I’m totally pissed off.......

[Stephen Mc]

I was due to pick up my new car tomorrow at 10am, an X reg Mk1 172, anyway the garage Im buying it off ring me last night with a "concern" over the mileage on my trade in (S reg VTR). After carrying out an NMR check the guy at the garage claims theres a mileage discrepancy on my car that has occured since I have owned it. OK I said whats the discrepancy - Ive had the car for 3 years, bought it at 13 months old with 9993 on the clock - its now got 56788. The salesman doesnt actually know the exact discrepancy cause he refuses to pay £20 for the full NMR search and he said that he cant wait the 3/4 weeks that the full search takes so based on his "cheap" search he wants to knock £1000 off the price of my trade in !!!!! He says that to sell on my "clocked" car will cost him about this much and if I refuse to reduce the price of mine then the deal is off

At this point Im starting to think this is a bit suspicious so today I contacted Reg Vardy (Leeds) who I bought my VTR off originally, the chap there was more than helpful and agreed to dig out all of the old paper work from the deal 3 years ago and prove that the mileage is correct. Now I contacted the garage selling me the 172 and he refused to believe me so I asked him to ring Reg Vardy, which he did and he still refused to believe Reg Vardy or even wait for them to fax over the archives from the original VTR deal and added that the search showed the discrepancy occured before I owned the car even though last night he was adament I had "clocked" the car myself during my ownership. I must now point out that an AA inspection revealed about £200 of work that needed doing on the 172 and since this was noticed the service from the garage has gone downhill rapidly.

So Im now left with a salesman who says that the deal off, at which point I asked about getting my £50 deposit back to which he replied: "You should say look pal keep the £50, Im sorry for messing you around with the car, no hard feelings eh?" This was like a red rag to a bull to me, I threatened him with legal action stating that the receipt he issued me with had the price of the trade in etc. on it and that it was a legally binding document to a deal we stuck 2 weeks ago. He wasnt prepared to wait for anymore searches to be carried out on my car and as such Ive now spent £120 on an AA search, £200 upfront for my insurance and it looks like £50 in the back pocket of the tw*tty salesman.

Anyway he said hes going to tr and work out a new deal and ring me bak tomorrow to discuss it but with customer service like this Ill think Ill look elsewhere for a Silver Mk1 172.

Rant over - thanks for listening guys!

 

[Mike Wright]

If someone accused me of clocking my vehicle and stated it together with the other points you said I would consider sueing him for slander. He cant just throw around accusations like that without proof.

Sounds like a complete idiot to me. One way of thinking about it is if you had anything go wrong with your new car imagine having to deal with that idiot everytime. I reckon you are better of without that dealer.

 

[greeper]

Sorry about your trouble, so many garages are sh1t these days, why dont you name and shame them.

Have you contacted citizens advice to see if they can help?

I would have assumed the original deal if it is on paper amd signed is legaly binding and that the simple NMR check is not thorough enough to mean he can get out of the deal. Obviously he is not happy that the AA test means he has to fix the car for you.

Two options walk away or fight, I think I would seek advice and go from there.

There are a lot of good 172s out there, unless this one is realy cheap you may find better elsewhere.

Good luck

 

[ClioJohn]

dodgyness, that would be enough for me to go to another garage. I refuse to deal with people like that.

 

[FunkyASFunk]

if you have it on paper that he was to buy your car then he has no argument unless it states " your car will be taken as Part Ex providing the NMR search is satisfactory" if this is not the case then he is in breach of sale! i got some number you can call if you need help

 

[Simon172]

Dont be suprised if that 172 youre looking at has probably been clocked too if hes so hot on clocking.

 

[FunkyASFunk]

simon has a point ..hes trying to gazump you!! i recon given that hes only done this check now, so close to purchase date! if you are certain that your millage is correct then you pay for the check to be done, then he has no arguments!!

i think what hes doing is against the law anyway!



Or you could just chin him!

 

[Mike Wright]

get a 172 your really happy with and the dealer is better than this idiot! Your paying enough money so get the service you deserve.

 

[FunkyASFunk]

get a good HPI check done over the phone from the dealers!

 

[VX-Tony]

My recommendation - Dont buy the car!

