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New Car Issues

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I bought a brand new car last Tuesday on a lease scheme, I had my test drive, my dad checked it out and did all the man stuff and they did me a really good deal resulting in my getting £2500 off the price, plus metallic paint thrown in for free.

While paying my £189 deposit, I queried how long it took for a new car to be delivered. I was informed by the business manager who was taking my money and looking on the screen that there was an exact match for my chosen specification of car waiting in storage at the docks in Teeside, due to this they could order it that afternoon and it would be down at the branch by Monday (1st March) and ready for me to collect after all the relevant checks and valet by the Thursday (4th March).
I thought this was excellent and managed to arrange my shifts at work so I had a couple of days off so I wasn't working horrible shift pattern and could sort everything out.

When ringing up on Monday (1st March) just to enquire about what kind of time they were roughly expecting me on Thursday because I had just arranged an appointment that couldn't be cancelled and the salesman who had put through my sale, taken me on the test drive etc informed me, after fishing my file out of a filing cabinet, that my car was "in mid-production in France" with an estimated date of delivery being 20th March.
When I argued this with him, he told me that they just never ordered the one that was in the country last Tuesday so are therefore waiting for another one.

Now I don't know how long it usually takes for a new car to come from the factory/storage to the customer but is nearly a month not taking it a bit too far? My sister recently bought a 59 plate from Nissan which took just 2weeks from factory to her driving it away?

I have tried to get in touch with the company's head office just because I'm not happy with being lied to and the lack of communication, but have been fobbed off with "Oh we'll ring you back" for the past 3 days as well as no replies to my email.

If it it normal for it to be a long process waiting for delivery than that's fair enough but is it wrong for me to not appreciate being lied to and think that the lack of communication and respect is terrible? If there has been problems thats fine but why should it take me ringing them to be informed of this? And why keep telling me on the phone that I'll be called back within 2 hours, and yet I'm still waiting 2 days later?

Can anyone shed any light on this? I just want my car now but looking at another 2 weeks wait yet :crying:

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Unfortunately evening arguing with them I doubt you'll get it much quicker, the only thing I can think of is arguing or threatening to cancel the purchase (which you may be able to do without losing the deposit) you might get some sort of compensation or refund.

    Does it state on your purchase agreement the date of arrival, and the terms of the deposit? if its refundable.

    if your deadset on the car then I think you may just have to wait, however if you complain enough/demand a temporary car in the mean time you might be in luck
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Deposit is non-refundable and there is something in the terms and conditions on my contract that says delivery time is just an estimate.

    I think it's just the principle of them lying and then not bothering to inform me of what's happening that I'm so annoyed about, I just wondered if it was the norm of having to wait so long when other companies appear much more efficient? and possess the ability to communicate with their customers.

    The way they are portraying things is that there is a factory full of people in France who only make a car when an order comes in and I'm pretty sure that's not true!

    :lol:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah, May i ask the dealership and car? I mean depeneding what it is results in whether it is made to spec or not. I mean if you've got specific extras and a rarer colour you might have to wait longer,

    I think the only thing you can do is kick up a HELL of a stink and ask for some sort of compensation for being put out,

    Unfortunately if it says it is only an estimate they haven't broken the contract so they do not need to do anything from you.. how much was the car in total? you can always threaten to cancel, you lose the deposit if you actually did but the loss of a sale might spur them into some sort of action, it normally works in my opinion.


    I am assuming you have signed all the finance agreements and all the paperwork is signed?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's Renault and I've bought a Clio Dynamique Tom Tom, nothing particularly special its just one of their newer models that comes with a built in Sat-Nav in the dashboard rather than your average display screen. I have no added extras apart from its coming in Extreme Blue rather than standard white or red which are the free colours.
    The price I got it down to is just over £10k, but I'll be paying a monthly amount of £189 for 3 years and then I have option of buying it outright, giving it back to them or trading it in for newer model.

