Question; Am I able to reject my lease car???
Discussion
Just wanting some advice,
Recently leased a new Merc A-class over a week ago and already had hell with the car and the Service by Merc themselves.
Not had the car a week and it wouldn't start, roadside assistance couldn't fix the car, which took him 2hours to realise this. At which point he had left both front doors and boot wide open for over an hour in the pouring rain!!! so brand new car was saturated inside and water was running down the doors!!
The recovery service refused to collect the car (this is at 5.00pm!!)and said I would have to leave my car in a car park till midday the next day, or until they could get a low loader.
I complained to Merc, who said they cant get it recovered. At which point they couldn't send me a replacement car that evening and I would have to pay £50 deposit in order to get one.
So not only does the week old Merc not start, but it has been saturated inside (so there was puddles on the front seats and footwells)
Just wondering if I am able to reject the car after having it 8days, due to the state at which Merc have left it in and possible water damage.
Thanks
Recently leased a new Merc A-class over a week ago and already had hell with the car and the Service by Merc themselves.
Not had the car a week and it wouldn't start, roadside assistance couldn't fix the car, which took him 2hours to realise this. At which point he had left both front doors and boot wide open for over an hour in the pouring rain!!! so brand new car was saturated inside and water was running down the doors!!
The recovery service refused to collect the car (this is at 5.00pm!!)and said I would have to leave my car in a car park till midday the next day, or until they could get a low loader.
I complained to Merc, who said they cant get it recovered. At which point they couldn't send me a replacement car that evening and I would have to pay £50 deposit in order to get one.
So not only does the week old Merc not start, but it has been saturated inside (so there was puddles on the front seats and footwells)
Just wondering if I am able to reject the car after having it 8days, due to the state at which Merc have left it in and possible water damage.
Thanks
People throw the idea of rejecting a car around as if it is easy to do. It isn't, the dealer, nor the manufacturer, wants you to reject a car so will do everything they can to avoid it. I'm 99% certain, having been in the trade for many years, including a good few at franchised dealers, that the dealer will tell you they won't accept any attempt to reject the car after one incident.
You stand an better chance than a retail customer I would say, as your contract is with the lease company, so it's up to them to decide a) if you have a case and accept you rejecting the car, and b) discuss with the dealer/manufacturer what they do with it next
IME, the lease company will keep the car, and will then chase the manufacturer for costs towards their loss, which on a 1 week old car will be substantial, as it's not about depreciation, it's lost revenue from the original lease going pear shaped.
IME, the lease company will keep the car, and will then chase the manufacturer for costs towards their loss, which on a 1 week old car will be substantial, as it's not about depreciation, it's lost revenue from the original lease going pear shaped.
If the dealer know had the car not much that you can achieve I would think. It's only rain water, albeit quite a lot.
I'd suggest a short and polite email to simon.oldfield@daimler.com who is head of UK.
I'd be emphasising how disappointed you are in the brand and how this was not what you expect. I'd expect them to hang on to it for a day or two with a dehumidifier in it to dry it out.
Surprised to be honest. Mobilo are normally very very good.
I'd suggest a short and polite email to simon.oldfield@daimler.com who is head of UK.
I'd be emphasising how disappointed you are in the brand and how this was not what you expect. I'd expect them to hang on to it for a day or two with a dehumidifier in it to dry it out.
Surprised to be honest. Mobilo are normally very very good.
Putting modesty aside, I'm a class act when it comes to getting full redress when things aren't right: I've had a major German car manufacturer refund the full purchase price of a car after 12 months; another do absolutely everything to put things right when there have been problems and with some serious goodwill thrown in as well. I've also ended up working with several brands to improve their products and their services.
I'm not a serial complainer but I expect things to be right and I am always very clear on what I want = I expect the thing I've bought to be the way that the manufacturer intended it to be. And I'm always very clear on whether I'm being reasonable or not.
At the moment you've had one breakdown and the repair guy was somewhat careless, sloppy and unprofessional* in the way that he treated the car. It's unfortunate but I don't think you could say that it's unreasonable for a car to suffer -a- breakdown. At the moment you don't have much of a chance if you're expecting them to bring you another new car.
(* - btw I've had a dealer principal admit that his dealership was these things and willing to commit in writing)
So, what is it that you want? You might think that one another brand new car will satisfy you, but that's not reasonable on the back of one failure. What you really want and what is reasonable is (1) a car that works so they'd better fix yours and (2) whatever damage or deterioration may have been caused by the rain put right. Personally that's what I'd be demanding at the moment.
