Voluntary Termination - Please Post the Outcome of your case.

[ostell]

Hi there,

unsure if anyone can help me. i previously called BPF about VT and i was told that my type of contract does not allow this!? i was not aware there had to be a specific type of HP to be able to request VT. I have recently lost my job and trying to look for new work and just need all the help i can get.

thanks in advance.

What does your agreement call it?

[cturn93]

VT with Santander Consumer Finance (SCF)

Background
42 month PCP, paid 28 months (28 instalments) and was just under 1 instalment less than the half way VT point (£319.80 early termination liability). Mileage was over the pro-rata allowance at this point by around 4,500 miles (SCF charge 15p per mile) so was expecting a £675 excess mileage charge.

Timeline

29/09/2020 - Submitted VT letter via mail and email (using template from this website) to SCF. Explained in the letter that I was facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 situation and being furloughed (which I still am), under CONC 7.3, they are required to treat customers fairly and give due consideration to their current financial situation.

30/09/2020 - Received a confirmation of request to VT from SCF.

02/10/2020 - Received a letter for outstanding Voluntary Termination Liability (£319.80). Called SCF and paid this liability plus the £70 collection charge for the vehicle as nearest auction site to drop off was quite far.

02/10/2020 - SCF instructed Crystal Collections to recover the vehicle and sent a text message to confirm this.

05/10/2020 - Received a call from Crystal Collections to book in vehicle appraisal. Booked in for 09/10/2020.

09/10/2020 - Crystal Collections representative arrived and did an appraisal on vehicle, no damage to note and I refused signature anyway (although they didn't ask for one on the tablet and would just put an X in place as this was their procedure during the COVID-19 pandemic).

17/10/2020 - Letter received from SCF (dated 13/10/2020) stating that the VT process is now complete and I have no further liability outstanding. So no excess mileage charges!

All in all, very easy process with SCF and only took 18 days in total from start to finish.

[remlap1440]

Here is my success story against Volkswagen financial services (VWFS)

Putting it in bullet points helps to keep the timeline straight and simple, but this was anything but. Once or twice I thought it would be easier just to give in, but each time I pushed on. I would advise everyone else to do the same. Take stock, get advice, push on!!


November 2015
Bought a new Audi A3

September 2018
Gave notice to VWFS that contact was to be VT'd
Car was picked up late September and "initial" report from BCA who collected car showed no damage

October 2018
Received a letter from VWFS stating that balance was £0
Received a second latter later in the month stating we had excess millage and refurbishment costs of £803.18

November 2018
I wrote to VWFS telling them that the "invoice" was denied as we had paid 50% of credit, as per agreement

December 2018
Received a further "invoice" from VWFS, stating I was in arrears and implied they would mark credit file
Wrote back to tell them again that the "invoice" would not get paid and to inform them that they could not mark my file as I had paid VT'd car and paid 50%
Received a "final response" from VWFS this time with a second inspection report, stating that I would need to pay the balance of £803.18

January 2019
Came onto legalbeagles and found the star that is r0b
I referred the case to the FOS with the following points
- Why two very different reports, with different "damage", millage, dates, tyre treads
- Why were VWFS threating to mark my credit file
- Why after VT of the agreement and paying 50% was VWFS still chasing me for money
Wrote to VWFS to inform them I was proceeding to the FOS

February 2019
VWFS passed the debt to a debt collector breaking Financial Ombudsman rules in still perusing debt when case is with FOS
I then added this to the complaint against VWFS

For the next year
I would received a letter every 3 months from FOS stating they were still investigating

March 2020
Via the FOS, VWFS offered to waive the excess millage charges
I rebuffed this as it didn't take into account the refurbishment charges or debt collect issue

July 2020
FOS investigator came to the conclusion that VWFS should waive the excess millage, but upheld part of the damage and said the VWFS should be able to break Financial Ombudsman rule and chase me for debt
I was give 7 days to respond, so I sent a holding letter stating I would be back in touch within 28 days
I then sent a response that I would accept the outcome the excess millage, but that I wanted an Ombudsman to rule on the other points

August 2020
Received a decision from the Ombudsman. At the 11th hour VWFS decide to waive the millage and the damage/refurbishment costs. The Ombudsman also ordered them to pay £100 compensation for distress and inconvenience, clear any marks on credit file, and to write

October 2020
Received £100 from VWFS and case is closed

[Jester6881]

So just wanted to share some good news rather than the horror stories that some people appear to have had with Voluntary Termination.

Finance is with Barclays Partner Finance.

September 2020 and I'd paid 50% of the total value ( including interest ) so I thought I'd look into the option of Voluntary Termination.

I've a young family so money is tight and we decided to drop down to 1 car.

I used the templates on here to send a recorded letter and backed it up my email to the recovery team which Barlcays supplied to me.

I received documentation through the post. I filled in the document giving the information of the car but didnt sign.

