Hi!

Im new here and I wish I had found this website sooner!

My story goes back to the start of this year. I had found a full time job in October 2009 which I needed to fund the running of a car.

The job had a 3 month probation period which I passed with no problems what so ever, the week before my probation was due to expire I started looking around for a car. Fortunately, where I live there are 3 Arnold Clarks within 2 minutes of each other.

To cut a long story short, I had found the car I wanted and started to speak with the salesman, who was very helpfull/proffesional to an extent. The total sum of the car and warranty plan was £5825. I had to pay £100 deposit to "see" the car as it wasn't at that branch. All paper work was carried out and signed and I was promised a call back regarding the outcome of the finance application. 2 days later I received a voicemail from the salesman to inform me that finance was accepted without any problems, just had to wait on the car.

This is where it goes down hill. 1 week has passed, no sign of the car, give them a call back and they say that there is a delay in getting cars shipped down. 2 weeks have passed, still no sign of the car (Getting impatient by this point). Call them again and they said the guy who runs the depot isnt pulling his weight and orders are still delayed.

By week 3 I decide that Ive had enough and I go in and ask them to cancel the order and put the deposit on another car with the same warranty which made the car the exact same price as before. I wait another week, still no sign of the car and I get a phone call from Arnold Clark to say that finance has been declined because I had applied already, they reapplied me for a 6K loan again!. Even though the car was the exact same make/model/price.

I decide to cancel the order and get my £100 back. I then ask what the hold up was and they said that on the 1st order, they advised that the car was waiting to be dispatched from a lease company to Arnold Clark. That basically tells me that I had paid a £100 deposit and applied for finance for a car that Arnold Clark didnt even own yet (Is this legal). I just left it at that and thanked the salesman for all his help.

I then go to have a look at my credit expert report and my heart sank, my report was destroyed, Arnold clark had caused 7 searches, all for the same amount within 1 month. As you can imagine, this can destroy your credit rating.

I feel as if I have been let down badly by such a "big" company, and by the end of it all, I was accpeted for finance the first time on a car they didnt own and then declined the 2nd time because they re-applied for the same amount.

Sorry if I kept ranting! I have written 2 letters (Full A4) only to receive a few lines back from the branch manager saying that nothing can be done about it and that each car taken on finance has to be applied for.

My main problem here is the fact that I cant apply for credit anywhere for at least a few years now! I am still young and will be looking at renting/mortgages shortly and this isnt going to be any fun

I thank anyone in advance who can shed some light on what my options are for this nightmare!

Cheers!

Hello and Welcome, LB89.

I'll move this thread to the appropriate Forum.

Regards.

Scott.

Thanks, wasnt too sure where to post as im a "Newbie" so thought this would be the best section, as I live in Scotland!

Cheers though!

Trading Standards first, then if no joy, the local papers.

Can you tell us roughly, what general area in Scotland you are from. I ask this as I may be able to tell you who in TS to contact. Fife and Perth TS already have complaints lodged on Arnold Shark. Maybe "Raw Deal" in the Sunday Post would help---it's only a few weeks ago that they did a sizeable article on this diabolical company.

The Arnold Clark in question is the Ford branch in Greenock. I just feel as if they are taking you for granted. Im waiting for Credit Expert to get back to me about the searches on my credit report regarding this matter.

Cheers!

Hi, I have read your post, and would like to help if I can, I would be grateful if you could contact me on [email protected] - and if there is anything I can do to assist I would be happy to try.

Kind Regards

Alasdair

Arnold Clark Customer Services

LB89, hope your not in a hurry for help from Alisdair Craig. I reported my problem to him several months ago, and despite email confirmation that he would look into it with a "senior" person, I have heard Nothing since.

I think they are playing "Childish" as they probably found out that I had been to Trading Standards.

I hold a shared opinion that some senior employees of AC will not deal with anyone who has an ounce of intellect in their body.

All this, and my complaints were relatively minor compared to yours.

