Car Craft complaint - Mis selling a faulty vehicle

[jessicac67]

I bought a car from your Leeds branch on 3rd September. I was originally buying the car for £7532.10 with one year free mot servicing and warranty.

I couldn’t get the full finance from one company and I would have to take it out in two parts. I paid £600 deposit had one loan of £61320 from Blackhorse and the remaining from All In One Finance.

The interest with Blackhorse was extremely high and I was not going to purchase the car. I was told that as part of the agreement with black horse it that I had to have 5 years warranty with it, she said not to worry this would be free with the finance being through Blackhorse.

 

I decided to go ahead and buy the car knowing it had 5 years service, mot and warranty; I had previously had problems with my car so this way I knew I was covered. I went into a room with a different person who basically told me where to sign on the numerous sheets of paper;

I had been at the branch from around 10am and finally left with my car new car at around 5pm to be honest I didn’t read the paperwork I just signed where he told me to sign.

 

I got home and was looking through my paperwork, I worked out that Car Craft had charged me near £1995 more than agreed. I went in the following day and spoke to someone working in finance who told me all he was able to do was reduce the amount by just over £500 (I can’t remember the exact figure) but that the warranty would be taken off.

 

As you can expect I was not happy, I explained that I was told that this was free so why would £500 be taken off in any instance? He advised that I speak to the lady who arrange my finance to discuss this.

I rang her when she was back in the office and she advised that she had made a mistake on the finance at it was her fault she was sorry and that I would need to go in and re-sign all of my paperwork.

 

I went in a couple of days later to do this.After two months of having the vehicle the service light came on, I rang the service department at the Leeds branch and explained I had warranty with the vehicle and I had not long bought the car and asked how often it needed to be serviced and asked if it needed interim services because I had warranty?

They advised me that this would be within manufactures guidelines. I researched this with my vehicle not coming with a manual to find it didn’t need a service yet.

I was never told that the car wasn’t serviced when I bought it and that it needed servicing within 6 months or 6000 miles.

 

From buying the car it has always seemed to be a bit sluggish to start. I though this was just with it being a diesel as I had never had a diesel before.A warning light then came on my vehicle around a month later;

I researched this on the online handbook to see it was the emission warning light. I again rang the Leeds service department and I was told to take it on the motorway for a good run as it was a common fault with this vehicle that carbon builds up in it.I did this the warning light went off.

 

Since the light has come back on, the car has really struggled to start. I booked it into the Leeds Service department. They looked at the car and rang me back to tell me that my warranty was void as I had not had it serviced and that it was 6 week late for the service, I was told I would pay to get it fixed and it would be £170.

 

For starters I had rang up about the service for advice and was informed wrongly, and I had also rang about the fault with my vehicle about 4 months prior to the light coming on again – if I was told in the first instance to bring my car in I would not have had this problem.

 

At this point I was disgusted with the service I had received from start to finish. I feel that Car Craft had waited until after the 6 months was up just so that the warranty would be void.

I don’t have any terms and conditions for the warranty nor was this explained to me when buying the vehicle. All they told me that is the car had a 120 point check. I assumed the car was serviced as it normally is when you buy a car from a big company.I told them to go ahead and fix my car as my partner needs the car to get to work.

 

I was then told they would be able to reinstate my warranty. I was then told that it wouldn’t be reinstated and I would loose my 12 MONTH WARRANT?? I then questioned why it was 12 months. I was told that I had gone back in a week after purchasing the 5 year warranty to take it off again?? I explained to the finance department in the Leeds office that this was never the case. I explained all of this to him, he advised that it would never be a condition of finance that warranty is needed and that the warranty wasn’t free.

 

If this was the case I would never have bought the vehicle, the vehicle had been greatly mis sold to me under the pretence that it would be covered if I had any problems with it. the lady basically lied to me so that i would buy the car!My car still isnt starting correctly and I have it booked back in with car craft,

 

I have also spoke to my local garage who has said that the EGR valve I had replaced with car craft woundnt effect how the car starts just the running of the car - i have had a quote of £400 for the Cam belt to be replaced as this is the fault so I have now paid £170 to car craft for nothing and the car still needs repairing which is going to be at least £400 - Sorry its abit long - I just wanted to give you the full story -- Any one got any advice????