    Yeah I've attempted to kick up a stink but as nobody will ring me back or respond to my emails I find myself just getting more wound up about their lack of customer service, if you are too busy to do call backs then fine, don't make empty promises that you will be ringing me back when you cant fulfill them.

    I have only signed the purchase agreement which just states exactly what I've bought, car details etc and handed over my deposit, they want me to go in a couple of days before I pick the car up to sign finance forms?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    See if you do really want to kick a stink up and take your business elsewhere I've just found this regarding to your finance agreement. but otherwise I do not think there is much you can do.

    This is regarding your "non refundable" deposit.
    Where the car purchase is dependant upon a finance agreement to complete the deal, until the actual finance agreement papers are signed by all parties including and especially the authorised signatory at the finance company end, then nothing has become legally binding.

    When you wrote to cancel; the deal was terminated before it was ever legally allowed to commence, therefore you are entitled to a full return of the deposit paid irrespective of whether they say it was non-refundable, under these circumstances they are obliged to refund the deposit.

    If you have problems, contact your local trading standards department who will advise further.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oooo thankyou Hellfire that's excellent! You're a star! :thumb:

    I'll be using that as ammunition tomorrow! :hyper:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    *Princess* wrote: »
    Oooo thankyou Hellfire that's excellent! You're a star! :thumb:

    I'll be using that as ammunition tomorrow! :hyper:

    However I cannot guarantee your situation fits into this as you've signed a purchase agreement, I am not sure if it works the same way, however moneysupermarket seems to think it is ok
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'll throw anything into the equation if it gets them worried that they might be about to lose out.

    It might just be enough to get me some answers.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah, well let me know how it goes :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    *Princess* wrote: »
    Now I don't know how long it usually takes for a new car to come from the factory/storage to the customer but is nearly a month not taking it a bit too far? My sister recently bought a 59 plate from Nissan which took just 2weeks from factory to her driving it away?

    When I inquired, the delivery time for a prius was around 4 months for a Tspirit
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Unfortunately all car dealers have one thing in common. They will say anything to get your money, include lie through their teeth.

    We'd had enough with Ford so we went to Vauxhall and found that they were exactly the same.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It may be too late now, but it's not unrealistic to wait a month for a brand new car.

    If they are having to produce it, you could expect a wait of up to 3 months.

    If they have your desired car in stock though, I wouldn't expect to wait too long, but a few weeks I could let slide.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mist wrote: »
    It may be too late now, but it's not unrealistic to wait a month for a brand new car.

    If they are having to produce it, you could expect a wait of up to 3 months.

    If they have your desired car in stock though, I wouldn't expect to wait too long, but a few weeks I could let slide.

    I agree with this, I think the big problem is they did say they'd have one for her straight away or by a certain date, then added a couple of weeks to it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hellfire wrote: »
    I agree with this, I think the big problem is they did say they'd have one for her straight away or by a certain date, then added a couple of weeks to it.

    Yeah that is a bugger but not uncommon. She should try to wangle a bit more off the deal for the extra time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mist wrote: »
    Yeah that is a bugger but not uncommon. She should try to wangle a bit more off the deal for the extra time.

    oh definitely. I mean there is no way she can get the car sooner, unfortunately. however she can definitely get them to give her something off.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    All car dealers lie.

    As soon as you have signed up, that's when you stop hearing from them unfortunately!

    I'd have cancelled the deal just because it was a Renault.:nervous:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Rang up head office again this morning, was told again there was nobody to speak to me so they would call me back. I laughed at the lady and politely told her that I didn't believe that because I was still waiting for a call-back that I was promised would come within 2 hours of my phonecall last Thursday... Her reply was that she could only pass it on that I had rung up again.... :banghead:

    So decided to give the dealership a little ring.... they very aware that I am not a happy bunny and are in fact bricking it that head office have been informed, however todays story was that the delay was down to a stereo default mid-production?!! WHAT?!! :eek2: However it's been sorted and my car is showing as being "In French Transit" on the computer so who knows where it actually is! They will be getting a phonecall everyday until I know though! :impissed:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ahh it's probably stuck at some French port then. They're always going on strike or somesuch.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you're ringing up the head office central people, one way to get attention is to ask to be put through to the legal department if no one else is avaliable to speak to you.

