[Help] Car dealership being pants - advice please!

[Happy Exile]

Would appreciate advice from the great minds here! We had a PCP agreement on a car which we traded in with a large local firm in early December. All good. I won't name them yet just in case by some chance they actually act appropriately. The agreement we have with the finance company expires on 1st Jan at which point the full settlement figure is due. For whatever reason that dealership decided to pay the settlement figure due from the trade-in by cheque and it hasn't yet arrived with the finance company, yet the finance agreement being with us means we're liable for non-payment when the agreement expires.

The finance company are being good and giving us a few days grace before they take action against us to get the money, but funds must be cleared before a date which will in no way happen now with closures over new year and payment by cheque. The dealership aren't replying to emails or returning calls after one, single response saying it was out of their control and the cheque had been sent by head office and there was nothing they could do. Finding contact information for their head office is impossible.

I've been proactive suggesting solutions (we somehow try and find the funds for example, pay the balance and recoup it from the dealership) that they've not responded to at all, and we have been unfailingly polite throughout. The finance company recommendation is that I go and sit in the dealership and basically cause a nuisance until they do a bank transfer to pay the balance and cancel the cheque they've sent.

It's all meant an incredibly stressful Christmas anticipating legal action being taken against us for non-payment. Do I have any other option? Do I have any rights at all if my credit rating is affected as a consequence of their incompetence? Other than naming and shaming them here and on every review site going is there anything else I can do? Thanks

 

[razer]

I didn't realise businesses still used cheques? I won't take cheques or cash as there are no bank branches left to pay them in.

 

[Originunknown]

That's unusual, normally done by Bacs transfer which would suggest they may want to delay the payment until Jan on purpose

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Explain the predicament and ask the dealership to cancel the cheque and request an immediate BACS payment - give them your sort code and account number.

Sounds like they're just eeking out a bit of cash-flow management
I'd also say that if they are unwilling to do this, you will hold them liable for any charges the finance company make on you.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

I'd be sitting in the dealership.

Firstly I would have expected a warning letter of impending action from the finance company and maybe charges. Keeping them informed will help especially if you can prove the existence of proper paperwork relating to the payment from the dealership. Keep an eye on your credit rating as you can get things changed if necessary to reflect the real events.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I didn't realise businesses still used cheques? I won't take cheques or cash as there are no bank branches left to pay them in.

You can pay cheques in online. Take a photo with your phone of both sides, upload it onto the banking app.

 

[Icy Gull]

You can pay cheques in online. Take a photo with your phone of both sides, upload it onto the banking app.

There is a limit on online cheques, almost certainly no more than 1k from memory

 

[talk2knighty]

Go and sit In dealership, they’ll be open today and tomorrow, don’t put it off, alternatively send the wife down…..

 

[talk2knighty]

There is a limit on online cheques, almost certainly no more than 1k from memory

Correct, the above is National Westminster.

 

[Weststander]

I'll name them for you ....

.... Harwoods Bentley.

 

[drew]

If you got legal expenses on either your household or motor policies, give the helpline a ring. See if there is any action you can take against the dealership at the very least to cover your out of pocket expenses!!

 

[LamieRobertson]

There is a limit on online cheques, almost certainly no more than 1k from memory

My business account has a limit of £500…covers a couple of hours of my work

All the best to the OP..can he contact the HO direct? ..start putting in writing the idea that he will look to recover costs …possible effect on credit rating ..stress it wasn’t his idea to pay them direct etc etc ..always confirm telecons in ‘writing’

Also gave they a Facebook page ..perhaps start posting the aggravation you are having ..they won’t like bad publicity

 

[Thunder Bolt]

There is a limit on online cheques, almost certainly no more than 1k from memory

The only time I received a cheque higher than that, it went into the building society at the branch, so I wasn’t aware of the limit.

 

[studio150]

The December strike days were announced in the middle of November, therefore any competent company would have been fully aware of the potential issues of late delivery when combined with traditional Christmas post.
Also as the garage were operating as your agents in this matter, you will obviously have recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service although this does not help you in the short term as you will need to go through the complaint process with the garage.
Personally I would be down the garage speaking to every customer that comes in, and telling them how poor the garage had treated you and suggesting that they take their business elsewhere.

 

[Triggaaar]

Go and sit In dealership, they’ll be open today and tomorrow, don’t put it off, alternatively send the wife down…..

Jesus, it's a bit early to go full nuclear.

 

[Happy Exile]

Thanks everyone, great advice here as I knew there would be! Amazingly, within an hour of posting this there was finally a response and the dealership taking action...it's almost like someone there reads the forum. Outcome is they've contacted the finance company to explain it's not our responsibility but theirs that there is a delay, they have asked to ensure there is a note on the file and no action is taken against us, they're cancelling the cheque, and they are doing a bank transfer. All's well that ends well I guess, but never going to trust what a dealer tells us again. Thanks all.

 

[Sirnormangall]

Thanks everyone, great advice here as I knew there would be! Amazingly, within an hour of posting this there was finally a response and the dealership taking action...it's almost like someone there reads the forum. Outcome is they've contacted the finance company to explain it's not our responsibility but theirs that there is a delay, they have asked to ensure there is a note on the file and no action is taken against us, they're cancelling the cheque, and they are doing a bank transfer. All's well that ends well I guess, but never going to trust what a dealer tells us again. Thanks all.

Good to hear. The dealership probably read the post above that suggested you send the wife to sort it