Cars for sale at well known LK garage monopoly

[publicprotector]

Hi Everyone,

 

just wanted to gauge public opinion on the above topic,

 

cars too dear for age and condition

staff with no idea about anything to do with the cars they sell

[***mod edit - shetlink is no place for unfounded insinuation ***]

could go on for a while, but here is an example of what i mean

 

went in to look at new car and found one i liked, asked salesman a few questions, eg, ncap safety rating, mpg, road tax cost and annual service cost and was met with a vague look and a shrug of the shoulders and to top it off the woman in reception was quite rude when i mentioned to my friend who was with me how much you could save bypopping south for the same car, she said that was not really on and did i realise that i would not get a courtesy car while getting my "car fae sooth" serviced there?? well i thought i dont give toss as if i did buy said car from south i would be saving £3500 on their price so could just get a taxi to my home/place of work. so needless to say am not buying a car locally and would encourage others to follow suit.

 

for too long we up here have had to put up with well below par service from local car dealers, i also wrote to the manufactuer to complain at the service i got, they wrote back saying they were aware of the garage in question and are keeping a watching brief on the situation as have had several letters of complaint.

 

so if you want a vauxhall head south to belmont or arnold clarks, cheaper and better service.

 

thats my rant over for today

 

NN

[muckleflugga]

Went to look at buying a new car from probably same monopoly, After doing considerable internet searching and building my ideal spec, I visited the garage and was told car would be "a ball hair off 13 grand" , Same car right enough pre reg so might've had 10 mile on clock, "ball hair off 10 grand" on internet, Could also rant about the price of same garages spares, but it's a nice day and I'd only upset myself

[beachcaster]

I visited the garage and was told car would be "a ball hair off 13 grand" , Same car right enough pre reg so might've had 10 mile on clock, "ball hair off 10 grand"

 

I think it is a bit unfair to compare a the price of a locally sourced brand new car with a pre-reg car from a massive company on the mainland. Pre-registered cars are basicly a 2nd hand and that reflects in their value.

Personally i would never buy a new car as depreciation is unreal, about 2 grand as soon as the numberplates are screwed on.

 

One of the reasons some garages register cars to themselves is to meet sales targets which allow them higher discounts on the purchase price from the manufactorers, this is why they can sell some cars so cheap.

[muckleflugga]

And the overly priced spare parts, garages down road bulk buy them too

[dandev]

In response to NN's rant regarding "well known LK garage monopoly" I feel I must stick up for a family run local company who seem to be nice people to do business with.

 

So tell me, if you go "sooth" and buy your pre reg 3 month old (or older) Vauxhall, would you expect the big bad penny pinching local vauxhall dealer to carry out warranty work for you? Or would you go "sooth" for that too at your own expense?

I suspect they would become the nice chaps who picked up my broken car from the side of the road with their nice breakdown wagon and fixed it all under warranty at no cost to me!

DD

[Ghostrider]

^^ Correct me if I'm wrong, but surely if you buy a car with a manufacturers warranty, the manufacturer reimburses whichever dealer wherever in the country (world??) the work is done.

 

So what if you buy a car in Aberdeen, Glasgow or wherever, but it needs warranty work done when it is in Shetland. Do you propose that same argument applies if you live in say Truro or maybe Chatham, and buy a car from a dealer there, but for whatever reason are located in say Wick or Ullapool when warranty work become due. Are you proposing that you take it back to Truro or Chatham? I don't think so.....the nearest dealer to Wick or Ullapool will be where you're headed.

 

Same difference for being located in Shetland and buying in Aberdeen or Glasgow. So what, the local dealer had nothing on his forecourt that caught your eye or suited your pocket, so you went elsewhere and bought a model of the same make. At least if you come to him for warranty work, he makes some money out of you along the way if you bought the same make, you could have gone elsewhere and bought a vehicle of a different make entirely, then he'd never have made a penny out of you.