Aye, looking through this forum you can see arnold clark mentioned at least yince on every page. It makes a body winder how they got a customer service award. I think it was heliosuk who posted---Advertising Spend or words tae that effect.

Who did they get you finance with the first time?

Unfortunately Arnold Clark may be large in terms of acreage but with a backstreet attitude in terms of service.

You can bet your life that the finance they got was with a very high interest company such as 'Yes'.

It seems as if they have conned you into paying to transport a car to their Greenock branch. You can reject the car under the Distance Selling Regulations anyway as soon as you see it and they then have 30 days to refund any money paid.

I would take no more nonsense from them, take or send a letter cancelling the order again and give them 7 days to refund your deposit. Tell them that if the funds aren't returned within the 7 days, you will issue a small claims summons without further notice.

You can email the same to Alastair as well.

Scaniaman, I'm sorry if I have let you down, but as I do not know your details I can't make any comment - I would like to try to make things better if you contact me?

Alasdair

Arnold Clark

Get in there Sam then you can report the 'success' story to the world

Scaniaman, I'm sorry if I have let you down, but as I do not know your details I can't make any comment - I would like to try to make things better if you contact me?

 

Alasdair

Arnold Clark

Get Scott Wilson (general manager?????????) to check his emails and all shall be revealed. He says mine come through on spam???

Conniff, re your post 9# Finance. Maybe not always the case. I told them the apr i was prepared too pay and they got me finance at that rate.

Problems only arose when faults developed on the car and i contacted the finance co. (santander) Then i realised i had not been sold normal HP, but something i had never heard of before called a "Motor Loan". I thought this was just a new name for HP since many old terms are now defunct and replaced with something trendy ( in the younger generations eyes).

It transpired that this Motor Loan was in fact a personal loan, and santander didn't want to know of my problems, as long as the payments were being met. EVENTUALLY, santander wrote me and said they had no interest in the goods purchased, yet they called it a motor loan. Wonder if they would have repossed the car if payments not met. It happened to a woman, as reported in last weeks paper, but i don't know exactly what loan she had.

I would say that is worse than a high interest rate, they obviously didn't explain to you exactly what it was they were selling you.

Scaniaman - I can by all means get e-mails checked, but in order to have anything revealed, I still need to know who you are. Therefore, can you email me on [email protected] , with your personal details and car reg etc and I can look into it?

Alasdair

very interesting

Scaniaman - I can by all means get e-mails checked, but in order to have anything revealed, I still need to know who you are. Therefore, can you email me on [email protected] , with your personal details and car reg etc and I can look into it?

 

Alasdair

What a load of rubbish Alasdair.

From this forum alone it is obvious that AC have serious customer relations problems in their efforts to maximise sales and profit at the expense of customer service or their best interests. Whilst it is natural that a company should be encouraged to expand I have to say that the Sir Arnold Clark might have got his strategy seriously wrong. Yes he might have got a customer service award but I would alledge this is based on the companys advertising spend, something necessary of course but it still doesn't detract that the board of management seem to be disconnected from the way the customer works.

For example, you have the balls to come on here and say tell me your problems, which when happens you don't and secondly this just confirms that you think by posting a pathetic response such as contact me will suffice.

I refer to a previous thread where you were challenged to sort an issue out . You have made to the best of my knowledge, no attempt to do this which involved basic checks which should have been carried out in the first place.

Ulimatly the problem is that AC need to review the way their sales people operate and get some qualified and switched on people in aftersales.The big problem will be in recruiting these same said people as those in the know don't work for peanuts which is what I'm told AC pay unless you are a sales person.

AC seriously need to get their act together.

Wow Mr. Heliosuk, you sure have hit the nail on the heid. I for one wouldnae work for AC, especially in the workshop. Why? Some of their "General Managers" admit that they have little or no technical knowledge, and one was so ignorant as to suggest that in their position, they did not need it.

What then would be the position, if say, their was a disagreement between workshop staff on a mechanical or technical matter? How could the GM arbitrate if he knows jack all about the product that they sell.

