it when he said then he shouldn’t have agreed the deal with me after talking in person.

“I shouldn’t have lost my temper granted but at the same time he should have also honoured his handshake or just say he can’t do it and all this would have been avoided.”

Have/would you ever offer free work for a social media influencer? Share your comments and experiences below.

Home Page Forums Garage comes out on top after Facebook group owner threatens to ruin business

  • This topic has 7 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 4 years ago by adrian j walker.
Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
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  • #191665 Reply

    A social media ‘influencer’ has been left red-faced after the owner of an independent garage shared his aggressive messages on Facebook. Dave Aspden,
    [See the full post at: A]

    #191685 Reply
    Mario
    Guest

    Surprise Surprise another freeloader trying to get something for nothing! Glad the garage sent him on his way. I wouldn’t go anywhere near his car.

    #191686 Reply
    Jackie Sedgbeer
    Guest

    I am glad the garage owner came out on top. People don’t realise how hard it is to build a good reputable business. Mr Aspden could have ruined this business in one fell swoop, with his unprecedented accusations. What customers don’t realise is, they are not the only customer this garage has and if this chap had not confirmed his appointment, the garage is not going to turn away paying customers. Would this man have been happy if he was charged for a missed appointment if he hadn’t turned up on the day? I agree with Mario there seems to be a growing trend of free loaders.

    #191687 Reply
    Ian Ross
    Guest

    I would of told him to go on his way in the first instance.

    #191690 Reply
    Gethin HAMER
    Guest

    I have known Gary for a long time and I’m glad that hes
    been able to turn the tables on this free loader
    It’s hard enough to make a living with it people like this free loader
    trying to ruin a garages business.
    GOOD ON YOU GARY

    #191691 Reply
    Hooters
    Guest

    Mr Aspden is very lucky he is not being sued.
    It would not surprise me in the least if other garages did not end up banning him.
    Who needs that sort of customer?

    #191692 Reply
    Paul Taylor
    Guest

    Unfortunately there are to many cowardly keyboard warriors willing to slaughter you on social media I learnt the hard way when a customer decided to attack us on social media by lying, being con artists and over exaggerating about work carried out on his wife’s car then plastered it every where he could and got every one he knows to do the same all because they know they cannot be touched luckily Gary had an angle on him. The only way I could defend myself was to disappear on line and let it blow over as it can get very dirty very quickly.

    #192600 Reply
    adrian j walker
    Guest

    Here we go again, the worlds full of arrogant idiots that think they can push honest people into doing something for nothing, hiding behind their key boards or phone,I think the key board jockey should grow some testicles and talk it through with the garage owner. Perhaps its time we started to put these peoples name, address, and reg no on social media, see how they like it

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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