Vehicle Delivery Scam Exposed
Monday, 7. March 2011
A good friend of mine reports on the crooked activities of the motor industry and has recently expressed his concerns over the direction that many of the online (bucket shop) advertisers as well as even some lenders are going. The latest scam revolves around delivery of your new car. The driver turns up with your car and an invoice for £250 delivery charge. They even carry with them a GPS credit card terminal on which you can make the payment. They point out the charge was included in the agreement that you have signed, which it may well have been, but as most people don’t read agreements you either end up paying the bill or the car is taken back under the threat that it will then have to be re-delivered and you will have to pay for the re-delivery, another £250.
Some funders started charging for collections of vehicles a few years ago. After a lender had tried to charge a client of mine £150 per van to collect 2 x end of contract vehicles I kicked up such a stink that they stopped the practice but it seems that the current economic times have caused lenders to start making unreasonable charges again. Along the same lines is the growing practice of charging high documentation fees.
Far too many people are being drawn in with the use of often non-existent headline contract hire rates only to find a raft of charges and fees sitting behind them. Often only finding out when the documentation fee or arrangement fee, in some cases up to £500, is taken out of your bank account with the first monthly rental. Too late to challenge it as it would have been tucked away in the terms and conditions. Have you been ripped off with delivery/collection charges or fees? Let us know. By Graham Hill