Edited April 25, 2012 by jessicac67

[dx100uk]

please use the edit and add some blank lines

 

dx

[scaniaman]

I was recently advised that CarCraft has been prosecuted by the OFT. I think you should tell your story to your MP and ask him to forward it to Mr. John Fingleton ceo of the OFT.

[jessicac67]

Thanks for the advised I think I will do that.

[Guest Carcraft Customer Service Manager]

Hi JessicaI can see this complaint has been passed on to a specific department in the business, they tried to call you on Friday unfortunately there was no answer, but a voicemail was left.If they left a number i advise you call them back at your earliest convenience, otherwise i will inform them to call you again this afternoon.Many thanksLinzi

[dx100uk]

and PS.....warranty has nothing to do with it either

 

SOGA is your friend here:

 

http://www.oft.gov.uk/business-advice/treating-customers-fairly/sogahome/forcustomers

 

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer1_cars_and_other_vehicles_e/cars_buying_a_secondhand_car_e.htm

 

dx

[karen3764]

Hi Jessica, I have just read through your article and cannot believe the similarities between your and my daughters predicament. She too bought a car from Leeds carcraft in January, and was told exactly yhe same thing as you regarding the black horse finance and having to take out tha all in one finance too, I am on with trying to get somewhere, (NOWHERE may I add with car craft) who deem that a 20 year old, was sold a car worth £6500, Was charged £10,995, was rushed into signing a finance agreement, was told the car was fully warrantied, Had full service history, (not) had a 120 point inspection, not according to an independant inspection by Evans Halshaw cost £60, 2 weeks after purchase, that the car would not pass an mot!! My advice is to get in touch with the OFT and also contact Black Horse and tell them as they have been fantastic with us,they are sending us a report document to fill in and return, after all they own the car until the finance is repaid. Please email me if you would like any help.

[jessicac67]

Hi,

Well since getting my car back from car craft after them replacing the EGR valve, Driving back from work at first the car wouldnt start up properly again, the endine started making a really loud noise and started smelling of burning rubber. I took my car to my local garage (couldnt get it back to car craft as wouldnt make it to leeds from huddersfield car craft have invalidated my warrenty meaning I now dont have breakdown cover to get it there even if i wanted to).

My local garage have done a full service and had to replace timing belt, water pump battery. costing £550 (thats now £720 in a couple of days My local garage have told me that the car is in really bad condition inside he has given me all the parts back and told me car craft shouldnt have even let me drive it out of their service station as it wasnt road worthy - the piston could have shot through the engine apparently. He said there is no way they have done a 120 point check and the car looks like it has never had a service it is a 2007 car the car still has original oil filter etc. They said it needs new brake pads and have said that the problems with the vehicle especcialy the tensioner on the timing belt are definaltly not wear and tear from the last 7 months! He said it looks like it has been run and run and run then cleaned and sold.

 

I have contacted my local MP he is going to contact Car Craft on my behalf in regards to my issues and has advised me to contact the examiner newspaper and just let them know my story.

 

Linzi I have rang them back they have just said they will be in contact with me within 8 weeks.

 

DX100UK - Thanks the attachment are very helpful!!

 

Karen3764 - I have contacted blackhorse - the only problem is that I have now paid off my finance with them with a different loan witth lower interest I only did this a few months ago. The car is no longer belonging to them so they cant help. To be honest they are really good they helped me alot in the first intance when I went back to car craft after being over charged they deal with complaints brilliantly! Anyway I will take your advice and contact OFT so thanks for that. I think car craft saw me coming a young girl buying a car they just tell you anything to sell you the car - I was told the car had service history with it too. they didnt tell me it was partial (I have since fould out that this partial service history is 1 interim service 6 months after new) I have contacted the last 2 MOT centres who have confirmed that they never did services either - how can car craft sell a car in that condition! I have asked car craft for a copy of the 120 point check that was done on the car so waiting for that to come through.

