Hmm.
Agreed to buy a car at the weekend from a franchise dealer, signed all the forms, paid the deposit and the dealer phones me up this morning and says "oops, sorry, we've made a mistake and had actually already sold it to someone else who's just come in to pick it up". I was going to pick it up this weekend after they's fixed a few things I pointed out to them.
They've offered me an identical car (bar the colour and 7000 instead of 4500 miles) + 2 years of free servicing (Honda) for the trouble caused. Now, it could be a genuine mistake and I've no reason to believe otherwise (not 100% convinced) but I am rather annoyed this could happen.
Being a long time since I actually bought a car, is this rare and am I getting decent compensation assuming I take the offer? I was told at the time I 'bought' the car a service costs £130 but I took that with a pince of salt and would think it's potentially worth a fair bit more.
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Yes, these things happen. I once was about to buy a car and 2 sales people ended up in a war of words about whether or not the car was sold. In the end I said I didn't want it as I didn't want someone else to be disappointed.
As long as you like the colour of the car and it is in at least as good condition take it. I would though expect a bit of a price reduction to account for an extra £2500 miles as well as the servicing. This wouldn't cost them £130 per service to provide.
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Hmmm indeed!
That does sound a bit fishy. But as you say, could be an honest mistake.
If you are happy with the colour of the offered replacement, and the rest of the car is sound,then 2 years free servicing for what is really a minor inconvenience seems a good offer.
If you are that way inclined, you could march into the dealer and complain loudly at the front desk and see if they can sweeten the deal further? ;-)
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It wouldn't be the first time a 'sold' car has been left on the lot to attract a better offer - especially if the dealer feels he hasn't done very well out of the deal.
A car supermarket was filmed doing just this - selling cars twice as the deal with the second purchaser was better for the dealer.
They then call the first purchaser and inform them that the car has failed the garage's rigorous 130 point inspection and has been withdrawn from sale - first purchaser thanks the garage for protecting him from a dodgy motor and then goes back and buys something else.
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I agree that it doesn't sound a bad offer (although I do prefer the orignal colour!) for what, on the face of it, appears to be a genuine mistake. Just wondered if the servicing cost savings to me would really stack up to a decent amount. Anyway, I'm going back tonight to look at the other one which he assures me is in even better condition.
We shall see :)
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They have broken the contract.I think it is a fairly common scam.
Threaten to report them to Trading Standards for mis selling and see what the reaction is , if nothing else they have wasted your time and why should you consider their offer of something you didn't really want in the first place.
If you have filled out all the forms and paid a deposit I really do not believe that they did not know that the car had already been sold.
However , if you do like the look of the alternative , offer them £1000 ( or more ) less than they are are selling it for and negotiate hard from there to a figure that you are happy with or just walk away.. after getting your deposit back of course
There are plenty more cars around so don't feel obliged to buy.
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I would insist on the deposit being returned and look elsewhere - the original contract is null and void.
Would you really want to deal again with an outlet that, on the surface at least, doesn't seem to know what its right hand is doing from its left?
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I presume this is a Jazz?
I'm not sure how much the 12mth/12500 mile service is, as ours was done free due to (guess what) the dealer messing up the delivery. I *think* it costs around £150. I've just booked it in for its 2yr/25000 mile service and that costs £265 inc £40 for the pollen filter 'if I want it changing' (even though it's part of the standard service schedule, so there ought not to be any question about changing it).
It probably will cost the sales dept this much, as service will recharge the cost back to them.
As we've discussed on here several times, discounts are hard to come by on the Jazz, but make sure you're happy with the colour - it'll really grate with you after a while if it's not the one you reall wanted.
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If they have offered you this compensation straight off i would push them harder, firstly to get some more off the car as it's got higher mileage and secondly to sweeten the deal even further.
You will soon see how much they value your custom!
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It sounds like an honest mistake to me, and one that is quite easily possible, of course there could be dozens of sinister explanations but I doubt if that's true.
I would just try and get them to sweeten the replacement deal a little bit more, some have suggested threatening to report them to trading standards, I would have to ask what this would actually acheive? Probably nothing more than a complete breakdown of relations.
Blue
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Thanks for the advice everyone.
It's all ended up ok (hopefully!) in the end. The replacement car was actually very nice and I prefer it, the Sales Manager and Salesman were extremely apologetic and I got a better deal for my old car along with the free servicing - which I've requested all in writing before signing anything else. It's saved me a fair whack overall. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt on this one at the moment.
It was actually a Civic not a Jazz - I had tested the Jazz with the intention of buying new but much preferred the Civic in the end which was also cheaper, though obviously not new.
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Two years free servicing amounts to 2 oil filters an 10 litre of oil to them ,£500 hundred discount or walk away there are thousands of other cars waiting to be sold.
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Two years free servicing amounts to 2 oil filters an 10 litre of oil to them ,£500 hundred discount or walk away there are thousands of other cars waiting to be sold.
That's a bit dumb, to be honest.
In most companies, and I'm sure garages are the same, departments charge other for work as if they were ordinary customers. So the sales department will have to pay for the services.
Even if they don't do this, if the OP walks away and buys another Honda elsewhere, then 2 yrs servicing is going to cost the best part of £500 which they're currently being offered for free.
Obviously you should get what you can out of every deal, but even if it did cost the dealer next to nothing, it's still a *real* saving to the customer.
Anyway, the (new) deals been done now.
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£22,670was £22,924Details
£22,570was £23,070Details
£27,749was £28,499Details
£24,995was £25,250Details
