Mercland has the worst customer service

[tsourorf]

The following is not imaginary. It's my real story for the GLC 250d I bought from Mercland past September. The plate was LP65UWY.

I went all the way to Mercland to see the car before I buy it. It had a few cosmetic flaws, and the seller (Carl) told me they would rectify all of them before delivery. I should have seen it coming when Carl said the first lie. That the car has just been made available for sale (instead of 1 month before that they had posted on MBClub.co.uk). I asked if they would lower the price instead of fixing the flaws I found. Carl went and asked Jay to confirm that the price wouldn't budge and that they would fix all the issues. We agreed (in writing) and I gave deposit.

They wouldn't let me know when the car would be delivered so that I could take insurance beforehand and avoid high last-minute prices. They delivered 3 weeks later and had only fixed 2 out of 18 agreed issues. They agreed to take the car back to fix the rest and a couple more that I found (One was faulty suspension, so, more serious). They kept the car for 1 whole month at their premises and they disconnected my dashcam during that period, so I wouldn't be able to have any record of what they were or weren't doing.

They returned the car (2 months after I paid for it) and the delivery driver gave me the key, took off with the courtesy car (Which was stinking of smoke, and I was unable to use) and never told me that the engine light came on while he was driving. Next morning, I received a call from Mercland to tell me that the driver was scared I wouldn't accept the car. Of course I wouldn't! Who would? Email exchange included angry e-mails from director Jay Manek telling me off because 'I expected a new car while this was a used one'. If you didn't want to fix the initial issues I spotted Mr Manek, why did you agree (in writing) to fix them in the first place?

Anyway, they told me it costs a lot to send a driver again, so, they'd rather I take it locally to be diagnosed (As long as it's not a Mercedes garage). Diagnostics at my local Halfords showed faulty upstream NOx sensor. Mercedes guidelines say that if one of the NOx sensors are reported as faulty, both must be replaced. Mercland would only agree to change one of them. The replacement was done and, surprise surprise, four days later, engine light back on! Diagnostic showed exactly what I already knew. That the downstream NOx sensor was reported as faulty now!

I officially asked to return the car in accordance with my consumer rights for a short-period rejection (if a fault is reported within the first 30 days and the trader did not resolve it in their first attempt, the consumer is entitled to a full refund and the return of the vehicle). Mercland declined the return of the car and said this is a new issue. Immediate e-mail responses from Jay saying he has already ordered the part and is posting it to me shortly. Really showed his character there once again.

I am glad I bought the car through financing with Carmoola. They have been amazing throughout this claim. Especially the handler of my case, Hayley, really went above and beyond to relieve as much stress as she could. Unfortunately, Jay has made things extremely difficult even for Carmoola and, eventually, we agreed to pay the 'fair' (Completely unfair) cost of the milage I did in the meanwhile. Mercland has created so much stress to me that cannot be described here. If this wasn't the family car that I really needed to replace, I would take Jay and Mercland to court for the return and full refund, plus compensation for the lost time and stress he caused.

My first suggestion would be to stay well away from Mercland! If you absolutely must deal with them, make sure you have photos of everything, and that all communication is in writing! It really is needed. Beware! Stay away from Mercland!!!

Here is a list of all the issues this particular car had when it left my hands:
- Engine light on with downstream NOx sensor being reported as faulty. Engineer at Halfords told me that the ECU might have an issue too.
- Right headlight has a lot of condensation. It certainly needs replacing.
- Second key fob has some issue as I replaced the battery and it still is reported as 'battery low' on the car dash
- There is a weird sound from the air ducts a few minutes after engine starts and air con is on
- The fuel tank door does not spring out (Mercland ordered the part and sent it over to me but I never got the chance to replace it before sending the car back)
- Right hinge of the boot floor is bent forward and the boot floor pops out when lifted
- Right rear suspension is lower than the left. That happened after they replaced/fixed the left one. Might be just a matter of adjustment or the right one is falling apart slowly and needs replacing too.
- I am sure I am missing more issues that I can't remember at the moment.

