Complaint letter templates, where to find?

[Stivino]

A friend of my daughter stupidly paid a £500 deposit online to a garage, for a car that they had advertised.
When he phoned the garage to ask if it was ready to be picked up, the garage told him it had been sold to someone else.
Now he's having difficulty getting his £500 back. The garage give all the usual excuses. They say they've returned it ti his account, when they haven't. They say the manager isn't in, not availabel etc.
Trading standards have told him to write to the garage before they will get involved.
Does anybody have or, know where I can find a suitable template?
If anybody is curious, it's a place in Northumberland.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You need to write a letter asking for the money owed, keep a copy of it and a record of any contact/conversations you have had with the company.
This link may be of help
http://www.letterwritingguide.com/complaint.htm
Also remember to have the letter sent by recorded delivery.
It could be a long drawn out carry on and may end up in the smalls claims court, if this company is not being cooperative.
But you need to be showing you have made every attempt to claim the money back in cooperative way, the smalls claims court like to see that, it will help in any claim you make, if it comes to that!

 

[joinerjohn]

I bought a car from a garage just down the road from me about 10 yrs ago. A few days later there's a knock at the door. I opened it to two chaps from a repossession company. Turns out the car had outstanding finance on it. Anyway, I told them where I'd bought it from and showed them the receipt. They took the car away, but returned about an hour later and gave me the car back. They had gone to the garage and started noting down reg numbers of cars for sale. The owner had asked what they were doing and when they'd told him, he became very aggressive towards them. They had to call the police in the end. They had phoned their boss and he told them to return the car to me and let me sort it out with the finance company.
Anyhoo. I came home from work the next day only to find the garage owner had returned the money I'd paid for the car to my wife saying he was sorry for any trouble caused.
I received a letter from the finance company a few weeks later telling me, I could keep the car for a token payment of £100. (car had cost me £1000) So I ended up with the car for £100. A bargain.

The garage was eventually raided by the police a few months later as there were some cars for sale that had been ringed.

 

[TheNed77]

Mention in the letter you are writing after advice from Trading Standards. Worked a treat when Mrs Ned had a dispute with a major furniture supplier.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I've phoned Consumer Direct before, very helpful, have literally dictated legaleagle letters for me before, they'll also log your details down and set you up a case file, that way they can keep track of your case when you ring them back for the next stage if needs be, so you don't have to explain everything again. http://www.oft.gov.uk/consumer-advice/oft-and-cd/

 

[kirkgas]

never mind any letter, get right down there on easter monday when the place is mobbed, and hand out leaflets at the door telling people what happened, make a fuss and a noise, they will either give you your cash back to shut you up or call the cops, either way it will cause them hassle, you wont get arrested as long as you move on when the cops tell you to, then go back every day till you get the cash, thats the way to sort it out

 

[Mickymoody]

Moneysavingexpert has covering letters also, but it's a pretty basic letter you should write; just state the facts, give them a reasonable amount of time to respond, and threaten with Trading standards, if a resolution is not found, after that time has expired.

They may have some small print to claim the deposit is non refundable, so you may have to make a claim in the small claims court, CAB will advise how to go about that, they probably wouldn't show up, if they are disreputable, and you ringing up Trading standards, for them to give them a call might get the ball rolling in your favour. PITA to go through, but justice for you? Good Luck.

 

[Bodgeitandleggit]

Kirkgas has got the right idea...going through the legal way can be lenghty and frustrating...affect his sales..like kirkgas states hand out leaflets and walk up and down with a placard