2 options were given either collection of vehicle or I could take it to the nearest Manheim auctions. Decided to take it to the auctions as it's only 40 mins away.

Before I did, gave it the best clean inside and out.

Dropped the car off at the auction on 13th October without any issue.

Before leaving the car park took loads of pics including one of the V5 as I needed that to tell the DVLA that it's not my car anymore and assigned over to Barclay Partner Finance.

Took a few days to appear on the website but was well chuffed to see it had been graded as a grade 1.

Couple of weeks later it wasnt on there so I presume it sold and somebody got a bargain.

I'd send an email every week to Barclays confirming the steps I'd taken and asked for written confirmation that I no longer owe anything ( again using the templates available on this site )

Received written confirmation on Friday 13th November ( yes, I know ) that I didnt owe anything further and my credit report will now reflect the debt is paid and settled.

Checked my credit report today and shows exactly that.

I wanted to share some positivity here as I was preparing for a battle before I started this process.

Key points I've learnt - keep records of everything including pictures, dates and times.

Use the templates and advice given.

Dont panic, just have a bit of patience.

Thanks for reading, best of luck and stay safe

[jor76]

Hi all, some good news!*

Having spent a good 18 months arguing to and fro with BMW FS I can confirm the mileage charges have finally been dropped and the adverse entries to my credit file have been removed.

This essentially came down to me accusing them of coercing and falsifying my finance documents. As R0b has mentioned multiple times, the people that read and respond to these letter are most likely low-level customer support workers with no real awareness of 1. The law, and 2. How to counter concise arguments, thus going on the offensive and dropping themselves in it.

I won't go into the details but I am more than happy to supply you with my correspondence should you wish to see it.

Keep plugging guys - you will get there eventually!

I would really like a copy of your correspondence too as i am still fighting BMW 4 years later!
Thanks
Jon

[JoBrindle21]

New reference case on the FOS website regarding an example and out come for a case were a customer complained about excess mileage.

[R0b]

Do you have a link to it?

[JoBrindle21]

Do you have a link to it?

A consumer says that she wasn’t aware that the finance agreement had a mileage cap (financial-ombudsman.org.uk)

Try this

Thanks

[Utumno]

We're currently going through our second VT process, informed by the excellent resources here and the "VT Pack". I'll update the key points in this post as requested.

We were expecting this to be easy enough, given the car is in excellent condition (way better than "reasonable") and within it's mileage limit. We'd also removed the cherished plate, received the new V5C, changed the plates and collected all the relevant paperwork including service books and invoices.

Timeline follows, to today's date:

• 6 Jan 2021 - VWFS notified of VT using the VT Pack template letter by letter and email. Automated email acknowledgement was received by return.
• 8 Jan 2021 - VWFS emailed their VT form, which we ignored and responded by attaching our original PDF cancellation letter.
• 11 Jan 2021 - VWFS emailed that the agreement has been cancelled, and gave a (pretty good) set of instructions for contacting BCA to arrange a collection.
• 11 Jan 2021 - BCA had a collection slot available on 14 Jan 2021, so we took that slot
• 11 Jan 2021 - Lightweight valet and minor scratch removal undertaken by local detailer (following COVID regulations!). Cost £50 and flagged two small imperfections that VWFS might want to bill us for (paintwork damage on the front bumper where it looks like someone has very lightly bumped it while parked, and a very small N/S scratch on a door that was too deep to detail out). I did a full photo/video walk around and kept all that for our records in case VWFS get shirty about charges.
• 13 Jan 2021 - A collection pack arrived in the post from VWFS, which I thought was excellent. It gave clear details on what to do with the V5, what to prepare for collection, and confirmed that the agreement has been cancelled. It also gave very clear instructions on next-steps, what the inspection process is, and how we would be notified of any charges as well as several different options to pay any charges. I wish BMWFS had done something similar for our first VT.
• 14 Jan 2021 - Car collected from our house to schedule by a very professional and friendly chap from BCA, who did a 45 minute inspection and graded the car "A" with no notification of any damage found whatsoever. He said he found the bumper scuff and the scratch but didn't mark it on his report as he felt it was clearly well within "reasonable" condition for the age/mileage.
• 14 Jan 2021 - Direct Debit to VWFS has been cancelled, as has the car insurance. Far as we're concerned now, the VT is complete apart from any arguments around remedying scratches and blemishes. All done in just over a calendar week, and it has been very easy.
• 9 Feb 2021 - we contacted VWFS as nothing further has been heard. They have confirmed there are no charges to pay whatsoever and the balance of the agreement is at zero. They also said that it's not their policy to send letters confirming account closure, but they have sent an email, received today, confirming the above.

In short, the process was painless and fast. The end position could be clearer, but again we've had a straightforward VT experience following LegalBeagles' VT pack.

U.