 

This website is brilliant for advise and getting to understand you right. so many help pages so thankyou so much it has really helped me!!

[submissiveguy]

So sorry to read this I feel very lucky to get away from Car Craft I was going to buy a car from them last year, and when I had a test drive on a zafira the engine management light come on, and the salesman said oh it's a new car and has not been driven and will sort it out??? Yeah right I've heard that one before. I will make sure I avoid this place I wish you all the luck hun

[sailor sam]

Jessica, no doubt Linzi (Car Craft Customer Service Rep) will want to get involved before you you take legal action which will be followed closely on here. I suggest that you give her a couple of days before taking the matter further.

 

She knows we are watching.

[Guest Carcraft Customer Service Manager]

Hi JessicaI am so sorry to hear about the issue you are having, i am keeping my eye on this, due the department your complaint has gone to, they have 8 weeks to respond, however i am sure this will be a lot sooner. i will email them and make them aware.Many thanksLinzi

[sailor sam]

With respect Linzi, based on the OP's account, I certainly wouldn't wait 8 weeks for a response... it would be in court well before that.

[Guest Carcraft Customer Service Manager]

No i understand that Sam, they have 8 weeks to respond this is the official guidline. As noted above i will make them aware. Thanks

[karen3764]

Hi Jessica,

thanks for your help and all you others out there,

I'm so glad i've found this forum and the advice on it after many sleepless nights of worrying about what to do.

 

My daughter,fiona, also considered re financing the car, but thankfully havn't, as black horse are being fantastic,

we are awaiting an independant inspection from them anyday now, as they were horrified to hear of our ordeal.

 

My son (fiona's half brother) was killed in a road traffic accident 2 years ago age 27,

it was through him leaving money to fiona that she was in a position to use this money towards her car,

hence I thought by going to carcraft she would get a good quality decent car.

 

Like you, she was not given any service history,or documented evidence that the car had a 120 point inspection,

indeed it was only by chance that we found some paperwork under the seat,that we discovered it had been a lease car and not serviced since October 2011.

 

Like you, fiona spent over 6hours, waiting for paperwork to be produced, she was rushed in to signing without the chance to read it all in depth as they were closing!!

but because she was told thers was a 14 day cooling off period, she felt she was safe.

 

The following day, on reading everything with us, she rang carcraf,explained that she felt unhappy with the deal,

and that the car didn't drive well home, but was told that she could exchange the car but nothing more,

she was stuck for 5 years, with a car worth 4k less than she paid for it,

 

when it broke down a month later, it had to be taken on a truck from Bridlington, to Leeds for repair.

Fiona, myself and partner (who owns his own private ambulance company) travelled to Leeds 1 week later to collect the car,

we asked to speak with someone in authority who would be able to try and rectify the situation,

 

the sales manager came to speak with us, but his attitute was arrogant and rude,

saying that fiona was old enought to know what she was signing,and that she should of shopped around.

(NOT AT 9PM at night, 2 hours away from home, after being told that the car she had P/X was not safe to drive!) sounds like a hard sell!!

 

My partner decided to give them 1 last chance to sort it out before we left,

the sales manager just told him to "Go and block up the M1", bearing in mind he's been an ambulance technician for 30 years, didn't go down well at all, so we left.

 

The following morning, we took the car to the technician who services all our ambulances (he was a fleet manager for the NHS ambulance service prior to retiring)

He condemed the car as unsafe due to the brakes being corroded, the handbrake being loose, and the suspension boot link being broken,

evans halshaw vauxhall also confirmed this that same week.

 

We notified car craft of their findings, sending them the report, showing all the faults, they allowed repairs to the brakes at our local halfords, but nothing more.

 

so thats where we are up to at the minute, our company solicitors have advised us to go through all the appropriate channels 1st,

which we are doing, the OFT have been great, so thank you again for the support. if anyone has any further advice,