– Manager acted to protect staff
– Tribunal criticised the investigation
– Case highlights customer abuse risks
– Manager acted to protect staff
– Tribunal criticised the investigation
– Case highlights customer abuse risks
A former Snows Toyota aftersales manager has won more than £21,000 after an employment tribunal found he was unfairly and wrongfully dismissed following a dispute with a difficult customer.
Taryl Spinks, who worked at Snows Toyota in Paignton, Devon, had been employed by the AM100 dealership group since October 2009 and was promoted to aftersales manager in September 2024.
The tribunal heard that a customer, referred to only as X, had previously been banned from the Paignton site because of aggressive and unpleasant behaviour, but had later been allowed to return.
The Independent reports how the dispute arose after the customer brought his vehicle in for diagnostic work in February 2025 and sought to have repairs covered under warranty. Spinks and his team believed the work would not be covered, after which the customer became, according to the tribunal findings, aggressive, abusive and intimidating towards staff.
The customer continued contacting the dealership, including making 15 phone calls in one day. Spinks then told him to stop calling the dealership and to communicate only by email.
In one email, Spinks wrote that his team did not want to take the customer’s calls because of his “allegations and mannerisms”, adding: “I will not have my team feeling threatened by anyone.”
A later email, sent after the customer continued to dispute payment for the diagnostic work, was judged by Snows to be inappropriate.
Spinks told the customer: “Please allow me to put this in simple terms. At no point have we asked you to contact anyone. You have done this because it is your character to stir everything up and make everything a mess.”
Tribunal criticises investigation
Snows launched an investigation, alleging that Spinks had been condescending and rude to a customer, had poorly handled a complaint and had risked reputational damage to the business. He was subsequently dismissed.
However, the employment tribunal found that Snows’ investigation had failed to obtain recordings of the relevant phone calls and had not interviewed other members of staff.
The tribunal accepted that Spinks’ emails lacked the professional tone expected by the business and noted that he had acknowledged he should have sought support from senior managers. But it found there was significant mitigation, including the conduct of the customer and Spinks’ motivation to protect his team.
The tribunal said the emails had been written “under provocation” and with the “selfless motivation of protecting his team from abuse and protecting the respondent’s business against unjustified demands for a discount or refund”.
Spinks was awarded £21,031 for wrongful dismissal and unfair dismissal succeeded. The unfair dismissal award was reduced by 15% for contributory fault.
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