ARNOLD CLARK IMPORTANT CUSTOMER INFORMATION. Worth a click?

Just a quick note to say thanks for your site.

My partner is looking to buy a new car and she was seriously going to buy one from A C but she found your website and we have had a good look at complaints from some of A C customers, needless to say we will not be buying our new car from them.

Thanks again for the warning.

My first bad experience with them was when I went to buy my first car. My dad and I had agreed a finance package and insurance on a Saxo from the Armadale branch and asked for 24 hours to think it over. So I called them the next day to tell them I'd take the car when I was told from the salesman on the phone that he'd sold the car! We went in later that day to confront him and he started saying "I sold it to .......you know, the builder's daughter?". We guessed that he'd probably been holding it back for someone he knew all along. He then tried to fob me off with a tatty looking white Saxo instead. I said no and left.

I bought a Renault from the Grangemouth branch 18 months later and haven't been pleased with the customer service. They can't get it into their heads that I live too far away to leave the car and pick it up when it needs work done to it and the service staff fail to take in the information properly. I had a big electrical problem in 2002 and it took 3 visits to them (1 overnight stay for the car) for them to finally solve it. Then there's the services. £256 for a 36k service?! Then they find that I need a balljoint done at the same time. I ended up paying £330 to them that day and they forgot to stamp the service book.

I definitely won't buy there again.

I appear to be the victim of AC's

poor customer service. I did write to them and they have not responded. Today they accused me of putting my letter on your website. I did not. I believe there are people in the AC organisation who are anti AC. David in Sales Development accused me of leading him and AC up the Garden Path and not telling the truth. It is not my way of resolving the issue, so, with great respect please remove my letter if it is on the site as I cannot see it.

I bought a punto from the Allison St branch in Glasgow. The salesman told me the car was registered in July. The log book said January. When I complained I was told by the manager that it was the same year so made no difference. I said it did and told them to take the car back and return my money. They said no. I said Trading Standards, they said we will collect the car and cancel the finance agreement.

Hi great page pity I hadn't seen it prior to parting with thousands of pounds at the Queens Drive outfit in Kilmarnock.

My husband and I visited the show room on the 10th of January this year with our new baby. We explained to the salesman who couldn't have appeared nicer that since the recent arrival of our new son we were in desperate need of a safe, reliable car. We were shown a Renault Megane R plate that we liked and decided to purchase on a zero percent finance deal.

The salesman assured us that all cars sold by Arnold Clarke undergo stringent servicing prior customer collection. He also said that we could take out a further 4 year warranty for further peace of mind and it was on the basis of this quality assurance that we decided to purchase the vehicle. Little were we to know that this would be a huge mistake that would cause us much trouble and upset.

From the moment we signed the sales agreement it was obvious that the salesman's work was done and that he simply could not be bothered anymore making an effort to appear nice and couldn't get us out of the showroom quick enough.

We arranged to collect the car a week later, allowing the car to undergo preparation for our collection. When I went to collect the car we were told we could not take out the extended warranty after all due to it being too old. On closer inspection of the car I noticed that the rear tail light was smashed and the service manual was missing. The salesman feigned surprise at this and claimed it must just have happened and assured me that the service manual would be with me within a few days. I'm still waiting.....

My problems with the car began even before I had set foot in it as it was all iced up and the door was stuck thanks to the weather and no one bothering to deice it for my collection. So much for the preparation it would undergo for my collection. The staff at Arnold Clarke were no help in assisting me get into the car and it was down to my mother who had to go buy a can of deicer that I got in. On driving home the stereo wasn't working due to it not being decoded.

Later on that same evening I ran out of petrol as the gauge was not working at all. Fortunately I did not have my baby with me as I was on a busy dual carriage way at the time.

I had the car in my possession just two days before I noticed a multitude of faults such as the heater blowing out just cold air, not good in the middle of Winter. The power steering is making dubious noises, the central locking only works intermittently, the rear tail light is still smashed and the petrol cap door jammed making it impossible for me to refuel meaning I could no longer drive my car.

I reported these faults to the showroom and was told to bring my car in that Friday. I duly did so and was provided with a courtesy car (insurance for which to be met at my expense). Having being in the garage all day I expected my car to be fixed, or at least have some of the faults rectified. However on collecting the car I discovered nothing had been done at all, not even the rear light glass replaced. The reason for this is that they have to wait on parts.