    Another option is turning up to the dealership and having the conversation very loudly in the middle of it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Rang up head office again this morning (It's starting to feel like a routine!) was told again that the man I need was unavailable at the moment so I would be placed on a call back list. I told them I wouldn't hold my breath due to me still awaiting a call back from last Wednesday.
    The lovely lady searched the system and was shocked to see that I was telling the truth and I had rang at least 7 times and was awaiting a call back for each one! But after apologising I was told that I most definitely would be escalated to top of the "call back list" and be contacted.

    So while I'm waiting I decided to give the dealership a ring, just see what excuses they could conjour up today, was told that my car had "left transit" and delivery date was 14th March. I queried this as it is a sunday and I can't really see a car transporter turning up with a load of cars on a Sunday?! I'm told nope that what the computer says....

    Anyway, low and behold, around 2 hours later I get a phonecall from the customer services manager at head office..
    After around 5 minutes of him apologising about the lack of customer service I have recieved from the company he gets round to explaining that he will be getting onto the dealership and fighting my corner because they are less likely to withold information to him. He also explained that he would get the chassis number of my car and track it himself, also possessing the ability to see exactly what day they bothered to order it.
    He told me that all the stories I have been told are very unlikely, problems with a stereo would not hold up production of a car, they could be sorted over here for example and agreed that the lack of communication was appalling.
    He promised to contact me again before the end of the work day with his findings.

    True to his word, at 5pm, I get another phonecall from this man telling me what he had found out.
    Funnily enough he had tracked my car to a ship currently in the middle of the ocean en route to Southampton, so not quite out of transit as I had been told a couple of hours before, and the earliest delivery date he could get was the 18th March, so yet again another lie from the dealership.
    Also, the reason I didn't get the originally promised car was because they didnt bother putting my order in until days after I had bought it, therefore the car that was in storage at the docks had been snapped up by someone else.
    He said the people at the dealership are more than aware of head office involvement now so I might find that communication becomes top-notch between themselves and me, in fact he made them promise to give me a call in the morning just to update me again, however he is going to take over my case and personally track the car himself until he knows I have it as well as giving me his direct line if there is anymore problems.

    So I'm still no closer to getting my car, but at least I've stirred things up a bit and ruffled a few feathers?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Have you asked about the posibility of getting any compensation or discounts because of the amount of trouble?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It been a week of no contact from neither dealer or head office so decided to give them a little ring coz I'm sick and tired of this now.

    Rang up dealership and spoke to a different member of the salesman team who told me that my car was sat outside and had been since end of last week and he found it quite funny that I hadn't been contacted yet :mad: I think he got the impression I didn't find it very comical in my tone of voice.

    Anyway, I went in to sign all the forms, get my registration number and all that jazz, decided to take my mum and see if they treated me like I'm stupid with her there.
    I asked why I couldnt drive my car away today and was told that oh that definitely wouldn't be possible because it has to have a PDI check and a valet and everything so nope definitely not available to be driven.
    At this point I kindly pointed out to this salesman that on the front of my documentation he had in front of him, it said in big capitals on top of the page "PDI CHECK DONE AND COMPLETE 12/3/10"..... He then had the front to tell me that wasnt my car it was talking about :banghead: and moved his hand over it.
    Then he tried to make a joke of trying to get my car to me as soon as possible so I didn't have to wait... cue my mum getting involved.... she asked him if he thought I had been waiting long enough and did he think I looked like a cabbage because that's how he was treating me. He didnt have much reply to this but funnily enough bought the availability of my car forward by 2 days to Thursday... :rolleyes:
    Also, no movement on getting any compensation, freebies or discount. They just not interested because they don't feel like they have put me out?!!

    So I still wait :crying:
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