The Contract

When you buy a car from a dealer, you will sign a contract. There are various things in this contact, the details of the car, the price paid, the date, etc. There will also be things that the trader puts in, for example in my contact the seller has written,

'Sold as Viewed'

'No warranty (unreadable word) or given'

There may also be small print with regards to the fact that you have agreed the vehicle is of satisfactory condition etc.

Then there is the most important part of the document, which states,

'This document contains the terms of a contract. Sign it only if you wish to be legally bound by them. Nothing herein contained is intended, nor will it affect, a consumers statutory rights under the sale of goods act 1979 or the unfair contract terms 1977.'

The bold section means exactly what it says. That whatever is written into the contract by the seller will not make any difference to your rights under the Sale Of Goods Act 1979.

For example in my contract it states, 'Sold as viewed.'

This means nothing as far as your rights go. The seller may as well have written, 'There's a herd of pink elephants,' because that's basically what 'sold as viewed' means. Nothing.

Customer Service - Not

After I determined all the faults on the car, I called Cars4less to inform the so called "salesman" who sold me the car, about the faults. This is the extent of the service I received.

He basically said, "Sold as viewed, not my problem."

Well, he is wrong. He appears to think that because he said that, that is the law.

Of course, he is a salesman, so I didn't listen to anything he said anyway, but that's beside the point. What he says means nothing.

Then when I explained that I knew my rights and would contact Trading Standards, he said, and I quote, "Bring it on."

Is this the sort of service a respected trader would offer?

No.

So what does that say about cars4less?

I'll leave that for you to decide.

Bad Business

Is what I don't understand about dodgy dealers, is that in a place like Lincoln, which is fairly small, word gets around. So when they sell me a car with a faulty alternator and the exhaust begins to fall off, I tell people. As you do. I tell my neighbors, friends, work colleagues and before you can spell crap4more, half of Lincoln knows.

It doesn't make sense. Surely the basis of a good business is to keep your customers happy.

You might get away with this in somewhere like London, but not in Lincoln. It's too small, too local. Word get's around.

Certain Standard

After discovering the faulty alternator on the car I bought from Cars4less Lincoln, I decided to give the car a thorough examination. I found the following wrong.

The exhaust is falling off.

The brakes need repairing.

The emissions are too high.

So, I now have a total of 4 faults on this car.

Regarding your rights when buying a car from a car dealer, there are some things the dealer has to do.

The dealer has to sell you the car to a certain standard, or the dealer has to inform you of the faults the car has. In the case of cars4less, they did neither of these things. The intended use for this car I bought from cars4less was to drive it on public roads. Of course the alternator was faulty and the car broke down, therefore they have failed on this occasion to supply me with a car that was meant for it's intended purpose.

So remember that rule, the car has to perform to the standard you intend to use it for, otherwise the dealer is at fault. If this is the case, you are in your rights to demand one of the following actions to be taken by the dealer.

1. A replacement car that at least equals the value you initially spent.

2. That all faults are repaired by or payed for by the dealer.

3. The dealer issues you with a full refund.

These are your rights as a consumer when buying from a car dealer.

If a car dealer tells you it was "sold as viewed, so it's tough shit," they are lying. You still have rights. Contact Trading Standards if you are in doubt. They are extremely helpful.

It's also worth contacting Watchdog and Rip-Off Tip-Off, because the more people that do, the more likely it is that rogue traders will be found out.

Crap4more

Here is a true story.

I needed to purchase a car. A reliable but cheap car. I saw a car advertised in the local paper at a place called cars4less in Lincoln.

Great I thought. Small car. Cheap insurance, cheap tax and economical. Perfect for what I needed it for, which was driving to work. So I go and have a look. Starts first time, electrics work, clutch worn, but it has almost a years MOT. It'll do. So I purchase the car.

The next day I get up for work, get in the car and head off. On the way I stop at a news agents, buy some cigarettes, get back in the car, turn the ignition, nothing happens. It's dead.

Now, I would expect a car to last more than two fucking days before breaking down, but not a car from Cars4less. Oh no. And the worst thing was the fault. A faulty alternator. This means that Crap4less knowingly sold me the car with this fault. They just charged the battery up enough so that it would drive off their forecourt, and knew that it would fail sooner or later.

This really pisses me off, the fact they knew the alternator was faulty and didn't tell me.

I have been deceived, but for anyone else considering buying a car in Lincoln, take this story into account. It is all true.

I didn't get a car4less, I got a piece of crap, I got ripped off, and it cost me more.