Problems buying from an importer
Discussion
This is just a quick message to warn anybody thinking of buying a car from the XXXXX XXXX group to think again!
Recently I contacted XXXXX XXXX to see if they could supply me with a Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Lusso 3 Door in red. Initially they could only offer me a black, silver or 5 door model. I made it quite clear that nothing other then a red 3 door was acceptable so I politely said thank you and informed them I would buy the car I wanted from a main dealer. Shortly after XXXXX XXXX called me back to say they could now get me a red 3 door model exactly the model I wanted. Like an idiot I paid a £500 deposit.
After that it became impossible to get in touch with anyone at the smart car group as every time I called I got the message "They are on the other line, can they call you back?" or "they are busy, can they call you back?" of course they never called back!
Eventually I managed to speak to a sales person who informed me that they could no longer get the red 3 door they had promised me and I could now only have the black, silver or 5 door they had originally offered me!!! Even though I had made it quite clear I was not interested in this at the time of my original enquiry!
To me it was simple they had broken their side of the deal and I should get my deposit back! Wrong they basically said tough luck! To make it worse I have still be unable to get in touch with anyone there to rectify the situation. It is quite clear that once they get your money they are not interested. I can verify this by the huge number of over friendly calls I received before paying my deposit. Followed by no calls or customer service after placing my deposit.
I wrote a letter to their managing director XXX XXXXXXX stating the facts and that they obviously don't put customer satisfaction very high on their list of priorities. In his reply Mr XXXXXXX actually agreed to this! Along with telling me I could not have me deposit back. That, I think, just about says it all!
I am now in the process of taking legal action against this company.
This is not an isolated case.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Go to a main dealer if you push them hard you will get a big saving on a new car along with a much better part ex price on your old car. You will also get at least a 3 year warranty and also a higher resale value when you come to trade it in. You will get better finance deals and you should be able to negotiate a deal on the interest rate. Most importantly though the main dealer will treat you better at service time. have you ever tried taking an imported car in for service? Its like asking to be put at the bottom of the list!
It seems to me XXXXX XXXX just want your money and when they have it they don't care what they sell you and will not provide any after sales service!
Edited by Dazren (moderator). Please adhere to this site's no naming and shaming rules, which you will have read when joining. These rules are in place to protect the site from litigation rather than to protect thieving traders. Good luck with the case.
Recently I contacted XXXXX XXXX to see if they could supply me with a Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Lusso 3 Door in red. Initially they could only offer me a black, silver or 5 door model. I made it quite clear that nothing other then a red 3 door was acceptable so I politely said thank you and informed them I would buy the car I wanted from a main dealer. Shortly after XXXXX XXXX called me back to say they could now get me a red 3 door model exactly the model I wanted. Like an idiot I paid a £500 deposit.
After that it became impossible to get in touch with anyone at the smart car group as every time I called I got the message "They are on the other line, can they call you back?" or "they are busy, can they call you back?" of course they never called back!
Eventually I managed to speak to a sales person who informed me that they could no longer get the red 3 door they had promised me and I could now only have the black, silver or 5 door they had originally offered me!!! Even though I had made it quite clear I was not interested in this at the time of my original enquiry!
To me it was simple they had broken their side of the deal and I should get my deposit back! Wrong they basically said tough luck! To make it worse I have still be unable to get in touch with anyone there to rectify the situation. It is quite clear that once they get your money they are not interested. I can verify this by the huge number of over friendly calls I received before paying my deposit. Followed by no calls or customer service after placing my deposit.
I wrote a letter to their managing director XXX XXXXXXX stating the facts and that they obviously don't put customer satisfaction very high on their list of priorities. In his reply Mr XXXXXXX actually agreed to this! Along with telling me I could not have me deposit back. That, I think, just about says it all!
I am now in the process of taking legal action against this company.
This is not an isolated case.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Go to a main dealer if you push them hard you will get a big saving on a new car along with a much better part ex price on your old car. You will also get at least a 3 year warranty and also a higher resale value when you come to trade it in. You will get better finance deals and you should be able to negotiate a deal on the interest rate. Most importantly though the main dealer will treat you better at service time. have you ever tried taking an imported car in for service? Its like asking to be put at the bottom of the list!
It seems to me XXXXX XXXX just want your money and when they have it they don't care what they sell you and will not provide any after sales service!
Edited by Dazren (moderator). Please adhere to this site's no naming and shaming rules, which you will have read when joining. These rules are in place to protect the site from litigation rather than to protect thieving traders. Good luck with the case.
GTA - it's not appropriate to join PH simply to slag off a business. Whilst I sympathise with your experience it's one of our most basic rules that we don't host messages concerning disputes. If you're taking legal action as you say you are then don't jeopardise it by posting about it on a public forum.
I hope you stay around as a PHer but please heed our rules.
I hope you stay around as a PHer but please heed our rules.
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