VT problem RCI finance (renault)

[aimhigh]

well to cut a long story short my case is almost identical to yours, i wasnt there for the inspection due to work and when i returned there was a list of damages left that the "inspector" had found!

One was genuine because i knew myself it was there but should really come under wear & tear as the car was almost 6 years old but as for the other it seems the scratch was either made up, done by the inspector or it was there but theyre makin it out to be worse than it was. Over £150 for a scratch is a little excessive especially when the majority of scratches can be polished out!

Also tried to charge for a document they have already received from me until today when the girl I spoke to, who was either not in the Dick Turpin gang or was a little off the ball this morning, but she finally confirmed they have it.

Having done a little more digging it seems RCI are a total joke and I may also write to the garage I went through to complain about them using a company that doesnt know their a*se from their elbow!

[garygumps]

Unbelievable!!!!

What was the "document" ? Service history perhaps?

At least you got replies to your correspondence, all I got were demands for payment.

Anyway Aimhigh, my suggestion to you is to write 1 last time and notify them them that if they do not reply satisfactorily within 8 weeks then you will complain to the Financial Ombudsman.

As I have said, my 8 week deadline passed last month with still no response, so as far as I am concerned the matter is closed. If they do have the audacity to contact me again, I will be straight onto the FOS as they should still have my case on file.

RCI seem to have a pattern modus operandi going by our 2 cases. Feel free to quote my case as evidence. PM me for the details if you need them

Good luck

[aimhigh]

aye that was the doc i was talking about.

Yesterday the story got worse or better if you want to laugh about it.

Some credit company phoned chasing me for money which seems a little quick since I only spoke to RCI at the end of lastweek and told them I would phone them again at the start of this week but anyways I spoke to a guy for about 4 mins, if that, and he was ready to scrap half the bill!?? I mean really, its just laughable now cos if they really were due the money why would they just accept half???

I think you hit the nail on the head in one of your comments when you said they dont like people taking advantage of the terms of the contract and giving the car back therefore owing them nothing and thats exactly what theyre gonna get from me....nothing!

[annoyednottinghamgurl]

Oh No looks like im in for some hassle from RCI myself.
I too returned my car before the agreement was up.
Ive received a letter from RCI today advising I need to pay £371.
I returned the car in Novemeber!
8 months later!!!!! how ridiculous is that!

Ive had no communication since the inspection which at the time I signed a piece of paper to say I refused the charges of £222.43 for damage. Since then I've heard nothing and presumed they accepted the refusal.

So imagine my shock when i get a letter for £371! Not only have they spelt my name wrong and failed to attempt contact for 8 months, they have also put on a mileage charge for £149 which I didn't exceed! They have calculated it as if I had the car from new when it already had 8000 on the clock!!!

Has anyone got any advise on how to deal with these muppets? And does anyone else think 8 months is far to long to leave it with out contact surely they haven't got a leg to stand on? Any views on this would be really appreciated!

[garygumps]

Originally Posted by annoyednottinghamgurl

Has anyone got any advise on how to deal with these muppets? And does anyone else think 8 months is far to long to leave it with out contact surely they haven't got a leg to stand on? Any views on this would be really appreciated!

Hi annoyed,
Sounds just like RCI's modus operandi I'm afraid. Following my experience, if you are still adamant that you are not prepared to pay their demands, you will need to write a final letter to them giving them notice that you intend to complain to the Financial Ombudsman (FSO) if you do not get a satisfactory response.

RCI will have a maximum of 8 weeks to give you a "final response" which will either insist on their money or agree with you. Depending on how satisfied you are with this then complain to the FSO. It is really easy and you can do it all on their website and print the forms off. Send these plus copies of all correspondence with RCI to the FSO. Seeing as you are dealing with a protracted time scale, ie over 8 months, it may also be useful to put together a "timeline" of events detailing what happened at any particular time and cross reference your letters etc to this document.

