Hi!
Has anyone had any experience with rejecting a new vehicle from a dealer? I\'d like to know how you got on
I\'m having terrible trouble with a Renault dealer, dealers name deleted
4 Weeks ago, on 17th May I took delivery of a new Renault Clio 1.2 16V 5 door Expression with Air Conditioning (total paid £8200)
On collection I immediately noticed it had the incorrect colour trim strip on the dash (silver when the rest of the interior is blue!)
Also, the interior of the car had not been well cleaned, and the intermittent wipe did not seem to pause between wipes.
Dealer said they would order a replacement strip that week. 2 weeks later I had not heard from them so got in touch, to be told they had the strip but I would have to have it fitted on a weekday and they were not prepared to offer me a courtesy vehicle whilst I was without the car. I eventually got them to have it in on the Saturday before last, but the service said that to replace the strip would involve a complete removal of the dashboard and could not be done that day. Also, the wiper problem required a replacement part that would have to be ordered.
The car then developed a squeek and rattle in the front passenger seat. On the Sunday the car broke down - we had a strong sulphur smell followed by a lot of engine juddering and an engine warning light started flashing indicating that the de-toxifying system was not working. I called out the AA who could get not diagnostic codes from the car but suspected a coil had gone and he towed me back to the dealer. As the service dept. is closed on Sundays we were \'greeted\' by a member of the Sales team who told us to take the car back outside and leave it on the street. I said I was not happy to leave my 3 week old car in an Industrial Estate but his response was \"Well It Ain\'t Staying There\" - as you can see things were getting no better.
The AA provided a rental car for 24hours, but dealer continued to refuse to cover this for any longer or offer a courtesy vehicle - legally they are not obliged to.
I spoke with Trading Standards last Monday who advised me to reject the vehicle due to the break down after 3 weeks (435 miles) and the fact that it had the wrong trim on collection.
I did this by fax, and dealer refuse to accept my rejection. I have followed up with a fax and a letter from a solicitor.
Renault UK are fairly sympathetic, but say as my contract is with the dealer they cannot help.
The biggest problem is that the reason we bought the car is we needed a 5 door as we have a baby on the way. My wife is due in 6 weeks - so I don\'t like the fact that she does not have a reliable car to drive around in, and no car for when the baby arrives.
How long do such legal procedings normally take? Anyone any experience?
Thanks in advance,
AndyG
All reference to dealers name removed. No naming and shaming please. Please refer to \"The Small Print\" you agreed to upon sign up in the red menu to the left. DD.
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Go over there on a busy saturday when you know lots of people will be thinking about buying new cars and dump it there handing back the keys to the dealer saying loudly that you are rejecting the car as it is faulty and has broken down after less than 500 miles and their customer service is lousy. Put this in writing too. I don't think the dealer has much choice but to give you your money back as the car is clearly not fit for the purpose you bought it for ie to drive around in. If you can take your heavily pregnant wife with you all the better for the sympathy vote from onlookers ;-)
If you bought the car on finance or paid for the car partly with a credit card then the credit card company is jointly liable. The finance company/credit card company should be able to get a charge back on the supplying dealer and they may get the money to you in a shorter time span. It is quite difficult to get a new car rejected but one that breaks down like this after a few weeks is hopeless. I can't see how the dealer can refuse to accept the car back as it is under 28 days since you had it which is a reasonable time to reject in anyone's book. You are also covered by the new european consumer regulations which puts you in a stronger position. The fact that the dealer are ignoring trading standards is worrying. Have you told them that you have talked to Trading Standards and they said you should receive a refund in full?
Do you have another renault dealer that you could take the car to? I would certainly make a very official complaint to renault uk pointing out that after your experience you will be very unlikely to purchase another renault again. You could also mention Honda's attitude to problem dealers and how they should take a leaf out of their book.
teabelly
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Couple of thoughts:
1. You are in the AA, can their legal dept. help out?
2. Many insurance companies include a 'legal protection' helpline as part of the policy (either motor or home insurance). My house insurance includes this - you ring a number and get put through to a solicitor who tries to help with any legal query. I had their help during a dispute over a fence.
I am pretty sure that you have a case for rejection.
When you get your money back, go out and buy a nice Japanese car. With a baby on the way you want a reliable car.
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This is appalling behaviour on the part of the dealer!
It USED to be difficult to reject a faulty car but from March 31st 2003 it got a lot easier. You are NOT obliged to prove the car is faulty, the onus is now on the supplier to prove the car is not faulty. It is obviously faulty and you are entitled by law to get your money back. They have no choice in the matter. Send the dealer a solicitors letter by recorded delivery and hopefully you\'ll get your money back pronto. Keep trading standards info\'d every step of the way.
Regards,
Alf
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Andy,
Go to Trading Standards and get all the info you can, they were very helpfull when my freind had a serious problem the other week. Also keep on at Renault U.K. as it is their reputation at stake and I'm sure they do not need publicity like this.
I am fed up with the attitude of dealers towards problems like this and I hope Renault take the same attitude as Honda did with my freind.
Best of Luck
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I also found an interesting link on carsurvey with the same name of dealer concerning a renault laguna. Their behaviour seemed to be similar and another person with a laguna was talking to a solicitor about same.
teabelly
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Nightmare story Andy - I agree with all the advice already given but if time's of the essence and the legal route's gonna be too slow why not park the car outside the dealership with a sign on it very briefly explaining the problem! for all too see.
Anyway good luck and I hope you get better service from the Maternity Unit BTW !!
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DO NOT DELAY.
You do not have long to reject a car - 30 days or a few hundred miles.
Do everything the above posters have said, and do it TODAY.
And if you don't get your money back immediately, take the dealer to the cleaners, for the cost of the car, distress, the cost of a hire car to get around because you don't have transport, legal costs, etc etc. Your solicitor can help you.
Mike
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Thanks all for the replies so far - all good supportive stuff. Current situation is that we have left the car with the dealers since it was towed there - they now have all sets of keys for the car.
Trading Standards have indeed been a great help and I am keeping them posted. On their advice I have informed the dealer in writing that any car hire costs I incur from the date of the letter we shall be adding to our expenses claimed in court.
The unreasonable dealer continues with the line that they sell the vehicle with a warranty for such problems - this is in clear contravention of the Sale of Goods Act etc.
I did pay a £500 deposit on my credit card, and so also have a course of action against the card company which may speed the process up.
I shall be pushing for a court hearing as soon as possible, and shall keep you all posted
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