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On 24 February I had my car in for a windscreen replacement at Smith & Smith (under insurance cover). When booking this I mentioned that I also had a leak from the rear window area that was getting into the boot that I would like checked.
On the day of the windscreen replacement I was told that fixing the leak would require a separate booking for a 'Remove and Refit'. I subsequently booked this in for 17 March. After the R&R was done, the leak was still there.
I then had the car back a third time to check this (3 April) and was advised within a very short time that there was no issue with the rear window, it was a leak in a very small fault in a panel join just below the rear window. This was able to be repaired with an application of a small amount of sealant.
My problem is that, based on advice from Smith & Smith technicians, I have paid $275 for a Remove and Refit that was not required. On the third visit, the technician was able to identify the source of the leak simply by removing the window rubber. I believe this check should have been done as part of the original job.
Clearly no-one tested the window after the remove and refit - because it was still leaking. I suspect no testing was done beforehand either as this would likely have identified the source of the leak.
I have approached Smith & Smith about this. Their response was that, "We conclude that Smith&Smith® have completed what was requested, which was to find the cause of the leak and remedy it." But my feeling is that the Remove & Refit was unnecessary and that a competent technician would have tested for the cause of the leak BEFORE doing this work to determine if the R&R was necessary. And they certainly should have tested their work after it was completed to assess whether they had achieved the desired outcome.
Interested in your thoughts.

Hi there,
I understand not wanting to be charged for work not required, and I would have certainly expected a workshop to diagnose accurately.
It sounds like they (being a glass and windscreen repair company) may have thought the diagnosing had been carried out and the result was that the rear windscreen area was leaking as you first mentioned. I guess it needs to be established if the windscreen company were aware they were required to do the diagnosing or if you had that done already. However it should be common practice to check the job is infact required before commencing and remedied after the work carried out.

Thanks for the feedback. Will pass this on and see how I get on.
Cheers