Your MBUK Finance Journey...winding road

[m1br]

Well, mine went just fine until handing the thing back.

I had a E Class on straight lease for two years, used a broker as they were and astonishing £80pcm less than MB franchises.
Amusingly the car was supplied by MB Wolverhampton and financed directly by MBUK.... go figure.

Car faultless, enjoyed my time with it and the E220 Cdi SE averaged around 50mpg over the two years.

Hand-back was fairly painless, dumped it a couple months early and paid it up.
BCA Collections deal with pickup and appraise the car at your site.
They essentially 'failed' me on a bumper repair I never had. Interesting.
I am quite meticulous with my cars and the area he pointed out in the lacquer of the rear bumper has never seen any work and I had the car from new and no miles.
He was right, there was something amiss on the apron but in two years of cleaning I never noticed it.
I had a wheel kerb damage smart repair done before hand-back and the tech showed me this wheel had also been repaired.
You could see the filler and extra paint layers!
Oddly this also not happening in my care as I had the car new, no repairs and it was still even on the original tyre!

Anyhow, come settlement time a bit later they did not bill me for the mysterious marks to the rear apron.
They also didn't fail on the huge ship to the door crease where some clown hit it with a door edge in week2.
I expected that to be chargeable but nope - said that was not an issue.
Same for the gouge in the boot I did moving house three days before handover!

What just got my goat though was seeing a claim in my VISA statement today from a Debt Collection Agency.
The letter I wrote to MBUK, below, explains all:

FAO Customer Complaints Handling,
In respect of Hire Agreement No xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

Dear Sirs,
Today I received a bank statement from one of my card issuers with what appeared to be an erroneous transaction for £939.92
A considerable sum and one not recognised by me. So I had to investigate.
After investigation with issuers and Google, I track this down to a Debt Collection Agency named DIRECT LEGAL & COLLECTIONS in Brackley.
I have had no receipt or contact from this company at all.

After a lot of chasing of documents, and calls, it appears this is actually the Excess Mileage Charge in respect of the agreement detailed above.
I paid this immediately it was due, to yourselves by VISA over the phone. I presume and hope that this is the transaction in question?
All previous dealings with you are documented and direct with MBUK or BCA car collections. Nothing from DL&C Brackley, ever.

Why oh why can you not TELL THE CUSTOMER that you process card payment for excess charge via a debt collection agency ???

I have just got divorced, moved home twice this year and finally settled again.
Your stupid lack of communication has caused me an incredible amount of stress today wondering what my ex-wife has been up to that involves me with a debt collection outfit.
Incidentally one with a questionable reputation if you Google them as I had to.

How will you be compensating me today ?
Sincerely

Cars damaged from new, debt collection agencies taking your payments but MB don't tell you.
Bunch of jokers.... so long!

Steve

 

[camerafodder]

So did they take more money than you owed?

 

[flowrider]

Not the best letter to write, asking for compensation and insulting MB at the same time.

 

[ras8963]

Hi,
I can imagine the frustration, this type of collection would infuriate me also.

Cant you simply phone the bank and say you have not authorised the payment?

ATB

 

[markjay]

Hi,
I can imagine the frustration, this type of collection would infuriate me also.

Cant you simply phone the bank and say you have not authorised the payment?

ATB

If the payment is suspect by the client to be erroneous rather then fraud, the card issuer will expect the client to attempt and settle with the merchent first and will only get involved once it has been demonstrated that attempts to resolve this directly failed.

Adotionally, the card issuer can tell the difference between error or dispute and fraud based on the transaction profile so will know this was not fraud.

 

[camerafodder]

The bit I'm struggling with is that the OP appears to have damaged the car but this has been considered and he hasn't been pursued for the cost of repair. He's then paid the mileage charge as agreed in the contract and because he doesn't like the name of the merchant on the transaction statement he feels that the the whole deal is rubbish and wants compensation. The OP must have been aware of the charge as he states that he paid by VISA over the phone so it surely couldn't be that hard to figure out. I think he needs to grow up. I loathe compensation culture.

 

[ras8963]

He does call it an erroneous transaction chaps....my assumption is that the sum was taken from his account without approval....in any form that is simply wrong....

But just IMO BTW

ATB

 

[davidjpowell]

The bit I'm struggling with is that the OP appears to have damaged the car but this has been considered and he hasn't been pursued for the cost of repair. He's then paid the mileage charge as agreed in the contract and because he doesn't like the name of the merchant on the transaction statement he feels that the the whole deal is rubbish and wants compensation. The OP must have been aware of the charge as he states that he paid by VISA over the phone so it surely couldn't be that hard to figure out. I think he needs to grow up. I loathe compensation culture.

On the damage front I presume that it was within the allowable limits.

I don't imagine he'll see any compensation after leaving them anyway. They need to think they might be able to retain a customer to make that worthwhile....

