Thanks Rob. We haven't actually had the second service done yet - it's booked in week after next.

It didn't occur to me that the dealer could set the date "correctly" for the next service. I assumed it was black box - hit "service done" and the car works it out.

If they could have done it changes things, particularly since they promised to send us a reminder as well. Trouble is I really don't want to go back there. They persuaded me to pay for the car in April (for their targets), promising it would be delivered in the first week of May. We got it in June, and I learned afterwards they could have sourced an identical one from another dealer despite having told me they couldn't, at the time. After sales, they're borderline rude.

Oh well. I'll hope that Mitsubishi UK reconsider after my reply. It's unlikely, but to some extent they are represented by their dealers, so you never know.

So, the car reminds you of the need for a service on the anniversary of the last service, not the anniversary of the registration (as the plan requires).

Services always have a due by date as well as due by mileage and the date is always from registration initially and then the last service.

Example, If your car has a max interval of 12 000 miles or 12 months and you do 12000 miles in the first 6 months it would be serviced at 6 months old. The next service is due when the car has covered another 12000 miles or in 12 months time.

If it was due by registration date only the car would be due another service in 6 months time regardless of mileage, total nonsense if you only did, as an example 3000 miles in those 6 months. Or alternatively, if you considered that the 2nd service was due when the car was 2 years old it could be 18 months after the first service if you did below 12000 in those 18 months.

What is so difficult to understand about service schedules. Its the same on every forum I visit. Do people not read the information or if they do read it are they too stupid to understand simple T & C's. Its not rocket science.

Erm ... you complain about people not reading or being too stupid, and then completely fail to have read the description of what happened.

The OP failed to get the first service carried out in the prescribed timescale (13 months).

When the service was carried out (let's assume in month 14), the garage then put the automatic reminder on the onboard computer to 12 months from that time - so it only came up when the car was 26 months old, meaning that the second service was now out of time. If, on the other hand, they'd set the reminder to come on at 24 months from new (10 months from the date at the time), then the second service would have happened within timescale.

Of course, I'm assuming you just 'didn't read' the original post, rather than the alternative which you yourself suggested ...

On the legal side, as the car was bought by your company, the degree of protection the law provides will be a lot less than that of a private purchaser.

Yes I have to say that was also at the back of my mind. Although on paper the benefits of ultra low emission cars as company cars are slightly favourable, it feels like just deferring expense when you face the capital gain on sale (plus the steadily increasing BIK and the hassle of the class 1A admin). Probably wouldn't bother with it again (although if the reported 0% BIK in 2020 is true it might be worth reconsidering then).

Sadly I think it's time to write it off and move on with a better dealer (and put a reminder in my phone now for the third one). Goes without saying we should have set our own reminders from day one rather than trusting the dealer to do what they said they would.

All in all, the service plan forces a time-based schedule which, if you pay as you go, you can apply a bit of discretion to.

Lessons have been learnt - but by the wrong people. Why does it have to be the customer who learns the lessons?

Time and again on here we read about manufacturers and/or dealers sticking to their rules. Quite possibly they are within their rights - but it doesn't occur to them to think long-term. If I were the OP, I'd never have another Mitsubishi, and I wouldn't be shy of telling friends why not.

Mitsubishi and their dealers are not in a good position to take that attitude: they have but one product (the Outlander PHEV) that sells well, and that's not exactly a new model.

All seems a very lax attitude for a business user

Unless you have ever owned and ran your own "small" business (and the OP would suggest his is one of these as the car is his wife's company car), then getting the car(s) serviced within a defined window is the last of your problems.

Not everyone on here is kicked-back on a final salary pension.

The "small print" on the Mitsubishi service plan above is quite frankly a joke. It's almost set-out so you end-up paying twice.

Edited by nick62 on 23/07/2018 at 12:30

Think they were highlighting that as a business owner they should pay particular attention to any contracts that they are signing and more aware of any of the fine print as business customers don't have the same protection that consumers do.

Yes all fair comment. Truth is the most annoying about the whole thing is how easy it would have been to avoid it by just setting reminders myself. But the main lesson I've learned is not to buy service plans in future at all, since (as someone commented above) it's really more about mileage than time passing, and to have to stick to the anniversary of registration is silly for a low mileage car.

The fact that I was persaded to register the car what turned out to be five weeks before it was actually available for delivery makes it worse. The dealer in question really is shocking, and the alternative I used for the service in the end are chalk and cheese - very happy with them indeed. Bit further away but absolutely worth it.

I should add, Mitusbishi did pay 50% of the parts in the end. Sounded good until I got the bill - it turned out to be about £30 off a £350 service, but better than nothing.