In my case, I have not heard a dickiebird from RCI since I contacted to FSO and their deadline for a response expired 23 May,so as far as I am concerned the matter is now closed. I cant believe RCI would have the cheek to get back to me now.

If you want anymore help don't hesitate to ask

[Ickle Gill]

Hi lovely people and can I ask for your advise from you wonderful experts...

Today I have contacted the Financial Ombudsman in relation to an ongoing complaint with RFS/RCI dating back to June 2006...

I took out a new agreement with RFS in May 2006 as I changed my car having been with them for 3 years. All was well so I thought until the first direct debit was taken on a different date to the previous agreement. This was prior to my salary pay date and therefore it declined. Until this point I was not aware that the DD had changed as I didn't complete a new DD Mandate when I took out the new agreement.
After contacting RFS they apologised and amended the DD date however they charged me for the non payment. I asked them to remove the charges and I would pay the outstanding 1 payment. The following month they debited 2 payments from my account (without my agreement) so I claimed indemnity and sent them a payment for 1 month. I then called and advised if they took the charges off I would pay the outstanding 1 months payment.. I also reset up my Direct debit.

This complaint has now been going on for 2 years whereby I have made numerous phone calls and sent recorded delivery letters to which they NEVER respond. Each time I advise take off the charges for your error and I'll make the one payment owed to you... they decline this offer each time.

When RCI took over from RFS the charges were £800, RCI agreed they had cocked up and reduced the charges to £100 however as I had made no error I said I would not pay and if they removed the £100 I would make the payment to them. The charges are now £401 and today after still no response from them I've contacted the Financial Ombudsman to assist in a satisfactory resolution.

I spoke to RCI today and was told 'everyone knows that a dd date changes when you take out a new agreement'... news to me... I've worked in telecommunications for 12 years and we have never inadvertantly changed a dd without consent from a customer!

If any of you can give me any further advise on this I'd be most grateful as I'm now being chased by a debt collector!!! Very polite gent I spoke to asked me if I was willing to settle and I again advised take of the charges and I'll pay you now... although polite he didn't want to do this...

Am I being unreasonable here?

Kind regards,

Gill

[garygumps]

Let me get this right.......you changed the car in May 2006, so presumably you made a payment in April and because the deal was refinanced in May your May payment due on the old deal would have been voided or at least you would have expected to pay the 1st payment of the new deal on the usual DD date?

A few questions here...

Have you paid ALL payments due on the agreement to date?

How much are the charges (I assume for non-payment fee or something similar) and how are they levied to you?

How did they build up to £800? Why reduce it to £100?

The way I see it is if the charges were levied purely because of an admin cock-up, ie over what date your DD goes through and you have sorted this out and paid all installments, then I dont really see why RCI are continuing to chase this. You'd think any reasonable company would write this sort of thing off and move on. Actually I think I've answered that last point myself, its RCI we're dealing with here

Anyway, to cut a long story short, you have done the right thing by contacting the FOS who hopefully will look at this matter as what it looks like (a simple misunderstanding) and tell RCI to stop playing silly buggers and leave you alone.

Regarding the Debt Agency, politely tell them (better in writing) that the case has been referred to the FOS and you will await their findings.

[Ickle Gill]

Thanks very much for your response...

Yes I did make a payment in April on my old car it was the May one which they messed up... I have paid every single installment to them bar one which was from the very beginning of the 2nd agreement whereby they charged me for their mess up and I said then and have continued to say if they take the charges off I will make the one payment to them!

So I suppose you could say I've been in arrears for 2 years although barring the one payment they have received each months fee by Direct Debit. When I held back the one payment they did attempt to take 2 payments from my account the following month (which would have been June) so I claimed indemnity and sent them one payment by cheque..

Yes I am dealing with RCI Financial Services and to be honest I've spoken to good a poor advisors.. the ones who tell you the truth about what's happened and the ones who are only interested in extorting more money from me!

The charges were an accumulation of calls and letter ..not that I have charged them mind.... when RCI took over from RFS they agreed that there was an error and I was told the charges would be taken off however they were only reduced to £100... which again I refused to pay and now they stand at about £401...which I'm still not going to pay..

