Inspection done, but repair never completed after upfront payment

I paid £79 for a diagnostic inspection, which was completed. After the inspection, I received a repair quote through ClickMechanic.

Using the business card the mechanic provided, I later contacted him to discuss the repair. During that conversation, he offered to complete the work at a lower cost than the ClickMechanic quote and requested an upfront payment for parts.

I paid the requested amount in good faith. However, the mechanic did not return to carry out the repair. No parts were fitted, no work was done, and although a refund was mentioned, it was never received. Communication later became dismissive.

I also noticed after the initial visit that my vehicle was left with the heater set to high, which was not explained at the time.

I was left with no option but to escalate the matter through my bank as a service-not-provided issue.

ClickMechanic’s own guidance says customers shouldn’t take work off-platform, and that was the reason I ran into problems. Based on my experience, I would advise other customers to exercise caution, particularly regarding any upfront payments or arrangements made outside the platform. Read more

Marc was great, he came out and diagnosed the issue with my car, there was no pressure from him to have him back to carry out the work, however I did call him after he left to see if he could source the part I needed and come back to fit if! Marc sent me a quote and booking link within minutes of me calling him.
He came back the day after New Year’s Day to do the work and all is now great! THANKS MARC!!!!

Expensive work carried out as was suggested by mechanic, however same error light appeared the following day and mechanic came back and re-ran diagnostics which came up with a much cheaper repair needed, leaving us to wonder if original expensive repair was really needed!

Marc was "Top Man". Very friendly. Very professional. More than good at what he does! I would highly recommend Marc to anyone because he is one of the best mechanics I have ever used.

Marc was very helpful in diagnosing the issue with my car, although not something that could be fixed right away I really appreciated his honesty in what the issue was and advising me not to have work done to the car which wouldn't help in the long run even though it'd mean he'd be paid more! Also appreciated that he didn't make me feel stupid for knowing almost nothing about cars, makes a nice change from other mechanics I have dealt with in the past.
Very trustworthy in my opinion and wouldn't hesitate to hire him again.

Marc very quickly assessed what the problem was quoted for repairs and ordered replacement parts whilst still on site. Hopefully parts will arrive Tuesday and problem will be resolved.

Very friendly. Good at his profession. Works very hard. Knows what he’s doing. Pleased with the works to date.

Marc was very helpful and I really liked the way he took the time & effort to show me which engine components needed work/replacement.

Marc was really knowledgeable and answered my questions. He highlighted other areas of concern which I was unaware of.

Very friendly, knowledgeable. He did an amazing job, very thorough with diagnosis of problems