Even if you win and get the prices you originally agreed, youll still feel bitter about the whole experience and not enjoy the car as much (and even possibly blame it) so go somewhere else, get another deal and get a great car!

 

[Ben_1uk]

Sounds like a complete tw*t mate. My g/f had similar trouble with her new Saxo. She bought an Eastcoast 1.1i on the understanding that it had power steering (it was advertised as having it). However, as you probably already know, the 1.1 Saxo doesnt come equipped with power steering. When we got in contact with the dealer who had sold us the car, (ST PETERS GARAGE), he said that it was no fault of his because he isnt in control of the adverts that are put into the Auto Trader magazine. Fair point, but doesnt he ever think to check the ads for the cars hes selling or does he just assume that therre all legit and safe?!?!

My g/f got in touch with citroen and asked how much would it cost to have power steering fitted to her car. They quoted her 2000 quid and did not recommend it! We also got in touch with Trading Standards about the mis-representation concerning the advert. They said there was a possibility that she could claim the value of power steering as adequate compensation!

When we got back to the dealer telling him what we had been told by Trading Standards and Citroen he offered 200 quid to keep it hush hush. Obviously, we declined the offer. A couple of days later he upped his offering to 300 quid. Again, we told him to stuff it! He then threatened to take us to court if we did not accept his offer. Because the mrs couldnt afford the cost of going to court she accepted the 300 quid!!!

I think this just goes to show how careful you must be when buying a car. Most people take for granted the so-called "professionalism" they expect to receive when entering into an agreement with a reputable dealer. At the end of the day, be aware! There are some robbing gits out there who are as bent as a nine bob note!!!

 

[Stephen Mc]

Thanks for the support guys its much appreciated, Ive already done a HPI check on my car and the 172 and they are both clear. I was going name and shame but Im waiting to see what he offers me tomorrow. The dodgyness has put me off a lot and even though the car only has a 3 month warranty I can imagine what it would be like trying to get anything fixed. The details of the original deal I have written down on the receipt are pretty good, take a look and let me know what you think:

£3500 for my S reg VTR + £5499 = Xreg Mk1 172 34k on the clock

I might fight for the original but then do I want to give him my hard earned cash? FunkyASFunk any chance you could let me have that number???

Thanks guys

 

[007]

I lost £300 after a garage gave me the wrong info on a RS1800 Fiesta. They told me it had 1 owner so i put the deposit down - I then found it had 6 owners so wasnt prepared to buy the car for the money they wanted. They would not give me my money back - the guy sounded upset and couldnt understand why I said I was going to break his legs if he didnt give me a refund - unfortunatly he was 400 miles away and my soliciter said it wasnt worth even attempting to get the money back thru small claims etc.!!

 

[f1web]

What is the name of this garage?

 

[GR7]

Stephen

Personally I think that the guy at the garage is totally out of order, trying to get more money out of you at the 23rd hour! If you have paperwork with prices of both cars written down, I would have thought that the guy has to abide by this.

Imagine what he would say to you if it was the other way around! Supposing you told him that you wanted £1,000 deducted from the Clio, do you think he would do it? What sort of garage is too tight to pay £20 for a search? A bit odd if you ask me!

If you really want the 172 then keep fighting for it, but if you feel uneasy about the whole thing, then demand that your £50 is returned to you, as he has wasted your time and walk away.

Please dont give up. Maybe this is how this particular salesman works - by trying to con buyers out of paying more than the agreed deal at the very last minute, hoping they will pay up. STAND UP TO THE TWERP, remember that along with estate agents, car salesmen are good liars and are hugely disliked.

 

[mikeherts]

That is really awful.....they are just talking s***.

Dont know if it helps, but Auto Express are very good at sorting out problems for consumers and do it for free as well. It just so happens that I was reading my copy this evening (bored on late shift!) and noticed that this Sunday is their "Ask the experts live" phone in day for problems such as this. They often get action simply because of their size in the motor publication industry.

Takes place from 10am to 4pm Sunday and you can call 0207 907 6215 (General number) or 0207 907 6495 (the dedicated legal number) or email queries in advance to mailto:experts@autoexpress.co.uk">experts@autoexpress.co.uk Their normal watchdog contact is mailto:james_baggott@dennis.co.uk">james_baggott@dennis.co.uk and in their contacts they list a help body for problems with dealers as the ABS on 0800 35 85 855 (although I cant for the life of me think who the ABS are - association of British ??)

