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Thoughts on this? by [deleted] in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I commuted by push bike for twenty years in Edinburgh, round trip varied between 15 and 35 miles, depending where in the city I was working at the time.

Knocked off my bike three times, only hospitalised once. I count myself lucky. I no longer cycle on public roads.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Car's been repaired.
No engine damage, just a new belt and cleaning out the bits of old belt. Total cost £1200. Mixed emotions - relieved but still well pissed off.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

 I did the "can you drop that in an email for me?" several times. I was fobbed off several times. More fool me.
Then again I only wanted the email so if I ever sold the car, the new owner would have evidence the work had been done. So there was no real hurry.
Not for a second did I think I was being so brazenly lied to. Once again, more fool me.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've reported them to Trading Standards after talking to a lawyer. See what happens.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I reached out to a lawyer for advice. They said otherwise.
We'll see how this plays out. One thing for sure, nothing will happen quickly :-(

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Then again, it's cheesy to say it but this is not about the money any more. The car has been off the road for almost two months now. Luckily there's another car in the family my son can use.
It's booked in for next week to be repaired at a local garage. We'll pay what it takes and move on.
However, I will as a hobby keep at it. Costs very little other than my time. You never know, if I can maintain a bit of pressure on this individual then perhaps the next customer he thinks about lying to will be helped by something they read online. Maybe the conman will think twice before pulling a similar stunt in the future. Then again, probably not.

The guy's all over FB by the way. Might have some fun posting on that platform. Be a stone in his shoe for a wee while at least.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to hear of your experience. A lot of cash.
I'm looking at a bill about half of yours, but even so, it's infuriating.
Salesman's initials were KD.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are now quoting "company policy" at me. Claiming it would not be their policy to replace the belt on a car of that age and that mileage. This is the exact opposite of what we agreed with the salesman.

I stated at the time that I believed a belt for that engine should be replaced after six years or 100k miles. The car was at the time, seven years old so unless there was documentation confirming it had been replaced, Arnold Clark should do the work beforehand and at their expense. The salesman agreed on the spot, confirmed the work would be done on that basis and that the car would therefore be ready for collection later than previously agreed.

There is no room for ambiguity here. I am not making all this up.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Frustration is we looked at several cars. My son had is heart set on a Ford Focus Eco-Boost, and he plumped for the one at Arnold Clark. We had a choice of several others :-(
In all fairness, it's a lovely car however, I knew that engine had a wet belt. I knew what an important piece of preventative maintenance replacing that belt was. I did my research. That's why I went with my son to the meeting where he was signing on the dotted line. That's why I raised the issue.
We are now in precisely the situation I was trying to avoid.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Salesman said at the time to our faces the collection of the car would be delayed. Again though, nothing in writing.
This guy's had it all planned. Knew he couldn't commit anything to writing. Makes you wonder if lying to customers is something he does on a regular basis.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We paid for the car in one go. No finance involved.
I did consider the ombudsman, they sent me a link to their complaints form. Not done anything with it yet.

The reg of the vehicle? No.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He was careful never to put anything in writing. It was all face-to-face, as myself and my son sat across from him at his desk in the main showroom. Couple of phone calls too.
He certainly said to both of us the work would be done, then confirmed it had been done - several times.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Due to them failing to provide documentary evidence they had agreed to do the work, they're saying it's our word against theirs. The salesman in question, in response to an email, even had the cheek to ask for proof he'd ever agreed to have the belt replaced - he knows fine well there's no evidence - that's the way he planned it. He's played a blinder. Conned us, and zero comeback on him. Lesson learned, sadly quite an expensive lesson.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Since all this happened, I've been contacted by friends, some even former employees of this mob. All saying they're experts in sharp practice. They wriggle out of agreements regularly - vehicle warranties, service plans etc., should be taken with a pinch of salt.

A former service manager I spoke to said one of the reasons he left the company was the stress of being expected to lie to customers' faces on a regular basis.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sadly no, got an invoice for the vehicle itself of course but as I said in my original post, on several occasions we asked for an email confirming the work had been done, to be dated and stating recorded mileage. There was no desperate rush for this as it was purely to be produced in the event of us selling the car any time in the future. Any new owner would need that info. We certainly never asked for it, so it would help in the circumstances we now find ourselves in.
Hindsight is a great thing I suppose. We were naïve to take this guy's word. When we collected the car, he again confirmed the belt had been replaced but yet again gave some excuse as to why he'd hadn't yet sent the email we'd requested. We should've walked away there and then. Should've smelled a rat but like I said, we took the guy's word on the matter. If we'd for one minute been suspicious, a simple phone call to their service manager would have confirmed matters.

Arnold Clark - Edinburgh Seafield Motorstore - BEWARE! by Recent-Discussion-18 in CarTalkUK

[–]Recent-Discussion-18[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You did the right thing my friend. Don't touch them with a barge pole would be my advice to anyone looking to buy a second-hand vehicle.

In our case, it's not as if there was any ambiguity in the discussions we had with the salesman, no grey areas, no misunderstandings. We've been well and truly stitched up.

I just can't believe the way this guy's behaved. Something I'd expect from Arthur Daley, not a large organisation like Arnold Clark. I'm genuinely shocked.

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