Here I am days later still waiting on the delivery of these parts to the showroom. The delay some what puzzles me as my local garage can have car parts delivered within the day.

I contacted the showroom as I was very concerned about the amount of faults the car had. However I could never get past the receptionist who claimed the man I had to speak to was busy. Despite promises of returning my calls, no one ever called back. My husband later called and explained to the receptionist the problems we were having and how desperate we were to have them rectified. He was speaking in a calm but firm manner insisting that he be put through to the manager immediately. She accused him of shouting and hung up on him.

On speaking to the manager he asked if it would be possible to exchange the car due to the many problems we were having. He was informed this would not be possible as we chose to buy that car and the deal was done. My husband pointed out that we bought the car under false pretences as we were promised that it was reliable and safe, it is anything but.

I contacted trading standards who stated that Arnold Clarke are fulfilling their minimal legal duty to repair the car but morally they should exchange it as many other dealers would in these circumstances. They spoke to the branch who assured it would be repaired. Trading Standards also pointed out that Arnold Clarke should have shown me a copy of the East Ayrshire Safety Inspection report prior to purchasing the car. I was not even aware this existed.

However this sorry tale gets worse. I was out in the car with my baby son when I became aware of a puncture. I could not work the jack and without a manual giving me instructions I had to get help. When my husband arrived with his friend who works in the mechanical repair industry to change the wheel, they discovered the spare wheel did not fit the car. Meaning we had to get towed back and now have a car we cannot use until we get it fixed. The car is still under the 30 day warranty but we have been unable to contact the showroom due to it being out of hours.

Due to the Kilmarnock branch refusing to exchange my car I contacted the Ayr branch and explained my situation and how I wished to part exchange to another vehicle. They informed me that due to the faults in the car I would be lucky if they could give me as much as half of what I had paid for it. They stated this was because they would have to sell it at auction as they would be unable to put it on their forecourt in it's current condition. I asked why it was old to me like this and all they could say was to take it up with the Kilmarnock branch as each branch has differing policies.

So here I am two weeks later thousands of pounds out of pocket and stuck with a car that I cannot drive, and even if I could would be too afraid to go out in it due to its unreliability. Not only that but it has depreciated at the astonishing rate of at least 50% in 2 weeks!

Promises delivered! What a sick joke. How can these people sleep at night? It's about time something was done about them. I am not going to take this lying down......I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow.

I bought a 3 year old Vauxhall Astra CD 1.6 16v from Arnold Clark in April last year. This car was ex-fleet and had approx 56,000 miles on the clock. I had previously checked the 'What Car' website and noted that this type of car would have no real problems at this age or with this mileage - it had a good write up and was highly recommended. In addition to the test drive, I visually inspected the car prior to purchase and mentioned an area of rust on the exhaust to the dealership manager at the time and asked for it to be taken care of during the service before I collected the car.

When I collected the car, I noticed that nothing had been done about the exhaust and pointed this out - I was assured that there was nothing wrong and that this only affected the outer skin of the exhaust in a very minor way. Not been too knowledgeable about cars (thankfully I now know a bit more!), I accepted this and drove off after merrily handing over my switch card.

14 weeks later (1 week after the 3 month warranty ran out - how convenient), the exhaust fell off - the brackets had rusted through. Arnold Clark didn't want to know.

When I phoned round other car servicing companies, they could not source me a replacement exhaust as Vauxhall did not readily supply them for this model of car - according to Vauxhall, the exhaust should never have rusted through on a car of this age so they couldn't easily supply replacements - I was quoted hundreds of pounds to do so. I had to get the whole thing welded back together at the ATS garage in Finneston, Glasgow - cost me a tenner donation to the 'boys beer box' in the office. Arnold Clark obviously spotted all this at the time of the service, probably contacted Vauxhall or looked up their manufacturers guide, relialised it would to too much hassle and fobbed me off. Great.

This might not be as bad as most of the stories on your website but it still pisses me off.

I bought a Renault Megane from AC in Kilmarnock 3 weeks ago. The salesman who couldn't have seemed nicer (till I signed the order that is) and assured me that as a parent with young kids himself, it would undergo a thorough safety check prior to its collection. On the basis of this and the fact I was given the option of taking out an extended warranty I bought the vehicle. Huge mistake.

