Dealership requirements to keep old advert information?
Discussion
Hiya Everyone, does anyone know if a main car dealership is legally required to hold on advert information on the cars they sell, and supporting images?
I'm in disspute with a certain french car retailer, in that they sold me a car with some damage, which could be seen in the advert images. But it passed the MOT and would deem it safe. Six months later its up on the ramp and they're saying the same damage would constitute an MOT failure and that I had to have caused after I purchased it.
The advert images would prove it was there when purchased. The MOT was also carried out after I had made full payment.
Would appreciate any advice.
I'm in disspute with a certain french car retailer, in that they sold me a car with some damage, which could be seen in the advert images. But it passed the MOT and would deem it safe. Six months later its up on the ramp and they're saying the same damage would constitute an MOT failure and that I had to have caused after I purchased it.
The advert images would prove it was there when purchased. The MOT was also carried out after I had made full payment.
Would appreciate any advice.
First of all a big thank you to everyone who's responded, if you're in Aylesbury I owe you a beer.
I've checked all my machines, cache only really goes back to June. No random images either in my pictures.
Tried finding who hosts their site but comes up as a hotel company in Manchester, Farinet Limited. There's nothing on their site itself to say who hosts so had to do a search online to resolve the address.
Yes the car had body work issues, main one was a dent on under the drivers door, but it was meant to be sold as MOT'd, 12 months warranty and serviced. That dent under the door stretches under the sill and has penetrated the metal showing the chassis. I know I didn't do it and they're saying because they were able to rub away the dirt and grime from off the bare chassis metal that it had to have happened recently because there's no corrosion.
I have directly asked the retailer for the images but I'm not really getting a response.
I've checked all my machines, cache only really goes back to June. No random images either in my pictures.
Tried finding who hosts their site but comes up as a hotel company in Manchester, Farinet Limited. There's nothing on their site itself to say who hosts so had to do a search online to resolve the address.
Yes the car had body work issues, main one was a dent on under the drivers door, but it was meant to be sold as MOT'd, 12 months warranty and serviced. That dent under the door stretches under the sill and has penetrated the metal showing the chassis. I know I didn't do it and they're saying because they were able to rub away the dirt and grime from off the bare chassis metal that it had to have happened recently because there's no corrosion.
I have directly asked the retailer for the images but I'm not really getting a response.
Am I the only person for whom this is making no sense ?
OP buys a car from a main dealer as a 'proper' warrantied purchase (not some old 'PX to clear shed). The car has significant bodywork damage that, for reasons unknown, the dealer didn't fix before sale and the OP was happy with (?). At purchase, the car had an MOT but this may have been done before the damage. For reasons unknown, the car is now up on a ramp at the same main dealer where a technician has mentioned (for some reason) that, in his opinion (and we dont know how qualified he is to give that opinion) the damage would be an MOT failure although the car is not on a ramp for an MOT.
The OP has no record of the fact that the car was purchased with this damage and the main dealer in suffering from amnesia about the whole thing.
OP appears to be suggesting that the car was sold to him with a 'dicky' MOT ??
Presumably the OP got the car at z considerable discount to one with no damage ?
OP buys a car from a main dealer as a 'proper' warrantied purchase (not some old 'PX to clear shed). The car has significant bodywork damage that, for reasons unknown, the dealer didn't fix before sale and the OP was happy with (?). At purchase, the car had an MOT but this may have been done before the damage. For reasons unknown, the car is now up on a ramp at the same main dealer where a technician has mentioned (for some reason) that, in his opinion (and we dont know how qualified he is to give that opinion) the damage would be an MOT failure although the car is not on a ramp for an MOT.
The OP has no record of the fact that the car was purchased with this damage and the main dealer in suffering from amnesia about the whole thing.
OP appears to be suggesting that the car was sold to him with a 'dicky' MOT ??
Presumably the OP got the car at z considerable discount to one with no damage ?
Edited by OddCat on Friday 22 September 16:30
Know knows, the only odd thing about this thread for me is that it seems that keeping a full copy of all adverts you see for the cars you buy is not as common as i thought it was!
Some of my cars are sourced from a dealer known to my family so there's never an advert or the like there but sure as hell when i bought the Porsches, the various MK5's we have had, the Tammy etc we have always kept a copy of the advert (and made that copy before agreeing to buy) just in case.
