My clocked car and the ongoing saga..

[WLeg]

Keep regular written (but not too pressing, and very polite) contact with the supplying dealer, copying all corespondance to MB UK. As has been pointed out, they have accepted liability, be accepting the car back, and giving you a reasonable spec loan car.

If you really want this resolved, try the BBC - either the Watchdog or Top Gear production offices may be interested, as well a trading Standards.

You should be after a considerably higher spec newer car...you can always tell them how you expect it to be resolved to your satisfaction.

 

[dougal74]

Keep regular written (but not too pressing, and very polite) contact with the supplying dealer, copying all corespondance to MB UK. As has been pointed out, they have accepted liability, be accepting the car back, and giving you a reasonable spec loan car.

If you really want this resolved, try the BBC - either the Watchdog or Top Gear production offices may be interested, as well a trading Standards.

You should be after a considerably higher spec newer car...you can always tell them how you expect it to be resolved to your satisfaction.

Top Gear!!! Just about as far from having a consumer focus as you can get. Good plan though, What Car or AA would be my first ports of call for back-up.

 

[Soltan]

Hi Donza
I can feel your frustration but would respectfully suggest you listen to Dieselman.

You keep referring to telephone calls and that is so wrong.

PLEASE, please start putting pen to paper. Proper paper, but perhaps not pen

Type your letters, keep a copy on file and if need be have them sent in a recorded manner that gets a signature.

......

Please try your very hardest to develop a rappoire with Mercedes-BenzUK.

I would not get involved with this dealership, they have let you see the standard they operate at.
John

Hi Donza,
John makes a good point (as usual ), a couple of phone calls (three at most) and if no response (in terms of actions being taken) and it really should be in writing from that point onwards.

Any chance of MBUK getting a car for you?

 

[GordonTarling]

Donza - good points made by all here. As I see it, you really have two options at the moment -

1 - Leave things just as they are and use the C class as much as you like - at the moment you have the upper hand. Wait for the dealership to make the next move.

2 - Phone the dealership and ask to speak to the sales manager - explain very politely that you feel they have had their chance and that you would now like your money back. Then, drive to the dealership, see that manager and tell him you aren't leaving until you have their cheque in your hand. The disadvantage of this is that it will leave you without a car.

There is actually a third option which you may or may not wish to take yet and that is the legal route - speak to your local Citizen's Advice Bureau or see a solicitor and start legal action against the dealership.

 

[TomTanderson]

Type your letters......

How quaint

P.S. I too found MB Newcastle to be very approachable on the sales side (bought my new E280CDI there). I dealt with Neil and he was helpful without being at all pushy and offered me a demonstrator for a full day to test drive. Haven't had to test their after sales service yet though.

 

[Chattonmill]

Mine has just gone back to Newcastle to get a couple of very minor issues sorted, they were more than helpful so looking good Tom!

 

[Piff]

I'm with Glojo on this.
It is so important to have a writen record. If things end up in court, referring to telephone conversations & trying to remember dates is not easy.
Having a file of letters (and a lack of written response from the other side) will work in your favour.
Write down details of any telephone conversations including dates & times of the calls. If the content is important, confirm it in a letter to the dealership.
On the other points, I wouldn' be inclined to involve trading standards, watchdog, etc at this stage. You have a loan car and the dealer is attempting to find you a replacement. Bide your time - see what they come up with. Winding them up will not help at this stage. If their "replacement car" is not to your satisfaction then that is the time to take the legal route.

I once rejected a car and at the time the dealer had given me a loan car. They refunded me and took their loan car back. I was the looser as I was without a car and had to find a replacement in a hurry.

 

[IanA2]

We havn;t heard from Dongle for a while...........

 

[Piff]

We havn;t heard from Dongle for a while...........

Do you mean Donza?

 

[Dieselman]

We havn;t heard from Dongle for a while...........

He's out taxi-ing in that loan car..

 

[IanA2]

Do you mean Donza?

My mistake...a dongle of course is something you stick in to get things going....my mistake....apologies.

 

[jadefox]

What happened Donza!! Come back and update!!!! I am interested to hear what happens regarding this; I believe I would have gone to the Small Claims court by now and got the wheels in motion (pardon the pun) for a claim (or gone to a solicitor to get them to write an official letter)...I wouldn't stand for this, they are in the wrong, plain and simple!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that you're getting it sorted out - the stress you are under must be horrendous!