On the day I collected the car the trouble began. These started before I had even sat in the car. Firstly I was told by the Mr. Jeckyl and Hyde salesman (Mr. nice guy was long gone) that I could no longer take the extended warranty out as the car was too old - it was 5 yrs old! Then my mum noticed the rear tail light was completely smashed - to which the salesman feigned surprise and said it must just have happened. The locks were frozen solid on the doors and when asked for assistance the salesman shrugged his shoulders so my mum had to nip to the garage and buy some de-icer. She usually buys her cars from a local dealer and couldn't believe the attitude of the salesman.

Later that evening I ran out of petrol due to the petrol gauge being faulty. After a 5 mile round trip on foot to refuel in subzero temperatures I noticed the heater was just blowing out cold air. So much for preparing and inspecting vehicles for customer collection, it was obvious mine hadn't been looked at.

A few days later my 3 year old daughter was locked inside the car for 45 miles as the central locking no longer worked. It sprang back into life just as the AA were about to arrive. I called AC to bring the car in under the 30 day warranty, and duly did so a week later - the earliest they could fit me in.

I was promised it would be fixed upon collection later that morning. I collected the car later that evening as it had been worked upon all day apparently. When I got it back the light was still smashed and all the problems were still there. When asked why nothing had been done to it I was haughtily informed that they had to wait 2 days on parts and they wanted to do all the work when all the parts arrived.

2 days elapsed and when I called to enquire when my car was getting fixed I was told they did not know, they were still waiting. I was perplexed at this to say the least as my small local garage can have ordered parts within hours. When quizzed about this I was informed AC only use the highest quality Renault parts hence the delay.

2 weeks later and I was still waiting on my car getting fixed. In this time I started to have trouble with the power steering and the petrol cap door jammed leaving me stranded at the petrol station.

I called AC up to report these additional fault and enquire about a date to bring the car in. Again I was told this couldn't be given as they were still waiting on the parts. By this time I was seriously starting to worry about what I had bought and who I had bought it from. I then came across this web page and it made me feel a lot better to know I wasn't the only one this organisation who have got too big to care messed about Fortunately it made me less susceptible towards their stalling tactics and more determined to get my money back.

Through your website I also got in touch with elite inspections. www.eliteinspection.co.uk

They were brilliant and offered me some great advice in how to deal with these mutants.

First of all I got on to trading standards who put pressure on them to give me a date to get the car fixed. They got in touch with a day for a fortnights. They said all they were legally obliged to do was repair the car. By this time I had lost all faith in the thing and was seriously worried about the 30 day warranty expiry as my mate who is a mechanic told me the thing was fucked.

The elite inspections boys told me AC did exchange cars sometimes. When I asked the AC this they replied it wouldn't be possible in my case as I had chose that car. How ridiculous was that??? Anyway I pointed out I was sold it under false pretences but they laughed and said they wouldn't change their minds. Trading standards also tried to get them to change it as a goodwill gesture but they weren't budging.

I was on the A77 in this un roadworthy heap when I got a puncture. I was with my newborn baby at the time and got my husband and his mate who is a mechanic to come out and change the wheel. The manual in the car had never been given to me despite the salesman saying he would post it to me, so I couldn't do it myself. They couldn't change the wheel as it was the wrong spare for that car!

I called AC and furiously told them how dangerous it was for me to be in a situation like that but they couldn't have cared less. The salesman or manager wouldn't take or return my calls despite their promises to do so.

I spoke to the customer services manager who said he would get them to call but they didn't for 2 days.

By this point I was getting desperate and took the car to Ayr to part exchange it. They offered me a third of what I had paid for it saying it was in such bad condition they couldn't put it on their forecourt and only sell it via auction.

I called Ac in killmarnock to ask the salesman who he had sold it to me knowing I had 2 young kids and a newborn but he was funnily enough never available and did not return my calls.

I contacted the finance company and informed them of the situation. They passed me onto the legal liaisons department who offered to sue AC on my behalf. They own the car when financed till the final payment is made and take a dim view of being sold inferior goods.

I called the customer services manager at head office of AC and he said he would speak to the branch and try to resolve the problem to my satisfaction. I said I no longer wanted the car fixed and that I wanted a full refund. I said I even wanted to buy a more expensive car from AC if I could get a refund. This was a blatant lie I made up to get him to agree. He hummed and hawed at first but when I mentioned the finance company and the how they were going to sue them he said he would authorize a refund. I also told him I used to work in a newspaper and would run a story on his companies dodgy customer care, another lie of mine.

But at this point I adopted the philosophy of if u cant beat them join them.

