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Hi, I've looked high and low regarding a situation similar to mine but couldn't find anything in the few weeks I've been googling! in 2013 we purchased a vehicle from a dealer over the internet. It was a used vehicle however listed as a one owner 30,000 mint condition etc etc. As the vehicle was over 250 miles away we opted (as per suggestion of the dealer) to have to shipped to us for a small fee, which we agreed. They said if we take this option they'll throw in a free M.O.T for good measure.
Come delivery time, the moment we laid eyes on the vehicle we knew something was up. It simply didn't match the images in the ad (had random accessories attached to it, tinted windows etc) upon closer inspection the car was in RUINS. Not one thing was working on it, including the AWD system, light body damage, two flat tyres, alarm kept going off, horrid damp/mould in the foot well etc. It was a nightmare.
Before I could even turn my back the transport vehicle had already left, and at this point, it was past midnight and we didn't know what to do. Being naive we drove it home around 10 miles away and immediately parked it up realizing it was near a deathtrap! Even more mechanical problems/shuddering etc. It was horrible.
Phoned the dealer the next day complained about the problems and they where very apologetic and offered, in writing, to have it collected at their own expense and have it inspected and repaired, at their own expense. Once again, out of naivety we agreed. It took almost two months for them to finally send us an inspection report, and an independent one too, that claimed?? You guessed it! Nothing is wrong with the vehicle. And to boot, demanded near £1,000 for shipping to and from and an inspection report and ££ for every day the vehicle is on their premises. It was beyond absurd.
We declined this silliness and demanded it be reinspected or just refund us. Had we known this was an intentional delaying tactic we would have acted much sooner. It was done on purpose to eliminate the cooling off/rejection period (I'm guessing.) Low and behold a second inspection found 10% of the problems, including a leaking windscreen among other things. And here is where it gets really strange, the dealer then demanded we PAY for it all! And if we don't they'll scrap the car! WHAT?! This was obviously a big scam and it took over 6 months to get to this stage.
As all this is happening a family emergency took place that resulted in me having to drop everything in the U.K and go abroad for almost three years. In between this time I was in touch with the dealer and it was the same old drizzle back and forth. In the end they got solicitors involved who where literately blind and couldn't read English. We simply sent them copies of the guarantees, in writing, the dealer made and they ignored them completely, including the most basic, Sales Act. The solicitors said if we don't make payment of the now £1,000's owed, the vehicle will be scrapped to recover costs.
At this point I just couldn't do anything and I was powerless as we were abroad and swamped in personal problems (and they knew it) I simply had to focus on our family affairs that had completely stomped us out.
Now that I have some time to myself I decided to chase this up a few weeks ago. So I sent a LBA and set a 14 day limit (I have upto 6 years to make a claim) I have not received a response, so I wanted to start a Small Claims however upon looking at the trading address it seems the LTD company they are operating under is registered just months after we had purchased the vehicle and I can't seem to find any traces of any old companies at that address (the same one they sold from back then.) The new LTD company is still under the same owner. PS: I checked the history of the vehicle and the dodgy dealer obviously had the vehicle re-registered against my will (he knew I was abroad and couldn't respond to the DVLA which I am sure is illegal) as the mileage now sits at 100,000.
What is the best course of action from this point? All advice appreciated. We'd be glad to donate 10% of any winnings to the forum if we can get our money back. Thanks!
Come delivery time, the moment we laid eyes on the vehicle we knew something was up. It simply didn't match the images in the ad (had random accessories attached to it, tinted windows etc) upon closer inspection the car was in RUINS. Not one thing was working on it, including the AWD system, light body damage, two flat tyres, alarm kept going off, horrid damp/mould in the foot well etc. It was a nightmare.
Before I could even turn my back the transport vehicle had already left, and at this point, it was past midnight and we didn't know what to do. Being naive we drove it home around 10 miles away and immediately parked it up realizing it was near a deathtrap! Even more mechanical problems/shuddering etc. It was horrible.
Phoned the dealer the next day complained about the problems and they where very apologetic and offered, in writing, to have it collected at their own expense and have it inspected and repaired, at their own expense. Once again, out of naivety we agreed. It took almost two months for them to finally send us an inspection report, and an independent one too, that claimed?? You guessed it! Nothing is wrong with the vehicle. And to boot, demanded near £1,000 for shipping to and from and an inspection report and ££ for every day the vehicle is on their premises. It was beyond absurd.
We declined this silliness and demanded it be reinspected or just refund us. Had we known this was an intentional delaying tactic we would have acted much sooner. It was done on purpose to eliminate the cooling off/rejection period (I'm guessing.) Low and behold a second inspection found 10% of the problems, including a leaking windscreen among other things. And here is where it gets really strange, the dealer then demanded we PAY for it all! And if we don't they'll scrap the car! WHAT?! This was obviously a big scam and it took over 6 months to get to this stage.
As all this is happening a family emergency took place that resulted in me having to drop everything in the U.K and go abroad for almost three years. In between this time I was in touch with the dealer and it was the same old drizzle back and forth. In the end they got solicitors involved who where literately blind and couldn't read English. We simply sent them copies of the guarantees, in writing, the dealer made and they ignored them completely, including the most basic, Sales Act. The solicitors said if we don't make payment of the now £1,000's owed, the vehicle will be scrapped to recover costs.
At this point I just couldn't do anything and I was powerless as we were abroad and swamped in personal problems (and they knew it) I simply had to focus on our family affairs that had completely stomped us out.
Now that I have some time to myself I decided to chase this up a few weeks ago. So I sent a LBA and set a 14 day limit (I have upto 6 years to make a claim) I have not received a response, so I wanted to start a Small Claims however upon looking at the trading address it seems the LTD company they are operating under is registered just months after we had purchased the vehicle and I can't seem to find any traces of any old companies at that address (the same one they sold from back then.) The new LTD company is still under the same owner. PS: I checked the history of the vehicle and the dodgy dealer obviously had the vehicle re-registered against my will (he knew I was abroad and couldn't respond to the DVLA which I am sure is illegal) as the mileage now sits at 100,000.
What is the best course of action from this point? All advice appreciated. We'd be glad to donate 10% of any winnings to the forum if we can get our money back. Thanks!
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