 

[Dieselman]

Sorry, but I don't follow this line of thought at all. If it was me I'd be keeping tabs on things but laughing all the way to the Leeds...

Donza has their acceptance that the car was clocked, they have accepted liability and agreed to replace the car. Mercedes Benz are involved and accept the situation as wrong which adds weight to Donza's case if necessary.

Donza has paid for a 2nd hand car and is driving around in a more expensive new one with no running costs other than diesel. His total costs at the moment are say 14p per mile fuel and something for insurance (maybe). No depreciation, no servicing...sounds great to me.

If he was running his own car it would be costing him £1 per mile with everything thrown in.

He's already better than £500 better off.

As cars are sliding in value he should at least see a newer car for his money.

I reckon he should keep this going for the next couple of years, then go for his £17k back...

 

[jeremytaylor]

Donza, I had problems with MB Direct (they wouldn't return a deposit that they said they would).

A couple of simple letters from me elicited no response, so Money Claim Online it was. DC HQ paid up immediately. Very simple. I suggest you follow a similar tactic. Obviously £17,000 is above Small Claims limits, but get writing simple, straightforward letters, as John has suggested. Then I think the dealer will respond.

 

[st4]

He's out taxi-ing in that loan car..

We can but hope

 

[glojo]

I reckon he should keep this going for the next couple of years, then go for his £17k back...

Works for me and all this talk of consumer programs is also perhaps wishful thinking!

My money is on the people Donza has telephoned, or hopefully wrote to, will have have done a course in public relations and how to handle claims. they will have heard every threat, every rant, every swear word, and every excuse under the sun. I read somewhere that these top Watch Dog type programs get well over 140,000 complaaints per series. Is Donza'a a headline grabbing majoe issue that they will pounce on? It will certainly take many months for his letter to reach the top of the pile, but if I were a gambling man then my money would not be on this option.

Softly, softly keepy car, until this issue is resolved to the complainants satisfaction.

John

 

[Friz]

Trip to the Nurburgring?

 

[barryj]

I concur, I would personally be doing very little to push the resolution along. A friend was caught up in the BMW saga were their main and back up supplier for X5 rear lights went bust at the same time, his car was in for a minor non fault repair that involved a new light.

He was in a 530d hire car at the insurance companies expense until the repair (minus the light) was complete and then BMW started picking up the bill while they sourced and approved a new supplier for OEM rear lamps. After 4 months he was still in the very expensive Hire car and still no sign of the lights, needles to say he didn't chase them once.

When they rang him to tell him it was likely to be another 3 months he suggested that they took his X5 (old model on a 55 plate) and gave him a brand new one (new model zero miles) and called it quits. Faced with a hire car bill already running into 10's of thousands and the potential for it to double they bit his hand off. The next day (and it really was the next day) a brand new X5 to the same spec and colour as his old one was delivered he signed for it, handed over the documents for his old X5 and has never heard from them since. At the time there was a waiting lits for the new X5 that was several months long.

The ironic bit about this is that they could have got an X5 rear light from e-bay fitted it and he would have been none the wiser, but BMW would not do that (but I bet MB would!).

Sorry for the off topic story but its one that still makes me chuckle today.

 

[Dieselman]

Trip to the Nurburgring?

Maybe THIS is why we haven't heard from him...

 

[LeighW]

I concur, I would personally be doing very little to push the resolution along. A friend was caught up in the BMW saga were their main and back up supplier for X5 rear lights went bust at the same time, his car was in for a minor non fault repair that involved a new light.

He was in a 530d hire car at the insurance companies expense until the repair (minus the light) was complete and then BMW started picking up the bill while they sourced and approved a new supplier for OEM rear lamps. After 4 months he was still in the very expensive Hire car and still no sign of the lights, needles to say he didn't chase them once.

When they rang him to tell him it was likely to be another 3 months he suggested that they took his X5 (old model on a 55 plate) and gave him a brand new one (new model zero miles) and called it quits. Faced with a hire car bill already running into 10's of thousands and the potential for it to double they bit his hand off. The next day (and it really was the next day) a brand new X5 to the same spec and colour as his old one was delivered he signed for it, handed over the documents for his old X5 and has never heard from them since. At the time there was a waiting lits for the new X5 that was several months long.

The ironic bit about this is that they could have got an X5 rear light from e-bay fitted it and he would have been none the wiser, but BMW would not do that (but I bet MB would!).

Sorry for the off topic story but its one that still makes me chuckle today.

All I can say to that is, "lucky git!"