VWFS lease cancelled collections

VWFS lease cancelled collections

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Discussion

ollie05

Original Poster:

697 posts

220 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Thought it was best for a thread for all the people having issues with VWFS cars being collected either at end of lease or early termination.

Seems to be totally conflicting info being given from VWFS, when you can even get a response at all.

On the phone, they seem to be saying the responsibility to insure the vehicle is the customers, until BCA collect, but then they have also sent out the following email(randomly), which to me makes it look like they accept that the vehicle is uninsured and is not to be driven;

http://links.marketing.vwcrm.co.uk/servlet/MailVie...

One of the phone agents suggested if I "kindly" pay for the ongoing insurance, they "may" be able to discuss reimbursement once their management have made the decision and this whole virus thing is over with; obviously he's nuts if he thinks I will spend several hundred quid of my own cash just on the off chance they will reimburse.

I'm guessing like me, most of you have had a ste experience with VWFS, and have contacted them to raise a complaint/dispute, so of you can update as and when things progress, so we can all get updates...

Edited by ollie05 on Monday 30th March 15:17

simonwhite2000

2,473 posts

97 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Here is what I recently sent to Audi - not the best written piece but it was hammered out in jsut a few mins whilst working...some bits of personal info redacted.......

Hi,

On 27th Feb 2020 I requested a settlement quotation for my Audi S5 Coupe personal lease contract that was not due to end until Aug 2020. The quote was promptly received (attached) for the amount of £XXXX and paid on 2nd March 2020 at 11:42 with reference XXXXXXX. I then called Audi on 2nd March to check the money had been received - this was confirmed and so I cancelled my direct debit upon the advice of the agent from Audi with whom I spoke too. He did advise that if the direct debit still went through to claim it back via indemnity.The direct debit was fortunately stopped in time.

On 17th March 2020 I received a letter from Audi (attached) stating I was £374.83 in arrears and that if I didnt bring my account upto date quickly my credit rating would be impacted. Obviously given I had fully setlled the account based on the quote given to me by Audi I was absolutely not in arrears.

Having called Audi on Monday 23rd March the lady on the phone confirmed the account was not in arrears and this is an error on the system due to it expecting (incorrectly) that my direct debit for the monthly payment should have been received. Obviously it wasnt due because I had settled the account fully on 2nd March. The agent on the phone advised that until the car is collected/received by BCA they cannot close the account so I will continue to receive such letters until the account is closed. Due to this my credit file would be impacted negatively but would be rectified once the account was closed.

This is completely unacceptable. I have done nothing wrong. This is your problem.

I am currently going through a mortage application and if my credit is in anyway disturbed in a negative manner it could ruin my mortgage application. If this happens I wanted to be clear that I would be seeking via my solicitor damages and compensation from your company. I have done everything correctly and paid the settlement figure. It is not my problem that your systems are not intelligent enough to be able to cross reference this settlement with the quote i was given and therefore the account is fully paid up for the duration of the contractual agreement.

Your company needs to make sure that I receive no more letters stating I am in arrears when I am not and that abolutely no negative impact is made on my credit file that could impact my mortgage applicaiton.

A further complaint I have is that the car was due to be collected by BCA on 31st March but due to COVID-19 the collection is delayed by at least 3 weeks. Thus meaining my account will remain open and the above issue will really impact me unless you do something.
I was also informed that I have to keep the car insured at a personal cost to myself and that Audi/BCA would be invoicing me £10 a day for the car upon collection.

Let me be very clear - I will not be expecting to see charges for a daily rate when it is absoutely not my fault the car hasnt been collected. My contractual obligations are complete and the agreement amount is settled. You have no legal standing to attempt to apply these charges. Also, I will be sumbitting a claim for the insurance cost I will have incurred and will be expecting a refund. Again, I should not have to be paying another months insurance for a car that now should have been collected and this is not my fault.

In summary my expectations are;
- You do not send any further letters stating I am in arrears when this is factually incorrect
- No negative impact is made to my credit file as my agreement is fully paid and settled
- No attempts are made to charge me a daily rate for the vehicle that BCA have failed to collect
- My insurance costs are to be refunded once the car has been collected - i will be sending evidence of the cost by email to the email addresses used here

If any of the above are not met I have instructed my solicitor to then draft a legal letter and pursue action against Audi UK and/or BCA dpending who is liable.