Lo and behold my calls to the dealership started to be returned. I was allowed to return my car, I couldn't believe it.

However the manager in Kilmarnock was determined to make it as difficult for me to do so. When I told him I had bought a brand new Megane from a local dealership he refused to give it to me in writing that he would sever the finance agreement and refund my deposit on return of the vehicle.

He said it wasn't company policy to do this and a verbal agreement would have to do. I called head office customer services department and spoke to a delightful man called Kieran who spoke to the manager in Kilmarnock and told him to give me what I wanted.

The car was uplifted today and I get my new one on Monday.

I will never ever deal with these mutants ever again and will make it an aim in my life to warn as many people as possible to avoid them at all costs.

For people who have been misfortunate enough to be conned into buying a car off these people get it returned as soon as possible.

Get trading standards, the finance company, press, DOT, independent inspections onto them and reject the car. They are bastards who do not deserve to con hardworking customers.

Arnold Clark Sucks

READ HERE WHAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY www.arnoldsucks.com Please update your bookmarks.
So as we had to have a service on the Astra to keep the warranty going ( the car was bought from and service done by nation wide firm A C ) and fully aware that good service in anything these days is very scarce, I first checked all the items on the service list in the car handbook, then as the pressure in the spare tyre was specifically mentioned in the Vauxhall service book I reduced the pressure in the spare to 17lbs, and then placed a large leaf on the carpet above the spare wheel compartment, to see if it was disturbed during the service, the result was as follows, wife took car to service centre, was given a courtesy car, wife drove courtesy car noticed it was a poor ride etc ,found car had a flat tyre,12 lbs ,,,, inflated it at nearby garage, on taking courtesy car back wife told girl at service counter she had been given a car with a flat tyre,,, the reply was that it had only just come back late the night before,,,,no apology ,,, no thought of the consequences of an accident caused by their defective car, Wife collected Astra,, at home I checked oil, oil filter, etc etc OK, then I open the boot and the Leaf is still in the same position as placed before, checked pressure in spare,,,YES 17 lbs, never even had mat up or checked the tread depth. So we phone the service desk, tell them what we found,,,and are told by the service manager that they don't check tyre pressures, obviously not a thinking man, far better to say OH dear very sorry we missed that, etc. no the idiot actually said they didn't check tyre pressures. So I very calmly phoned the manager and told him what had happened, he was very sorry and said he could not understand why we were told that pressures were not checked, I suggested to him that the reason was that the service department did not check pressures, in spite of the fact that, he and I, and more to the point the Vauxhall service guide say it should be done, I then asked him what he was going to do about all the recent customers who had not had their spare tyre checked for tread or pressure, it went very quiet, he said he would have a word with the service department, ( Very good of him ) I told him about the service department giving the wife a defective/dangerous car with a flat tyre, ( It's a good job this is not the USA ) because his scandalous reply was that, yes, if it came in late the night before, there would have been no time to check it, for oil etc. I asked him if it was worth the chap who drove the car out of their pound taking 20 seconds to walk around the car and give the tyres a visual. I got all the claptrap that you would expect from a firm who have no answers to the mess they get themselves in when the only thing they want, is our money, and the product or service is flawed. I was assured that the next service will be better. That's nice. 5.2.2004
Just a quick note to say thanks for your site. My partner is looking to buy a new car and she was seriously going to buy one from A C but she found your website and we have had a good look at complaints from some of A C customers, needless to say we will not be buying our new car from them. Thanks again for the warning. 5.2.2004
My first bad experience with them was when I went to buy my first car. My dad and I had agreed a finance package and insurance on a Saxo from the Armadale branch and asked for 24 hours to think it over. So I called them the next day to tell them I'd take the car when I was told from the salesman on the phone that he'd sold the car! We went in later that day to confront him and he started saying "I sold it to .......you know, the builder's daughter?". We guessed that he'd probably been holding it back for someone he knew all along. He then tried to fob me off with a tatty looking white Saxo instead. I said no and left. I bought a Renault from the Grangemouth branch 18 months later and haven't been pleased with the customer service. They can't get it into their heads that I live too far away to leave the car and pick it up when it needs work done to it and the service staff fail to take in the information properly. I had a big electrical problem in 2002 and it took 3 visits to them (1 overnight stay for the car) for them to finally solve it. Then there's the services. £256 for a 36k service?! Then they find that I need a balljoint done at the same time. I ended up paying £330 to them that day and they forgot to stamp the service book. I definitely won't buy there again. 5.2.2004