I did not want to post anything as soon as the car left my driveway to get back to Mercland because it would harm the last phase of the agreement between Mercland and Carmoola. I now realize that Mercland was waiting for the car to be sold in order to pay Carmoola back. That is another indication of how they operate. Never deal with Mercland!!!

 

[W1ghty]

The following is not imaginary. It's my real story for the GLC 250d I bought from Mercland past September. The plate was LP65UWY.

I went all the way to Mercland to see the car before I buy it. It had a few cosmetic flaws, and the seller (Carl) told me they would rectify all of them before delivery. I should have seen it coming when Carl said the first lie. That the car has just been made available for sale (instead of 1 month before that they had posted on MBClub.co.uk). I asked if they would lower the price instead of fixing the flaws I found. Carl went and asked Jay to confirm that the price wouldn't budge and that they would fix all the issues. We agreed (in writing) and I gave deposit.

They wouldn't let me know when the car would be delivered so that I could take insurance beforehand and avoid high last-minute prices. They delivered 3 weeks later and had only fixed 2 out of 18 agreed issues. They agreed to take the car back to fix the rest and a couple more that I found (One was faulty suspension, so, more serious). They kept the car for 1 whole month at their premises and they disconnected my dashcam during that period, so I wouldn't be able to have any record of what they were or weren't doing.

They returned the car (2 months after I paid for it) and the delivery driver gave me the key, took off with the courtesy car (Which was stinking of smoke, and I was unable to use) and never told me that the engine light came on while he was driving. Next morning, I received a call from Mercland to tell me that the driver was scared I wouldn't accept the car. Of course I wouldn't! Who would? Email exchange included angry e-mails from director Jay Manek telling me off because 'I expected a new car while this was a used one'. If you didn't want to fix the initial issues I spotted Mr Manek, why did you agree (in writing) to fix them in the first place?

Anyway, they told me it costs a lot to send a driver again, so, they'd rather I take it locally to be diagnosed (As long as it's not a Mercedes garage). Diagnostics at my local Halfords showed faulty upstream NOx sensor. Mercedes guidelines say that if one of the NOx sensors are reported as faulty, both must be replaced. Mercland would only agree to change one of them. The replacement was done and, surprise surprise, four days later, engine light back on! Diagnostic showed exactly what I already knew. That the downstream NOx sensor was reported as faulty now!

I officially asked to return the car in accordance with my consumer rights for a short-period rejection (if a fault is reported within the first 30 days and the trader did not resolve it in their first attempt, the consumer is entitled to a full refund and the return of the vehicle). Mercland declined the return of the car and said this is a new issue. Immediate e-mail responses from Jay saying he has already ordered the part and is posting it to me shortly. Really showed his character there once again.

I am glad I bought the car through financing with Carmoola. They have been amazing throughout this claim. Especially the handler of my case, Hayley, really went above and beyond to relieve as much stress as she could. Unfortunately, Jay has made things extremely difficult even for Carmoola and, eventually, we agreed to pay the 'fair' (Completely unfair) cost of the milage I did in the meanwhile. Mercland has created so much stress to me that cannot be described here. If this wasn't the family car that I really needed to replace, I would take Jay and Mercland to court for the return and full refund, plus compensation for the lost time and stress he caused.

My first suggestion would be to stay well away from Mercland! If you absolutely must deal with them, make sure you have photos of everything, and that all communication is in writing! It really is needed. Beware! Stay away from Mercland!!!

Here is a list of all the issues this particular car had when it left my hands:
- Engine light on with downstream NOx sensor being reported as faulty. Engineer at Halfords told me that the ECU might have an issue too.
- Right headlight has a lot of condensation. It certainly needs replacing.
- Second key fob has some issue as I replaced the battery and it still is reported as 'battery low' on the car dash
- There is a weird sound from the air ducts a few minutes after engine starts and air con is on
- The fuel tank door does not spring out (Mercland ordered the part and sent it over to me but I never got the chance to replace it before sending the car back)
- Right hinge of the boot floor is bent forward and the boot floor pops out when lifted
- Right rear suspension is lower than the left. That happened after they replaced/fixed the left one. Might be just a matter of adjustment or the right one is falling apart slowly and needs replacing too.
- I am sure I am missing more issues that I can't remember at the moment.

