View Full Version : Courtesy Car........I don't think so.
I would be very interested for comments from fellow .orgers.
My son bought a car from Arnold Clark in Inverness. As part of the Package he paid in advance for 3 Years servicing and 3 MOT's and since he lived over 100 miles from the Garage he would get a courtesy car while his car was being worked upon.
He was due to take his car in yesterday, Thursday, for a MOT but unfortunately he could not get a day off work to drive to Inverness. So since I was on his Insurance as a Driver he asked me to take the car in. He advised me that when he had booked the car in for the MOT he had booked a courtesy car and since I can't walk far I would need it otherwise I would have to sit and wait in the Garage.
On arrival I booked the car in but I was told there was no courtesy car. I insisted that one had been booked and that was also part of the agreement that a courtesy car would be supplied if the car was in for a MOT or a Service. After a lot of phone calling I was eventually given a courtesy car. I left them my Mobile Number so they could phone me when the car was ready.
About 2 hours later I received Phone call to say that I could pick up the car in about 30 minutes. I arrived back and I only had to wait 5 Minutes and I was informed that the car had passed the MOT first time and all was well.
I then was presented a Bill for £15.00. I asked what it was for as the MOT was prepaid. The answer was that the £15.00 was for the courtesy car. They said that they now charge £12.00 for a courtesy car but since one had not been booked I had to pay an extra £3.00 making a total of £15.00.
Although not said it was implied that if I did not pay I would not get my sons car back, so I paid and I insisted on a receipt which I received.
My son was very unhappy about this and is going to write to the head office to complain.
I would like to hear what you all think of this as surely a courtesy car should not be charged for, or am I wrong in the meaning of courtesy car?
Get out contract your son made with dealership, call to discuss with consumer direct, citizens advice or discuss with trading standards in council.
Yoda the flump
25-Apr-14, 22:20
Hmmm, Arnold Clark, more like Arnold Shark.
My experience of their Skoda/Volvo dealership in Inverness is that they are very keen to sell you a car but customer service after that is totally non existent. I have lost count of the problems I have experienced with them and now avoid them like the plague.
Bobinovich
25-Apr-14, 22:33
My car was booked in to Arnold Clark's for a service visit last week and likewise I had booked a courtesy car in advance. The £12 charge covers the insurance for the courtesy car, NOT the car itself, and this charge was explained to me over the phone when it was booked.
Added: Yes my car also has the first 3 years servicing paid in advance...
My car was booked in to Arnold Clark's for a service visit last week and likewise I had booked a courtesy car in advance. The £12 charge covers the insurance for the courtesy car, NOT the car itself, and this charge was explained to me over the phone when it was booked.
Added: Yes my car also has the first 3 years servicing paid in advance...
So when you buy the car, you pay in advance for an uninsured courtesy car?
I bought a newish (2 months old) car from one of Arnold Clark's English branches, I paid the full amount for the car by card on line, then they rang to tell me that they had sold the car before a car transporter was coming North but said I could have another one they had that was similar,but then did the very same thing again,sold that one too and they still had thousands of pounds of my money! I rang AC Inverness and they said they had the same type of car in stock so when we went to collect it they asked for another near £1000, if I didn't pay it I'd get no car, as I needed a car I paid up but I have just ordered a new car from Hawco Inverness and they couldn't have been more helpful. Needless to say I avoided Arnold Clark like the plague and will do so in future!
Bobinovich
26-Apr-14, 11:18
So when you buy the car, you pay in advance for an uninsured courtesy car?
No, re-read the post... I paid in advance for 3 years of servicing it was explained that the servicing includes a courtesy car but not the insurance.
As for Arnold Clark Hyundai in Inverness, this was my first experience of using their company and I have to say it was a positive one. Neither Hawco (my car at the time of buying was a VW) or Autovision (I'd been a very happy Vauxhall customer prior to buying the VW, having owned 4 over an 17 year period) were able to supply me with a suitable vehicle in the short time frame I had available to me. AC not only put themselves out to help, but gave me a very good trade in price on the VW, and my subsequent communications and visits on a number of minor issues were handled quickly and competently. I am, likewise, very happy with the Hyundai!
they still had thousands of pounds of my money!
