Pull Out of Deal?
Author
Discussion

Greyhound21

Original Poster:

23 posts

5 months

Sunday 28th September 2025
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I bought a used car from a national chain of dealers last week, due to collect this week. The car I wanted was in a branch 500 miles away so I’ve paid to have it transported to the local branch. So far I’ve paid a deposit of £200.

Now having read about various faults that have developed in this car I’m having a major case of cold feet. Where would I stand with regards pulling out of the deal? Loss of deposit is fine, would they expect me to pay the £600 transport charge as well, or make me go ahead with the deal. I’ve not received any paperwork from them so can’t check the Ts and Cs.


Alorotom

12,661 posts

209 months

Sunday 28th September 2025
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Before it’s all done and signed I would simply expect to lose the deposit amount.

fflump

2,896 posts

60 months

Sunday 28th September 2025
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You have not seen the car let alone taken ownership of it, so I would have thought you have a right to cancel for any reason under distance selling regulations (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013) and you have a right to get your deposit back.

paul_c123

1,693 posts

15 months

Sunday 28th September 2025
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fflump said:
You have not seen the car let alone taken ownership of it, so I would have thought you have a right to cancel for any reason under distance selling regulations (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013) and you have a right to get your deposit back.
If there's nothing wrong with the car, then the OP would need to 1) not use it (just look at it); and 2) pay for return delivery, to make use of the right to return.

If there's something wrong with it, even a minor item, the OP would be able to exercise the short term right to reject (30 days) and get refunded on everything, by law. But they are likely to make it difficult.

skyebear

1,080 posts

28 months

Sunday 28th September 2025
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I doubt they'd pay for the transport until you paid for the car in full - you won't be the first customer to back out of a deal.

If the deposit was for the car then you should get this back. If the deposit was for transport and they can show they incurred costs, e.g. reserving a slot, then they can keep it, or a portion of.

Greyhound21

Original Poster:

23 posts

5 months

Sunday 28th September 2025
quotequote all
skyebear said:
I doubt they'd pay for the transport until you paid for the car in full - you won't be the first customer to back out of a deal.

If the deposit was for the car then you should get this back. If the deposit was for transport and they can show they incurred costs, e.g. reserving a slot, then they can keep it, or a portion of.
The car I’m buying was exactly the same price as my trade in so all I’m paying for is the transport and an extended warranty (which I’ve already decided to pass on till nearer the end of the manufacturer’s warranty).

Mark V GTD

2,891 posts

146 months

Sunday 28th September 2025
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paul_c123 said:
If there's nothing wrong with the car, then the OP would need to 1) not use it (just look at it); and 2) pay for return delivery, to make use of the right to return.
He hasn’t taken delivery of the car.

georgeyboy12345

4,159 posts

57 months

Sunday 28th September 2025
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Greyhound21 said:
I bought a used car from a national chain of dealers last week, due to collect this week. The car I wanted was in a branch 500 miles away so I ve paid to have it transported to the local branch. So far I ve paid a deposit of £200.

Now having read about various faults that have developed in this car I m having a major case of cold feet. Where would I stand with regards pulling out of the deal? Loss of deposit is fine, would they expect me to pay the £600 transport charge as well, or make me go ahead with the deal. I ve not received any paperwork from them so can t check the Ts and Cs.
Can we just clarify something? When you say you’ve read about the various faults that have developed in this car, do you mean this car in particular, or the car model in general? Which car is it?

Pit Pony

10,681 posts

143 months

Monday 29th September 2025
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georgeyboy12345 said:
Can we just clarify something? When you say you ve read about the various faults that have developed in this car, do you mean this car in particular, or the car model in general? Which car is it?
What usually happens is you join a one make forum 3 weeks AFTER buying a car and are horrified at the faults people are fixing.

And then over the next 70k you experience them ALL.

In this case the OP joined the forums BEFORE he got the car and decided that maybe he'd be safer not bothering.