I did not want to post anything as soon as the car left my driveway to get back to Mercland because it would harm the last phase of the agreement between Mercland and Carmoola. I now realize that Mercland was waiting for the car to be sold in order to pay Carmoola back. That is another indication of how they operate. Never deal with Mercland!!!

You really are in the minority of anyone that says a bad word about them buddy .

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Welcome to www.mbclub.co.uk. Sorry to hear of your problems.
Why did you accept the car, twice, with so many faults? Isn't it more normal to make a deposit and then only pay when satisfied?

Mercland have a very long, and well documented, history with many satisfied buyers on here.

Your story, as a complete newcomer to the forum, seems very curious. Are you sure this isn't just buyer's regret?

As for the chat about taking such a story to court to get compensation, you'd best talk to your solicitor about that. You'd be wasting a great deal of your own time and money.

Brave move to have raised finance through Carmoola, that new Ukrainian fintech. Not many would have risked cash transfers on such a newcomer. All kinds of legal, regulatory, money laundering and finance risks there. Not at all surprised that there were delays in passing a Ukrainian firm refund payments.

 

[Dryce]

Welcome to www.mbclub.co.uk. Sorry to hear of your problems.
Why did you accept the car, twice, with so many faults?
Mercland have a very long, and well documented, history with many satisfied buyers on here.

Your story, as a complete newcomer to the forum, seems very curious. Are you sure this isn't just buyer's regret?

As for the chat about taking such a story to court to get compensation, you'd best talk to your solicitor about that. You'd be wasting a great deal of your own time and money.

I think the fundamentals here are:

- Buyer sensibly picks out issues prior to sale - but notably tries and fails to negotiate on price - so some known issues
- After a repair car is delivered back by seller with engine check light on
- buyer and finance company manage to come to some sort of settlement with the seller and vehicle is returned

Oh dear.

And yes buyer has added a lot of additional detail such as the engagement with Halfords - but that's usual for somebody a bit upset - everything gets added into the complaint.

The vendor has a good reputation here. If the buyer has used this site as a reference prior to dealing with that vendor - then it's not curious that the buyer might post here.

Selling and buying 9 year old cars can be a bit fraught. I think that the title of the post could be toned down - it's almost certainly a false assertion.

 

[gazchaz01]

You really are in the minority of anyone that says a bad word about them buddy .

No he’s not!!

 

[markjay]

Sorry to hear about your poor experience with the new (to you) car.

Just to correct a point you made, regarding the right to reject the car for a full refund within 30 days.

The fault that you said would have been the reason for rejection (the EML for the first NOx sensor) was encountered two months after you bought the car. So at this point, the disagreement on whether the second EML for the other NOx sensor is the same fault or a separate new fault is academic.

I appreciate that the dealer had your car for a couple of months, but from the legal perspective, the clock for the 30 days started ticking when you first took delivery of the car, and regardless of whether the dealer then took it back for correcting the issues that should have been dealt with prior to delivery. The correct legal resolution is therefore what you ended up doing, i.e. reject the car against refund less 'fair cost' for the mileage used.

On another note, consider yourself lucky for not ending up with the GLC 250d, because Mercedes Benz EU6 Diesels with the AdBlue system are well known to be a money pit, the NOx sensors failing are likely just the begining of a long saga (which, luckily for you, will not unfold under your ownership).

 

[philnewmerc]

I won't take side because I know little of either, but, when people give glowing references it means little if they are for 'great car, great service' etc. What really makes positive feedback is 'car was trouble but the seller fixed/refunded without it becoming stressful'... I am yet to read one of those about a used car trader, I think it is always buyer beware.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

On another note, consider yourself lucky for not ending up with the GLC 250d, because Mercedes Benz EU6 Diesels with the AdBlue system are well known to be a money pit, the NOx sensors failing are likely just the begining of a long saga (which, luckily for you, will not unfold under your ownership).

And on another note, consider yourself lucky for returning the GLC250d, because of the crabbing issue which has been with those vehicles from new.

Which you may have discovered while it was in your hands?

