car complaint letter

[Steve]

Hi, just after a bit of advice on a letter I am sending to the head office of a car dealership I recently had numerous issues with. In the letter I am detailing all the complaints and issues I had with the dealership in question, then making several demands. (By the way the car is a Citroen DS4)

In the letter I am cancelling the GAP insurance they arranged for me and added to the finance agreement. I have since cancelled the finance agreement and paid it off with a bank loan (much cheaper). When I request my refund for the GAP policy, am I being cheeky to ask for the interest to be refunded (at the bank loan APR) as well?

I am also requesting either a new GardX (paint protection) maintenance pack (as the one supplied has missing components) or a refund of this too as the protection they applied is pointless without the right kit to maintain it!

There was an issue with the service book too, the upshot being that at some point, a dealership has had two Citroen DS4 service books and have stamped them with the wrong mileage. Mine had a stamp at 11700, but only done 10600! The woman in the dealership threw the book away there and then, and threw in a free service as recompense. However, I'm still without a service book, which will devalue the car when I come to sell. I want some kind of compensation for this (As the place is a car supermarket (Carshop) and you assume every car has FSH). How should I approach this?

The tyres on the car only have 3mm tread on them (And they aint cheap - low profile tyres!) should I request a contribution to these by way of a goodwill gesture?

There are other issues with the purchase of the car which I am detailing in the letter, but I won't go into them here.

By the way, NEVER EVER BUY A CAR FROM CARSHOP. Lovely people, until you have any kind of problem with the car. They have no training in handling complaints whatsoever. Hence my writing a letter to their HQ. The buying process involved me having a courtesy car for 3 days while they rectified a fault on the DS4. One of their staff had handily left a "pocket prompter" in there, basically a fold out guide to pressure selling!

 

[noseall]

...by the way NEVER BUY FRENCH!

 

[Steve]

...by the way NEVER BUY FRENCH!

Last car was a C4 diesel with 94000 miles on clock, bought at 35000 miles. Never broke down, always started 1st time even at 15 degrees below. I have developed a brand loyalty for their cars. The DS4 is a stunning car, packed with more gadgets than you can imagine. I have not, however, developed a brand loyalty for Carshop.

 

[snico]

Was you aware of the issues before buying the car, i.e. the low tread on the tyres?

You should have haggled before you signed anything.

 

[Steve]

Was you aware of the issues before buying the car, i.e. the low tread on the tyres?

You should have haggled before you signed anything.

The car I test drove was not the car I drove away in. They had to move the car I bought from Cardiff, but they had a car that had already been sold on site that they test drove me in. So the first time I saw the car was when I went to dot the I's and cross the T's. Schoolboy error, perhaps, but also bear in mind it was evening when I went to collect MY car, and though the car was indoors it was still fairly low-lighting in the warehouse it was in. I would have struggled to pick out the tread on the tyres, and to be fair I never thought to check them.

Carshop sell cars on behalf of other companies, so there is no haggling. They tell you that from the off.

 

[Burnerman]

I'll stick me neck out here....
You should have gone over your purchased car with a fine tooth comb, before you drove it away.
They are not bound to give you new tyres, or any tyres so long as they are legal at the time of purchase.
Any haggling must be done before payment - not afterwards.
The servicing, if any, is determined by Citroen, not by them. If the car is due, then so be it.....you'll get a new service book in due course, and the book can be stamped by anyone - I wouldn't worry too much about that one anyway.
As for the finance, presumably you agreed to buy it and signed for it at the time. Just because you don't want it now is not their concern. There will be administration fees involved for any further paperwork.
I don't know what GardX paint protection is.....it can only be a polish that anyone can apply. Any further paint protection after manufacture and preparation is a huge money maker for the seller and valueless after.
So, you can only try to get at their good nature really, as a 'valued customer' - if there is such a thing - regarding any refund.
Good luck with your quest!
John

 

[Whitespirit66]

Have to agree about the tyres. It's a second hand car, and the tyres are second hand as well - but legal. Difficult to haggle on after you signed for the car.

No doubt, a Citroen dealer would have changed barely legal tyres before putting the car on the forecourt. But that's the difference. No doubt you bought from Carshop because of their pile-'em-high, sell-'em-cheap operation which means better value. Presumably the price was a big factor in you not going to a franchised dealer, who would probably have a bigger choice of this model.

As for the insurance, hopefully you knew what you were signing for at the time. Good luck with that one.

Years ago, I went with my brother to look for a car for him at a similar volume sales discounter in South Wales (Abertillery) called Empress. We were greeted by a 'salesman' who looked like he was on a YTS scheme or something, who continued to feed a pasty into his face whilst showing us the cars. We left quite quickly. Lots of the cars are old hacks, that have been shunned by more legit outlets. Also, a handbook of pressure selling techniques - hardly a big surprise.

Look on the bright side. You could have bought something Italian.

 

[misterhelpful]

Years ago, I went with my brother to look for a car for him at a similar volume sales discounter in South Wales (Abertillery) called Empress.:

I went to the one in Newport with my sister, who urgently needed a new car, a number of years back too. Their adverts said, 'Drive away in an hour.' After waiting for all the financing to be authorised, and the inevitable add-ons they tried to sell us, six and a half hours later we finally drove away in a decent enough looking Escort. All the way home, I couldn't help wondering if an 'Hour' was a foreign car manufacturer I'd never heard of.

The car had so many little problems that you wouldn't notice...unless you were Edd China! These places know exactly what they are selling - Never again!!

 

[JBR]

Citron (Fr) = lemon!

 

[gregers]

if under the sales of goods act the car has underlying faults present then you may have a case?under not fit for purpose.the onus is on the dealership to prove the faults were not present rather then you having to.

if you trying it on because youve had your eyes opened and realize you might of got a better deal either by haggling or taking you custom elsewhere then i dont think you stand a chance,but good luck anyway.

few years back i bought a car on fiance that had a quite a few problems and the supplying dealer tried to wash there hands of it,BIG MISTAKE.

iirc you have 28 days to let them no of any faults and they have to by law carry out repairs,and this does not mean claiming off the warranty.

 

[Steve]

The car has no underlying faults, in fact I'm very happy with the car now. My main complaint is the way they handled a fault on the car when I drove it away. They were extremely reluctant to take it back for repair. Tried to tell me I should take it to Citroen. But I wasn't willing to do this. And they had no courtesy cars to give me (and my pregnant partner) at the time (7pm on a friday night), one of the staff (who told us he was due to finish at 5pm) drove us home. I had to wait for the next day to get a courtesy car, even then I chased them for it. They wouldn't give my old car back either. I was met with blank looks when I suggested I wouldn't be taking it to Citroen myself.

I could take a trading standards issue with the car not being as described as in it has no service history (original dealer stamp in original book). Two people said they would chase up a service book and ring me, but so far I've had nothing. The motor sales industry has a bad rep, this shower make it look a lot worse.

 

[HERTS P&D]

When did you buy this car?

 

[Steve]

Technically 27th Jan.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Go back tomorrow and park across their front doors and ask for your service book, I'm sure they will find you one straight away or promise to send you one within 48hrs. But let them know that if you haven't reecived it within that time then you will be parking there daily.

Forget the tyres.

Andy

 

[Steve]

Go back tomorrow and park across their front doors and ask for your service book

Don't think I'll be doing that . . . The place has security in a little hut at the gates, and I don't think they'd hesitate in having the car towed.