Now, you may of course have a lemon car. If you do then you document every incident. Then you go to the dealer each time and ask them two simple questions:
1) Is it supposed to do that?
2) (In expecting it to not have that problem/failure) "am I being unreasonable?" (in my expectation/what I'm asking for)
These are closed questions and when you're looking to get something sorted they are very powerful. The first establishes the standard for the product/component in question. The second establishes the dealer's standards. Then you can decide what the appropriate redress is.
Still, as a DP once told me, remember "it's only a car".
p.s. Within 60 seconds I had cleared his showroom of every other prospective customer at which point he realised that it was about time he took the situation very seriously indeed. They did.
I'm not a serial complainer but I expect things to be right and I am always very clear on what I want = I expect the thing I've bought to be the way that the manufacturer intended it to be. And I'm always very clear on whether I'm being reasonable or not.
At the moment you've had one breakdown and the repair guy was somewhat careless, sloppy and unprofessional* in the way that he treated the car. It's unfortunate but I don't think you could say that it's unreasonable for a car to suffer -a- breakdown. At the moment you don't have much of a chance if you're expecting them to bring you another new car.
(* - btw I've had a dealer principal admit that his dealership was these things and willing to commit in writing)
So, what is it that you want? You might think that one another brand new car will satisfy you, but that's not reasonable on the back of one failure. What you really want and what is reasonable is (1) a car that works so they'd better fix yours and (2) whatever damage or deterioration may have been caused by the rain put right. Personally that's what I'd be demanding at the moment.
Now, you may of course have a lemon car. If you do then you document every incident. Then you go to the dealer each time and ask them two simple questions:
1) Is it supposed to do that?
2) (In expecting it to not have that problem/failure) "am I being unreasonable?" (in my expectation/what I'm asking for)
These are closed questions and when you're looking to get something sorted they are very powerful. The first establishes the standard for the product/component in question. The second establishes the dealer's standards. Then you can decide what the appropriate redress is.
Still, as a DP once told me, remember "it's only a car".
p.s. Within 60 seconds I had cleared his showroom of every other prospective customer at which point he realised that it was about time he took the situation very seriously indeed. They did.
Excellent post from Area, I think that covers all bases in your situation OP
I rejected a 2nd Hand 18 month Old Audi A3 after several attempts and failures to repair it,
The car had one fault that they could not rectify. The dealer took several attempts to repair it, replacing numerous parts in the hope that they would solve the issue, eventually, after stripping the engine of most of its ancillaries inc turbo, injectors, wiring loom, the fault was traced to the ECU, and the car was eventually repaired
I chose to reject the car after several issues with poor dealer service, a lack of confidence with the car and ultimately with the quality of service I had recieved from the dealer, I tried to reject it with the used car sales manager but I progressed to dealing with the DP and only after discussing my case with him, and using the same two questions posted by Area above, was I successful in rejecting the Audi
However it was NOT an easy task, it involved a month of e mails, phone calls, waiting and getting the run around from the dealer, and eventually a satisfactory outcome prevailed
I rejected a 2nd Hand 18 month Old Audi A3 after several attempts and failures to repair it,
The car had one fault that they could not rectify. The dealer took several attempts to repair it, replacing numerous parts in the hope that they would solve the issue, eventually, after stripping the engine of most of its ancillaries inc turbo, injectors, wiring loom, the fault was traced to the ECU, and the car was eventually repaired
I chose to reject the car after several issues with poor dealer service, a lack of confidence with the car and ultimately with the quality of service I had recieved from the dealer, I tried to reject it with the used car sales manager but I progressed to dealing with the DP and only after discussing my case with him, and using the same two questions posted by Area above, was I successful in rejecting the Audi
However it was NOT an easy task, it involved a month of e mails, phone calls, waiting and getting the run around from the dealer, and eventually a satisfactory outcome prevailed
AREA said:
p.s. Within 60 seconds I had cleared his showroom of every other prospective customer at which point he realised that it was about time he took the situation very seriously indeed. They did.
Gotta love it when someone starts going bonkers in the showroom and clears a business of possible customers, helps everyone out.Back on topic, as it is the cars first fault they as in Mercedes will be given reasonable time to fix that fault and get the car back on the road. As stupid as it was leaving the windows down that wasnt merc's fault it was the recovery people, which I appreciate they are acting on behalf of but that needs chasing with them.
