Kwik Fit apologises after investigation
Kwik Fit has apologised unreservedly after an undercover investigation by the BBC has exposed tyre inflation deception at the company.
The investigation came after customer complaints and a whistle-blower who still works for the company raised concerns about the way the company sells tyre inflation services.
On the investigative programme Watchdog said, ‘They sell 5 million tyres a year, but are they inflating bills by charging for thin air?’
Undercover staff were sent on mystery shopping expeditions and found that nine out of ten were charged for nitrogen inflation without asking.
Of those that were charged for nitrogen, the programme’s experts suggested that only three actually had any nitrogen added to their tyres – just two of these had significant amounts.
The whistle-blower said that staff were adding nitrogen inflation to bills in order to meet monthly commission-based sales targets.
Kwik Fit responded by stating, ‘Our aim is to be transparent with our customers and provide them with the best possible service.’
‘We accept that in this case we have fallen short of the standards our customers expect from us and we apologise for that.’
‘In light of the findings, we are carrying out retraining to ensure that all our centre staff fully understand the benefits of nitrogen and ensure that all customers receive the standard of service which they would expect.’
This is the third time the fast-fit chain has been subject to a BBC investigation in the last five years.
