I'll give the hotline a try next time. So far, it's nearing 90 days and I'm still waiting on a resolution from Gemma (how long does it take to take me up on my fairly reasonable suggestion and credit me the 45 Euro one way fee and say they've inspected the car to make sure the repair has been made...)

In this case though, it wasn't the franchise model offering something less than promised, it was a basic failure to offer a safe and reliable service.