[Stella82]

Hi. I have recently requested a voluntary termination for a car that I had on Hp finance through Motonovo finance. Car has been collected by Crystal collections. I have an outstanding amount of £935 to pay. I am unable to pay in full. Motonovo will not accept monthly instalment so I can get up to 50% mark owed. I have no job due to current COVID conditions. If I fail to pay within 30 days it will result in Agreement being noted as terminated with default liability. Not sure what that means. Bit confused. Can anyone help. Thank you.

[JoBrindle21]

Have you returned your vehicle yet? if not and you haven't taken advantage of the covid payment holiday I suggest maybe asking for a 3 month holiday though you VT amount will increase slight due to the interest they charge on the amount outstanding you might be able to save the £935.00 plus interest as hopefully you will have a new job and maybe VT your car in three months time. Just a suggestion. Hope it helps x

[Mumoftwo2018]

Here is my outcome.

11/01/2021 - notified Oodle finance of my intention to VT.

13/01/2021 - received confirmation of VT from both Oodle finance and Shoosmiths.

14/01/2021 - received an online appraisal to complete of the car but refused to.

28/01/2021 - car collected and VT finalised, 2 weeks from start to finish.

I do have a charge of £170 for a scratch that I hadn't noticed before, only light but someone had scratches it all the way down the passenger side.

[Jamesaudi]

Hi all - my story following advice from here with VW finance for my Audi A5 2014

Aware I was going to VT, I had touches done on the car including a refurb of the alloys and some larger scratches removed (not ones you get from a stray branch that litter the lower side of your car). In order to get the car VT’s ASAP and not wanting to lose out on another significant monthly payment, I emailed late on a Friday ahead of the following Monday payment being taken out. Quite risky I suppose but the work required me to keep the vehicle until the last safe moment Friday morning. Emailing earlier would see the car not road legal and stuck 30 mins away at a garage.

I emailed the letter template (cheers Rob!); cut down significantly as a lot was not relevant to my situation. Along with the email I filled in their proforma box as it does not seem to trap you into anything. I did leave the reason for VT blank however.
I took their auto reply as confirmation. At this stage no actual personalised confirmation had come from VW stating it had been cancelled.

So as not to risk / muddy the waters of my credit score, I allowed the DD to be paid knowing full well they wouldn’t Have cancelled it over the weekend. Upon acknowledgement of my VT a few days later, I rang VW finance, who have agreed to refund the payment once it is processed (5-7 working days). ‘So long as you VT before the day of payment being taken, you are ok’ - happy days.
Of note - VW finance had a different starting mileage (19k) that the actual one (37k) which would see a huge cost potentially fall my way as the expected mileage in their eyes was 60k and not 85k. Calling the dealership that sold me the car and emailing the initial documents meant they could update WV finance. Audi have confirmed the updates have been sent through - but nothing yet from VW finance who seem to take a week or so to process anything. Fair enough given the conditions, but I expect to have more back and forth on this as I try and connect the VW telephone operator to Audi!

BSA got in touch within days and booked in the car for inspection and collection. I did not keep it insured and had stated the fact in my initial email that the insurance would be running out a couple of days later. It was taxed and still within MOT.

I havejust had the car inspected by BSA (40 mins) - in which the very nice inspector said anything he found was well within expectations for a 7 year old car. He has stated and showed £0.00 charges on his tablet.

now I await the Month’s refund and hope that nothing comes from any potential future inspections from BSA! Having time stamped Images and videos of my mileage and the car - I feel that they will struggle to find anything to bill me for going forward. Other people’s reviews concern me on this however...

[Gem H]

Hi everyone

just wanted to post today to let everyone who is interested know that we pursued our case to have the excess mileage charges of roughly £3500 waived (roughly 28000 excess miles) with VW audi and the financial ombudsman last year. Due to covid this has taken quite a bit of time to resolve. However, we have finally had confirmation that VW have agreed to settle. This means the fees will either be waived or any charges paid refunded with an additional 8% interest per year from the date of payment until the refund.

I used the template letters in the VT guidance and i just want to let everyone know it was a success! If your in the same boat keep at it.

Thanks for your help legal beagles!

Gemma

[R0b]

Hi everyone

just wanted to post today to let everyone who is interested know that we pursued our case to have the excess mileage charges of roughly £3500 waived (roughly 28000 excess miles) with VW audi and the financial ombudsman last year. Due to covid this has taken quite a bit of time to resolve. However, we have finally had confirmation that VW have agreed to settle. This means the fees will either be waived or any charges paid refunded with an additional 8% interest per year from the date of payment until the refund.

I used the template letters in the VT guidance and i just want to let everyone know it was a success! If your in the same boat keep at it.

Thanks for your help legal beagles!

Gemma

Good news and well done. Did you receive an Ombudsman's decision or did VW Audi cave in without a formal decision being made?