I know three people who are still infuriated with the problems that they have had - from new - because of the way that the factory routed the RHD version of the car. Various "solutions" get floated, like winter wheels and tyres, but they're still an unsatisfactory workaround.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

You don't have to be David E Kelley to know that every dispute has two sides, both of which need to be taken with a grain of salt and with an understanding of the realities of buying an old car.

One side is well known on here, and the other is someone that is a complete stranger.

It's a rare eight year old car that comes without a few glitches and compromises. And buyer's regret can lead to excuses. The challenge is about how they're resolved, if they can be.

.

 

[tsourorf]

I understand people's thoughts about my post being malicious or anything. The only purpose I have in mind is to pass on my experience as a buyer's review, exactly as I did on Autotrader for this company. They have been dishonest to me all the way from day one until the very end.
Let me clarify that I've had the car in my possession for 14 days before it went back to Mercland and then was returned with the engine light on. Consumer right say that the dealer has one chance to rectify the issue and, legally, I had to give them that chance. On the same issue, Mercedes guidelines say (you can easily verify that) that, if one of the NOx sensors is reported as faulty, both of them need to be replaced. The quote for that was about £900 as each sensor costs about £410. Mercland specifically decided and directed me to replace only the upstream NOx sensor to save money, against the manufacturer's guidelines. Then, 4 days after the upstream was replaced, the engine light came back on, with the downstream being at fault this time! I have photographic evidence if anyone wants.
On the matter of Carmoola tha I saw someone calling me brave to deal with... I don't care if a finance company is from UK, Ukraine, Dubai or Nigeria. I got a quote through Clearscore (I assume you know it) and the Carmoola company is a member of FCA. So, I don't get why I should be afraid to deal with them.
As I mentioned before, if anyone would like evidence of what I accuse Mercland of, I am happy to provide photos and email exchange, like the aggressive messages from Mercland's director Jay Manek who never apologized for anything he put me through.

 

[Gollom]

I am surprised - I bought a car (11 years old) unseen during Covid from Mercland. Probably the best prepped car I have ever come across and a few very minor niggles were sorted locally and Jay picked up the tab with no fuss, Fast forward to late last year (well over 3 years after purchase) when I put the car in locally to get the wheels refurbed. When they were stripped ready to powder coat it was discovered that 3 were18X8.5JJ and 1 was18X8JJ!! I let Jay know and despite not needing to take responsibility (remember, well over 3 years from purchase) he could not do enough. Ended up letting me have 4 correct wheels which were newly furbished with very good rubber at a very, very low price. There was absolutely no need to do that legally or morally and is a measure how how he treats his Customers
I hope Jay puts his side forward

 

[Darrell]

I am surprised - I bought a car (11 years old) unseen during Covid from Mercland. Probably the best prepped car I have ever come across and a few very minor niggles were sorted locally and Jay picked up the tab with no fuss, Fast forward to late last year (well over 3 years after purchase) when I put the car in locally to get the wheels refurbed. When they were stripped ready to powder coat it was discovered that 3 were18X8.5JJ and 1 was18X8JJ!! I let Jay know and despite not needing to take responsibility (remember, well over 3 years from purchase) he could not do enough. Ended up letting me have 4 correct wheels which were newly furbished with very good rubber at a very, very low price. There was absolutely no need to do that legally or morally and is a measure how how he treats his Customers
I hope Jay puts his side forward

Perhaps this excellent service was due to you being a prominent member of this site.

Just saying.

 

[Trickythemerc]

There is going to be two sides to this one and a loads of POPCORN

 

[Dryce]

I hope Jay puts his side forward

There was mention of a courtesy car and obviously there is some distance involved between buyer and seller. Not many independents I know would provide a courtesy car.

Reading between the lines this probably wasn't a bad sale but tipped on the NOx sensor failure - and the cost of replacing one vs two. The vendor has paid to replace one and taken a chance - and then the deal has gone south after the second failure. Trouble is once these things pivot it's down hill and and a barrowload of unhappinesss 'all along'. And the vendor is being hit with the direct costs of unplanned remedial work..

We don't know how many miles the buyer put on the car - which seems to be the issue on getting a final agreement.

