What Not To Do If You Have A Problem With A Dealer
Thursday, 29. September 2011
I recently had a note from someone who was having major problems with a dealership over a fault that developed in his new car. The problem was taking far too long to resolve and the client was getting very frustrated. Even contacting the manufacturer didn’t seem to work so in a fit of rage he called the finance company, who legally still owned the car, and told them to sort the problem out with the dealer and stopped his direct debit, refusing to pay until the problem was resolved. Bad move.
The trouble now is that he has gone into arrears with his finance agreement and that will affect his ability in the future to obtain credit.
The one thing you shouldn’t do is stop paying the finance which is a totally different agreement to that of the supply of the goods.
The finance company carries a lot of weight and can put pressure on the dealer and the manufacturer to resolve the problem, especially if there is a ‘fit for purpose’ issue which could cause the car to be returned.
If this happens to you get the Office of Fair Trading involved, write to the finance company and ask them to assist and finally if that doesn’t get the problem solved contact the Financial Ombudsman Service.
But don’t stop your payments as this can escalate the problem and leave you with bad credit long after the car problem has been fixed. By Graham Hill