At a time when I am under significant stress as a keyworker due to COVID-19 and the financial challenges this poses for my family this is the last thing I need and shows that Audi and BCA are not supporting their customers.

Regards,
Simon

simonwhite2000

2,473 posts

97 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Dear Customer,

At Audi Financial Services our priority is to keep people driving their cars. We know that the Government’s latest advice will be concerning and causing disruption to your usual lives, but we want to assure you that we are doing our utmost to support our customers.

We are regularly monitoring updates from the Government and working with the regulator to best understand how the current situation may impact individuals and businesses so that we can support you.

You have an appointment booked in for us to collect your vehicle, however due to COVID-19 and the recent enforcements made by the Government we are unable to carry out the original appointment.

Due to these exceptional circumstances, we want to help our customers by providing an additional option for you to extend your current finance agreement for up to 6 months. The contractual terms and monthly payment of your current agreement will remain the same.

To arrange this option please complete this form.

If you do not wish to extend your contract please be aware we will not be able to proceed with collection until the Government restrictions have been lifted. Until we are able to rearrange collection please follow the below important steps;

- The vehicle must not under any circumstance be driven*
- Keep the vehicle safe, locked, secure and where possible store the vehicle off the road and on private land
- Please remove all personal belongings, keys and keyless entry devices
- We will ensure the vehicle is taxed as appropriate throughout this period
- In the event the vehicle is stolen or damaged by fire, you must immediately notify us and the police and obtain a crime reference number

Please note, you will not be charged your monthly rental for the period between your contract end date and collection. Standard end of contract terms will still apply for damage and excess mileage once the vehicle is collected and inspected.

We’d ask you do not contact us at this stage unless it is urgent, we are providing a reduced telephony service and dealing with a much higher number of calls than usual. Once we are able to arrange collection of the vehicle our collection agents will contact you.

Thank you for your ongoing understanding and patience during this period.

If you have any further queries about your finance agreement please visit customer.vwfs.co.uk.

ollie05

Original Poster:

697 posts

220 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
So the same email linked above then, note the small print about the car being uninsured...

I appreciate it's a difficult time but they seem so incompetent at getting a solution in place, or at least giving consistent advice in the short term.

I've contacted CAB and they tend to agree that if the agreement has been terminated/paid in full, it's not my responsibility to pay anything else towards the car or anything relating to the car.

They also said they will be raising it with trading standards as well to see if VWFS are acting fairly and within the contracts we have signed up to.

Clyde_05

547 posts

209 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Are VWFS FCA regulated? Which other bodies would cover this?

I’ve still not received that email and will be calling them tomorrow. All you can do is keep putting pressure on.

ollie05

Original Poster:

697 posts

220 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Yes they are; https://register.fca.org.uk/ShPo_FirmDetailsPage?i...

Not sure if you may struggle to get through via phone, since around lunchtime, all options seem to advise to visit their website, which is useless, then the call terminates.

MattS5

1,899 posts

191 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Looks like you've missed the T+C's for the caveat off the email from VWFS, so I've pasted it again below:


Dear Customer,

At Volkswagen Financial Services our priority is to keep people driving their cars. We know that the Government’s latest advice will be concerning and causing disruption to your usual lives, but we want to assure you that we are doing our utmost to support our customers.

We are regularly monitoring updates from the Government and working with the regulator to best understand how the current situation may impact individuals and businesses so that we can support you.

You have an appointment booked in for us to collect your vehicle, however due to COVID-19 and the recent enforcements made by the Government we are unable to carry out the original appointment.

Due to these exceptional circumstances, we want to help our customers by providing an additional option for you to extend your current finance agreement for up to 6 months. The contractual terms and monthly payment of your current agreement will remain the same.

To arrange this option please complete this form.

