keyless-go-less-S-Class

[alexbligh]

Just to clarify, I originally ordered a new car, full spec, to be given a delivery date in Feb/Mar. The dealer then said "but I have a new cancellation car, which has all the features you want (except DAB radio), and a host more, and I can do you a better discount on it". I accepted this having been assured the car was new. At this point it had already done the 150 miles (which the dealer now accepts) though the rep claims he didn't know of this.

The current story from the dealers is the car was ordered for X who worked in the city. A driven delivery was made from the dealer to X, and X rejected it (they haven't said why). This does not explain why it was parked in either a supermarket car park or in a residential area, but I expect the consequent mileage might well be very reason why X rejected it! It would thus have been driven on trade plates. I do not find it hard to believe that the individual sales guy concerned did not know this at the time, however I find it hard to believe he didn't find out pretty quick when I first pointed it out (without the aid of the tracker logs).

I have currently been offered something rather paltry to clear things up, but due to traveling and pressure of work I have not yet been able to respond. I think if I am to keep the car, given the other problems, compensation should be significant.

 

[glojo]

Hi Alex,
With the very greatest of respect you are being played. I am not present at your meetings and have never met the sales staff and they might be the most honest, decent people you have ever met BUT........ The car was NOT new, it was second-hand. It was rejected by the original owner and palmed off onto you. It should never have been on trade plates doing the shopping, or parking up in a residential area. It can be demonstrated to a prospective customer, it can be delivered by an employee of the garage, or taken for a test run, but NOT to go shopping, or out to the drivers home address for whatever reason. The car is second-hand and they are pulling at your heart strings. You will be convinced they are decent folks, they will try to convince you that they are offering you a good deal, but they are not.

If they are sincere, then ask for a refund and then watch the sincerity??? It may well still be there, or they might play poker and say:

"Yes we will give you a refund, but there is a long waiting list for a new S-classd and this car is an unbelievable bargain which you will be crazy to refuse!"

They will then cross their fingers and hope that you swallow the bait.

Is it possible to speak to the original owner to see why the car was rejected? The dealer will probably say the finance fell through, or other suspect excuse. I weould be concerned about accident damage. Was the car delivered to the first owner in a damaged condition? The dealer will never own up to that explanation, but why was the car rejected?

As you can see, I am still mad over the way you have been treated and this has not placated me. Three dsays wsithout sleep and I'm ga - ga, so apologies if I am too OTT.

Good luck with the decision, but pklewase let your brain rule your heart. It is a nivce car,m but it is a second-hand car.

Kind regards
John

 

[C43AMG]

Hi Alex,
With the very greatest of respect you are being played. I am not present at your meetings and have never met the sales staff and they might be the most honest, decent people you have ever met BUT........ The car was NOT new, it was second-hand. It was rejected by the original owner and palmed off onto you. It should never have been on trade plates doing the shopping, or parking up in a residential area. It can be demonstrated to a prospective customer, it can be delivered by an employee of the garage, or taken for a test run, but NOT to go shopping, or out to the drivers home address for whatever reason. The car is second-hand and they are pulling at your heart strings. You will be convinced they are decent folks, they will try to convince you that they are offering you a good deal, but they are not.

If they are sincere, then ask for a refund and then watch the sincerity??? It may well still be there, or they might play poker and say:

"Yes we will give you a refund, but there is a long waiting list for a new S-class and this car is an unbelievable bargain which you will be crazy to refuse!"

They will then cross their fingers and hope that you swallow the bait.

Is it possible to speak to the original owner to see why the car was rejected? The dealer will probably say the finance fell through, or other suspect excuse. I would be concerned about accident damage. Was the car delivered to the first owner in a damaged condition? The dealer will never own up to that explanation, but why was the car rejected?

As you can see, I am still mad over the way you have been treated and this has not placated me. Three days without sleep and I'm ga - ga, so apologies if I am too OTT.

Good luck with the decision, but please let your brain rule your heart. It is a nice car, but it is a second-hand car.

Kind regards
John

John couldn't agree with you more.

 

[DansSlk]

John couldn't agree with more.

Ditto

 

[Rory]

The current story from the dealers is the car was ordered for X who worked in the city. A driven delivery was made from the dealer to X, and X rejected it (they haven't said why). This does not explain why it was parked in either a supermarket car park or in a residential area, but I expect the consequent mileage might well be very reason why X rejected it! It would thus have been driven on trade plates.

I don't understand the trade plates bit - if the car was being delivered to a customer then it would be registered and taxed. The dealers insurance would cover it anyway, they wouldn't need to have trade plates on it.

If it's a cancelled order, are you the second owner? Or was the dealer able to cancel the registration (I believe this can be done if a car is registered in error) and the re-register it to you as first owner?

 

[alexbligh]

Ah, an interesting point. I suspect that's exactly what happened as it would explain why Tracker had the wrong registration number associated with the vehicle to start off with.

 

[glojo]

Ah, an interesting point. I suspect that's exactly what happened as it would explain why Tracker had the wrong registration number associated with the vehicle to start off with.

Are you suggesting you are the second owner? I cannot see how the vehicle can receive one set of registration plates, used on the public highways, then have that registration number completely removed without trace? We are not talking about cherished numbers here are we?

I accept the dealer might put the wrong number on in error but once the thing is registered, taxed and used on the highway, I thought that was game over?

Regards
John the confused

 

[Birdman]

I recently bought a new VW Phaeton luxo-barge with 7 miles on it. The supplying dealership was on the other side of the country; I agreed for it to be driven to my home and it had 235 miles displayed on delivery, as I had anticipated.

I don't consider it was secondhand except in the legal sense that it was pre-registered with the V5 showing the dealership as the first registered owner. I was happy with that since everything had been spelled out to me well beforehand and I was offered a big discount.

I was given a short tutorial on the car's controls and accessories by an experienced delivery driver and a week later received a follow-up call from the dealership. The manufacturer also called me to enquire whether I was satisfied with the state of the car and with the dealer's service. The dealer's call was to enquire if I needed any further help to understand the many different settings and accessories.

Anything less from a Mercedes dealership is in my opinion, unforgiveable. Above all, evasion, subterfuge and indifference when dealing with a customer, in particular when they are buying a new prestige vehicle, shows a bad organisational culture which I imagine Milton Keynes would very much want to know about. That's their job after all.