 

That notion that its somehow "wrong" to expect a local dealer to undertake work when you did not initially buy form them, and you should in some way feel "guilty" about it is the biggest scam going. Manufacturers Warranties are exactly that, a contract between the manufacturer and the owner, and while manufacturers would probably prefer if no owner ever claimed on them, when one does the manufacturer does not care from whom you bought originally, or which of their dealers does the work, so why should you?

[dandev]

I think the point I was trying to make was regarding the morality of complaining about the service of a local company, buying from elsewhere and then expecting the local company to fix that product when it goes wrong.

 

As you say :-

Manufacturers Warranties are exactly that, a contract between the manufacturer and the owner,

 

The contract is not with the local garage who (I am reliably informed) are not under obligation to carry out warranty or any other repair on a vehicle they did not sell, a friend of mine who works in the motor industry "sooth" told me a garage near him got so fed up with a customer, that after consulting with their lawyers and the manufacturer, they not only refused to fix his car under warranty but also barred him from their garage.

DD

[JohanofNess]

If the garage are part of the dealer network the manufacturer takes a very dim view of a franchise refusing to carry out warranty or recall work.

I say this because although I got a brand new VW from a dealer in Coventry the one in Aberdeen were told by VW that they had to do all servicing and warranty works on the car even though I chose not to buy it from them it stuck in their craw a bit but they came round in the end.

 

As for the car prices I have to say that some of the used car prices from private sellers are on the high side but its a case of supply and demand I suppose. The dealers as I told my mother when she recently purchased a car are on the high side but bear in mind having to go and get the car and then bring it onto the island.

[Ghostrider]

I think the point I was trying to make was regarding the morality of complaining about the service of a local company, buying from elsewhere and then expecting the local company to fix that product when it goes wrong.

 

Since when did morality enter in to business transcations, its few businesses that show any signs of morals very often, why should the customer treat them any different than they treat the customer.

 

As you say :-

Manufacturers Warranties are exactly that, a contract between the manufacturer and the owner,

 

The contract is not with the local garage who (I am reliably informed) are not under obligation to carry out warranty or any other repair on a vehicle they did not sell, a friend of mine who works in the motor industry "sooth" told me a garage near him got so fed up with a customer, that after consulting with their lawyers and the manufacturer, they not only refused to fix his car under warranty but also barred him from their garage.

DD

 

Those in bold are your operative words, with authorisation from the manufacturer they can refuse to undetake manufacturer warranty work, but if they take it upon themselves to refuse it, as JohanofNess says, the manufacturer they are and the agent of is highly unlikely to be impressed. The garage has a contract with the manufacturer to provide certain services to customers of that manufacturer, regardless of which agent retailed the product to the customers in the first place, only the manufacturer can waive any one garage's obligation to undertake such work, not the garage themselves.

[corporate]

Always someone having a good moan, no doubt thereaputic; but the key and fundamental point is if you think you can do better; go on then, show us. People like this garage have started from nowhere..so no silver spoons ...and have achieved what they have achieved through hard work over many years; now employing no doubt dozens in lerwick, and paying plenty in rates to keep council employees in wages too....

 

the future of shetland lies with businesses such as these, and they deserve our support, where possible.

 

My experience has always been a very positive one with them, and i will always try them first.

[corporate]

I wouls also be very interested to hear the other side of the story with public protector; anyone out there from the garage in question, know if such a letter was sent, and if sucvh a reply was exactly as described?

[Njugle]

It is also interesting to note that this was "publicprotector's" first and only post, which currently puts him pretty close to the trolling frame. This whole thread may be a farce worthy of removal as a result.

 

Perhaps it's all just an advert for arnold clarks?

 

So publicprotector are you still out there?

[shetlandcars]

This whole thread may be a farce worthy of removal as a result.

 

Ah that old chestnut, go on do it; you know you want to!

[Twerto]

It may be a farce.. but it is well known that you can go south and buy a car with all expense's included. for less than you can buy cars up here

[MaxFusion]

^^agreed

not only that but garages don't make as much from selling the cars as they do from servicing/repairing them....so surely garages should be happy for folk to buy south and have them service it.