I will write to the debt agency, so thanks for that advise...I'm hoping for a swift resolution to this matter as they have until the 7th Aug to give a final decision on the matter based upon my conversation with the Ombudsman... I agreed that they could take the complaint from my last letter which was 12th June so they have 8 weeks from that date...

I'll let you know the outcome good or bad...

Gill

[garygumps]

If you have missed a payment that was due then you should really pay that before going any further. I'm no expert, but you cant really take the moral high ground on this dispute or take it further if you have defaulted on a monthly payment, as it seems to me in your case.

For sure, ther seems to have been an administrative misunderstanding at the beginning, but you should have paid what was due and argued about the charges and stuff afterwards like the bank charges claims.

What I would do is write to RCI and explain that you are paying the 1 month that you owe them and that is all. It seems reasonable to me. Then wait to see what their response is before complaining to the FSO.
anyway, good luck and keep in touch

[angrygirl]

I've just come across this forum and I'm having exactly the same problem with RCI. I VT'd my agreement in September last year and because they mucked up the return, I just had to hand the car over to the Renault dealer. I then heard nothing until November when I got a phone call to say I was in arrears - it turned out that because I hadn't used the exact words 'voluntary termination' in my letter to them when I told them I would be handing back the car, they had kept the agreement open. So I wrote then and confirmed the VT and confirming confirmation that no further money was due.

Heard nothing then till 4th July when out of the blue I got a couple of scrappy bits of paper in the post showing they had spent £293.93 repairing damage. No covering letter, no explanation of what had happened in the intervening 8 months. I replied straight away telling them I wouldn't be paying as they can't prove this was damage done by me and also that I'd previously had confirmation no further costs due. Heard nothing till a phone call yesterday from debt company. Even then, they said RCI told them the debt was due to excess mileage - fortunately the scrappy bit of paper shows this can't be the case. Muppets.

Have emailed the debt people just now with all the correspondence and so hopefully this might get resolved - have more confidence in the competence of the debt people rather than RCI.

It just amazes me that RCI can show so much total incompetence all the way through the process.

[Ickle Gill]

Sounds like they've taken you through the mill a bit..
I've not heard anything since my complaint went to the ombudsman however I should hear by 8th aug and I do hope they are prompt as I'm off to Florida on the 10th!!!

I understand Gary advised to pay the 1 month arrears from 2years ago however I'm playing them at their own game (rightly or wrongly).. I did pay & ask for a copy of all my system notes from them but as yet they haven't materialised...must chase that.

It's not about the money for me, if I was at fault I would not hesitate to pay the charges.. however all I did was buy a new car! I will keep you updated as to how I get on good or bad... and best of luck in sorting out your own situation.

Kind regards,

Gill

[garygumps]

Originally Posted by Ickle Gill

I understand Gary advised to pay the 1 month arrears from 2years ago however I'm playing them at their own game (rightly or wrongly).. I did pay & ask for a copy of all my system notes from them but as yet they haven't materialised...must chase that.

Gill

Hey, thats up to you Gill how you intend to play this one Me, personally, I would be uncomfortable knowing that I legitimately owed 1 months payment. I can understand your stance and hopefully worst case scenario the FSO will probably tell you that all you owe is that payment and the case will be closed.

Oh and have a nice holiday. Assuming that Disney is involved somewhere you should be used to Mickey Mouse after trying to deal with RCI!!!


Angrygirl.....welcome to the RCI Appreciation thread!

Strange one yours. What exactly did the Renault dealer do with your car for 2 months?????

Good luck with yours and hopefully the DCA can sort it out, but I'm not holding my breath as ultimately they take instruction from RCI so it is them you have to convince.

Anyway, I would just fire off a complaint to the FSO which should put a freeze on things going any further. They must be getting a big file on RCI by now methinks

Keep the faith peeps.

