I bought a Fiat Panda 1.2 Dynamic for my wife yesterday, from Fiat Autoplanet in Southampton. I bought it over the phone, which is a bit chancy, but this was a 60 plate 2010 ex demonstrator with 2000 miles covered, bought from a main dealer, so I was fairly laid back about it. Before sealing the deal, I stressed that I was buying over the phone, and could I expect the car to be like new, as expected. I was assured that it was.
On arrival and inspecting the car, I found a small dent in the front wing. I was assured by the salesman that he had not seen it. Impossible to know whether this was true, but either way, the car was clearly not as described. By this point I had been travelling for over five hours by train, having been diverted due to cancellations. I was tired and just wanted to start the long drive hometo Yorkshire. The salesman knew this and suggested that his “dent man” could come in and sort it out. Predictably, this turned out not to be an option as the dent man was not available. In what I thought was a reasonable solution, I suggested splitting the estimated repair cost to me of £90 - £100, so I would accept £45 and have the dent sorted out myself. This was refused. I asked to speak to the manager, who also refused. They kept harping on about the deal I had been given. In my view, this was irrelevant, the car was not as described. I was offered the opportunity to walk away but given the circumstances, they both knew that this was not a realistic option for me. They would only offer the £20 they said the repair would cost them to have done. By this point I was pretty exhausted and accepted. It left a bitter taste in what should have been a pleasant buying experience. I have bought many cars for both myself and my wife over the past thirty years and, frankly, it was a shock to get this response from a main dealer. It was never about the mone, but about putting right a misdescription, whether knowingly or not. Even when I asked for a printout of the HPI report, it was like extracting teeth, because “it costs us £5 for these”. This seems unlikely because a thirty second internet search shows that as a private customer, I can get three checks for £9.99. This statement probably held as much truth as the figure the salesman showed me as “that which the car owed them”
My advice is to avoid like the plague. If you must and I mean must use them, go through the transaction as if you are dealing with a back street, fly by night operation because that is how they conduct business. They are clearly far more interested in extracting every penny out of every transaction than in having satisfied customers. The salespeople are slick, but not customer focused by any stretch of the imagination and would probably take some pride in that description. Such is their mindset. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to go back there with a problem. I say this because I have dealt with some very good dealers over the years who take the long view and value their reputation. This was like turning the clock back twenty years to the bad old days. At least Arthur Daley was likeable.
First fiat by the way, and she loves it
On arrival and inspecting the car, I found a small dent in the front wing. I was assured by the salesman that he had not seen it. Impossible to know whether this was true, but either way, the car was clearly not as described. By this point I had been travelling for over five hours by train, having been diverted due to cancellations. I was tired and just wanted to start the long drive hometo Yorkshire. The salesman knew this and suggested that his “dent man” could come in and sort it out. Predictably, this turned out not to be an option as the dent man was not available. In what I thought was a reasonable solution, I suggested splitting the estimated repair cost to me of £90 - £100, so I would accept £45 and have the dent sorted out myself. This was refused. I asked to speak to the manager, who also refused. They kept harping on about the deal I had been given. In my view, this was irrelevant, the car was not as described. I was offered the opportunity to walk away but given the circumstances, they both knew that this was not a realistic option for me. They would only offer the £20 they said the repair would cost them to have done. By this point I was pretty exhausted and accepted. It left a bitter taste in what should have been a pleasant buying experience. I have bought many cars for both myself and my wife over the past thirty years and, frankly, it was a shock to get this response from a main dealer. It was never about the mone, but about putting right a misdescription, whether knowingly or not. Even when I asked for a printout of the HPI report, it was like extracting teeth, because “it costs us £5 for these”. This seems unlikely because a thirty second internet search shows that as a private customer, I can get three checks for £9.99. This statement probably held as much truth as the figure the salesman showed me as “that which the car owed them”
My advice is to avoid like the plague. If you must and I mean must use them, go through the transaction as if you are dealing with a back street, fly by night operation because that is how they conduct business. They are clearly far more interested in extracting every penny out of every transaction than in having satisfied customers. The salespeople are slick, but not customer focused by any stretch of the imagination and would probably take some pride in that description. Such is their mindset. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to go back there with a problem. I say this because I have dealt with some very good dealers over the years who take the long view and value their reputation. This was like turning the clock back twenty years to the bad old days. At least Arthur Daley was likeable.
First fiat by the way, and she loves it