Good luck and I hope you are happy with your purchase.....wherever you end up getting it from

 

[steve_rt]

yeah id second what mike says, try the auto express to sort it out - nothin like a bit of bad press to get a dealer to suddenly see the light!

sounds absolutely awful service though, i cant believe hes even trying it. fight the f**ker!

 

[telford_mike]

Walk away. Plenty of other fish in the sea. This is a business deal involving thousands of pounds. Who on earth would want to do business with someone like that? Its tough when youve set your heart on the car I know, but trust me - walk away.

 

[Roamer]

Yup, walk!

Buying a car is normally the second biggest deal anyone does in their lives, and it seems from their attitude that they are playin you, there are more 172s out thier, and Im sure you can find a great example somewhere else and youll be completely satisfied with the service they give before,during and after the sale, look elsewhere and youll be happy in the end

I dont feel that the hassle of trying to fight this particular one is worth it mate.

 

[rt172]

Yup, if theyre giving you this sort of hassle now, imagine what itll be like if anything goes wrong with the 172. Like Mike says, walk away.

Rhys

 

[evilshredder88]

I know some guys that will put him in hospital for £50?

 

[ME551E]

Unless that guy offers you £500 off the previous price I wouldnt go near him.

The money and time you lost over them 2 weeks still isnt even covered by that. Id walk away and leave your £50. If you take that car theres probably goin to be a lot more £50s lost

 

[Scott R]

Definatley name and shame the prick, and then go and find another mk 1 172. There are loads for sale, especially private sales. Dont give swiss tony the satisfaction of getting your money. Then after a few months, when things have died down, pour paint stripper all over his cars in the early hours of the morning. Make sure you wear a balaclavour.

Scott

 

[Stephen Mc]

Thanks for the support and info guys!!! Also thanks MikeHerts, I rang that ABS line yesterday and they did a check on my VTR which came back all clear. I rang the salesman to let him know this but he then contacted the ABS line, he then rang me back and said that he had spoken to the same person I had who advised him that my car has a discrpenacy - WTF !!!! Does this guy think I am a dumb ass or what, I called his bluff and said Im walking away at which point he started trying to butter me up and sweet talk me - this guy is a Knob. I intend to name and shame shortly - Ive just got some loose ends to tie up.

 

[Nick Read]

Just tell him to swivel, the deals off. Hes just bluffing so call his bluff and let him suffer. There are plenty of other 172s out there.

 

[Leigh]

Run a mile !! If the dealer is only giving you a three month warranty !! Then that dealer is a downmarket non franchised Renault dealer.

They proberly dont know what problems to look for on a 172 and they wont have serviced it !!

What he is saying about knocking a grand of your px price, is trying to put you off the deal. They have proberly had a better offer on it !! OR found more problems that need rectifying on the 172.

Take my advice and run, Then get Trading Standards involved !! He hasnt got a leg to stand on !! If he was a repetable dealer hed have no problem spending £20.00 to get the checks done. By the way HPI IS FAR MORE ACURATE than NMR !!

There are plenty of nice 172s on the market at the moment !! Just please buy from a franchised dealer or a Renault Uk owned site. Then you know that they have checked the car throughout and have done any recalls that may been apropriate to that car.

 

[Stephen Mc]

Im going to tell the dealer to swivel tomorrow morning and then Im going to complain to trading standards, but only after Ive told the dealer what a dodgy F*cker (in the nicest possible way) he is!!! Ive found a private sale instead, I spent a hour checking the car over and of course Ive arranged an AA inspection. The seller was pretty much upfront about all the work the car had had whilst in his ownership and he had receipts etc. to back up a couple of recalls and slight work hed had done, and there me thinking ifs always safer buying from a garage - lets hope the new deal works out. Ill keep you all updated on my progress.

 

[Tommy]

Sounds like hes got another buyer!

 

[mikeherts]

Quote: Originally posted by Stephen Mc on 23 February 2003


Thanks for the support and info guys!!! Also thanks MikeHerts, I rang that ABS line yesterday and they did a check on my VTR which came back all clear.

Youre welcome........glad it helped. Hope you get it all sorted out.....preferably with someone who actually demostrates some level of customer service!!