Gary

[Ickle Gill]

Gary,
Yes Mickey Mouse is very much involved with the holiday, kids are well excited!!!
I know that it's wrong to hold one payment back with RCI however due to the amount of calls made n letters sent etc I should be billing them!
When I spoke to the FOS they didn't advise me to make the payment and I made them fully aware of what I done and that I'd offered to pay each time I'd called if they removed the charges. I also made them aware that the DD is in place and payment has been made on an ongoing basis since the error occured.
Will just have to see what the outcome is and as they are, I understand owned by Royal Bank of Scotland I'm hoping that the charges will be deemed as exessive under the circumstances... however I'll never take an agreement out with them again.. in fact I might lease a car next time and let someone else handle all the hassle!
Enjoy your weekend peeps

G

[MetalliManiac]

Hey everyone. Read all the topics and problems by all you various folk on here and my problem follows pretty much exactly the same lines again!! If Gary or anyone else could help with regards it would be much appreciated.

My car was originally picked up in September 2007 but again like other stories I wasn't there due to having to start a college course. Was picked up with no problem and I thought that was it until August 2008, just last month, when I got a bill asking for £888.30 for damages. I could not believe that it would take 11 months to get back to me about this. RCI advised me last week that this period of time is normal in these circumstances and can go up to 4 years!! I think that is a load of bulls**t if you ask me!! Anyway the car was inspected on the 7th September 2007!! So immediatedly looked for advice and sent RCI a letter demanding why it had taken so long, for any photographs to back up their claims and a breakdown of how they got this stupid figure. I did know of a small scratch and small dent but by no means near £900's worth!! And they had the cheek to say that my car was "condition - dirty".....what a joke!!

So there was no reply to that letter and was advised that they'd passed it onto Apex (collections) who would deal with the matter so I felt I was blatently ignored!! I even sent an individual at RCI the letter by email and they still have not done anything about it!! The collections agency have said they will send me a breakdown of the bill, however I have not recieved that as of yet and have been waiting a good 4 or 5 days so far.

And just today, I recieved another letter from collections adding a further £25 to the overall cost for a mileage charge and the cost of sending a letter...all of 2 pages!!

I have read the posts with regards to the FOS which I am very tempted to do. Should I phone RCI and advise that I am going to do this or just go ahead and do it? And should I ask for a proof of repair from RCI aswell?

I'm very tempted to get a solicitor onto the case but I cannot deal with all of it right now as I am still at college and is starting to interfere with my work so I need to get rid of the matter as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance to all advice on here. It has even helped so far

Martin

[Ickle Gill]

Hi Martin,

My complaint is currently with the FOS as after numerous calls, requests and payment for a copy of all my account notes (not received but paid for in June!) I no longer call them as to be fair after 2 years they have had their monies worth in phone and mobile calls alone!

The FOS gave RCI until the 8th Aug to respond to my complaint which they never did so I've now sent off the form which the FOS sent to me (delayed though due to a family holiday).

It's very difficult to continue to chase this due to work commitments as I work around the UK and abroad so it takes time for me to handle the paperwork.

Experian have also placed a note in detail onto my credit file as RCI refuse to take off the defaults at this time.
I would imagine the FOS will respond to me over the next 7 days.. which way it will go I have no idea however I do hope they are fair and just.
Yes they may punish me to with holding one payment (which I'll undestand) however the payment is still in my account and I've happily said I will give it to them when they clear things up!

Anyway best of luck and let us know how you get on.

Gill

[MetalliManiac]

Yeah I know I've made a few phone calls to RCI and the collections ageny Apex aswell over the past wee while and it's beginning to total up and it's the last thing I need right now being a student and all!!

Like yourself I would be happy to pay (or try to) if they explained themselves with reason but I've tried to get answers from them but I just feel like I'm talking to a brick wall!! Or a bunch of t**ts who don't know what they are doing at all and just plucking bills off the tops of their heads and sending them out to people who have terminated their contracts which they believe are fine!! Until RCI start posting the letters that is......

And hope the holiday went as planned and you had a laugh

Martin