It's also nice to look back on every so often, especially when you realise you paid a smidge over £10k for a 968CS
Some of my cars are sourced from a dealer known to my family so there's never an advert or the like there but sure as hell when i bought the Porsches, the various MK5's we have had, the Tammy etc we have always kept a copy of the advert (and made that copy before agreeing to buy) just in case.
It's also nice to look back on every so often, especially when you realise you paid a smidge over £10k for a 968CS
Hi All, again a thanks for the feedback. Yes I did buy it with what looked like cosmetic damage, it was from a main dealer with a warranty so believed I was in safe hands. I know better now.
Good news is they hadn't deleted the images from the advert, even though the advert page itself was taken down after the car was sold. With a bit of web browser detective work you can figure out a websites URL path structure to their images, assuming they use a set structure say based on the car's registration and they don't restrict direct access to the image files, e.g. Not embedded in a webpage.
Got the images I needed.
Good news is they hadn't deleted the images from the advert, even though the advert page itself was taken down after the car was sold. With a bit of web browser detective work you can figure out a websites URL path structure to their images, assuming they use a set structure say based on the car's registration and they don't restrict direct access to the image files, e.g. Not embedded in a webpage.
Got the images I needed.
Hi All, just wanted to give you all an update and again reiterate my thanks.
In a nutshell I am about to get my money back through my credit card company as they sided with my section 75 claim based on the evidence I provided and the dealership weren't obviously that forthcoming with a decent reason for not refunding my monies or dealing with the issue.
I've learnt a few things that you may already know.
1. Renault Retail Group are not supported by Renault UK, i.e. the manufacturer, unless it's a manufacturing fault. So, being that RRG state on their website that they're owned by Renault, Renault customer services or the company do not get involved with them. I have that in writing.
2. Always pay with your credit card, even if it's a small percentage, the whole transaction is then protected by a section 75 claim. The CC company are 50% liable for the whole transaction and are more supportive. My experience, although slow, went well.
3. I was able to find original advert images of my car being hosted by the dealership's website, although the adverts are gone the images are still being hosted by the web hosting company and you just need to identify the URL for the pictures, in my case that was done by looking at the URL for a current image on an advert, entering that url in to my browser's address bar and changing the reference, which was the registration number for my car. With regards to bodywork issues this can be very helpful.
4. Trading Standards, notifying them can only be done through the Citizens Advice bureau. There's a Motor's Ombudsmen, where I got the reference to DEKRA who did a supporting assesment of the damage on my car, but some have complained the MO is made up of dealership owners.
5. The dealer's excuse was that there was no rust on the damaged frame section, which meant it had to be recent and so not present at the time of purchase. 4 months after they pointed out the issue, i.e. last week, there was still no rust, the frame must have been treated with something during manufacturing or the grease and crap underneath stopped it from corroding.
6. Chase the previous owner, it's a long shot but it helped me.
Thanks again, lesson learned.
In a nutshell I am about to get my money back through my credit card company as they sided with my section 75 claim based on the evidence I provided and the dealership weren't obviously that forthcoming with a decent reason for not refunding my monies or dealing with the issue.
I've learnt a few things that you may already know.
1. Renault Retail Group are not supported by Renault UK, i.e. the manufacturer, unless it's a manufacturing fault. So, being that RRG state on their website that they're owned by Renault, Renault customer services or the company do not get involved with them. I have that in writing.
2. Always pay with your credit card, even if it's a small percentage, the whole transaction is then protected by a section 75 claim. The CC company are 50% liable for the whole transaction and are more supportive. My experience, although slow, went well.
3. I was able to find original advert images of my car being hosted by the dealership's website, although the adverts are gone the images are still being hosted by the web hosting company and you just need to identify the URL for the pictures, in my case that was done by looking at the URL for a current image on an advert, entering that url in to my browser's address bar and changing the reference, which was the registration number for my car. With regards to bodywork issues this can be very helpful.
4. Trading Standards, notifying them can only be done through the Citizens Advice bureau. There's a Motor's Ombudsmen, where I got the reference to DEKRA who did a supporting assesment of the damage on my car, but some have complained the MO is made up of dealership owners.
5. The dealer's excuse was that there was no rust on the damaged frame section, which meant it had to be recent and so not present at the time of purchase. 4 months after they pointed out the issue, i.e. last week, there was still no rust, the frame must have been treated with something during manufacturing or the grease and crap underneath stopped it from corroding.
6. Chase the previous owner, it's a long shot but it helped me.
Thanks again, lesson learned.
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