I appear to be the victim of AC's poor customer service. I did write to them and they have not responded. Today they accused me of putting my letter on your website. I did not. I believe there are people in the AC organisation who are anti AC. David in Sales Development accused me of leading him and AC up the Garden Path and not telling the truth. It is not my way of resolving the issue, so, with great respect please remove my letter if it is on the site as I cannot see it. 5.2.2004
I bought a punto from the Allison St branch in Glasgow. The salesman told me the car was registered in July. The log book said January. When I complained I was told by the manager that it was the same year so made no difference. I said it did and told them to take the car back and return my money. They said no. I said Trading Standards, they said we will collect the car and cancel the finance agreement. 5.2.2004
Hi great page pity I hadn't seen it prior to parting with thousands of pounds at the Queens Drive outfit in Kilmarnock. My husband and I visited the show room on the 10th of January this year with our new baby. We explained to the salesman who couldn't have appeared nicer that since the recent arrival of our new son we were in desperate need of a safe, reliable car. We were shown a Renault Megane R plate that we liked and decided to purchase on a zero percent finance deal. The salesman assured us that all cars sold by Arnold Clarke undergo stringent servicing prior customer collection. He also said that we could take out a further 4 year warranty for further peace of mind and it was on the basis of this quality assurance that we decided to purchase the vehicle. Little were we to know that this would be a huge mistake that would cause us much trouble and upset. From the moment we signed the sales agreement it was obvious that the salesman's work was done and that he simply could not be bothered anymore making an effort to appear nice and couldn't get us out of the showroom quick enough. We arranged to collect the car a week later, allowing the car to undergo preparation for our collection. When I went to collect the car we were told we could not take out the extended warranty after all due to it being too old. On closer inspection of the car I noticed that the rear tail light was smashed and the service manual was missing. The salesman feigned surprise at this and claimed it must just have happened and assured me that the service manual would be with me within a few days. I'm still waiting..... My problems with the car began even before I had set foot in it as it was all iced up and the door was stuck thanks to the weather and no one bothering to deice it for my collection. So much for the preparation it would undergo for my collection. The staff at Arnold Clarke were no help in assisting me get into the car and it was down to my mother who had to go buy a can of deicer that I got in. On driving home the stereo wasn't working due to it not being decoded. Later on that same evening I ran out of petrol as the gauge was not working at all. Fortunately I did not have my baby with me as I was on a busy dual carriage way at the time. I had the car in my possession just two days before I noticed a multitude of faults such as the heater blowing out just cold air, not good in the middle of Winter. The power steering is making dubious noises, the central locking only works intermittently, the rear tail light is still smashed and the petrol cap door jammed making it impossible for me to refuel meaning I could no longer drive my car. I reported these faults to the showroom and was told to bring my car in that Friday. I duly did so and was provided with a courtesy car (insurance for which to be met at my expense). Having being in the garage all day I expected my car to be fixed, or at least have some of the faults rectified. However on collecting the car I discovered nothing had been done at all, not even the rear light glass replaced. The reason for this is that they have to wait on parts. Here I am days later still waiting on the delivery of these parts to the showroom. The delay some what puzzles me as my local garage can have car parts delivered within the day. I contacted the showroom as I was very concerned about the amount of faults the car had. However I could never get past the receptionist who claimed the man I had to speak to was busy. Despite promises of returning my calls, no one ever called back. My husband later called and explained to the receptionist the problems we were having and how desperate we were to have them rectified. He was speaking in a calm but firm manner insisting that he be put through to the manager immediately. She accused him of shouting and hung up on him. On speaking to the manager he asked if it would be possible to exchange the car due to the many problems we were having. He was informed this would not be possible as we chose to buy that car and the deal was done. My husband pointed out that we bought the car under false pretences as we were promised that it was reliable and safe, it is anything but. I contacted trading standards who stated that Arnold Clarke are fulfilling their minimal legal duty to repair the car but morally they should exchange it as many other dealers would in these circumstances. They spoke to the branch who assured it would be repaired. Trading Standards also pointed out that Arnold Clarke should have shown me a copy of the East Ayrshire Safety Inspection report prior to purchasing the car. I was not even aware this existed. However this sorry tale gets worse. I was out in the car with my baby son when I became aware of a puncture. I could