Mis-Sold Vehicle?

[Bovvered]

Hi everyone

 

I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this one please.

 

Basically bullet-pointed as follows:

 

• Invited to attend dealership on Sunday 24th April to discuss early upgrade of PCP vehicle at their invitation
  
• I said I'm happy with what I had, but let's see what an upgrade looks like and I'll decide after that, but I emphasised it must not cost more than I'm paying now and it must contain the same enhancements/features that my current (Yaris Icon Plus) contains. I emphasised the specs more than once during the conversation
  
• I was shown a car in the showroom and was told this was similar to the car I was potentially getting and theonly difference was this was a Hybrid and mine was not. IE it had all the enhanced features of my current car.
  
• Salesman went away and came back with a quote £20 pm more than I was currently paying. I said, thanks but no thanks. He went away again and came back with a figure very close to current payments so I said okay and signed paperwork and they said delivery would be the following Thursday 28th April.
  
• Monday or Tuesday evening I read through the papers and couldnt see any specs cited at all, so phoned Salesman expressing my concerns, that I have the Icon Plus model and the new car specs must match that or I would not go ahead with the car. He told me the specs I currently had were the same in the new car. I thanked him saying I felt reassured.
  
• I was asked to come in on Friday 29th in afternoon to take delivery of new vehicle and bring my Icon Plus back. After what seemed a lot of paperwork signing I was taken to the car. I asked him to pair my phone which he did and I noticed there were no speed dials and he showed me the 'Phone List' is where they are, but much less user friendly and although prettier in colour I told him I thought that was a step backwards for Toyota. The controls looked different but I put this down to it being a newer model and since he had already told me the specs were the same I wasn't too worried.
  
• Left and when I got home realised that none of the enhanced features were there!
  
  • No dual climate control for Air - just straightforward air con
    
  • No electric rear windows (wind ups instead)
    
  • No heated/rain sensitive windows - just normal ones
    
  • No electric rear view mirror - just standard one
    
  • No rear LEDs
    

   

  [*]I called dealership next morning (it was too late on the Friday night)

  [*]I told them I was coming in to see manager - he wan't about until Sunday so I went in on Sunday.

  [*]Meeting was with Manager and trainee salesman (whi backed up my story about emphasising specs and also being shown the Excel model (that does match the specs apart from it being Hybrid)

  [*]Manager was sympathetic saying 'basically there's been a screw up' and he promised he would send some emails to get to the bottom of what happened, and that I would get a call on Tuesday. I didn't. I called him and see apologised and said I would get a call on Wednesday as the sales manager I saw was away. I didn't.

  [*]I called Thursday and told them I was coming in as I was anxious I was putting miles on the new car.

  [*]The salesman who saw me (a different one) explained the salesman was again not there, but said I could get the Excel for £20 pm more, so I said yes, and he showed me the car (showroom car) and said he would talk to the manager the next day to get this sorted.

  [*]The next day, Friday I received a call from this same salesman saying that the exchange would not be happening because when I had phoned the week before, the salesman had told me what I would be getting and what I wouldn't. I said that's not true, I in fact phoned because I was concerned that I couldn't see reference to the specs on the paperwork and needed reassurance this would match those on the Icon Plus (my traded in car).

  [*]I went in the next day and was told they had requested recordings of phone calls (held by a datacentre), and if the recordings prove my story they will exchange but if not they won't.

Do they really record all phone calls or is this another stalling tactic. I don't know what to do, or if I can do anything at all

Do I have any recourse? I feel I was deceived into signing for a car I didn't ask for, but thinking it's all too late now.

Many thanks

[Conniff]

A lot of 'sensible' companies record phone calls which is exactly what you should have done. Don't do any in future deals to any company without recording them. You do not have to tell them you are recording.

 

Obviously if they do record the calls and are not just engaging in delaying tactics, then if what you say is true, there will be no problems and you can demand the car you were promised.

 

If the phone calls recordings don't materialise, I would demand you had a face to face meeting with the actual salesman that promised you what you asked for.

 

Was anyone with you at the time who can back you up ?

[Bovvered]

Thanks Conniff. I did speak to him and asked why I was shown a Hybrid version of a car with same specs as mine, (they said the one I would potentially be buying would be same spacs as this one only it wouldn't be a Hybrid) and minutes later I signed paperwork for the same (but unbeknown to me, it turned out it was for a car that I had not asked for, it was for the standard model.. He just said that Toyota would only be interested in recorded calls as evidence, as everything else was their word against mine. There was a trainee present on the day (his first sale) and he supported my story (ie. insistence on specs being the same as current car otherwise no deal) when I went to speak to the general manager 2 days after I got the car, but they're just not interested in any of that because it can't be proven. I also told him if not resolved they would lose repeat business from me, then he mentioned how big the parent company is, so they wouldn't be worried about that....

 

It all hinges on the phone call recording it would seem, which is great if they ever deliver it (if it even exists)

[Conniff]

You really should reject this car, take it back and tell them this is not the car you were sold. It not being on the paperwork you received says to me they have done this before and will continue to do it to other customers.

 

Give them 24 hours to get these recordings and 'tell' the manager you want a meeting with him and the salesman and the trainee salesman.

Saying we are a big company is another reason why I don't think you are going to get anywhere unless you reject the car which you should do in writing.

[Bovvered]

Thank you Conniff. I plan to write a letter tomorrow - any idea if there are any templates available to assist in wording this correctly? Also the finance 14 day thing expires on Thursday so do you think I should write to them too or leave that as it is for now?

[liverpoolluke]

you should be able to return the car as it's within 30 days, however it would be argued that when you collected the car most of the extra's were visable and maybe should of been noticed at point of collection

[Bovvered]

you should be able to return the car as it's within 30 days, however it would be argued that when you collected the car most of the extra's were visable and maybe should of been noticed at point of collection

 

 

1. I know and this is why my phone call recording is important:
   Monday or Tuesday evening I read through the papers and couldnt see any specs cited at all, so phoned Salesman expressing my concerns, that I have the Icon Plus model and the new car specs must match that or I would not go ahead with the car. The result of my conversation with him left me feeling reassured that I was getting the same specs.The salesman I phoned was the one who originally sold me the Icon Plus, and I had a trust relationship, or so I thought...