Greyhound21

Original Poster:

23 posts

5 months

Monday 29th September 2025
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The car is a Ford Explorer, 13 months old. The faults I’m reading about are in other cars not my specific car. I’m worried about things that include total failure of the main battery, I’ve seen that mentioned a few times. Also various bits of the electronics that have left cars in the workshop for weeks at a time.

Maybe I’m worrying about nothing as I tend to do but I’m trading in my current car after just 4 months so I must get this one right.

Dave Hedgehog

15,672 posts

226 months

Monday 29th September 2025
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Greyhound21 said:
The car is a Ford Explorer, 13 months old. The faults I m reading about are in other cars not my specific car. I m worried about things that include total failure of the main battery, I ve seen that mentioned a few times. Also various bits of the electronics that have left cars in the workshop for weeks at a time.

Maybe I m worrying about nothing as I tend to do but I m trading in my current car after just 4 months so I must get this one right.
so its got the best part of 2 years warranty left, and you can buy 2 more years during the second year
I wouldnt worry about it

https://www.myfordprotect.co.uk/warranty.html

valiant

13,100 posts

182 months

Monday 29th September 2025
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I imagine you'll lose the transportion cost and they'll refund the deposit element.

They're a national chain and will be used to it happening so just call them if you have cold feet over the deal.

Red9zero

10,161 posts

79 months

Monday 29th September 2025
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valiant said:
I imagine you'll lose the transportion cost and they'll refund the deposit element.

They're a national chain and will be used to it happening so just call them if you have cold feet over the deal.
I looked at a car a while ago and that was what I was told. Transport cost was non-refundable, but the deposit would be. That was enough to make me think twice and find another car.

UKsandman

3,069 posts

160 months

Monday 29th September 2025
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Threads like this really make me feel sorry for those in the trade. They must come across complete morons like this on a regular basis.

Greyhound21

Original Poster:

23 posts

5 months

Monday 29th September 2025
quotequote all
UKsandman said:
Threads like this really make me feel sorry for those in the trade. They must come across complete morons like this on a regular basis.

Is there really any need for that?

OldGermanHeaps

4,887 posts

200 months

Monday 29th September 2025
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Where are they getting 600 for transport cost?

nordboy

2,766 posts

72 months

Monday 29th September 2025
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Greyhound21 said:
The car is a Ford Explorer, 13 months old. The faults I m reading about are in other cars not my specific car. I m worried about things that include total failure of the main battery, I ve seen that mentioned a few times. Also various bits of the electronics that have left cars in the workshop for weeks at a time.

Maybe I m worrying about nothing as I tend to do but I m trading in my current car after just 4 months so I must get this one right.
The main issue is the 12v battery, not the main battery. But you can read a few that have had the issue, then 100's who have had absolutely no issues in many thousands of miles.

Not that I want to jinx myself, but we've had ours a month and it's really much better than i thought it would be, 0 issues apart from octopus dicking us about with installing our home charger.

We bought ours, 7 months old and less than 3500 miles on it, from probably the same dealer as you have and paid £23000 less than Ford main dealer wanted. I'm happy with our choice, I say our, more my wifes, happy wife....happy life.

Greyhound21

Original Poster:

23 posts

5 months

Monday 29th September 2025
quotequote all
OldGermanHeaps said:
Where are they getting 600 for transport cost?
To be fair to them it was from London to Aberdeen so not just a couple of hundred miles.

Greyhound21

Original Poster:

23 posts

5 months

Monday 29th September 2025
quotequote all
nordboy said:
The main issue is the 12v battery, not the main battery. But you can read a few that have had the issue, then 100's who have had absolutely no issues in many thousands of miles.

Not that I want to jinx myself, but we've had ours a month and it's really much better than i thought it would be, 0 issues apart from octopus dicking us about with installing our home charger.

We bought ours, 7 months old and less than 3500 miles on it, from probably the same dealer as you have and paid £23000 less than Ford main dealer wanted. I'm happy with our choice, I say our, more my wifes, happy wife....happy life.
I have seen a few posts on here about the main battery going kaput but I’m probably overthinking it. After messing up my last purchase I can’t afford another one.

Glad you are getting on well with yours, you don’t see many of them on the road round these parts.