Car Problem

[MisterBuster]

Okay this is a problem that I have with a Car I purchased last August (2013)

From the get go the car developed problems and despite me calling the dealership where I got the car, and their promises to have the vehicle collected and inspected by their own mechanic, nothing happened.

I was on the phone to them practically every other day to get the problems on the car resolved and even took advice form the CAB to get resolution.

One bit of advice that they did offer and I acted upon, was to contact the Finance Company who had funded the car and put them in the picture, To be fair they jumped straight on the situation with the dealer and tried to get him to resolve the issues with the car as it was clearly not fit for purpose.

Unfortunately they got the same treatment that I got, in that the dealer wouldn't answer their calls, and in their case talk to the area rep for the Finance Co, when they called.

We reached a stalemate situation which culminated in the car seizing on Christmas Eve , it has been sitting on my drive ever since not going anywhere, and now on SORN.

The item that seized on the vehicle would actually cost £3850 to repair , which is actually worth more than the car. All this time I have been making HP payments on the Car as well as paying for bus fares to get to and from work.

Today ( 5/3/14 ),following on from an independant mechanical report that had been carried out on the car and submitted to them, the Finance Co. phoned and said that they are getting me out the car , as there is clearly going to be no resolution to the situation and that I should look for another vehicle which they will happily fund.

Okay here is my problem .

I thought they have the rite to throw the car back at the dealership and take back the money they advanced for the original purchase ? As clearly the vehicle is not fit for purpose.. The chap who has been dealing with this problem said that they will more than likely throw the car through the auctions and recoup some of the money .That sounded alarm bells in my head as that didn't sound straight.

Also taking on board that they can demand all the money back from the dealer, who they have since blacklisted, surely I too can claim back all the payments I have made plus out of pocket expenses, I.E. £200 worth of Bus fares since January.

Any advice would be gratefully recieved

[Conniff]

Are you buying this car with 'Hire Purchase' ?

[MisterBuster]

Yes the Car is subject to a Hire Purchase Agreement

[Conniff]

It is the finance company who are responsible for the quality of the car, not you or the dealer you bought it from.

 

 

If you have reached stalemate, drop a line to Financial Ombudsman Service http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/contact/index.html with your story.

[MisterBuster]

Excellent result .

The Finance Co. have agreed to re-imburse all the payments I have made on the car, plus £1000 compensation .They are taking the car away next week and have already told me to look for another car which will be immediately approved for finance.

They are taking the dealership to court to recover their costs and have already put pressure on trading standards to investigate the dealership with the aim of getting the dealerships Consumer Credit Licence revoked.

I dont lnow if this is common practice for a Finance Co. to behave in this way , but I am very impressed with the way they have dealt with this issue. Some may take the view that they have gone at the dealership a little heavy handedly, but I think they brought it on themselves , you cannot market a " Dud" for sale and then hope to get away with it.

Anyway I hope others that are having undeserved grief with their own cars because of an unscrupulous trader can get an idea of where to go from this thread...

[Conniff]

Nice one. It is really solely the finance companies problem. You only chose the car, they are the ones that buy it, and though it's easier usually to approach the dealer if you have a problem, it should be the finance company that any faults are reported to.

For too long buyers have thought it their problem and the finance companies never let on that it is they who should be notified and sort any problems, that way they get away easy.