not work the jack and without a manual giving me instructions I had to get help. When my husband arrived with his friend who works in the mechanical repair industry to change the wheel, they discovered the spare wheel did not fit the car. Meaning we had to get towed back and now have a car we cannot use until we get it fixed. The car is still under the 30 day warranty but we have been unable to contact the showroom due to it being out of hours. Due to the Kilmarnock branch refusing to exchange my car I contacted the Ayr branch and explained my situation and how I wished to part exchange to another vehicle. They informed me that due to the faults in the car I would be lucky if they could give me as much as half of what I had paid for it. They stated this was because they would have to sell it at auction as they would be unable to put it on their forecourt in it's current condition. I asked why it was old to me like this and all they could say was to take it up with the Kilmarnock branch as each branch has differing policies. So here I am two weeks later thousands of pounds out of pocket and stuck with a car that I cannot drive, and even if I could would be too afraid to go out in it due to its unreliability. Not only that but it has depreciated at the astonishing rate of at least 50% in 2 weeks! Promises delivered! What a sick joke. How can these people sleep at night? It's about time something was done about them. I am not going to take this lying down......I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow. 5.2.2004
I bought a 3 year old Vauxhall Astra CD 1.6 16v from Arnold Clark in April last year. This car was ex-fleet and had approx 56,000 miles on the clock. I had previously checked the 'What Car' website and noted that this type of car would have no real problems at this age or with this mileage - it had a good write up and was highly recommended. In addition to the test drive, I visually inspected the car prior to purchase and mentioned an area of rust on the exhaust to the dealership manager at the time and asked for it to be taken care of during the service before I collected the car. When I collected the car, I noticed that nothing had been done about the exhaust and pointed this out - I was assured that there was nothing wrong and that this only affected the outer skin of the exhaust in a very minor way. Not been too knowledgeable about cars (thankfully I now know a bit more!), I accepted this and drove off after merrily handing over my switch card. 14 weeks later (1 week after the 3 month warranty ran out - how convenient), the exhaust fell off - the brackets had rusted through. Arnold Clark didn't want to know. When I phoned round other car servicing companies, they could not source me a replacement exhaust as Vauxhall did not readily supply them for this model of car - according to Vauxhall, the exhaust should never have rusted through on a car of this age so they couldn't easily supply replacements - I was quoted hundreds of pounds to do so. I had to get the whole thing welded back together at the ATS garage in Finneston, Glasgow - cost me a tenner donation to the 'boys beer box' in the office. Arnold Clark obviously spotted all this at the time of the service, probably contacted Vauxhall or looked up their manufacturers guide, relialised it would to too much hassle and fobbed me off. Great. This might not be as bad as most of the stories on your website but it still pisses me off. 5.2.2004
I worked in the Seafield branch for a month as a salesman. It was shite ! The sales manager was a complete penis & the way customers were spoken about behind their backs was an absolute fucking disgrace. I did a few deals (unwittingly shafting nice innocent people in the process) and I am pleased to say I was able to return to my nice responsible 9-5 after I realised the error of my ways. ps I was also lucky enough to meet 'The Real' Mr. Clark in my short time there. What a prick. 5.2.2004
I bought a Renault Megane from AC in Kilmarnock 3 weeks ago. The salesman who couldn't have seemed nicer (till I signed the order that is) and assured me that as a parent with young kids himself, it would undergo a thorough safety check prior to its collection. On the basis of this and the fact I was given the option of taking out an extended warranty I bought the vehicle. Huge mistake. On the day I collected the car the trouble began. These started before I had even sat in the car. Firstly I was told by the Mr. Jeckyl and Hyde salesman (Mr. nice guy was long gone) that I could no longer take the extended warranty out as the car was too old - it was 5 yrs old! Then my mum noticed the rear tail light was completely smashed - to which the salesman feigned surprise and said it must just have happened. The locks were frozen solid on the doors and when asked for assistance the salesman shrugged his shoulders so my mum had to nip to the garage and buy some de-icer. She usually buys her cars from a local dealer and couldn't believe the attitude of the salesman. Later that evening I ran out of petrol due to the petrol gauge being faulty. After a 5 mile round trip on foot to refuel in subzero temperatures I noticed the heater was just blowing out cold air. So much for preparing and inspecting vehicles for customer collection, it was obvious mine hadn't been looked at. A few days later my 3 year old daughter was locked inside the car for 45 miles as the central locking no longer worked. It sprang back into life just as the AA were about to arrive. I called AC to bring the car in under the 30 day warranty, and duly did so a week later - the earliest they could fit me in. I was promised it would be fixed upon collection later that morning. I collected the car later that evening as it had been worked upon all day apparently. When I got it back the light was still smashed and all the problems were still there. When asked why nothing had been done to it I was haughtily informed that they had to wait 2 days on parts and they wanted to do all the work when all the parts arrived. 