If you do not wish to extend your contract please be aware we will not be able to proceed with collection until the Government restrictions have been lifted. Until we are able to rearrange collection please follow the below important steps;

- The vehicle must not under any circumstance be driven*
- Keep the vehicle safe, locked, secure and where possible store the vehicle off the road and on private land
- Please remove all personal belongings, keys and keyless entry devices
- We will ensure the vehicle is taxed as appropriate throughout this period
- In the event the vehicle is stolen or damaged by fire, you must immediately notify us and the police and obtain a crime reference number

Please note, you will not be charged your monthly rental for the period between your contract end date and collection. Standard end of contract terms will still apply for damage and excess mileage once the vehicle is collected and inspected.

We’d ask you do not contact us at this stage unless it is urgent, we are providing a reduced telephony service and dealing with a much higher number of calls than usual. Once we are able to arrange collection of the vehicle our collection agents will contact you.

Thank you for your ongoing understanding and patience during this period.

If you have any further queries about your finance agreement please visit customer.vwfs.co.uk.


This is a service message.

  • The vehicle will be uninsured and must not be driven; Under s143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to use (or permit to be used) a motor vehicle on a road or other public place when there is not in force in relation to the use of the vehicle such a policy of insurance in respect of third party risks as complies with the Road Traffic Act
Volkswagen Financial Services is a trading name of Volkswagen Financial Services (UK) Limited (“VWFS UK”), registered in England and Wales with company number: 2835230. Registered office: Brunswick Court, Yeomans Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes MK14 5LR. Financial and consumer credit services are provided by VWFS UK, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Financial Services Register number: 311988.

Privacy Policy

Replies to this email are unmonitored. Please do not reply.

wilbo83

1,535 posts

165 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Well done on starting the thread OP, good to have all the chat in one place and also not derail the deals thread.

My lease ends on 28th April. I had tried to book collection on the BCA portal (before it stopped being used) and received an error message that they basically didn't have my details. I should have called them up but didn't get round to it before the 'lockdown'. So I don't have a collection booked and now cannot book one. I called VWFS last week who suggested that they have put a grace period on my account so I won't get charged for any extension until BCA can collect the car. Part of me has doubts on this but I plan to cancel the direct debit once the final payment is taken.

As for insurance, he said currently it would be my responsibility but advised to call back this week as there may be an update (this was after I informed him I was aware of other companies covering the insurance in similar scenarios).

MattS5

1,899 posts

191 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
That catergorically states that the vehicle will be unisured, a fact that they are aware of.
However, it will be unsiured for you to drive, not neccesarily uninsured period. (It might well be covered by a VWFS fleet policy, however, you wont be on the schedule to drive)

It will only be your repsonsbility to insure it if the contract hasnt expired, or if you are extending the contract.

My contract completed on Sat 28th March and my obligation to insure is now lifted from me, and the vehicle is (and always has been) registered to VWFS.

Any non insurance issue will be the repsonsbibility of VWFS.

I also checked the MID (Motor insurance database) and I can see the vehicle is showing as unisured now https://ownvehicle.askmid.com/ as to be expected under a personal policy.


An open fleet policy will likely not have all the registrations of all the cars covered, but rather blanket cover for any vehcile owned by the policyholder in question.

Edited to add
- The FCA registered number is on the bottom of the email
- I've cancelled my Direct debit to ensure no further payments can be taken.






Edited by MattS5 on Monday 30th March 15:59


Edited by MattS5 on Monday 30th March 16:03

Rscut

578 posts

117 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
I have been having an exchange of emails regarding returning my V90 early (due back in August) and have received the settlement figure and asked to proceed with the early termination. I received this email;

Good Afternoon,

Thank you for your email.

However, I can confirm our collection agency have now made the decision to close due to the ongoing circumstance.

Once we are able to arrange collections again following the lock down, we will be in touch to confirm the details.

I have responded to say that I will be cancelling the direct debit and the car will be uninsured from the 12th April, as this is when my rental payment ends.

Do you think that they are suggesting that they are not going to process the termination until their team are able to collect?

gmds

1 posts

49 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
I took out an informal 3 month extension to cover late delivery of my new car (delivered last Monday..), meaning my contract end date moved to 24/04. With the informal extension however, I was told this would end on collection of the vehicle (arranged for today).

