Vauxhall Astra - Advice on mis-sold vehicle

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Tue 28 Jul 2015 16:25
Vauxhall Astra - Advice on mis-sold vehicle - Joshymitsu

Hi everyone,

I have an issue that I could really use some advice on as it is a new experience for me.

I purchased a Vauxhall Astra from an independent car dealer for cash several weeks ago. The Autotrader ad states that it has bluetooth and voice control, this is actually the first line of text written in capital letters. When inspecting the vehicle I noted that the buttons for these features were on the dashboard, I didn't however try them out or ask about them. After driving home I found that these features wouldn't work, I looked online and learnt that the buttons are standard but the hardware isn't.

I contacted the dealer about the issue and I was asked to take the vehicle in for inspection. Upon taking it in they confirmed the features were missing and was told I would get a call back after the manager had come up with a solution. I didn't recieve a call back and spent a week trying to contact them only to be fobbed off each time.

Following this I wrote a letter detailing the entire experience and explaining that they were in breach of the consumer goods act. I asked for a partial refund of £400 to cover the cost of the missing features and a little compensation for the way I was treated.

I recieved a prompt reply which again fobbed me off. It stated that I bought the car as a trade vehicle and that the description was a generic Vauxhall Astra description and not for the actual vehicle I was purchasing, apparently there is a disclaimer that I should of read telling me that the car I was reading about was not actually the car I was purchasing! The letter ended by offering me a full refund minus a £200 deposit.

Obviously I won't take a refund minus a deposit as I am losing out due to the dealerships error however I don't really want a full refund if possible, I am happy with the vehicle and don't want to go through the stress of finding another one, a car is essenital to my job. I would like to try and negotiate a partial refund.

Also note, I have researched the dealership online(should of done this before) and found several bad reviews about mis-sold or faulty vehicles and lack of responsibility from the dealership.

Can anyone advise me on how to proceed?

Do a have a right to ask for a partial refund over a full refund?

What should I address in my next letter?

Please help!

Thank you,

Josh

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Tue 28 Jul 2015 22:45
Vauxhall Astra - Advice on mis-sold vehicle - Andrew-T

Wouldn't like to advise on fighting for a refund as it's not a huge amount.

But I would ask a few questions:

Do you need the missing features for your work? Do you like the car otherwise? Allowing for the missing features, did you pay a reasonable price? Are you simply trying to get 'justice'?

I think you are a victim of a relatively small but common oversight by a trader. They don't know every detail of the cars they sell, and I'm certain they don't try everything out before a buyer does. If it's something they can't fix easily and cheaply, they won't if they can avoid it. Unless you feel you have been genuinely diddled, take it on the chin and put it down to experience. It's worth a few tries to get somewhere, but life can be too short. Just don't go there again.

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Wed 29 Jul 2015 14:18
Vauxhall Astra - Advice on mis-sold vehicle - slkfanboy

Under the sales of goods act the description must be correct. They are trying to pull an old con by saying it's a trade sale.

If the Invoice states trade sale and the price is notably lower the what you would reasonably expect then there is some scope for the car being less than perfect.

If the legal status is that you not a trade buyer and have a professional knowledge of cars and pay around the going price for a car in the condition then it's reasonable to expect some componsation.

The issue is how much. I suspect the feature could be added for less than a £100. I don't think you could totally reject the car as it's a feature that can be easly added.

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