It is an absolute disgrace that people with so little product knowledge should be in a position to take up to £20,000+ from the car buying punters.

Today, cars are not the relatively simple things they used to be. Modern technology requires that all those concerned in the retail side of the industry be fully trained and knowledgable, complete with the appropriate certificates. Retail car sales is the only job i know of where a complete dunderheid in a suit is allowed to operate. (say perhaps politicians).

Noo then, lets be perfectly clear about whats gaun on here. All the clark mob are daen is to play on the vulernability of the average punter. Only the ones with some savy will have found this website. There are thousands of happy clark customers, but i pit it tae you that theres a heck of a lot who are happy in their ignorance of whats really gaun on.

I believe that it was accepted by Barclays Partner Finance. I have received my £100 refund without delay. Just as well I did or that wouldve been even more hassle!

I have had my new car for 4 months now and not a problem with the car so far! I got this from an independant dealer (McMillan Motors in Greenock), and would high recommend them!

Im going to send an email of to Alasdair and see if he can resolve anything or get an answer but all I need is for my credit report to be fixed. What can I do to get these entries removed as I beleive they shouldnt be there.

Conniff, re your post 9# Finance. Maybe not always the case. I told them the apr i was prepared too pay and they got me finance at that rate.

Problems only arose when faults developed on the car and i contacted the finance co. (santander) Then i realised i had not been sold normal HP, but something i had never heard of before called a "Motor Loan". I thought this was just a new name for HP since many old terms are now defunct and replaced with something trendy ( in the younger generations eyes).

It transpired that this Motor Loan was in fact a personal loan, and santander didn't want to know of my problems, as long as the payments were being met. EVENTUALLY, santander wrote me and said they had no interest in the goods purchased, yet they called it a motor loan. Wonder if they would have repossed the car if payments not met. It happened to a woman, as reported in last weeks paper, but i don't know exactly what loan she had.

friend has just discovered the same problem...started looking at doing a VT on a car from Arnold Clark only to discover is was not HP as asked for but personal loan (even though the lay out looks just like HP).

AND turns out the finance co has registered oustanding finance on the car! They cannot have it both ways!

Apologies for jumping in...glad you got your deposit back and hope your credit file gets sorted LB89, and will start a thread on this....just clear this was not a one off

I have emailed Alasdair, waiting to hear back from him now. He has emailed back already asking what branch this occured at but there has been no reply now for 2 days. Will see how that goes!

I can see nothing in your posts that made 7 searches on your credit file anywhere near necessary....there is the SLOW route to the Information Commissioners (you should complain anyway), inform Consumer Direct (the more complaints logged about arnold clark the better)

But a recorded delivery letter telling them to remove the negative entries or you will take court action is the most forceful way.

This case makes interesting reading and gives you an idea why you should document everything by letter and back yourself up to the hilt:

RICHARD DURKIN v. DGS RETAIL LIMITED+HFC BANK PLC, 26 March 2008, Sheriff J K Tierney

Yes, and i say again, it's not only the VT problem that a personal loan overcomes, it's also FAULTY CARS!!!!"!

In fairness to the salesman, i did not specifically ask for HP, just told him the APR, and said that i might be coming into a bit of money before the agreement concluded so i would want to pay it off without any hassle or large termination fees. But it was the term "Motor Loan" that got me---how can it be a motor loan if it's a personal loan?

Thanks to this site, i have had a call from Mr. Craig, but don't know how long it will take to review my complaints. Thankfully, (time wise????)my problems are somewhat less than BP's. Maybe have to get Mr. Obama on my case!!!!

Anymore comeback Scania?

scaniaman, I beleive that a motor loan as a restricted credit line (i.e provided for one purpose only, the car) with the money paid directly to the garage means that the dealer and finance company share joint and several liability under soga and the CCA sect 74( i think) regardless of HP or not and dont let them tell you otherwise. Although i dont know the case details this has been proven and is why they record the car details. Not got a copy ot the CCA to hand but beleive its a clear case of implied terms.