If you used a debit card and they didn't refund it, they sold a car twice and committed a criminal fraud.
If it was a credit card, it wasn't your money and you could have cancelled the transaction.
It was my debit card and they did not refund the money. Interesting about the criminal fraud bit, we live and learn!
guidinglight
26-Apr-14, 15:08
Thats what you get for buying from Arnold Clark, they are famous for their rip off's
It was my debit card and they did not refund the money. Interesting about the criminal fraud bit, we live and learn!
If you paid for a car and they didn't give you the car, that's the way I see it, especially if they took someone else's money as well.
In the end, they made good, in that you agreed that the money they held would go towards paying for a dearer car.
CyprusPluto
26-Apr-14, 15:47
Post deleted
OK to set it straight the money I paid was Not for Insurance. It says on the receipt and I Quote.
After Sales Courtesy Car ....... £12.50........ Vat ......£2.50.......Total ........£15.00
There was No mention of the payment being for Insurance and there is no mention on the receipt regarding Insurance either.
Now over the past 8 Years I have dealt with Ness Motors in Inverness. During that time I have had my Car Serviced several times and put through a MOT. Each time they have done some work on my car I have been offered a Courtesy Car. Each time I was always given a car no more than 6 months old. Ness Motors never ever hinted, or asked for any payment for this Courtesy Car, be it for the car or Insurance.
To me a Courtesy Car is exactly that, a Courtesy and this means no payment should be asked for, for either the car or Insurance.
OK to set it straight the money I paid was Not for Insurance. It says on the receipt and I Quote.
After Sales Courtesy Car ....... £12.50........ Vat ......£2.50.......Total ........£15.00
There was No mention of the payment being for Insurance and there is no mention on the receipt regarding Insurance either.
Now over the past 8 Years I have dealt with Ness Motors in Inverness. During that time I have had my Car Serviced several times and put through a MOT. Each time they have done some work on my car I have been offered a Courtesy Car. Each time I was always given a car no more than 6 months old. Ness Motors never ever hinted, or asked for any payment for this Courtesy Car, be it for the car or Insurance.
To me a Courtesy Car is exactly that, a Courtesy and this means no payment should be asked for, for either the car or Insurance.
Ok: you/your son did a deal that included a courtesy car, but you did not get one. You hired a car.
If you write to Sir Arnold at his home address, publicly available from Companies House, he responds promptly and personally. For the record, in my opinion, Arnold Clark branches at Inverness & Glasgow were managed by utter theiving cowboys and I would advise everbody to avoid the company.
I put car bought from Arnold Clark with service package in for MOT. . It failed with list as long as my arm and I was phoned, told the car had defective brakes and that it was dangerous so should they do the work now. £1100 they wanted to get it through its MOT. I said No and brought it home. I gave the list to my mechanic and he checked all the faults and crossed off 90% of them as spurious. The "dangerous brake fault"" was a seized caliper and the had quoted for calipers discs and pads at a cost of over £500. It did not need discs. The work that was necessary was done and it cost £325. Passed MOT next time no problem.i would never use them again.
I put car bought from Arnold Clark with service package in for MOT. . It failed with list as long as my arm and I was phoned, told the car had defective brakes and that it was dangerous so should they do the work now. £1100 they wanted to get it through its MOT. I said No and brought it home. I gave the list to my mechanic and he checked all the faults and crossed off 90% of them as spurious. The "dangerous brake fault"" was a seized caliper and the had quoted for calipers discs and pads at a cost of over £500. It did not need discs. The work that was necessary was done and it cost £325. Passed MOT next time no problem.i would never use them again. You should have taken that up with trading standards, robbing bar stewards
You should have taken that up with trading standards
You'd get nowhere. They'd give a mechanic's opinion that the calipers were better replaced than freed out and the discs and pads might have worn below a safe limit before the next service.
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