 

[camerafodder]

He does call it an erroneous transaction chaps....my assumption is that the sum was taken from his account without approval....in any form that is simply wrong....

But just IMO BTW

ATB

No he just 'assumes' it is an erroneous transaction at first. Then he realises after chasing 'numerous documents and calls' that it is legitimate. I admit that the post his hard to read as it's littered with all sorts of emotional packing. The upshot is that he had a great car, was not charged for damage and paid the mileage charge as agreed. He then decided he needed compensation because he didn't like the merchant name on the statement.

 

[E55BOF]

I read his post first time through as though the charge had been made twice, but if not, then the problem is that in his personal circumstances, seeing a debt collection agency on his card statement worried him. I sympathise, but if the amount I had expected to be taken WAS taken, at about the right time, it wouldn't worry me who took it. Storm in a teacup.

If it was taken twice, of course that would be another matter.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

It's wise to use 'mail forwarding' when moving home.

 

[gIzzE]

So, the OP got a bill for £939.92 to cover the excess mileage?
He paid this via the phone with his Visa card?
The bill for the Visa card comes through and there is a charge for £939.92 on it?
This charge is under the name of DIRECT LEGAL & COLLECTIONS?
The OP forgets he has paid this £939.92 and so goes into a meltdown about it?
Rather than when he finds out he has been a bit of a plonker he doesn't roll his eyes at himself and feel silly he decides to blame Mercedes instead and ask for compensation?

Hmmmm?

 

[gIzzE]

New cars always have touch up work on them, they often arrive with small things that have to be sorted to the bodywork/wheels.

As you said, you never noticed in the time you had it.

 

[DSM10000]

Well, mine went just fine until handing the thing back.


What just got my goat though was seeing a claim in my VISA statement today from a Debt Collection Agency.
The letter I wrote to MBUK, below, explains all:

:

Dear Sirs,
Today I received a bank statement from one of my card issuers with what appeared to be an erroneous transaction for £939.92
A considerable sum and one not recognised by me. So I had to investigate.
After investigation with issuers and Google, I track this down to a Debt Collection Agency named DIRECT LEGAL & COLLECTIONS in Brackley.
I have had no receipt or contact from this company at all.

After a lot of chasing of documents, and calls, it appears this is actually the Excess Mileage Charge in respect of the agreement detailed above.
I paid this immediately it was due, to yourselves by VISA over the phone. I presume and hope that this is the transaction in question?
All previous dealings with you are documented and direct with MBUK or BCA car collections. Nothing from DL&C Brackley, ever.

Why oh why can you not TELL THE CUSTOMER that you process card payment for excess charge via a debt collection agency ???


How will you be compensating me today ?
Sincerely

Cars damaged from new, debt collection agencies taking your payments but MB don't tell you.
Bunch of jokers.... so long!

Steve

So, for the sake of clarity, you owed MBUK £939.92 for an excess mileage charge?

You paid this charge and it then appeared on your statement for the correct amount?

Your irritation is that MBUK used a company that also operates in the debt collection field to process the payment or that you have paid this amount twice?

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I suspect that there's more to this than meets the eye.

OP moved home a couple of times without leaving a forwarding address (divorce) or arranging for post to be forwarded.
MB finance company can't contact OP so use a collection agency to trace him hence the narrative on his statement.
Compensation due to OP = £0
Additional charges due to finance co = £??

 

[renault12ts]

There is no confusion, he hasn't paid too much...he's just ****** at MB (and probably the rest of you) for a debt collection agency appearing on his credit card statement...as if he's been up to no good.

Simples (you'd think).

 

[Deleted member 6183]

There is no confusion, he hasn't paid too much...he's just ****** at MB (and probably the rest of you) for a debt collection agency appearing on his credit card statement...as if he's been up to no good.

Simples (you'd think).

Why do you think that a debt collection agent was involved?

 

[gIzzE]

I guess cause one of the companies divisions is debt collection, however, they also run an outsourced credit control service for companies too.

So probably just a bit of presumption going on.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I'll put my hands up to some presumption, albeit educated.

I (miss) spent some of my youth working in car finance and the picture painted by the OP is very familiar hence my cynical presumption.

 

[Piff]

New cars always have touch up work on them, they often arrive with small things that have to be sorted to the bodywork/wheels.

As you said, you never noticed in the time you had it.

At 4 years old, my L200 had a body inspection whilst in for a service. As It's a working tool there are numerous minor scratches, etc around the load area.
A couple of weeks later I noticed lifting paint or lacquer around the base of the aerial on the roof. So took it back to main dealer.
They took it into the workshop so they could inspect under a certain light & they tested the paint thickness.
They advised that the roof had been re-sprayed
It was a 6 week old pre-registered vehicle with 10 miles on the clock when I bought it.