Ranty Friday 12 June

[GreenGiant 287]

As promised...

Firstly, I know how the Motability scheme works. This is not what I have an issue with.

My problem is the random (but mostly poor) quality of the cars we buy from them at the end of their lease. Or at early termination.

Occasionally, we will have delivered to us a pristine, well-maintained, low mileage, quality car in a good, saleable colour that will require some prep before going on display and we will sell that car.

Jubbly.

We will have purchased that car via the MFLDirect website, where many, many thousands of cars are offered for sale to us in the Trade. We will have checked the history, spec, price (especially price, which is always slightly more than we'd like it to be), and, according to age and mileage, we will have a rough idea of what we expect it to cost us to prepare. Especially as the car is located at one of the MFLDirect refurb/preparation centres, so there can't be too much wrong...

What we don't expect, however, is for the car to turn up with both bumpers scraped on all 4 corners, all 4 alloys (probably diamond-cut) ripped and gouged, bird crap damage to the paintwork on the roof, trolley dings down both sides, the inside stinking of wet labrador (or stale p*$$. Or both), the handbook pack missing, only 1 key, the panels in the boot scraped and scratched and something unidentifiable, but definitely organic, stuck in the carpet. The last time it was cleaned was the day before it was handed over when new. The delivery driver(s) will have had their breakfast in it (unfinished) and it will have mysteriously done 150 miles more than the distance from collection to delivery. Overnight.

So, we take a deep breath and complete the online complaints form to MFLDirect to obtain some kind of recompense for the car being not exactly as expected.

Only to get a phone call 4 days later to be told that all of those 'issues' are within their acceptable guidelines as it only needs a few 'smart' repairs, the service history is available online and other stuff is normal Used Car Condition. Oh, and the handbook pack can be purchased on Ebay. Probably from the same place the car came from... So the small prep and straight on the front expected now looks like 10 days and £600.

Trouble is, the car doesn't meet our acceptable guidelines. So, what can we do? We need the stock and when they are good, they are very, very good, but when they are bad they are s*ite. MFLDirect haven't the time, manpower or the will to tighten up the inspection process so we just have to suck it up. Or do we?

[c_cars 56]

Have you tried Tweeting them GG? 

Apparently a well directed Tweet works wonders these days... Power of soshul meeja and all that...  

 

[James Baggott 227]

GG tweet? Have you gone mad?!