Schoolboy error - returning a lease car
Discussion
I returned a personal lease car in the middle of October - because Mannheim Collections couldn't collect the car until November 1st Citron told me I could drop it off at a local dealer and they'd collect it from there. The chap at Citroen was very helpful - a total credit to his dealership (and I'm sure has nothing to do with any of this).
So I dropped it off - car was MINT, clay barred, waxed, couple of teeny stonechips. Chap at dealer went over it and filled in a report (not a "full" sort of one the collections people would do, but noted down any damage etc - including checking the spare wheel). No problems. I also took close up photos of the interior and every single panel on the car.
So today, 5 weeks later I have a letter off Citroen billing me for a spare wheel and tyre which were missing
. Aaaaargh! Did I photo the spare wheel in the well? No! Absolute schoolboy error.
I'm not concerned about having to pay for it - I'll gladly go to court on this issue; I have the report done by the dealership (there is no note of a missing spare wheel there) and also they had the car for nearly 3 weeks after I left it with them - and lets face it - who is more likely to be half-inching the spare wheel from a C1? Me or someone at a Citroen dealership? Just out of interest I wonder if the car is still wearing the alloys and brand new Goodyear Vectors I left it with..... (I took closeups of each and every wheel)
So this is more of a heads up to people with lease cars - photograph EVERYTHING, every single detail - before you hand it back.
So I dropped it off - car was MINT, clay barred, waxed, couple of teeny stonechips. Chap at dealer went over it and filled in a report (not a "full" sort of one the collections people would do, but noted down any damage etc - including checking the spare wheel). No problems. I also took close up photos of the interior and every single panel on the car.
So today, 5 weeks later I have a letter off Citroen billing me for a spare wheel and tyre which were missing
. Aaaaargh! Did I photo the spare wheel in the well? No! Absolute schoolboy error.I'm not concerned about having to pay for it - I'll gladly go to court on this issue; I have the report done by the dealership (there is no note of a missing spare wheel there) and also they had the car for nearly 3 weeks after I left it with them - and lets face it - who is more likely to be half-inching the spare wheel from a C1? Me or someone at a Citroen dealership? Just out of interest I wonder if the car is still wearing the alloys and brand new Goodyear Vectors I left it with..... (I took closeups of each and every wheel)
So this is more of a heads up to people with lease cars - photograph EVERYTHING, every single detail - before you hand it back.
I returned a van after a two year lease and all was fine until 3 years later when I got a bill for over £5k.Some one had obviously leased it again for 3 years and knackered it, it needed a new roof and all sorts of stuff.A phone call sorted it out in no time once they realised they had sent the report to the wrong person, I felt sorry for the guy who did get the bill, I think the van would have only have been worth around £3.5k
Thing is, it is between you and Citroen Finance - you are the person they had the lease with and the Citroen dealer just took possession of the vehicle until it was picked up by the leasing agent. You'll need to have a word with the dealership and see what happened to the spare, I'm afraid.
Dog Star said:
it's actually between THEM and the dealership.
Absolutely,I'm pretty sure the C1 has the spare wheel inside the car so it couldn't have been stolen from under the car like so many other Citroen models. It is a sad state of affairs though when you have taken plenty of pictures in advance in case you have to prove your innocence, obtain a confirmation from the dealer when you left the car and yet still face this aggravation.
aka_kerrly said:
STW2010 said:
Better than OWNING one surely?!?
My guess is the OP signed up for one a couple of years ago when they were on offer for less than £100 a month with feck all deposit!Seriously though - great little car, really liked it.
There's no bloody way I'm getting stung for it - I've really looked after it and been paranoid about the slightest mark on it (to the extent that the windscreen was replaced because of a chip). They can take me to a small claims court if they're so minded.
G0ldfysh said:
Sneaky I know but you couldn't loan another C1 and return that having photographed the offending item?
Did Citroen have a written document from you stating there was a spare wheel with it when you drove it away at the beginning?
No, because that would be fraud.Did Citroen have a written document from you stating there was a spare wheel with it when you drove it away at the beginning?
OP, I know it's a stupid question, but are you sure there was definitely a spare in there to start with?
Dog Star said:
and lets face it - who is more likely to be half-inching the spare wheel from a C1? Me or someone at a Citroen dealership?
How much do you think a Citroen dealer would pay for a (presumably steel) spare wheel? Pennies. On the other hand I've had plenty of PXs come in where I've had to send the customer back home to get the spare and jack, for some reason they are a particular target, even though they're generally crap quality and of no use in future.
I know of several work colleagues (we all get company cars from the same provider) who have had letters of a similar vain, e.g damaged panels, chipped wheels, and they request payment to cover these damages.
In almost every case, all have evidence that the vehicle was fine when it left them, and the leasing company has backed down.
Do you have house insurance? Some policies have a legal helpline that could help with your problem.
In almost every case, all have evidence that the vehicle was fine when it left them, and the leasing company has backed down.
Do you have house insurance? Some policies have a legal helpline that could help with your problem.
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