So I think we've probably had some reasonable service from the vendor in this mix - with the vendor at a position of higher risk given the distance and hassle of supporting a customer - and the customer at a higher level of inconvenience because of that distance.

It's a 9 year old car - so there's always a risk of something happening.

However the vendor doesn't deserve the title of the thread and I think the buyer - despite ultimately being let down hasn't been as badly served as the post would like to suggest - and the title of this topic oversteps the mark.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Carmoola ……. is a member of FCA. So, I don't get why I should be afraid to deal with them.

No, Carmoola is not “a member of the FCA.”

Carmoola is registered with, and regulated by the FCA. Along with 50,000 other financial firms.

Carmoola is a new entrant to the market and is not in the slightest way as stable as established UK vehicle finance brands. With interest rates jumping all over the place there are many reasons to be wary about payments to this new Ukrainian Fintech.

Being regulated by the FCA does not guarantee in any way that the business won’t go bankrupt or default.

 

[Dryce]

Being regulated by the FCA does not guarantee in any way that the business won’t go bankrupt or default.

Does it actually matter?

It's a finance company laying out *its* money. Moreover if this is a HP agreement then is it not the case that if there is a problem the risk lies even more with the finance company than would be the case under the Consumer Credit Act because the 'H' part of the agreement increases their obligation and liability to the customer.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Does it actually matter?

It's a finance company laying out *its* money. Moreover if this is a HP agreement then is it not the case that if there is a problem the risk lies even more with the finance company than would be the case under the Consumer Credit Act because the 'H' part of the agreement increases their obligation and liability to the customer.

Two thoughts:

Has the buyer decided to back out of his finance deal because of recent rate changes?

The buyer has a complaint that the dealer didn’t instantly return payment to the finance company on physical return receipt of the car. (We’re unclear of V5 status). It’s feasible that the dealer is being cautious about the cash return logistics. Who knows what those terms were?

Fintechs make great claims but their admin can be very “Wizard of Oz” behind the green curtain.

 

[JHS]

No he’s not!!

OK, the 2 of you are in the minority then.
Mercland have been in Nuneaton since before Pontius got his pilots licence. I used them to service Mrs JHSs SLK when we were still living there and always had good service.

 

[Dryce]

The buyer has a complaint that the dealer didn’t instantly return payment to the finance company on physical return receipt of the car. (We’re unclear of V5 status). It’s feasible that the dealer is being cautious about the cash return logistics. Who knows what those terms were?

The buyer's original post is very lucid and coherent.

It stated two things that would be relevant.

- disagreement as to the issue of the first fault - the fix to the first NOx sensor was undertaken. The car was returned after a failure of the second NOx sensor.
- disagreement over settlement for mileage

So reading between these lines the buyer and HP company have actually persuaded the seller to take the car back outwith the limits of the 30 day terms. This would be one reason mileage settlement might have been negotiated as the seller wasn't going to take the full hit of a 30 day return outwith the 30 day conditions. The seller presumably didn't want to fight it in court. The buyer agreed the settlement because they (or the HP company) didn't want to go to court.

My guess is that neither side really needs to be treated as the bad guy here. It's unfortunate. I'll repeat it was a 9 year old used car. In business its the consumer that is the default victim.

Again - reading between the lines - the buyer was faced with hassle and an unhappy situation - the vendor wasn't really at fault and has tried to provide some decent customer service - and when it's all gone south the dealer has settled in a situation where a genuinely bad dealer would have faced down the buyer for months until it went to court - and we might guess as to whether Halford's opinion on NOx sensor replacement would stand up in court to say the second NOx sensor failure counted as part of the original fault.

As regards the final settlement the if the buyer was unhappy why did they not pursue the finance company.

So I suspect the buyer is being a bit harsh - I'd be upset too - but in this case the vendor has pretty much put things right by settling reasonably under the circumstances - even if the buyer doesn't feel that way.

 

[markjay]

NOx sensors and dampers:

If you are a paying customer, the guildlines from MB say that is one fails, then two need to be replaced.

If you present the car under warranty, then MB will only replace ONE of the two free of charge, and expect you to pay for the other.

Strange but true.