[Apologies for the long waffle - didn't realise I'd typed quite so much!]
I've been thinking of buying a new car recently as mine's just coming up to 3 years old.
Background: I've only got a little Ford KA. I don't do a lot of driving (shopping and getting to work when the weather's inclement, else it's bicycle or motorbike) and I need something small to fit in my garage, and the KA is just about the right size to enable me to still open the driver's door after I get in. I'd rather have a Fiesta, but the newer models are too wide.
I went down to my local Hendy on the first weekend of the month to inquire about the new model KA+ as they've stopped production of the KA. The salesman was only too delighted to talk to me (obviously ...). I asked about test driving the KA+ as I need to know it'll fit in the garage as it's slightly wider. Hendy didn't have one in at the time but said they'd give me a call when they got one for test driving.
Roll on two weeks and I received an invite from Hendy to their 'Drive In / Dine Out' event.
Couple of pics of the invite here and here. I've left the images at their scanned size so you can see the small print, so the pics are a little larger than I'd normally let them be.
So last Saturday (17th Sept) I decided to drive down to Hendy again (even though I hadn't had the promised call). As I pulled up, I saw a new KA+ sat out the back, so I had a look around then wandered in to see the salesman I'd spoken to a couple of weeks previously. He was with someone and others looked busy, so I waited around for about 10 minutes until he was free.
He wandered over and gave me a firm (slightly sweaty) handshake, and asked if I'd seen the KA+ outside. I nodded in the affirmative and he ushered me outside to have a look, while mentioning that he had me in his diary to call today (of course). So we had a look around the car, then he grabbed the keys and showed me the interior.
I asked about the test drive, and so we went back inside to 'discuss it', at which point it almost felt like I was buying the car without actually getting to drive it. After about 90 minutes of telling him what options I wanted and what colours I liked, he asked if I wanted to buy the vehicle that was outside. It was the model I wanted in one of the colours I liked with the features I wanted, although it was the 85PS model and I was planning on buying the 70PS (an extra 6 mph and . something improvement in 0-62 isn't worth the extra £300). The salesman went away to see the sales manager and came back saying if we made a deal that weekend, I could have the 85PS for the same price as the 70PS. Fair enough.
So off he went to speak to the sales manager again, who then came out to meet me. As it was their only vehicle and they were planning on using it as a demonstrator (I'm told one person had test driven it before me - the mileometer was on about 45 miles), he wanted to know if I was serious about buying it as he wouldn't be able to use it as a demonstrator if that was the case. I said I was serious if the vehicle fitted in my garage.
The sales manager seemed happy and wandered off again, and the salesman followed him to see if I could test drive it then or the next day when we'd start signing papers. Of course the sales manager said the next day. So off home I went after about 2 hours being there.
Roll on to Sunday (18th Sept) and I went back down to Hendy. Not too much messing around this time. I signed a bit of paper and we got the keys and I drove home for the all important test. It was a bit of a squeeze getting out of the car, but it fit and I was happy enough. So back down to Hendy's to crunch some numbers.
This is where things started becoming less good. Remember the DIDO invite above, which I see as a very clear commitment from Hendy to offer me certain things if I closed the deal that weekend. I'll get to that in a sec.
I'd been asking the salesman various things about the KA+ over the weekend, and he didn't seem as clued up as he maybe ought to have been. I've always bought a Zetec model from Ford, purely because I'm lazy and they've always come with heated front windscreens. After the salesman nodding and agreeing with me all weekend, he finally said he didn't think the KA+ had one. Sure enough there's no mention of it in the pamphlet or anywhere else.
That was the first blow, but I could get over that if I had to. There's not many manufacturers that do heated front windscreens because Ford own the patent as I understand it.
I'm also all for cash deals when buying a new car. I don't like finance. After the salesman had priced things up (including the part ex on my current KA), he came up with a figure of about £7000. I said no, and we got down to about £6700. I'm not the greatest haggler in the world ... far from it in fact.
I was still hesitant, so he brought up the finance deal again, crunched a few more numbers, went to speak the the sales manager and came back with a figure about £150 cheaper ... and all I had to do was make two payments. One down payment and another 30 days later. That didn't seem so bad, so I said OK.
The salesman was then all smiles, and shaking my hand again with his mildly sweaty palms.
Here's the rub. I'd forgotten it on the previous day, so I mentioned the fact that I was a Hendy Advantage memeber which entitled me to £100 off a new car. The salesman then said 'Oh, we don't do that anymore. They're coming up with a new scheme and this one's under review'.
Fair enough. But I'll still get the £250 John Lewis voucher and 3 years free servicing?
You won't get the voucher 'cos you're getting a discount elsewhere. Oh, and the 3 years free servicing is only for specific models ........
Really? Where does it say that then? According to this DIDO invite, it says quite clearly that 'every new 66 plate Ford purchased during the event will get 3 years free servicing'. Even the small print doesn't say anything about 'specific models'.
Off he goes again to the sales manager, then comes back saying he'll have to email Ford on Monday.
Roll on to Tuesday evening and I haven't heard from him, so I sent him a gentle reminder email.
I finally got a reply this evening saying 'I have managed to get some servicing secured for you'. Emphasis on 'some'.
I've replied again asking for clarification as 'some' is very vague and if I don't get 3 years, there's no deal. I'm getting quite annoyed by what seems to me to be just a tactic to get their bonus, and I'm also really tempted to make a formal complaint. The FCA is mentioned on the DIDO invite, but I don't know whether to contact Hendy first before I go full tilt with whoever it is I really ought to be complaining to.