I'd love to think my contract has now needed, but I've made the decision to continue to insure the car until 24/04 but have sent a similar email to the above asking for clarification on agreement end dates and insurance liabilities. Hopefully clarification, or collection, is given before then.

Sheepshanks

32,769 posts

119 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Rscut said:
I have been having an exchange of emails regarding returning my V90...
That's not with VWFS.

Milkbuttons

1,298 posts

162 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Just in case anyone is struggling to track down the VWFS telephone numbers, see below.

https://customer.vwfs.co.uk/contact-us.html

Volkswagen Financial Services 0370 010 2022

Audi Financial Services 0370 010 2007

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Financial Services 0370 010 2080

ŠKODA Financial Services 0370 333 4449

SEAT Financial Services 0370 333 4446

Bentley Financial Services 0370 900 3100

Porsche Financial Services 0344 871 0902

mackie1

8,153 posts

233 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Managed to get through and informally extend mine (due to end at the end of April) after being on hold for around an hour. Chap on the phone was very helpful. Hopefully nearly 4 months will be enough to see its replacement arrive and collections resume. Doubt I'll do many miles between now and the end of July though!

ollie05

Original Poster:

697 posts

220 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Taken from BMW website, now that's how it should be done;

Do I need to keep my vehicle insured if my collection is delayed due to COVID-19?

If you want to drive the car you must keep it fully insured. You remain responsible for ensuring you have the right insurance in place to cover your usage of the vehicle. If your vehicle will remain unused while you await collection, we will insure the vehicle ourselves to protect our asset. You will not be able to drive the car during this time as you will not be insured to drive it. As you do not have our consent to drive the vehicle, it will not be covered by the terms of any other insurance policy. You must also give us your current mileage at this point and it will be checked again at the point when the vehicle is collected

ollie05

Original Poster:

697 posts

220 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Couldn't see anything on mercedes site, but this is jaguar, another decent process in place;

You must stop using the vehicle with effect from your end of contract date. This is the original due date of your optional final payment. You will find this in the reminder letters that we have sent you advising that your contract is coming to an end.
• Once your end of contract date has passed, you can cancel your motor insurance policy as we will arrange alternative cover for the vehicle.
• You will need to keep the vehicle safe and in your possession until we collect it.

roadsmash

2,622 posts

70 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Thanks for creating a new thread Ollie.

ollie05 said:
Couldn't see anything on mercedes site, but this is jaguar, another decent process in place;

You must stop using the vehicle with effect from your end of contract date. This is the original due date of your optional final payment. You will find this in the reminder letters that we have sent you advising that your contract is coming to an end.
• Once your end of contract date has passed, you can cancel your motor insurance policy as we will arrange alternative cover for the vehicle.
• You will need to keep the vehicle safe and in your possession until we collect it.
That looks related to PCP agreements and may have different contractual obligations.

Rscut said:
I have been having an exchange of emails regarding returning my V90 early (due back in August) and have received the settlement figure and asked to proceed with the early termination. I received this email;

Good Afternoon,

Thank you for your email.

However, I can confirm our collection agency have now made the decision to close due to the ongoing circumstance.

Once we are able to arrange collections again following the lock down, we will be in touch to confirm the details.

I have responded to say that I will be cancelling the direct debit and the car will be uninsured from the 12th April, as this is when my rental payment ends.

Do you think that they are suggesting that they are not going to process the termination until their team are able to collect?
No, looks like they’re simply saying that collection won’t take place.

ollie05

Original Poster:

697 posts

220 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Yes that is for PCP, but given these appear to be new processes specific to covid19, you would think(hope) it's a blanket process to cover PCP and lease...unless they have just always had these in place, and VWFS haven't?

Rscut

578 posts

117 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
That's not with VWFS.
Correct, however it is a similar question!

cootuk

918 posts

123 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
I wonder if any of the "uninsured" vehicles awaiting collection parked on the road could be either clamped or towed away?
Obviously any letters warning about such an action would go to vwfs, but they can't move them and the previous leasor is uninsured to move it.
Would they even reply?