DIRTY

On 14th April 2010, I took my car to the Dewsbury branch of Kwik-Fit (on the ring road, opposite the Health Centre). It was a straightforward oil-change, so I was baffled when the "mechanic" started emptying the contents of the boot onto the workshop floor. I rushed out to see what he was doing. Apparently they don't just change the oil; they do an "oil-change service" which involves checking the spare wheel and various other parts of the car, presumably in the hope of finding a fault that they can charge me for fixing. I told him to put it all back and just change the oil. He did a satisfactory job and I was soon on my way.

The next day I got a "courtesy call" asking for my comments. My main concern was not the work on my car, but the horrendously filthy state of the waiting room. It obviously had not been cleaned for weeks if not months. The operator promised it would be dealt with as a matter of priority.

When I returned on 31st May 2010 (six weeks later) to have a puncture repaired, it was evident that no cleaning had taken place since my previous visit. I was the first customer when they opened in the morning, but one of the benches was covered in old newspapers and magazines, the floor was filthy, with thick layers of dust and spiders' webs in all the corners and on the ledges. A litter bin had overflowed, there were used tissues on the floor, even the coffee machine was covered in dust, including the tray where the drink is dispensed.

I can honestly say that I have never, in my life, encountered such a filthy, disgusting public waiting area that was actually in use! And if you think I'm exaggerating, here are the photos, taken on 31st May 2010, to prove it.

If you have ever caught a lethal disease there, you can ring 01924 454544 to complain.

STANDING ROOM ONLY!

One of the benches is covered in old newspapers and magazines. Notice the used tissue on the grime-encrusted floor.

KWIK-FILTH!

Old leaflets litter the floor, thick black dust lies on the window ledge and the ground. In the corner and behind the legs of the stand, thick spiders' webs have done an effective job in catching dozens of flies!

DEAD BUGS ALERT!

You can see the thickness of the dust on the floor - in fact you can't see the floor at all in the corners! The black spots are dead insects of various descriptions. Yuck!

DON'T DRINK THE COFFEE!

Poor lighting makes it hard to see, but if you look closely you can see the dust on the drinks machine tray. The waste bin has overflowed onto the floor, you can see bits of rubbish lying behind the machine in the thick dust on the floor.

Horrendous!

MUSIC!

BUSES