Vehicle lease deposit Synergy Automotive

[mchoody]

Hopefully someone can help. I was/am looking for a personal lease on a new vehicle. I had a quote from Synergy Automotive that was acceptable. I was informed there was a £180 vehicle sourcing fee and a £500 deposit at the time they applied for the finance. After a change of heart the following day I asked what the cost to me would be if I decided not to go ahead. I have been informed by Synergy;

The £680 is not refundable. (£500 deposit and £180 vehicle sourcing fee) At no point was I made aware of this (I did the finance application over the phone)
I haven't signed anything or seen any terms/conditions that's states thie £500 was not refundable. Terms and conditions were emailed afterwards.

My question is, is this legal? The terms and conditions I now have show a cooling off period and the order form only shows that the £180 is not refundable which I would accept.

Any thoughts?

[anonymous-user]

get the £500 back as per the t&cs

the £180 fee paid is gone

[mchoody]

That's my thinking, I accept the £180, that's my fault for not being 100% sure on time of order.

[btcc123]

You do not pay a deposit when you lease a car.You pay an admin fee when you say go ahead with the deal and they order the car.Then when you take delivery of the car you pay an initial payment that is normally the equivalent of 3,6 or 9 months rental and if it was a 24 month deal pay a further 23 monthly payments.

I think you are asking for trouble saying yes to a deal and paying money and then change your mind the next day.

[mchoody]

Yes, I aware of that. I've run a dozen or so leases in the past with my company (cars and vans). Synergy operate in a different way in that they ask for this deposit up front that is then refunded when the vehicle is delivered (like a holding fee??)

The matter is now sorted anyway as I've transferred the money over to a replacement van for one of my engineers so no money lost.

[btcc123]

I have just looked at Synergy Automotive and they call the initial payment a deposit which is very unusual and I have never heard of a lease deal where this is paid when you order the car as it is paid when you pick up the car.

Edited to say glad you got it sorted.

[JustinP1]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes they do.

When I last leased, 18 months ago, I had an interesting discussion with a salesperson over the phone, as we wanted to order a car which was advertised for immediate delivery as we needed a car in a few days.

She informed me that we would have to wait a minimum of two weeks simply because we could receive the car and change our mind, and there was nothing they could do.

The only way around it was if I was willing to drive to their office and sign the paperwork there.