2 days elapsed and when I called to enquire when my car was getting fixed I was told they did not know, they were still waiting. I was perplexed at this to say the least as my small local garage can have ordered parts within hours. When quizzed about this I was informed AC only use the highest quality Renault parts hence the delay. 2 weeks later and I was still waiting on my car getting fixed. In this time I started to have trouble with the power steering and the petrol cap door jammed leaving me stranded at the petrol station. I called AC up to report these additional fault and enquire about a date to bring the car in. Again I was told this couldn't be given as they were still waiting on the parts. By this time I was seriously starting to worry about what I had bought and who I had bought it from. I then came across this web page and it made me feel a lot better to know I wasn't the only one this organisation who have got too big to care messed about Fortunately it made me less susceptible towards their stalling tactics and more determined to get my money back. Through your website I also got in touch with elite inspections. www.eliteinspection.co.uk They were brilliant and offered me some great advice in how to deal with these mutants. First of all I got on to trading standards who put pressure on them to give me a date to get the car fixed. They got in touch with a day for a fortnights. They said all they were legally obliged to do was repair the car. By this time I had lost all faith in the thing and was seriously worried about the 30 day warranty expiry as my mate who is a mechanic told me the thing was fucked. The elite inspections boys told me AC did exchange cars sometimes. When I asked the AC this they replied it wouldn't be possible in my case as I had chose that car. How ridiculous was that??? Anyway I pointed out I was sold it under false pretences but they laughed and said they wouldn't change their minds. Trading standards also tried to get them to change it as a goodwill gesture but they weren't budging. I was on the A77 in this un roadworthy heap when I got a puncture. I was with my newborn baby at the time and got my husband and his mate who is a mechanic to come out and change the wheel. The manual in the car had never been given to me despite the salesman saying he would post it to me, so I couldn't do it myself. They couldn't change the wheel as it was the wrong spare for that car! I called AC and furiously told them how dangerous it was for me to be in a situation like that but they couldn't have cared less. The salesman or manager wouldn't take or return my calls despite their promises to do so. I spoke to the customer services manager who said he would get them to call but they didn't for 2 days. By this point I was getting desperate and took the car to Ayr to part exchange it. They offered me a third of what I had paid for it saying it was in such bad condition they couldn't put it on their forecourt and only sell it via auction. I called Ac in killmarnock to ask the salesman who he had sold it to me knowing I had 2 young kids and a newborn but he was funnily enough never available and did not return my calls. I contacted the finance company and informed them of the situation. They passed me onto the legal liaisons department who offered to sue AC on my behalf. They own the car when financed till the final payment is made and take a dim view of being sold inferior goods. I called the customer services manager at head office of AC and he said he would speak to the branch and try to resolve the problem to my satisfaction. I said I no longer wanted the car fixed and that I wanted a full refund. I said I even wanted to buy a more expensive car from AC if I could get a refund. This was a blatant lie I made up to get him to agree. He hummed and hawed at first but when I mentioned the finance company and the how they were going to sue them he said he would authorize a refund. I also told him I used to work in a newspaper and would run a story on his companies dodgy customer care, another lie of mine. But at this point I adopted the philosophy of if u cant beat them join them. Lo and behold my calls to the dealership started to be returned. I was allowed to return my car, I couldn't believe it. However the manager in Kilmarnock was determined to make it as difficult for me to do so. When I told him I had bought a brand new Megane from a local dealership he refused to give it to me in writing that he would sever the finance agreement and refund my deposit on return of the vehicle. He said it wasn't company policy to do this and a verbal agreement would have to do. I called head office customer services department and spoke to a delightful man called Kieran who spoke to the manager in Kilmarnock and told him to give me what I wanted. The car was uplifted today and I get my new one on Monday. I will never ever deal with these mutants ever again and will make it an aim in my life to warn as many people as possible to avoid them at all costs. For people who have been misfortunate enough to be conned into buying a car off these people get it returned as soon as possible. Get trading standards, the finance company, press, DOT, independent inspections onto them and reject the car. They are bastards who do not deserve to con hardworking customers. 5.2.2004



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