Suggestions/comments? Am I being greedy or am I being fobbed off?
I've been thinking of buying a new car recently as mine's just coming up to 3 years old.
Background: I've only got a little Ford KA. I don't do a lot of driving (shopping and getting to work when the weather's inclement, else it's bicycle or motorbike) and I need something small to fit in my garage, and the KA is just about the right size to enable me to still open the driver's door after I get in. I'd rather have a Fiesta, but the newer models are too wide.
I went down to my local Hendy on the first weekend of the month to inquire about the new model KA+ as they've stopped production of the KA. The salesman was only too delighted to talk to me (obviously ...). I asked about test driving the KA+ as I need to know it'll fit in the garage as it's slightly wider. Hendy didn't have one in at the time but said they'd give me a call when they got one for test driving.
Roll on two weeks and I received an invite from Hendy to their 'Drive In / Dine Out' event.
Couple of pics of the invite here and here. I've left the images at their scanned size so you can see the small print, so the pics are a little larger than I'd normally let them be.
So last Saturday (17th Sept) I decided to drive down to Hendy again (even though I hadn't had the promised call). As I pulled up, I saw a new KA+ sat out the back, so I had a look around then wandered in to see the salesman I'd spoken to a couple of weeks previously. He was with someone and others looked busy, so I waited around for about 10 minutes until he was free.
He wandered over and gave me a firm (slightly sweaty) handshake, and asked if I'd seen the KA+ outside. I nodded in the affirmative and he ushered me outside to have a look, while mentioning that he had me in his diary to call today (of course). So we had a look around the car, then he grabbed the keys and showed me the interior.
I asked about the test drive, and so we went back inside to 'discuss it', at which point it almost felt like I was buying the car without actually getting to drive it. After about 90 minutes of telling him what options I wanted and what colours I liked, he asked if I wanted to buy the vehicle that was outside. It was the model I wanted in one of the colours I liked with the features I wanted, although it was the 85PS model and I was planning on buying the 70PS (an extra 6 mph and . something improvement in 0-62 isn't worth the extra £300). The salesman went away to see the sales manager and came back saying if we made a deal that weekend, I could have the 85PS for the same price as the 70PS. Fair enough.
So off he went to speak to the sales manager again, who then came out to meet me. As it was their only vehicle and they were planning on using it as a demonstrator (I'm told one person had test driven it before me - the mileometer was on about 45 miles), he wanted to know if I was serious about buying it as he wouldn't be able to use it as a demonstrator if that was the case. I said I was serious if the vehicle fitted in my garage.
The sales manager seemed happy and wandered off again, and the salesman followed him to see if I could test drive it then or the next day when we'd start signing papers. Of course the sales manager said the next day. So off home I went after about 2 hours being there.
Roll on to Sunday (18th Sept) and I went back down to Hendy. Not too much messing around this time. I signed a bit of paper and we got the keys and I drove home for the all important test. It was a bit of a squeeze getting out of the car, but it fit and I was happy enough. So back down to Hendy's to crunch some numbers.
This is where things started becoming less good. Remember the DIDO invite above, which I see as a very clear commitment from Hendy to offer me certain things if I closed the deal that weekend. I'll get to that in a sec.
I'd been asking the salesman various things about the KA+ over the weekend, and he didn't seem as clued up as he maybe ought to have been. I've always bought a Zetec model from Ford, purely because I'm lazy and they've always come with heated front windscreens. After the salesman nodding and agreeing with me all weekend, he finally said he didn't think the KA+ had one. Sure enough there's no mention of it in the pamphlet or anywhere else.
That was the first blow, but I could get over that if I had to. There's not many manufacturers that do heated front windscreens because Ford own the patent as I understand it.
I'm also all for cash deals when buying a new car. I don't like finance. After the salesman had priced things up (including the part ex on my current KA), he came up with a figure of about £7000. I said no, and we got down to about £6700. I'm not the greatest haggler in the world ... far from it in fact.
I was still hesitant, so he brought up the finance deal again, crunched a few more numbers, went to speak the the sales manager and came back with a figure about £150 cheaper ... and all I had to do was make two payments. One down payment and another 30 days later. That didn't seem so bad, so I said OK.
The salesman was then all smiles, and shaking my hand again with his mildly sweaty palms.
Here's the rub. I'd forgotten it on the previous day, so I mentioned the fact that I was a Hendy Advantage memeber which entitled me to £100 off a new car. The salesman then said 'Oh, we don't do that anymore. They're coming up with a new scheme and this one's under review'.
Fair enough. But I'll still get the £250 John Lewis voucher and 3 years free servicing?
You won't get the voucher 'cos you're getting a discount elsewhere. Oh, and the 3 years free servicing is only for specific models ........
Really? Where does it say that then? According to this DIDO invite, it says quite clearly that 'every new 66 plate Ford purchased during the event will get 3 years free servicing'. Even the small print doesn't say anything about 'specific models'.
Off he goes again to the sales manager, then comes back saying he'll have to email Ford on Monday.
Roll on to Tuesday evening and I haven't heard from him, so I sent him a gentle reminder email.
I finally got a reply this evening saying 'I have managed to get some servicing secured for you'. Emphasis on 'some'.
I've replied again asking for clarification as 'some' is very vague and if I don't get 3 years, there's no deal. I'm getting quite annoyed by what seems to me to be just a tactic to get their bonus, and I'm also really tempted to make a formal complaint. The FCA is mentioned on the DIDO invite, but I don't know whether to contact Hendy first before I go full tilt with whoever it is I really ought to be complaining to.
Suggestions/comments? Am I being greedy or am I being fobbed off?
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