Once the cars fixed which im sure it will be possible to do so you will have pretty much zero chance of returning it.
Rejected our leased Jag XF several months early without too much trouble, but then I did have about two dozen faults recorded over an 18 month period, including several breakdowns, and the dealer had proven themselves to be totally inept at fixing anything - suggest you contact the lease company to start with and see what they say.
Thankyou for your advice. Especially AREA!!
I will just have to see what happens. Its the first model of the new A class, so may have a few faults with it. I have reported it to customer services about rejecting the car and withdrawing out of the contract.
Just very very dissapointed in the service provide by Merc.
I will just have to see what happens. Its the first model of the new A class, so may have a few faults with it. I have reported it to customer services about rejecting the car and withdrawing out of the contract.
Just very very dissapointed in the service provide by Merc.
AREA said:
Putting modesty aside, I'm a class act when it comes to getting full redress when things aren't right: I've had a major German car manufacturer refund the full purchase price of a car after 12 months; another do absolutely everything to put things right when there have been problems and with some serious goodwill thrown in as well. I've also ended up working with several brands to improve their products and their services.
I'm not a serial complainer but I expect things to be right and I am always very clear on what I want = I expect the thing I've bought to be the way that the manufacturer intended it to be. And I'm always very clear on whether I'm being reasonable or not.
At the moment you've had one breakdown and the repair guy was somewhat careless, sloppy and unprofessional* in the way that he treated the car. It's unfortunate but I don't think you could say that it's unreasonable for a car to suffer -a- breakdown. At the moment you don't have much of a chance if you're expecting them to bring you another new car.
(* - btw I've had a dealer principal admit that his dealership was these things and willing to commit in writing)
So, what is it that you want? You might think that one another brand new car will satisfy you, but that's not reasonable on the back of one failure. What you really want and what is reasonable is (1) a car that works so they'd better fix yours and (2) whatever damage or deterioration may have been caused by the rain put right. Personally that's what I'd be demanding at the moment.
Now, you may of course have a lemon car. If you do then you document every incident. Then you go to the dealer each time and ask them two simple questions:
1) Is it supposed to do that?
2) (In expecting it to not have that problem/failure) "am I being unreasonable?" (in my expectation/what I'm asking for)
These are closed questions and when you're looking to get something sorted they are very powerful. The first establishes the standard for the product/component in question. The second establishes the dealer's standards. Then you can decide what the appropriate redress is.
Still, as a DP once told me, remember "it's only a car".
p.s. Within 60 seconds I had cleared his showroom of every other prospective customer at which point he realised that it was about time he took the situation very seriously indeed. They did.
I'm not a serial complainer but I expect things to be right and I am always very clear on what I want = I expect the thing I've bought to be the way that the manufacturer intended it to be. And I'm always very clear on whether I'm being reasonable or not.
At the moment you've had one breakdown and the repair guy was somewhat careless, sloppy and unprofessional* in the way that he treated the car. It's unfortunate but I don't think you could say that it's unreasonable for a car to suffer -a- breakdown. At the moment you don't have much of a chance if you're expecting them to bring you another new car.
(* - btw I've had a dealer principal admit that his dealership was these things and willing to commit in writing)
So, what is it that you want? You might think that one another brand new car will satisfy you, but that's not reasonable on the back of one failure. What you really want and what is reasonable is (1) a car that works so they'd better fix yours and (2) whatever damage or deterioration may have been caused by the rain put right. Personally that's what I'd be demanding at the moment.
Now, you may of course have a lemon car. If you do then you document every incident. Then you go to the dealer each time and ask them two simple questions:
1) Is it supposed to do that?
2) (In expecting it to not have that problem/failure) "am I being unreasonable?" (in my expectation/what I'm asking for)
These are closed questions and when you're looking to get something sorted they are very powerful. The first establishes the standard for the product/component in question. The second establishes the dealer's standards. Then you can decide what the appropriate redress is.
Still, as a DP once told me, remember "it's only a car".
p.s. Within 60 seconds I had cleared his showroom of every other prospective customer at which point he realised that it was about time he took the situation very seriously indeed. They did.
Tried rejecting my leased company Seat after a dozen big faults is its first year. Was told no chance because its always been repaired quickly and back on the road. When it was major work a free loan car was provided. So in the eyes of trading standards the dealer has been more than helpful and I've never been left off the road. I would say the OP has no chance at 1 fault.
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